《Cult of the Sacred Runes》


 Chapter 1 – The Mystic Runes and the Mystic Stances

    Green Moon Castle: Shrine of the South Star


    Spring said its farewell with a session of refreshing rain as Green Moon City weed yet another summer.


    The temperature was slightly too warm, making the students from all sses in the South Star sleepier than usual, with the exception of junior ss three where everyone¡¯s eyes were as wide open as possible; they were staring into the center of the ssroom where a fifteen or sixteen year old girl dressed in white was making a speech.


    ¡°The path ofbat is full of obstacles. To rid yourself of your student status, you will need to climb through the star ranks and once you reach ten stars you can then graduate to be a warrior. After the warrior rank, one has to achieve the ¡®Three Steps of Prime¡¯: formed prime, condensed prime, and god¡¯s prime. It¡¯s anything but simple to achieve any of these three primes. The most talented men who broke through and transcended their primal energy to go beyond god¡¯s prime are the ¡®Supremes¡¯ whose duty it is to protect mankind. There have only been thirty-six Supremes throughout the history of mankind but that¡¯s not the end of our study of mystic powers. Only when one understands the ways of magic from the universe and can create one¡¯s own ¡®legendary mystic stance¡¯, does one truly earn the status of a Sage. However, I am sure we all know how only three people in the history of mankind has reached the level of Sage!¡±


    ¡°We can now master tens of thousands of mystic stances, mystic runes, and ¡®bone artifacts¡¯. I dare say we really are blessed by the gods... Enough of that, let¡¯s talk about mystic runes!¡±


    The white dressed teenager was standing on the podium gazing upon the engaged students with her crystal clear eyes as she was giving the lesson. Her voice, ethereal and elegant like a flowing spring, clear and melodious.


    Her name was Lin Zi Yan, student of the ¡®ss of the gifted¡¯ in South Star Academy. She was only fifteen years old, but about to be a warrior, some called what she achieved at her age sinister.. Zi Yan learned her craft directly from the vice principal of South Star and it was a privilege for junior ss three to have her as a substitute teacher.


    ¡°Metaphorically speaking if the mystic stances are letters and words, then mystic runes would be strokes. It¡¯s impossible to write without strokes so in order to learn mystic stances one must understand the runes.¡±


    ¡°The ¡®Triple Tidal Palm¡¯ is a low level spirit mystic stance consisting of thirty-six basic runes, today I am here to teach you the first three of the thirty-six!¡±


    Zi Yan paced back and forth appreciating the students gratefulness on their faces from the detailed lecture and demonstration. Her purple hair which was glowing had a braid by her ear and she had golden crystal bead decorations in her hair making it appear almost like a shimmering waterfall. She was wearing a ssic white long dress that sculpted her upper body like a work of art, her arm, bare below her sleeves, was pale as white jade and on her wrist was a in silver bracelet. Her elegance was almost indescribable, simplistic yet different, like a fairy lotus on a snow capped summit far away from any impurity of the world.


    Understudy of the vice principal, ten star Student, and an aspiring Warrior.. stunning appearances and a mysterious background; all of theses characteristics of Zi Yan caused her to be the focus of admiration for the ss..


    Mystic runes are a veryplex and cumbersome system but Zi Yan wrote them perfectly with ease. She turned around to keep eye contact with the students as she finished the runes, which allowed students to get a glimpse of her neck and corbone.. Complemented by the shine of the silk dress, like moonlight, it would charm anyone who put their eyes on her.


    The junior three ss students were around twelve and thirteen years old; they looked as childish as ever, sitting there respectfully, staring at miss Zi Yan with adoration and admiration. ¡®Miss Zi Yan is so beautiful!¡¯, ¡®I have to be a warrior to fight by miss Zi Yan¡¯s side against the demons!¡¯ Were what majority of the boys had in mind. To fight by her side was and would be some of the boys¡¯ life goals and impossible dreams.


    At the rearmost ssroom sat a slightly skinny boy spaced out and not really noticed by the rest of the ss. He had very proportional and defined chiseled facial features. Not that handsome, but there is a witty killer look in his eyes that made up for how generic he looked.


    The boy, Ye Wei had very low self-awareness and self esteem, did not stand out in ss or in family gatherings. The images of disappointed faces of his rtives when they learned Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient was red caused only a small facial spasm, this memory every now and thenes to haunt him.


    ¡°Mystic runes.. I have no hope of bing a warrior in this life, why should I even bother learning mystic runes? I have no mastery over my primal energy.. Also I don¡¯t really think I can sketch a worthy rune..¡±


    Ye Wei started thinking about the result he had gotten during thest entry test into South Star he took, and he squeezed out a self-deprecating smile from the corner of his mouth. His veins were bulging from holding his fist tight in a rush of frustration.


    The sentient sorting system categorised the quality of new students, from red to violet and there were seven levels named after colours of the rainbow. Red being the lowest and coincidentally what Ye Wei had. Thus, the tutors at South Star didn¡¯t really expect Ye Wei to be more than a ten star student, and being a warrior was definitely out of the picture.


    ¡°Bullied and teased at school and on top of that, nobody in my family is interested in me!¡± Ye Wei kept self-reflecting. ¡±I would love to be a genius like Miss Zi Yan or a Warrior like my cousin Ye Zhong, the pride of our family. I wish to be admired as well.... why is reality so cruel!!¡±


    Ye Wei carried too much remorse from his underachievements, it built up so much that he even tried the dangerous ¡®booming¡¯ multiple times, but failed to improve his Sentient. The booming was basically breaking and reforming Ye Wei Sentient.


    Several years of penance which ultimately got himself nowhere. This pain was not something ordinary people could endure. Although Ye Wei never gave up and was constantly trying, it was all for naught.


    Ye Wei sighed, he could feel a dry taste of bitterness lingering. Instead staring at the old book made of heavy cardboard paper with loose bindings on his table, he drew tornadoes on his desk, unconsciously, without paying attention to the ss anymore. The whole book looked dirty and covered with chalk marks.


    On the cover of this ancient book was a towering mountain, and the mountain had some kind of carving on it. However, the damage on the book blurred the carving to an unreadable state, but still, the carvings radiated a faint feeling of righteousness.


    This rugged ancient book was salvaged from a pile of trash in the Ye family basement. Legend had it that Ye was a very influential family name, and had a deep rooted mystic history with it being a supreme family but the glory was all but submerged under the dust of history and the rise and fall of dynasties...... The present day Ye family was only a second rate, washed up family in the western border town of Green Moon City of the Zhou Dynasty.


    Ye Wei carried on procrastinating and started stroking the cover of the ancient book; the kind of roughness his fingertips felt was somehow foreign, both the texture and sensation.


    What he wasn¡¯t aware of was the fact that a wave of energy was currently entering his body. Starting from the point of contact, like a stone thrown into a body of water, the energy spread and caused ripples on his skin. It surged and headed straight to his brain.


    He yawned, a spell of sleepiness hit him hard causing him to close his eyes and in the next instant he was lying on the book deeply asleep.


    This was one of those very long dreams. Ye Wei visualized a grand towering mountain that was green with lush pines and cypresses. If you really looked close enough, you could see millions of figures and lines all over the mountain; they seemed to resemble runic carvings which were moving in a wavelike motion, almost making it seem like the mountain was alive.. All of a sudden the mountain shattered into pieces of me spitting rocks and before Ye Wei could do anything, one of rocks flew towards him. The mysterious lines on the rock came alive and left the rock to attach themselves onto Ye¡¯s head; they immediately started drilling and boring, evolving and transforming into information on different kinds of mystic runes, giving Ye a monumental headache.


    The mountain on the rugged ancient book cover disappeared silently....


    Soon after, the book itself turned into fine dust, returning to nature with the summer breeze.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Trantor Note:


    Lin Zi Yan: Means Violet-beauty

 Chapter 2 – From Dream to Reality

    Chapter 2: From Dream to Reality


    Ye Wei dreamt for a long time: he dreamt about the first year of history, the Grand Descent, about how the Sages surveyed Mystic Mount, about them gaining understanding of the mystic runes and creating three thousand mystic stances, he dreamt about the Sword Master refining demon remains and then forging them into mystic arms, andstly he dreamt of the Combat Master dictating the mystic scrolls, which were then spread all over the world.


    Ye Wei¡¯s mind kept wandering as the dream seemed to carry on for centuries..


    Meanwhile, Lin Zi Yan was still lecturing and exining the inner workings of mystic runes. Her lecture was vivid, she tried to make the students understand how much the Three Sages¡¯ attributes mean to the world, as they know them. By appropriately referencing some ssical volumes she was doing a great job of keeping the attention of the ss. Except our one and only Ye Wei.


    ¡°Is this kid nning on ever waking up?¡±


    Miss Zi Yan nced towards the back of the room, her stare clearly expressed how displeased she was with Ye Wei as he had already slept half the lesson away, despite her best efforts to make a nd topic sound relevant and interesting. But all this meant as little to Ye Wei as pearls do to pigs.


    Even when Miss Zi Yan was angry, her elegance did not fade. It made her even more attractive.


    The boys sitting on Ye Wei¡¯s left look disgusted by Ye Wei¡¯s behaviour, fast asleep in their favourite teacher¡¯s ss. The disrespect was unbearable for them.


    ¡®Ye Wei you are the bloody disgrace of our ss, how dare you sleep through Miss Zi Yan¡¯s lessons!?¡¯


    ¡®Maybe I didn¡¯t kick his ass hard enoughst time.¡¯


    The owner of these thoughts was a thirteen to fourteen years old looking teenager, Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi is always cold, it is evident in the way he is staring at Ye Wei right now, in the way he talks to others, and how he keeps a distance between himself and other human beings. Maybe it is due to the fact that he doesn¡¯t need anyone. Top of the ss, five stars Student, and the son of a South Star Academy senior instructor. Xiao wass also an admirer of Miss Zi Yan.


    Xiao Qi was gifted, it might have came from his parents, as both of them are senior instructors at South Star. Raised by them two, Xiao¡¯s mastery and knowledge over mystic runes exceeded the rest of the ss by a modest margin. Miss Zi Yan appreciates and recognises his talents, and on a few asions she couldn¡¯t help but praise him. That boosted Xiao¡¯s ego by a mile, which was also the reason why Xiao Qi decided he¡¯s the Guardian of Miss Zi Yan. Ye Wei¡¯s behaviour contradicts many guidelines in his mind as to how people should behave in Miss Zi Yan¡¯s ss. Which means... yes Xiao Qi was furious.


    Xiao Qi¡¯s aggression was beginning to show from his posture. ¡°Oh gosh, Ye Wei, you idiot! Never learn do you? Falling asleep in THIS lesson in front of Xiao Qi, ha good luck with that!¡± A few students started gossiping and betting how and when Xiao was going to kick Ye¡¯s head in. ¡°Popcorn time!¡± They thought.


    At this point, Ye Wei was still only a one star Student, taking one step forward and two steps back in terms of his training. It takes little effort, if any, for the five star Xiao to beat up Ye.


    In regards to star levels the first four are rtively easy to get through and there are no obvious changes to one¡¯s body except enhanced stamina. But once a Student reaches five stars, their physique will be way better, the primal energy nourishes the skin and the muscles making it possible for one¡¯s skin to be tough as steel under impact. The enhanced muscles will cause one¡¯s strength and speed to improve drastically. Xiao Qi being a five star Student and Ye Wei stuck on the first star the distance between them was vast, like the mud on the groundpared to a fluffy cloud in the sky.


    Ye Wei sat next to Cao Ning, and they maintain a healthy rtionship with each other.They usually helped each other out both in and out of ss. Seeing the anger Xiao directed towards Ye building up Cao tried nudging Ye, an attempt at waking him up, however it didn¡¯t work at all as Ye Wei remained motionless, much like a dead pig.


    ¡®The nudge usually works. Bro it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to save you from this one, but you are too far gone...¡¯ Cao thinks with a wry smile on his face, rolling his eyes a little.


    At this point Ye Wei was still stuck in the dream, where an uncountable amount of mystic runes were heading straight to his Sentient filling and overloading it. In the dream Ye Wei wandered into his own Sentient, he could see it changing, undergoing metamorphosis. His Sentient was now showing a hint of gold, with countless mysterious runic patterns circting.


    Has the whole bothersome red Sentient situation changed?


    Ordinarily the colour of one¡¯s Sentient can only be one of the seven colours of the rainbow, a golden Sentient was unheard of. Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient was still mainly red, but a touch of gold was definitely present.


    BOOM!!


    His Sentient finally expanded, and it¡¯s about to crack into pieces.


    ¡°ARRGGGHH!¡±


    Ye Wei suddenly woke up, covered in cold sweat panting and gasping for air, and his head was still mildly aching. With a hint of fear lingering on his face, he started rubbing his temple, attempting to shake the headache. His vision started to clear up, and the objects in front of him looked like tables and chairs again as he regained consciousness.


    At this point, the whole ss had their judgemental eyes set on Ye Wei due to the scream he let out. ¡°Is this Ye Wei guy for real? Let¡¯s say we forgive him for sleeping through Miss Zi Yan¡¯s ss.. The screaming and the nightmares are a bit much!¡±


    ¡°This guy is seeking attention or what?¡±


    ¡°This daydreaming cretin!¡± The ss started talking.


    ¡°Ye Wei isn¡¯t the brightest of minds, but usually he¡¯s better disciplined in ss and didn¡¯t put his nose into other people¡¯s business. Is he doing this to catch Miss Zi Yan¡¯s Attention?¡±


    ¡°Oh god, Ye Wei is gonna get into trouble.¡±


    A couple of kind hearted students saw Xiao Qi¡¯s ashen angry face and started to sympathise for Ye Wei, as they know for sure a beating wasing.


    The ssroom filled withughter over Ye Wei¡¯s apparent stupidity and also sympathetic sighs. But Ye Wei seemed to be ignoring all of the noise, his eyes showed no emotion, he had a big frown as if he¡¯s experiencing great pain.


    New knowledge about hundreds of thousands of mystic runes was jumping around in his head, overloading his mind, and trying to be part of his memory. As his mind gradually settled, his eyes stopped darting around erratically and regained focus.


    ¡®What was that towering mountain in my dream? What happened to my Sentient?¡¯


    ¡®Why did I fall asleep, and why did I have such a ridiculous dream?¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s gaze disyed how lost and incredibly surprised he was about the experience, his mood was also slightly affected by the long dream, and a peace and calmness grew inside him.


    Miss Zi Yan had decided to pause her lecture, she was well mannered and patient, she tolerated Ye Wei sleeping through her lecture, but the screaming disrupted her attempt to educate and that was simply just too rude and out of line.


    ¡°You, stand up!¡± She gazed upon Ye, her crisp voice seemed a bit stern.


    Ye Wei realised Miss Zi Yan was addressing him so he quickly stood up.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Zi Yan kept eye contact with Ye, asking with annoyance.


    Zi Yan was frustrated, as she enjoyed giving lectures and she liked thepany of most of these students; she always over prepared for her lectures and the students usually enjoyed how enthusiastic she was with teaching. It was unimaginable that someone would fall asleep in her lectures, but this act of disruption topped the unimaginable.


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡± He replied subconsciously, while slowly raising his head, half of his body didn¡¯t know it was awake. Information was slowly arranging itself in chronological order in his head: ¡°This is Lin Zi Yan, one of the best students in the ¡®ss of the gifted¡¯, South Star Academy, ten star level, soon to be Warrior, kind of a goddess in this academy and our sub teacher for the day.¡±


    Ye Wei looked at her for a couple more seconds, her lc zed waist length hair flows in the wind as the fragrance from her hair diffuses across the room waking Ye Wei. ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of a ss!¡± He finally sobered up and realised.


    ¡°This kid... hasn¡¯t he woken up yet!?¡±


    Miss Zi Yan looked at Ye Wei observing him. He¡¯s slightly taller than her, slim build. The proportional facial features, and the dreamy eyes disyed a cool and rxed temperament.


    Openly and shamelessly sleeping in ss, screaming and disturbing. Even Zi Yan has great patience, but this goes beyond that.


    Although she¡¯s only a substitute teacher for junior three, she gives her all to the job not giving up on a single student. Ye Wei was recognised as a waste of seat in the ssroom by many, and teaching him was as hard as building a wall with nothing but mud. Even still Zi Yan cared and was willing to pay extra attention to help him in ss.


    Giving him onest chance Miss Zi Yan said, ¡°Ye Wei,e up to the podium.¡±

 Chapter 3 – The Forbidden Stances

    Chapter 3: The Forbidden Stances


    ¡°Is Miss Zi Yan losing her temper?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping through Miss Zi Yan¡¯s ss and disrupting with sheer rudeness, how can Miss Zi Yan not be angry?¡±


    ¡°Miss Zi Yan is undoubtedly the most popr girl in our academy, Ye Wei can kiss his life goodbye if her admirers catch wind of this little episode of indiscretion!¡±


    Most of junior three were grinning mischievously, as if they already knew how this story would end, with Ye Wei rotting in a corner.


    ¡°Pffft! He had iting, there is no one he could nor should me anyone but himself!¡± Xiao Qi taunted, it was obvious he was enjoying this moment from how much the corner of his mouth curled up.


    ¡°Ye Wei right? Have you ever heard of the story of Supreme Chen Feng?¡± Miss Zi Yan spoke with the utmost sincerity, while keeping eye contact with Ye Wei and sounding elegant as usual. Ye Wei¡¯s talent was almost nonexistent and chances were that he would never be a Warrior in his lifetime, but he is still Zi Yan¡¯s student and she felt that guiding him is her obligation.


    ¡°Supreme Chen Feng had nothing more than a red Sentient to work with when he was a teenager, but he didn¡¯t give up, didn¡¯t point fingers, orin to anyone instead he put his efforts into studying thus understanding mystic runes. He perfected the Evergreen stance, the Raging Bull stance, and also the zing Butterfly stance. The year he became thirty he became a household name, a renowned Runemaster. Since then he created many mystic stances and in the process he also managed to upgrade his Sentient, from red to blue. Ultimately, he was able to be a Supreme!¡±


    ¡°Your Sentient isn¡¯t something set in stone. By practicing, perfecting, and creating mystic stances one can resonate with nature. This ultimately yields energy from the cosmos which acts as a distiller, it cleanses and refines thus upgrading the Sentient!¡±


    That being said creating and perfecting stances is easier said than done, only a handful of prestigious Runemasters are capable of such a feat, ordinary souls don¡¯t stand a chance.


    Runemaster is a ss above Warrior. As the title suggests they are extremely proficient at the art of mystic runes; they can refine them, create them, and they can even inscribe mystic scrolls. The power of a Runemaster is sought after by powers, governing bodies, and the rich and evil. To have a Runemaster on one¡¯s side often means winning wars and conquering nations.


    There is only one Runemaster at South Star Academy, and he is none other than the vice principal. Although the principal and the school board had more power over administrating the academy, these people with fancier titles had the utmost respect for the vice principal.


    The reason Runemasters are so highly valued is because of how truly rare they are!


    First, Runemasters needed to master three hundred and sixty thousand basic mystic runes, of which every basic rune has its ownplexities and properties. Therefore it¡¯s basically impossible to master them if one was talentless, even if you spend your whole life studying.


    Furthermore mastering three hundred and sixty thousand runes is just the bare fundamentals of bing a Runemaster. Soul sensitivity is the key to feeling mystic runes allowing one to find ws, or just ways to improve runes. The stronger one¡¯s soul sensitivity is the more powerful the runes one can create and refine. One can only be a Runemaster by having satisfied these harsh and strange requirements, that is where their prestige and powerful statuses from.


    ¡°Supreme Chen Feng?¡±


    Ye Wei slowly nodded listening to Miss Zi Yan¡¯s mild scolding, which was kind of heartwarming. He had been sleeping and shouting in ss and his punishment for the offences was a motivational story.


    ¡°The path to mastery is through practice, it¡¯s never toote to start. Let¡¯s see how well you know these three mystic runes.¡±


    Miss Zi Yan turned ever so slightly towards the ckboard, with her slender fingers she pointed at the three mystic runes she drew on the ckboard. As she turned, the neck opening on her white gauze dress exposed her extremely delicate corbone and looking at her from the back made her look even slimmer. Her long hair hung like a ssic looking curtain in an ancient castle. The top half of her dress was a tight fit, contouring her body, highlighting her curves.


    ¡°Ye Wei was fast asleep, like a pig, when Miss Zi Yan was describing the properties of these three runes. There was no way he could recognise what they were, let alone how they worked.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s basically so dumb that even if the runes were flowing inside him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to tell whether it was an itch, or a rune in his body!¡± A couple of mouthy students whispered jokingly in mocking tones.


    Xiao Qi was sitting on the other side of the room with a twisted yful grin on his face. The grin caught Ye Wei¡¯s attention as he groaned. Xiao Qi¡¯s and his personalities were a monumental mismatch and furthermore Ye was only a mere one star Student unlike Xiao who was a five star, we can all imagine how well these two got along and how much they had inmon.


    The thought of having to be treated like dirt by despicable characters such as Xiao Qi was getting less and less appealing to Ye Wei!


    He took a deep breath and raised his head to look at the three basic runes on the ckboard. Out of nowhere was a spark of inspiration, the runes felt familiar almost like they were flowing in his bloodstream.


    Ye Wei blurted out: ¡°These three mystic runes are from the rune set Water Seal, the set itself contains seventy-two runes and are all water type runes. These three runes are used in low Spirit level stances like the Triple Tidal Palm, Fist of the Osciting Waves, Water Parting Finger, and Condensating Palm among others.


    ¡°The most used stance that uses these three mystic runes should be the mid Spirit level Ice Mirror Seal!¡±


    His eloquent speech on runes and stances surprised even himself, ¡°When did I learn all this?¡±. The winding runes glimmered faintly in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient, as he was talking about them.


    As Ye Wei¡¯s little speech echoed in the ssroom, all the student were shocked. Everyone stopped what they were doing, their eyes wide open, looking at Ye Wei stunned into disbelief.


    Was Ye Wei actually right?!


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    Xiao Qi too was stunned, he couldn¡¯t evenprehend how Ye Wei could possibly understand the three runes Miss Zi Yan was talking about while he was asleep!


    ¡°Not bad!¡± Miss Zi Yan looked Ye Wei right in his eyes as she praised him. ¡®Seems like he wasn¡¯t asleep for the whole thing, maybe he was listening half awake and picked up a thing or two.¡¯


    Upon hearing this praise, Ye realised that the knowledge on runes he had learned in his dream was real! And this dream might be rted to that magical book, which, strangely, now was nowhere to be seen.


    Inside his Sentient there were countless runes flowing around shimmering in a golden hue.


    ¡°Pfft, mystic runes are way moreplicated than that? I bet this idiot won¡¯t be able to answer if Miss Zi Yan digs deeper with her questions! It was just dumb luck.¡± Xiao Qi was trying so hard looking at Miss Zi Yan trying to send her a telepathic message, ¡±Ask him more questions!¡± hoping Ye Wei would make a fool of himself answering them.


    Miss Zi Yan got the signal as she chuckled and asked, ¡±So how many runes are used in Fist of the Osciting Waves? That I went through that in ss just now?¡±


    ¡°Sixteen.¡±


    ¡°How about Water Parting Finger?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-one!¡±


    Ye Wei answered with great fluency.


    It was out of everyone¡¯s imagination that Ye Wei knew enough to answer these questions, and everyone in ss was looking at each other in awe. He couldn¡¯t have picked up this much before he fell asleep. Everyone was guessing he studied previously and learned before attending today¡¯s lecture, as there was no way he could have learned all this from Zi Yan¡¯s teaching while he was fast asleep having a nightmare.


    What they didn¡¯t know was Ye Wei did learn all of that during his sleep. And how much he learned waspletely beyond their imagination!


    As Zi Yan was looking at Ye his rxed posture disyed a sense of indifference. She wanted to test his rune knowledge further and see what level he was on. She blinked and asked him the next question with a smile on her face: ¡°How many mystic stances can onepose with these three runes?¡±


    The spotlight was on Ye Wei again, as everyone in ss looked to him wanting to see what his answer would be, as the questions Mis Zi Yan just asked was not covered in the lecture. Even the students who were paying full attention wouldn¡¯t be able to answer it, let alone the clueless Ye Wei who slept through the lecture.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone else in junior three other than myself and Miss Zi Yan who could provide an answer.¡± Xiao Qiughed at Ye Wei, as he took a nice deep breath holding his head high. With pride he scanned the ssroom feeling superior to the rest of the flock, his eyes finally settling on Miss Zi Yan. He was looking forward to basking in the glory of answering the questions when Ye Wei finally chokes So he could gain even more presence in Miss Zi Yan¡¯s heart.


    Xiao Qi¡¯s parents are senior ss instructors at the academy, and when ites to knowledge on runes, it¡¯s safe to say Xiao Qi is the best in ss!


    ¡°There are in total thirty-eight low level spirit stances, twelve mid level spirit stances, and six high spirit stances that consist of these three runes!¡± The pressure of being the centre of attention did not make Ye Wei hesitate, with his eyes on Miss Zi Yan, he answered calmly and with certainty.


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei can you please just keep it shut if you don¡¯t know the right answer? People are trying to learn in this ss and you are not helping!¡± Xiao Qi stood up with intensity, looking down on Ye Wei showing nothing but contempt, meaning every word he said hoping it would teach Ye Wei a lesson.


    Xiao Qi has been waiting to let his frustration out, now he feels relieved.


    ¡°Oh Ye doesn¡¯t know what he is talking about!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have guessed Ye had it right judging by how calm he looked.¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei is definitely a confident man!¡±


    Xiao Qi is the best student in junior three, both in realbat and rune knowledge his level is way beyond the others. Now that Xiao is calling Ye¡¯s bluff, everyone in ss believed Ye was talking trash and therefore started judging him.


    ¡°Ye Wei, may I educate you with the correct answer?! There are thirty-six low level spirit stances, ten mid level spirit stances, and five high level spirit stances that are made up by the three runes we just went through in ss!¡± The sneer on Xiao Qi¡¯s face was ice cold, as he stared at Ye Wei with pride. ¡®I am second to none in this ss when ites to rune knowledge!¡¯ He thought.


    Surprisingly though Miss Zi Yan did not correct Ye Wei, instead she looked at him with her crystal clear eyes.


    ¡°Xiao Qi is not wrong.¡± Zi Yan slowly said.


    Xiao Qi instantly became proud of himself after Zi Yan¡¯s approval. While staring down Ye Wei with a yful re. You have nothing on me Ye Wei, you piece of trash.


    Zi Yan wasn¡¯t finished! ¡°But Ye Wei is correct too!¡±


    At this point everyone in ss was shocked. ¡°How can they both be right?¡±


    Zi Yan looked at Ye Wei showing a hint of curiosity: ¡°Some stances take a big toll on the practitioner¡¯s bodies and minds as such they are listed as forbidden. If you count those in Ye Wei was correct!¡±


    The ssroom wentpletely quiet.


    The forbidden mystic stances were documented then archived in the academy court, which is only essible to Warriors and even they don¡¯t always have sess with them, where on earth did Ye Wei learned about the forbidden stances?

 Chapter 4 – Triple Tidal Palm Technique

    Chapter 4 ¨C Triple Tidal Palm Technique


    ¡°How could this be? There is no way on earth Ye Wei knows about the forbidden stances, these have to be wild guesses!¡± Xiao Qi was not pleased. His crazy eyes staring at Ye with rage and jealousy, as this was the first time he had been outshined in junior three.


    And right in front of Miss Zi Yan!


    This undermined his confidence like a face-numbing p!


    Zi Yan was evaluating the situation; if he got one of the answers correct it might have been luck, but three times out of three? The probability of him being that lucky was too low to even count. Her irises were ck resembling shining onyx and they held great rity, but the way she was looking at Ye Wei conveyed obscurity.


    ¡°Ye Wei, may I ask where exactly you gathered information about forbidden techniques at? How they can be formed into thirty-eight low level spirit stances, twelve mid level ones, and six high level ones?¡±


    Zi Yan herself would have had the same answer as Xiao Qi. Thirty-six low level spirit stances, ten mid level spirit stances, and five high level spirit stances could beposed bybining the three runes that she mentioned earlier in the lecture. She thought that was true until recently when she had a chat with the vice principal about the cier rune set. During which he unintentionally mentioned forbidden stances, from there she did some research on them.


    Ye Wei, an ordinary student from junior three, South Star Academy, should not possess such knowledge.


    When passing on knowledge to students, tutors will never mention forbidden techniques, and most teaching materials will not mention forbidden techniques either. Only the Mystic Technique Encyclopaedia published by the Holy Conservatory, that has been amended twenty-eight times, contains this information about forbidden techniques.


    Mystic Techniques Encyclopaedia is the most detailed archive of research from every corner of the vast world, from every corner of every continent. The depth of the research is so detailed it turns away the vast majority of potential readers, who are mostly talented schrs with exceptional understanding of runes and stances. The seventy-two book collection which is more than ten million words long is seen as an obstacle for the handful of dedicated researchers that study it. Sadly most of these souls finish taking theirst breath without ever getting close to finishing the collection.


    ¡°Miss Zi Yan, it¡¯s just a matter of experience. The more you read, the more knowledge umtes in your mind and one¡¯s educated guesses be more and more urate. That¡¯s how I knew the answers...¡± Ye Wei shrugged casually, as he answered Miss Zi Yan¡¯s question.


    This unbelievable exchange of words between Miss Zi Yan and Ye Wei was echoing in the student¡¯s minds and now all eyes were on Ye Wei. They were wondering how Ye became so proficient on rune knowledge, and how he also knew about the otherwise unheard of forbidden techniques!


    ¡°Is this really Ye Wei standing in front of us? The supposedly inadequate waste of space with red Sentient?¡±


    This thought was shared by the whole ss, the prejudice slowly dissolved, reced by admiration.


    Xiao Qi tightened his fist, staring at Ye again with extreme prejudice. ¡®So he knows a thing or two about runes, what of it? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s ever going to be anything useful. He can¡¯t rub the red off his Sentient, and he will never ever be a Warrior!¡¯


    ¡®Gaining the attention of the ss in one lecture does not grant you bragging rights for a lifetime, you¡¯re still merely a one star Student, and I will get you back very very soon!¡¯ He sat himself down, attempting to calm his aggravated self as his authority in ss is being challenged.


    Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient is red, but if he could familiarise himself with rune knowledge, maybe he would have an extremely slim chance of bing a Runemaster! He can try to follow Supreme Chen Feng¡¯s footsteps, creating basic stances and little by little gain energy from the cosmos, therefore refining his Sentient.


    An assumption appeared in Miss Zi Yan¡¯s mind, ¡®Maybe Ye Wei is not hopeless at practising martial arts, perhaps he stayed up toote reading about runes? That would exin why he fell asleep during the lecture. Maybe he¡¯s walking the path of bing a Runemaster?¡¯


    This idea raised Miss Zi Yan¡¯s heartbeat. It is way more of a feat to train a Runemaster than to train a Warrior, it would be a hundred times more satisfying.


    ¡®To be a Runemaster, soul sensitivity is of utmost importance... Let¡¯s see what he¡¯s got!¡¯


    Miss Zi Yan raised her head, excited.


    ¡°Look at this stance!¡±


    Zi Yan waved her slender hand. Invisible will-force condensing on the tip of her index finger, primal energy flowed from her dantian to her fingertips, merging with the will-force like ink onto a quill tip. And with her finger as a pen she drew the thirty-six runes in the air.


    Theplex and winding runes tangled together in a systematic way, forming a pattern that resembles offshore tides. Multiple hefty waves of force erupted from Zi Yan¡¯s hands with a faint sound of crashing waves, echoing in the ssroom. The students could almost smell the saltiness of the sea alongside the force of the rushing tide.


    When performed to its full potential in realbat, the force of the rushing tidees in waves, when the first wave impacts the target it creates a small vacuum, drawing the next wave towards the point of impact. The momentum this technique creates therefore ramps up and be stronger, as long as the dantian of the practitioner is not empty.


    Unmistakably, it¡¯s the low level spirit mystic stance, Triple Tidal Palm!


    The ss is looking at the rushing tide patterns in front of of Miss Zi Yan. The excitement make the early teenages look even younger than they are.


    ¡°Mystic stance, that was a mystic stance!¡±


    Seven stars is usually the break point when Students start to have enough Qi in their dantian to support a stance, a point nobody in the junior ss has yet reached. Even Xiao Qi, the best student here is merely at five stars and incapable of performing a stance. Seeing something out of their reach, the ss is electrified from Miss Zi Yan disying a stance.


    ¡°What do you think of this?!¡±


    Miss Zi Yan cast Ye Wei a fiery nce, expecting to be impressed. What the ss did not know was that this was a spirit sensitivity test for the celebrity of the day; while executing the stance, she intentionally left a w, reducing the power of her Triple Tidal Palm to one third its potential.


    ¡°Something is off!¡±


    Unlike rest of the ss, Ye Wei was not impressed. He frowned a little as his mildly suspicious eyes set on three specific nodes of the thirty-six runes drawn by Miss Zi Yan.


    ¡®There are three distinct mistakes in your stance!¡¯


    ¡®Miss Zi Yan is a ten star elite from the gifted ss, performing low Spirit level stances like Triple Tidal Palm should be a walk in the park, how could she make such simple mistakes?¡¯


    Ye Wei is confused but he smelled something fishy, for Miss Zi Yan to make three mistakes is simply ridiculous. He does not know what a perfect Triple Tidal Palm looks like, but this just felt imperfect, on a deeper level it even felt wrong, especially those three nodes!


    What Ye Wei did not know was Miss Zi Yan intended tomit only one mistake while performing, not three!


    ¡°Miss Zi Yan...¡±


    Ye Wei hesitated, not knowing for sure if his soul sensitivity was being tested, therefore unsure if he should point out the errors in her stance in front of the whole ss.


    After all it¡¯s not very dignifying getting corrected by none but her own student, in front of the whole ss!


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Just tell us!¡± Miss Zi Yan could sense Ye¡¯s hesitation, as an attempt to encouraging him, she put a heart-warming smile on her face and patted his shoulder gently.


    The encouraging look of Miss Zi Yan only inches away from Ye Wei¡¯s own, a faint hint of her fragrance picked up by Ye Wei¡¯s nose, his face got a bit warm and he started blushing. He grinded his teeth then finished pondering. With certainty he pointed at one of the three ¡®wed¡¯ nodes and started speaking: ¡°This node... It is obstructing your qi flow, I¡¯m guessing your could have gotten more out of Triple Tidal Palm if your qi flowed smoother, Miss Zi Yan...¡±

 Chapter 5 – Soul Perception

    Chapter 5 ¨C Soul Perception


    Ye Wei was trying to keep his voice down, but it was still clear and loud enough for everyone in the ssroom to hear. After a brief moment ofplete silence, mockingughter broke out from everyone and filled the ssroom.


    ¡°Hahaha! Is this some kind of joke? This one star level, thest in ss is criticising Miss Zi Yan, pinpointing which nodes are wrong with her Triple Tidal Palm?¡±


    ¡°Haha! Boy, you are far in over your head now!¡±


    ¡°Just because Miss Zi Yan asked you for your opinion doesn¡¯t mean that you can say anything. You can¡¯t even perform a stance yourself, what would you know about performing a stance?¡± The ss ridiculed Ye Wei ruthlessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that you have read a couple of books, but you ought to know your limits. For example, speaking out against an elite student, from the ss of the gifted, is crossing the line.¡± Xiao Qi¡¯s upper lip curled up in disdain, slowly forming a sadistic smile. ¡°What an absolute loser, Miss Zi Yan¡¯s stance being wed? Please...¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s take a gigantic step back, even if Miss Zi Yan¡¯s stance was notpletely perfect, you do not point it out in front of the whole ss that boldly. This is really humiliating for Miss Zi Yan, regardless whether she is right or not. Ye Wei you cretin, can you stop testing her temper?!¡¯


    Xiao Qi gleefully smiled, thinking: ¡®This should do it. Ye Wei should be dead to Miss Zi Yan after this incident.¡¯


    The ss could not believe their ears when they heard what came next!


    Miss Zi Yan¡¯s mind went nk for a moment.


    ¡°Well said!¡±


    She is having trouble processing all of this, then praised Ye Wei generously, looking at his face as if she had just discovered a diamond in the rough.


    Contrary to what Xiao Qi¡¯s thought, Miss Zi Yan became more happy than mad.


    Zi Yan deliberately made a mistake to test Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensitivity. He felt the abnormality in the Qi flow. She was if anything obviously more happy than angry.


    Such sharp soul sensitivity from a one star Student, it is indeed impable! Ye Wei is good for something after all, if some resources are spent on him, he could really be something. Even if his path does not lead him to bing a Warrior, bing a Runemaster is still a possibility!


    In Green Moon City, every one in ten Students bes a Warrior, but not even one in ten thousands could be a Runemaster! There are only three people in the entire Green Moon City that are qualified to have the title Runemaster in front of their name!


    Other than creating stances themselves, by identifying ws and imperfections with their excellent soul sensitivity, Runemasters can help others refine and improve their runes and stances, the rtionships between Runemasters and the fighters they service are symbiotic as the services help Runemasters getting onto guestlists of the finest gatherings hosted by influential people.


    Lin Zi Yan took a deep, deep breath, trying to keep herself calm. But despite her best efforts, the smile on her face showed joy and excitement: ¡°How would you improve it?¡±


    The fact Ye Wei can point out where the ws are indicates that his soul sensitivity is way more developed than other Students his age.


    ¡®Should I tell Miss Zi Yan how I think it should be done?¡¯


    Ye Wei frowned, he has an idea of how to soothe the flow, but he is hesitant. Seeing that the ss was already in shock, a lot of questions would be asked. If he is right, how is he suppose to exin the way he gained this knowledge and these abilities? He¡¯s not nning on telling anyone about the towering mountain and what he experienced, that is if he could even put it all into words. What if he gets it wrong? Then he will be devoured by the enemy he just made... The bottom line is that he does not want to draw any more attention to himself.


    ¡°Ah! So Miss Zi Yan did that on purpose. Still... how did Ye Wei spot the w?¡± A handful of students looked at Ye Wei, and started discussing pausing throughout the discussion shaking their heads, not exactly certain as to how he could know this.


    Being a Students at South Star, the fundamentals of the mystic techniques and applications of them are taught to the young. Even if they are only in the junior ss, they know what Ye Wei¡¯s ability to spot ws in mystic stances could imply...


    It means Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensitivity is exceptional, that he is able to feel the flow of primal energies in stances and therefore the ws where the flow is uneven.


    Xiao Qi clenched his fist even tighter, his nails digging into his palm. His bloodshot eyes struggling to focus on anything. He¡¯s spending all his energy trying to convince himself what just happened was a fluke, but the the jealousy within him was just burning hotter as the evidence suggesting otherwise built up.


    ¡®No! This is impossible! Ye Wei definitely does not have what it takes to be a Runemaster...¡¯


    ¡®This happens but even a hungry blind cat can get lucky and walk into a dead mouse sometimes. We¡¯ll see what happens next Ye Wei, luck can only get you so far! You are garbage! Infamous garbage known to all in South Star Academy, how can you possibly have what it takes to be a Runemaster?¡¯


    Xiao Qi was well aware of what would happen next if Ye Wei does have what it takes... Even if his Sentient is the worst, as red as a plump cherry tomato, being a Runemaster means the capability of harvesting cosmic energy, which can help upgrade ones Sentient! And if he gets trained as a Runemaster, characters like the vice-principal, the principal, and others on the school board are going to recognise him as an asset to the academy.


    From a piece of garbage to a potential Runemaster in one lecture, Xiao Qi can not ept this cindere story, nor how Ye Wei might be more feared and respected than he is by the ss and the rest of South Star.


    ¡®Ye Wei actually might make it as a Runemaster... I bullied him quite often in the past... Is he going to seek revenge?¡¯ One of the tall built bullies looked concerned and anxious, imagining the ways Ye Wei could get him back. He quickly opted to apologise sincerely to Ye Wei after the lecture.


    The wrath of a Runemaster can be gruesome, apart from worsening the target¡¯s future, it could affect his/her family¡¯s reputation for generations!


    ¡°Xiao Qi you short-sighted bastard, if it wasn¡¯t for you I wouldn¡¯t have been mean to Ye Wei. Now what am I going to do?¡± The tall bully mumbled.


    After disying his soul sensitivity, Ye Wei¡¯s image in the minds of his ssmates was updated. His social status had risen, overtaking Xiao Qi.


    Best Student in junior three? Five stars level? Your parents are tutors of the senior sses? Get this Xiao Qi, all of this will means nothing if we have a Runemaster in our ss! The social dynamics in the ss has been shaken and it is slowing changing... And that tells us a lot about what kind of respect being a Runemaster gets you, merely disying the potential of bing one basically won Ye Wei the hearts of the ss!


    A handful of girls who had been ignoring Ye Wei for as long as they could remember, started to appreciate Ye Wei¡¯s looks. For them, his facial features changed slightly, reassembled a more fanciable Ye Wei.


    It is not a secret that Ye Wei¡¯s family are not nobles, but as things look right now, if Ye shows more talent, it would not be long until a Runemaster notices him. And being an apprentice Runemaster does open doors, granting him and his family a few privileges.


    Standing on the podium, Ye Wei is feeling the tension he created and the attention that came with it. He smiled, not because he is happy, just to be polite. Reluctant to deal with the situation, he shook his head, the few girls who were starting to fancy him were looking at him, fishing for eye contact with their flirty eyes. However, Ye Wei showed no interest.


    Ye Wei is familiar to seeing the change of social dynamics when people think they can take advantage of a particr person. That is why he is felt a bit dejected. He was hoping that the people he trusted before this lecture would not change their minds about him and would continue to hang out with him, and not do so for the wrong reasons.


    Ye Wei now remembered what his father once told him: ¡°When you¡¯re doing well, all people around are opportunists, but it¡¯s when you are in a bad position in life then you know who your real friends are, who are genuinely fond of you and would support you for who you are.¡±


    Real friends will never belittle you when you are feeling down.


    Seeing as how Ye Wei still hasn¡¯t suggested ways to correct the w, Miss Zi Yan thought it was the end of the ride. To be fair, refining stances is a difficult if not impossible task for any Student, let alone for Ye Wei who is merely a one star Student. Being able to sense the hups does indicate Ye Wei has some sort of talent, but it was still not safe enough to say he would be a Runemaster from the little information Zi Yan gathered.


    If Ye Wei can briefly point out what in the stance could be polished, Miss Zi Yan might start to consider other ways to train Ye Wei.


    Mastering rune knowledge, sensing ws and mistakes in stances are the basics, a Runemaster¡¯s value is in their abilities to refine and create stances.


    ¡®If Ye Wei is capable of refining this stance, by definition, would Ye Wei be a Runemaster?!¡¯ Miss Zi Yan overthought. ¡®No, I should not think too far ahead, Ye Wei has shone more than enough. He can learn how to refine stances in the future, let¡¯s do this one step at a time.¡¯

 Chapter 6 – Three Mistakes

    Chapter 6 ¨C Three Mistakes


    ¡°Ye Wei, Miss Zi Yan would very much like you to try and suggest how the stance can be improved.¡± She tried to push him again for an answer, waiting to be surprised and see just how much he knew.


    ¡°Erm... about that...¡± Not willing to give up anything, Ye Wei was trying to stall as much as possible.


    Dong~ Dong~ Dong~


    As Ye Wei struggled to deal with the situation, the muffled chiming of the school bell interrupted him.


    Finally, the lecture is over!


    Ye Wei felt relieved as the school bell saved him. He smiled at Lin Zi Yan, scratching the back of his head and saying, ¡°Miss Zi Yan, since the lecture is over, what do you say to resuming this discussion next time?¡±


    Ye Wei knew that his statement would end this drama, as Zi Yan was just a substitute teacher and it was uncertain the next time she would be teaching junior three¡¯s ss.


    ¡°ss dismissed.¡± Miss Zi Yan ended the lecture. ¡°Not you, Ye Wei. You areing with me!¡± Judging from the soul sensitivity Ye disyed earlier, Zi Yan was pretty certain Ye Wei had potential; as such, she would arrange for Ye Wei to meet one of the Runemasters for further assessment.


    Ye Wei really thought he got away with this one, but Miss Zi Yan had other ns. He could not refuse an order from her and therefore followed her out of the ssroom, reluctantly.


    As soon as the two were out of sight, the ss engaged in an intense discussion. Gossip and chatter filled the room.


    ¡°His senses are so sharp! I didn¡¯t expect that from Ye, that guy has no talent for fighting, whatsoever...¡±


    ¡°Where is Miss Zi Yan taking him to? Probably to a Runemaster to verify if the show he put on was genuine? If that was real he¡¯d probably start studying under a master!¡±


    The ss was as envious as they were curious. They always looked down on Ye Wei because of his Sentient, but with Ye¡¯s newfound talent, the tables were slowly turning.


    Cao Ning and a couple of Ye Wei¡¯s real friends were genuinely happy for him and a bit jealous at the same time, like everyone else.


    ¡°Shut up! All of you!¡± Xiao Qi mmed the table with a heavy strike, the veins on his arms bulging. Having the spotlight taken off him was hard enough, but taken by someone he had been abusing, someone he deemed inferior, was something way more humiliating. Xiao Qi was drowning in envy; he couldn¡¯t deal with the sudden debut of Ye¡¯s apparently new talent.


    Frustrated and envious, Xiao Qi was in denial. ¡°It can¡¯t be true... Why don¡¯t I have greater soul sensitivity? Why can¡¯t Miss Zi Yan only look at me?¡±


    Lin Zi Yan was only fifteen years old and she was already a ten star Student, one step away from bing a Warrior. When it came to her appearance, she was impable. Her soft, pretty face, graceful posture, and perfectly proportioned body... In the whole student body of South Star Academy, there were no more than three boys who were attractive and smart enough to match her. That list of three of course excludes Ye Wei, who was unknown until today!


    Lin Zi Yan was a gentle and friendly person, but anyone who knew her well enough knew that when she talked to people she liked, she kept a bit of distance to protect herself. Now she was walking close to an unfamiliar face. It drew a lot of attention and eyes, and many people wondered who exactly was walking behind Zi Yan.


    Feeling the intensity of everyone¡¯s gazes, Ye Wei realised bing close to Zi Yan would make him the center of attention, and in turn his every move would be observed. It takes a lot of self-esteem and confidence to ovee everyone¡¯s judgemental looks. ¡®How stressful must it to be her boyfriend...¡¯ Ye Wei wondered.


    Luckily he wasn¡¯t.


    Walking down the gravel trail that ran through the campus, Ye Wei followed Miss Zi Yan to the gate of Green Phoenix Hall.


    The Green Phoenix Hall was one of the female dormitories on South Star Academy campus. Here resided the female schrs in the senior sses who reached the top of their ss, and those who were soon to be promoted to the Warrior rank. Being very close to bing a Warrior, Zi Yan won herself a ce at Green Phoenix Hall. She was then allowed to skip ordinary sses, not having to waste time in them.Unlike ordinary students who usually needed to go through the junior, intermediate, and senior ss to reach the ten star level and eventually be a Warrior.


    There were thirty-eight junior sses, thirty-six intermediate sses, and twenty-five senior sses, and outside these ranks, for the exceptional talents in South Star, there was a ss for the gifted of which Lin Zi Yan was a part of. South Star academy taught five thousand three hundred and seventy students... But there were less than a hundred qualified enough to live at Green Phoenix!


    Looking at the rows of ssical elegant houses beyond the gate, Ye Wei¡¯s mind wandered. His memories from half a year ago resurfaced; his brain remembered a time past: a girl and him standing against the backdrop of these beautiful houses... With bittersweet memories slowly filling his head, the edge of his lips curled up slightly.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Ye Wei snapped out of his nostalgia as Lin Zi Yan gave him a little tug towards the entrance.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Wei nodded reluctantly then unwillingly followed Miss Zi Yan through the gate towards the isted quarters of Green Phoenix.


    ¡®I swore to myself that I would never step foot near Green Phoenix Hall again.¡¯ Images of the girl, Joe Yin, shed in Ye Wei¡¯s head again. He shook his head with regret,letting out a depressing sigh.


    ¡®Sometimes people drift apart from each other over time, but time also heals and changes a person. I should stop dwelling on this!¡¯ Ye Wei let positive ideas ovee dark ones, holding his head high. A growing confidence could be seen in his eyes.


    Ye Wei followed Zi Yan into a little courtyard, and next to it was a small house. Upon realising that Zi Yan, herself, lived here, Ye Wei was quite astonished. It waspletely out of his imagination that Zi Yan would have her own house and garden at Green Phoenix Hall, especially when the majority of students were assigned to smaller and less luxurious amodations, sometimes even just a lone bunk bed.


    It must be great to be Lin Zi Yan!


    They entered the spacious training chamber within her house, and Zi Yan was eager to get to work. Without saying a word, she hastefully willed will-force to the tip of her index finger. Primal energy flowed from her dantian to her fingertips, merging with the will-force. And with her finger she drew the thirty-six runes in the air while making one mistake in the process, but the runes none the less formed a rushing tide pattern, the Triple Tidal Palm!


    ¡°Ye Wei, now that we¡¯re alone, can you tell me what¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Zi Yan was determined to get to the bottom of this.


    ¡°Miss Zi Yan, if I am not mistaken, you were trying to test me, right? Why is it so important that I correct this? Does it really matter?¡± Ye Wei fired a few questions with annoyance, while keeping a smile on his face to be polite.


    ¡°It would be game changing! If you could correct this, I would refer you to an established Runemaster. You might even be his apprentice and eventually someone who matters!¡± Zi Yan exined her intention sincerely. ¡°And if you couldn¡¯t, I would like to refer you to a journeyman who is not as brilliant, but his teaching maybe more understandable for your level.¡±


    Ye Wei was touched having heard the confession and realised Zi Yan had pure intentions. His frustration, which he partially med Zi Yan for, over the scene in ss and the hassle during the lecture subsided.


    When he slept during, and eventually interrupted, the lecture, he was seen as a careless student; however, Zi Yan overlooked the negatives and tried to motivate him. He had only shown a bit of his newfound talent, yet she was ready to put a word in for him with an established Runemaster.


    Ye Wei felt grateful for Miss Zi Yan¡¯s expectations, he couldn¡¯t help but admire her for her sincerity.


    No longer frustrated, Ye Wei opened up: ¡°Miss Zi Yan, the stance you disyed earlier and just now had three very obvious mistakes.¡° Ye Wei looked at the thirty-six glimmering runes in the air, took two steps back, and stood right next to Miss Zi Yan ready to give his opinion on the mistakes.


    ¡°Three mistakes? Did you just say you felt three mistakes?!¡± Zi Yan was bbergasted. It was only now that she knew Ye Wei saw three mistakes. ¡®But I only left one w?!¡¯ she thought. Ironically, Ye Wei had assumed she left three ws, not one! How could that be?

 Chapter 7 – Refinement

    Chapter 7 ¨C Refinement


    Triple Tidal Palm was just a low level stance, but it had special significance to Green Moon because it was the first mystic stance created by Green Moon City¡¯s own Condensed Prime level Warrior, the great Warmaster Jiang Liu!


    Back in the dark times, when hordes of demons besieged Green Moon City, Warmaster Jiang Liu held the front line of the city¡¯s defence, leading the armed forces. He fought valiantly for three days and three nights in the fierce battle, and he eventually passed away from extreme fatigue, having in tens of thousands of demons.


    Green Moon City would not be standing this day if it weren¡¯t for Warmaster Jiang Liu, and the millions of citizens have not forgotten about his contribution; the story of the Warmaster¡¯s noble sacrifice would forever be sung by bards and told by the older generations. For the Jiang family the Triple Tidal Palm held great significance, as it was the very first creation of Warmaster Jiang Liu. Over the years, the Jiangs paid seven visits to the Runemaster¡¯s Union and held small conferences with the Runemasters, trying to perfect the stance. They could feel there were some imperfections with the stance, but none of the Runemasters could take the next step and pinpoint the ws. Thus, sadly, the attempts to perfect Triple Tidal Palm to date have not yielded results.


    Lin Zi Yan didn¡¯t carry the Jiang family name, but her mother did. Zi Yan was the Warmaster¡¯s granddaughter.


    Having just heard Ye Wei found three ws when she only intentionally left one, Zi Yan¡¯s hope surged as there was a chance Ye Wei could help perfect this special stance.


    She looked at Ye Wei, shocked at how strong his soul sensitivity was and wondering where it all suddenly came from.


    ¡°So what are the three mistakes?¡± Zi Yan tried to suppresses her excitement. She looked at Ye Wei nervously.


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t know Miss Zi Yan was trying to perfect the Triple Tidal Palm. Taking the task for a casual quiz, he raised his index finger up in a rxed way, pointing at three connecting nodes between the runes. One of the wed nodes was left there by Zi Yan intentionally, though the other two lookedpletely normal for her and the Runemasters who had been studying this stance too; nobody had ever said anything about these two nodes in the conferences!


    ¡°And how do you think these three ws can be corrected? Would you show me?¡± There was a trace of trembling in Zi Yan¡¯s otherwise clear voice. Her eyespletely set on Ye Wei, engaging herself in this attempt topletely perfect the stance.


    ¡°I am only a one star Student, I don¡¯t have sufficient primal energy!¡±


    Ye Wei shook his head, feeling a bit saddened and frustrated. Ye Wei thought to himself, sighing, ¡®How does she expect to me to demonstrate it? I am just a one star Student, ha, I can barely draw a rune.¡¯


    Triple Tidal Palm was a low level stance, but there were still thirty-six runes, each extremelyplex and cumbersome. To correct the ws was not an easy task and it was even harder attempting it purely by words, which was the only way Ye Wei could.


    ¡°Erm...¡±


    Realising she got carried away, Zi Yan looked at Ye Wei apologetically. Shepletely forgot Ye Wei was only a one star Student. Ye Wei still had a lot of training ahead of him before he could manipte his Qi and even more training until he had enough Qi and primal energy to sustain a stance.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Can you try to talk me through how it can be refined and perfected?¡± Zi Yan was getting a bit restless.


    ¡°The connecting node between the sixth and the seventh runes need to be smoother, more... circr. The tenth and the eleventh runes need to be swapped, reced by...¡± Ye Wei tried to be as detailed as possible, but he struggled, as he did not know the proper terminology.


    Zi Yan started to frown. She didn¡¯t understand half of what Ye Wei said. She did notprehend much concerning advanced rune structures, because she was supposed to learn that after bing a Warrior.


    To refine a stance, one had to understand and be familiar with performing stances!


    Zi Yan grinded her teeth in frustration. She was trying to think outside the box, looking for ways to make Ye Wei¡¯s method clear: ¡°Ye Wei, stand behind me!¡± She blushed as she ordered Ye Wei.


    Triple Tidal Palm meant everything to her family. The Jiangs had been dreaming for decades on how to improve the first stance created by Warmaster Jiang Liu. This wish was the same for Zi Yan; being the Warmaster¡¯s granddaughter, she was not going to let this chance of honouring her granddad slip past her.


    ¡°Oh?¡± The shy Ye Wei hesitated before agreeing: ¡°Okay!¡± Ye Wei moved behind Zi Yan, keeping a breadth of distance between the two as he started to draw on thin air, and Zi Yan copied his motions.


    Following Ye Wei¡¯s guidance, Zi Yan slowly drew the runes for Triple Tidal Palm. Feeling Ye Wei breathing down her neck, her heart started beating faster... It was her first time being so close to a boy. Zi Yan took a deep breath and ignored the distraction.


    Her primal energy flowed through her fingers as she began drawing the runes.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right!¡± Ye Wei scolded.


    As Ye Wei¡¯s voice faded, the half finished rune imploded.


    It had failed!


    Zi Yan was slightly disappointed but did not give up: ¡°Let¡¯s continue!¡±


    Ye Wei repeated the process a few more times, drawing in the air as Zi Yan followed. None of their attempts were sessful, though, and they took a toll on Zi Yan¡¯s primal energy reserve. After several attempts, she was left panting and gasping for air.


    ¡°Miss Zi Yan, how about just letting it go for now? We can do this some other time, maybe?¡± Ye Wei said with a bitter smile. He then looked at Zi Yan, and because she had sweat a lot during the attempts to refining the stance, her dress glued to her body, revealing her pale and wless skin. Ye Wei lingered for a bit too long and started to have inappropriate thoughts and knew he needed to stop his mind from wandering. He blushed and turned his head around.


    ¡°No!¡± Zi Yan shook her head with determination; she needed to refine this stance while she had the chance! For her family, for her grandad!


    Zi Yan reached into her pocket and found a white pill. She quickly swallowed it and sat down in a lotus position, restoring her primal energy and Qi.


    Ye Wei was speechless. That was a Primal Spirit pill... one of the most valuable medicinal pills that most Warriors couldn¡¯t even afford.


    In a lotus position, Zi Yan waspletely focused on restoring her energy while Ye Wei just stood there, as he had nothing to do. He cast his eyes down onto her. Zi Yan¡¯s slightly curledshes, her delicate nose, pastel pink lips... Her features were exquisitely beautiful... Framed by her silky shoulder length hair, she resembled a goddess from the ssic sculptures.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes followed her slender neck downwards and his heart raced as his eyes stopped below her neckline. He could see her slightly raised breasts, notrge but perky, forming magnificent cleavage between them, and her light toned skin was flushed, making her that much more alluring for Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei being the teenager he was and alone in the same room with the most popr girl in school was an incredible feat and a rare asion; his impulses were taking over his body!


    ¡°What am I thinking!¡± Ye Wei shook his head vigorously, trying to rid himself of the impure thoughts. He took a very deep breath and forced himself to look up at the roof. But the thought of Zi Yan¡¯s beauty, her body, forced his head back down, and he couldn¡¯t help but take this chance to look at her again.


    Moments after, Zi Yan opened her eyes. With the aid of one Primal Spirit pill, Zi Yan restored all of her energy in a matter of minutes.


    She raised her head, and when she was about to say something, her and Ye Wei¡¯s eyes crossed. Judging by how red his face was, Zi Yan realised her posture exposed a lot of skin.: ¡°Ah!¡± she eximed. hHer shy face was colored red due to her blushing cheeks. She immediately stood up, not letting Ye Wei see her like that a second longer.


    ¡°I...¡± Ye Wei was embarrassed. He tried to apologise but choked up instead.


    Zi Yan adjusted her breathing and eventually calmed down. She was embarrassed, too, but she let it pass without saying a word. ¡®At least Ye Wei knew that it was a bit inappropriate,¡¯ she thought. Ye Wei was a lot more honest and less aggressivepared to her other hormone driven admirers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue!¡± Zi Yan was determined to perfect the Triple Tidal Palm. effect


    ¡°Yea!¡± Looking at how undaunted Zi Yan appeared to be, Ye was affected by her vibe. Although Ye Wei didn¡¯t know why she was being so stubborn, he decided to help her fulfil her wish.


    Ye Wei continued guiding Zi Yan, but the team had many more failures, because Zi Yan, herself, was rtively new to performing stances, let alone mastering and perfecting the Triple Tidal Palm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try again. You cane closer, it¡¯s okay!¡± Zi Yan lightly bit her lower lip, turned around and told Ye Wei in a soft tone.


    ¡°How much closer?¡± Ye Wei carefully took a half step forward, which brought his body just a hair away from Zi Yan¡¯s back; he could clearly feel the warmth from her body rising towards his face.


    Zi Yan¡¯s fragrance lingered around Ye¡¯s nose and his heart started racing again, but he was focused on the task at hand. ¡®Zi Yan was about to make a mistake!¡¯ he thought. His hand reacted quicker than any sound he could make to warn Zi Yan. With lightning, speed, he grabbed a hold of her delicate hand and saved the rune. The texture of Zi Yan¡¯s skin was so soft and smooth,forting Ye Wei as he continued guiding her.


    Feeling the warmth from Ye Wei¡¯s hand, Zi Yan¡¯s face warmed up a little, but it took no time for her to regain focus and steadily release primal energy, wlesslypleting rune after rune.

 Chapter 8 – Perfection, Quintuple Tidal Palm

    Chapter 8 ¨C Perfection, Quintuple Tidal Palm


    His back and her chest were tightly affixed together, Ye Wei could feel Zi Yan¡¯s slightly curvy body, but he tried to ignore these sensations. He took a deep breath and focused on sketching the runes while holding her hand.


    ¡°Move that rune here, then erase these two, now sketch them over here instead!¡± Holding Miss Zi Yan¡¯s hand, Ye Wei calmly helped her rearrange the runes.


    ¡°Nice!¡± Zi Yan nodded, concentrating on Ye Wei¡¯s advice while rewriting and rearranging the runes. Still energized, Zi Yan¡¯s primal energy was lingering around her fingertips. Guided by Ye Wei¡¯s hand, her energy left trails and formed runes in the air.


    The runes made a bell-like sound as they connected in an orderly fashion, forming aplete pattern. The pattern in front of Zi Yan suddenly came alive. The tidal pattern emitted rays of blinding azure light, all the walls in the house were painted blue.


    The mystic stance was nowpletely perfected!


    ¡®This is the best form Triple Tidal Palm can take!¡¯ Feeling the stance had reached perfection, Ye Wei was brimming with satisfaction, causing him to finally smile.


    Three roars erupted from the center of the bright light, together with the salty smell of the sea.


    ¡°It¡¯s finished!¡± Zi Yan was overjoyed because after Ye Wei¡¯s assistance, the runes connected much more smoothly; therefore, it was much easier to activate the new stancepared to the old one. In the battlefield, even a split second could be the difference between life and death. The shorterpletion time of the new Tidal Palm increased the practicality of it in actualbat!


    ¡°Triple Tidal Palm was just an ordinary low Spirit level stance; even though it was perfected, sadly, it won¡¯t be able to breakthrough into the mid level, but that doesn¡¯t matter! Grandfather¡¯s first stance has finally been perfected!¡±


    ¡°The family always wanted to refine this, but all our attempts have failed. I can¡¯t believe Ye Wei perfected it so easily. The Qi flow is much more fluid now!¡± Zi Yan said as she appreciated the result, two more roars resounded from the epicentre of the bright light.


    As the sound of the three waves reached Zi Yan and Ye Wei¡¯s ears, two more waves of energy surged out.


    ¡°Was that five breaking waves I heard?!¡±


    Zi Yan stared at the stance in disbelief, as though she was hallucinating. Her face disyed a shocked expression, as she slowly epted the fact that she had just heard five roars instead of the usual three.


    ¡®This was no longer the Triple Tidal Palm... this is the Quintuple Tidal Palm!¡¯


    This is way more advanced than the Triple Tidal Palm and should be categorized as a mid Spirit level stance!


    Ye Wei¡¯s refinement actually evolved the stance to the next level, a staggering achievement beyond belief!


    As the energy of the stance faded, a dazzling pir of white light appeared, descending from the sky. It shone down on Zi Yan. Bathing in the pir of light, she looked angelic as the pores on her skin opened up, absorbing the cosmic power from the heavens.


    Upgrading, perfecting, and creating a new stance triggered this phenomenon. Cosmic energy is used to improve one¡¯s Sentient and strength.


    Cosmic energy is pure andpressed, simr to the energy the Sages harvested from Mystic Mount in ancient times. If one wanted to obtain the same amount of power that the cosmic energy gave to Zi Yan just now, it would take years by normal training.


    Bang!


    The cosmic energy entered Zi Yan¡¯s body, breaking through the final star-gate. With all ten star-gates open, Zi Yan had just became a Warrior!


    Witnessing this scene, Ye Wei was startled as he felt the vast energy from the pir of light. He was determined to create his own stances, to gain cosmic energy and from it upgrade his Sentient!


    If he could achieve that, he would no longer be a mere red Sentient trash.


    The white light faded away slowly eventually dispersing into luminant dust and dissolving into the atmosphere.


    Lin Zi Yan turned around and looked at Ye Wei. Her eyes showedplicated mixed feelings of shock, disbelief, and gratefulness.


    Whoever still regarded Ye Wei as a trash could not be more incorrect. A thirteen year old who possessed soul sensibility strong enough to help evolve the Triple Tidal Palm! How could he be trash with such talent?!


    Having disyed this level of soul sensitivity, it¡¯s almost certain Ye Wei can get a good Runemaster to study under and be one himself!


    ¡®Ye Wei has been studying at South Star Academy for three years now; he wasted three whole years in a junior ss! With his talent if he had a good tutor three years ago, then he could be taking the exam to be a Runemaster now!¡¯


    ¡®South Star could have produced a thirteen year old Runemaster! And now it¡¯s just a dream... I will find out who was responsible for his entrance exam and we are going to have a talk!¡¯ Zi Yan got emotional as she pictured how South Star Academy missed out on a chance to make history.


    Zi Yan with a solemn apologetic tone, expressed gratitude to Ye: ¡°Ye Wei, you helped me perfect the Triple Tidal Palm and break through to Warrior level. I owe you a favour, so if you have any wishes, or if there is anything I can help you with just ask!¡± If Zi Yan had known Ye Wei¡¯s capability, she would have given him this task of refinement long ago, as if he is an experienced Runemaster.


    Ye Wei shrugged and smiled ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, it¡¯s my pleasure!¡±. In his mind being so close to Zi Yan was the best reward he could have been given, and the experience was already engraved in his memory!


    ¡°Ye Wei were you treated unfairly when you took your entrance exam? If that was the case, I can consult the vice principal and see what went wrong when you were assigned to the ss you¡¯re in. We should seek justice!¡± Zi Yan couldn¡¯t stop grinding her teeth. Her view of Ye Wei hadpletely changed at this point, he was a genius at birth and should have been assigned to gifted ss and she was determined to help him get in.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I think my soul sensitivity started improving two years ago!¡± Ye Wei answered quickly because he didn¡¯t expect that Zi Yan could just meet the vice-principal whenever she wished to do so. Ye Wei didn¡¯t want to cause trouble and technically he did not lie, as he knew the improvement was rted to his dream from an hour ago.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the case... I see!¡± Lin Zi Yan nodded, there are indeed many cases where students develop their sensibility over time as they train. A legend even stated that some people could gain soul sensitivity while they were dreaming. ¡°Since that is the case, I will refer you to an extremely experienced Runemaster. He has a great reputation he built for himself over the years, so if you do be his apprentice I am sure you will get the guidance you need to be a great Runemaster!¡±


    ¡°Thank you Miss Zi Yan!¡± Upon hearing the news Ye Wei was overjoyed, as he expected his training would be much faster than ever before with the aid of a Runemaster.


    ¡°Drop the ¡®Miss¡¯! You¡¯re like a brother to me now!¡± Zi Yan smiled at Ye Wei while her beautiful eyes transmitted sincerity.


    ¡°Thank you Zi Yan!¡± Ye Wei said with a little unwillingness.


    Seeing how stiff and shy Ye Wei acted, Zi Yan chuckled: ¡°Why don¡¯t you head back and rest for now? I will go see the Runemaster now and will inform you if there is any news.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay, sounds good!¡± Ye Wei said to Zi Yan, waved goodbye and headed out.


    He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how close he was to the school idol, Zi Yan. ¡® How great would it be if I can get this beautiful girl to be my girlfriend! However, she sees me as a little brother, sadly.¡¯


    Ye Wei realised the probability of them ending up a couple was very small. In the end, his academic achievements and family background were nothingpared to Zi Yan¡¯s.


    ¡®Oh well, there is still a sliver of hope. If I be a Runemaster in the future, I would definitely have a chance.¡¯

 Chapter 9 –Dragons Don’t Associate with Snakes

    Chapter 9 ¨CDragons Don¡¯t Associate with Snakes


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I could perform a stance before bing a seven star Student. Then I could refine my stances or possibly create some. It would be great if I could get hold of some Quenching pills though...¡±


    Ye Wei whispered to himself as he closed the door, exiting the small house into the courtyard.


    Outside Zi Yan¡¯s cey a cobblestone path that led straight to the Green Phoenix Hall¡¯s front gate. Trees blossomed on both sides of the pathway. They acted as vertical blinds, filtering the sunshine and projecting webs of shadows across the ground. While walking through the patches of light, Ye Wei thought about today¡¯s life-altering events.


    He visited the Mystic Mountain in his dream and obtained a treasure trove of knowledge on runes, yet he still remained a one star Student with his unchanging red Sentient.


    Having enough Qi and Primal energy to perform a stance, which was the basis of harvesting cosmic energy through refinement or stance creation, required a seven star cultivation. There was nothing more important than training right this moment for Ye Wei.


    Cosmic energy could only benefit whoever performed the stance refinement or creation, which would ultimately cleanse and transform his or her Sentient.


    Talent in physique andbat were crucial to one¡¯s rapid improvement. In Ye Wei¡¯s case, where hecked both, he would surely need some Quenching concoction to quicken his training!


    ¡®I shall breakthrough to two star level. One step at a time!¡¯


    While walking gracefully on the cobblestone path, Ye Wei fist pumped and promised to train harder.


    ¡®I will soon be as strong as my cousin Ye Zhong, and be the pride of my family! It was just an impossible dream... but now I know it could be reality! With all the knowledge in my head, it is entirely possible!¡¯


    Ye Wei was filled head to toe with positivity and confidence like never before.


    ¡®From one star to two... Body strength should be my main focus!¡¯


    ¡®The most direct and simple way to improve my body strength is to nurture it with primal energy. But it¡¯s hard and slow for me to absorb primal energy from nature due to my limited talent. I would need at least six months to get to two stars!¡¯


    ¡®But if I can somehow get enough Quenching pills, it should only take around two weeks for two stars!¡¯


    Though Ye Wei was quite determined, the Ye family had limited resources, which were usually spent on more talented family members.


    He understood the family¡¯s practice. If he were the head of the family, he too would distribute the resources all the same. Therefore, he was well aware that getting goodses up to himself and his connections.


    When Ye Wei reached the gate of Green Phoenix Hall, the sun was already half sunken under the skyline, painting the sky red. It was already time for students to return to their dormitories.


    As Ye Wei exited Green Phoenix Hall, more students stared at him again. This time, however, they were Green Phoenix girls, who were pointing and gossiping.


    ¡°What is this boy doing at a female hall?¡±


    ¡°Who is that? I¡¯ve never seen his face before. He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s from Crouching Dragon Hall... Is one of our girls getting another pathetic admirer?


    ¡°There are too many daydreaming romantics in this world!¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t from Crouching Dragon Hall. What is he doing here?¡±


    The harsh words did not escape Ye Wei¡¯s ears; he raised his eyebrows slightly but didn¡¯t talk back.


    Three years of listening to scathingments and criticism... What he heard now could only be mild, and he could dismiss them rather easily. He had learned to be thankful to the critics and bullies who strengthened his mind.


    ¡°Ye Wei? Why are you here?¡±


    Out of the blue was a familiar voice that startled him, and his face went pale in a matter of seconds. Ye Wei unwillingly turned around, casting his eyes towards the source of the voice.


    He was looking at a teenage girl in a red leather dress and standing in a pair of silver long boots. Her shiny ck hair fell over her ears, giving off a young and energetic vibe. Her friends convinced her to talk to Ye Wei.


    Her name was Joe Yin, and she was once close to Ye Wei!


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for a friend, this visit has nothing to do with you!¡± Ye Wei made up an excuse. He was triggered by her presence, though, and his eye twitched slightly. He took a deep breath and stared at her coldly.


    ¡°You? Waiting for a friend outside Green Phoenix Hall? Joe Yin chuckled and looked at Ye Wei with a sarcastic smile like as if she just heard a good joke.


    The Joes and the Ye¡¯s were very close, and the two families often invited each other over. Ye Wei and Joe Yin had known each other since they were toddlers because of this. They were the same age; with Ye Wei being slightly older, however, he always took care of Joe Yin as if she were his own little sister. They were like two peas in a pod and quite fond of each other.


    In the entry exam, Ye Wei was told he had a red Sentient and Joe Yin, green. With that kind of talent, Joe Yin¡¯s cultivation skyrocketed and got herself into the intermediate ss, while Ye Wei got stuck at one star level, sitting in the junior ss.


    Joe Yin would forever be like a little sister to to Ye Wei. Even after reaching six stars, getting herself into the intermediate ss and a ce to live in Green Phoenix Hall, the mental image of a snot-nosed crying little sister who was always clinging onto him did not fade.


    Ye Wei thought Joe Yin still needed his babysitting!


    Half a year ago, right before Joe Yin was about to move to Green Phoenix, Ye Wei enthusiastically went to help her pack. However, he didn¡¯t even get a thank you.


    ¡°Dragons don¡¯t associate with snakes.¡± For Ye Wei, it wasn¡¯t just a rough insult¡ªit was disapproval and betrayal from the person closest to him. Those five words were like sharp nails buried deeply into his heart. That was when Ye Wei realised Joe Yin grew up and changed; in the real world, you would be despised by everyone unless you are feared!


    In Joe Yin¡¯s mind, being associated with Ye Wei was shameful. Even being seen talking to him for a minute would look bad!


    ¡°Ye Wei, right? Stop daydreaming, you and Joe Yin are literally in different worlds!¡±


    ¡°Joe Yin is going to breakthrough to seven stars and will be a Warrior in around two years, at most. How about you? One star in three years? Now that¡¯s a feat!¡±


    ¡°You? Waiting for a friend? Can you not read? It reads Green Phoenix Hall on the gate! The elites who live here are way out of your league!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you look into a mirror? And tell me what you see?¡±


    The girls around Joe Yin were riding on their high horses, looking down on Ye Wei and giving their all to insult him.


    Ye Wei was trying his hardest to keep his cool from all this poisonous hatred. His face became paler and paler, his nails dug into his palm and his clenched fists colored his knuckles white.


    Ye Wei slowly raised his head while grinding his teeth. His ck eyes held a cold aura as they passed over everyone before finally resting upon Joe Yin. He never wanted anything from Joe Yin. He only gave and gave selflessly, but never did he think that all he would receive in return was ice-cold mockery!


    Who was this person who looked like Joe Yin?


    People change!


    ¡®You can count on people as much as you can count on putting out fire with paper!¡¯


    ¡®You must only believe in yourself. Only by gaining strength would one receive respect from others... not when you are weak!


    Ye Wei tried his best to learn something, making what good he could from this mess,and this thought is what he came up with.


    Ignoring Joe Yin and all the insults, Ye Wei kept his cool and walked away.


    ¡°Ye Wei, don¡¯te again. We live in different worlds. I couldn¡¯t have exined myself any better than that day¡ªdragons don¡¯t associate with snakes! I don¡¯t want to be seen with you!¡± Joe Yin said while staring at Ye Wei¡¯s back as he walked away, cutting all ties.

 Chapter 10 – Fiery Sun Quencher

    Chapter 10 ¨C Fiery Sun Quencher


    From a certain distance, an elegant and beautiful teenager observed the whole violent verbal exchange. It was Lin Zi Yan!


    Her glossy purple hair was resting on her shoulders and the white slim fit dress emphasized her curves in contrast to the thin profile of her body. While her neck and corbones were gracefully and seductively exposed through the opening of the dress, which was framed by the embellished cor on her dress. There was even a stylish purple flower embroidered on the dress, sitting right next to the bulge on her chest.


    Zi Yan saw Ye Wei slowly walking away from Green Phoenix Hall. She could see from Ye Wei¡¯s posture that he felt lonely and frustrated because of what just took ce between Joe Yin and him. The distant look on Ye Wei¡¯s face caused a throbbing pain somewhere in Zi Yan¡¯s heart.


    But there was not even a hint of rage on his face. Ye Wei always held rage back like a dormant volcano that would never erupt.


    Lin Zi Yan couldn¡¯t imagine how much mockery and pressure he had received from his peers and teachers; that on top of the sadness in his heart due to his poor performance in ss and being a red Sentient one star Student, who was constantly told he would never be worth anything other than trash. Even now with his new found soul sensibility, he still distanced himself from the world because he didn¡¯t have enough confidence to stand on his own two feet and talk back to people.


    Like a hedgehog, Ye Wei faced obstacles in the fetal position, passively protecting himself from the world.


    While looking at the lonely figure of Ye Wei getting smaller and smaller as he walked away, Zi Yan imagined the solitude he had experienced for all these years and tried to empathize with him.


    ¡°Ye Wei, where are you heading off to? Let¡¯s go together!¡± Zi Yan called out to Ye Wei, with a uplifting smile on her face as she suggested casually. She quickly walked towards Ye Wei, with her dress flying in the wind of the summer breeze, causing her to look like an angel that descended from the heavens.


    Beauty is subjective and rtive. Joe Yin and her friends were good-looking academic achievers, but when Zi Yan came into sight, it was akin to watching a swan arriving near a flock of ducks.


    Every time Joe Yin and her friends saw Zi Yan, they would startparing themselves and be ashamed. When it came to family, wealth, looks, and talent the gap between them and Zi Yan was simply too vast. They didn¡¯t even have the the courage to socialize with her. They preferred hanging out in their shared dormitories, whereas the private houses were out of their league!


    ¡®Who did Lin Zi Yan just talk to? Are my ears deceiving me?¡¯ Joe Yin¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as Zi Yan walked towards Ye Wei.


    He came to Green Phoenix Hall for Lin Zi Yan!


    But how did he even know her? They were from different worlds. One was trash that lived on the earth, while the other was a star that was only fit to belong in the heavens, themselves!


    Hearing Zi Yan¡¯s call, Ye Wei turned around with a startled look on his face. He mumbled softly ¡°Mm... Sister Zi Yan...¡± He had almost forgotten to drop the ¡®Miss¡¯.


    ¡°I have to go to the Runemaster Union and we¡¯ll be taking the same way, so let¡¯s walk together!¡± Lin Zi Yan smiled and said this casually. She looked around, coldly setting her eyes onto Joe Yin and her friends and started frowning: ¡°Who are these people? Ye Wei, I don¡¯t think you should waste time talking to these nobodies! There are a lot ofmoners who are not worthy of our attention at this academy. You should simply ignore them.¡±


    After processing what Zi Yan had just said, the faces of Joe Yin and her friends had a paleplexion. All of them were bitterly thinking the same thing ¡®Are we really unworthymoners in her eyes?!¡¯


    Like a rock falling onto thin ss, Joe Yin¡¯s conceited nature was instantly shattered by Zi Yan¡¯s words. In Joe Yin¡¯s head, Zi Yan had so many great qualities that she was someone Joe Yin idolized and wished to be someday.


    Although Joe Yin was already a six star Student, Zi Yan was out of her league in status and strength.


    Joe Yin could not even understand why her idol, Lin Zi Yan, was with trash like Ye Wei and was even supporting him. She ground her teeth, though she was offended by Lin Zi Yan Joe Yin didn¡¯t have to courage to talk back because she was well aware that if Zi Yan said anything it could be the ruin of the Joe family!


    As Ye Wei assessed the situation he could not resist giving Zi Yan a thankful look, having realised she was getting the girls back for what they had just said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zi Yan smiled merrily and casually held Ye Wei¡¯s hand.


    Sensing Zi Yan¡¯s soft breast on his arm, Ye Wei felt slightly cramped. He stood tall and stopped looking at Joe Yin, as he set off with Zi Yan.


    ¡°How does Miss Zi Yan know Ye Wei?¡± A tall slim girl was confused and therefore asked a couple of questions after Ye Wei and Zi Yan had walked past ¡°They looked really close, their rtionship might not be simple!¡±


    ¡°I just heard Ye Wei calling Miss Zi Yan by herst name!¡± A round faced girl said in surprise.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, that is Ye Wei, a boy with red Sentient. Howe Miss Zi Yan is speaking to him?¡± The tall girl said after thinking it through. ¡®I have never seen Lin Zi Yan this close to a boy, maybe they are dating?¡±


    Seeing Ye Wei and Zi Yan slowly disappearing in the distance, Joe Yin¡¯s lips started bleeding from extensive biting, as she thought about what she said to Ye. ¡®Dragons don¡¯t associate with snakes¡¯, Ironically would be a perfect summation of her situation and that phrase she had previously spoke made her feel as if someone stabbed her heart with a dagger!


    Now Joe Yin knew she did not know who Ye Wei was anymore. She believed Ye Wei would not ever talk back to her, because he was defenseless and pathetic, but now Joe Yin realized he just could not be bothered to waste energy talking back to someone unworthy!


    Lin Zi Yan turned and nced at Joe Yin and cleared her throat. ¡®Ye Wei has the sharpest soul sensitivity I have ever seen. I am one hundred percent certain he can be a Runemaster¡¯


    Just like that, Zi Yan kept holding onto Ye Wei¡¯s arm and together they exited Green Phoenix Hall stepping onto the gravel trail leaving the speechless Joe Yin and her friends behind.


    The sun had now set and it is rush hour in Green Moon City and the path was packed full of people. After making sure they were out of Joe Yin¡¯s sight, Zi Yan let go of Ye Wei¡¯s arm and she blushed a little in an adorable way.


    ¡°Zi Yan, thanks!¡± Ye Wei looked at the beauty in front of him and said sincerely.


    Of course Ye Wei wouldn¡¯t assume that Miss Zi Yan fancies him; he is clear that arm holding stunt was just an act to build up his image and gain respect from the girls, an act to help him!


    After going through so much, Ye Wei started to have feelings and affection for Lin Zi Yan, as a brilliant and kind girl is irresistible to most boys after all.


    But for now Ye Wei knew that Zi Yan and him would never work and therefore stopped thinking too much about it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I told you you¡¯re like my little brother now!¡± Lin Zi Yan smiled yfully, looking at Ye Wei¡¯s well-proportioned face and remembering the moment when he perfected the Triple Tidal Palm, she was still a bit shocked.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were set on Zi Yan¡¯s charming looks, spacing out.


    Neither of them talked and the atmosphere became a little ambiguous and awkward.


    ¡°Oh yea Ye Wei, I have some Fiery Sun Quencher pills here take them and put them to good use!¡± Lin Zi Yan took out a jade bottle from her pocket and passed it to Ye Wei. Giving him these pills was one of the reason she went to catch up to Ye Wei at the gate.


    ¡°Fiery Sun Quencher pills?¡± Ye Wei was startled, there are a wide variety of quenching pills, and Fiery Sun Quencher was amongst the most effective and valuable pills that could be concocted. In the Ye Family, only Wei¡¯s cousin Ye Zhong was deemed worthy enough to get a few Fiery Sun pills.


    Ye Wei stopped spacing out and started panicking a little ¡°Miss Zi Yan, this is too valuable, I can¡¯t take this!¡±


    ¡°You deserve it, you perfected Triple Tidal Palm with me and helped me be a Warrior, do you really think that is worth less than a few Fiery Sun Quencher pills? Lin Zi Yan yed along pretending to be serious when she said it.

 Chapter 11 – Two Star Student

    Chapter 11 ¨C Two Star Student


    If it was a cheaper quencher pill, like Bone Strengthener, Ye Wei could have epted it easily, but the Fiery Sun Quencher was way too valuable!


    One pill cost five hundred silver, and the bottle Zi Yan passed to Ye Wei contained ten pills. That is five thousand silver worth of Fiery Sun Quencher pills!


    One might not know how much five thousand silver is.


    The Ye Family was not a small family in Green Moon City, yet Ye Wei¡¯s monthly allowance was twenty silver and around thirty silver is enough to feed a family well for a month.


    Lin Zi Yan was very wealthy, Ye Wei knew Zi Yan wasn¡¯t an ordinary girl, but he never anticipated her to be this wealthy.


    ¡°ept it as a reward for what you¡¯ve done for me!¡± Afraid she was going to hurt Ye Wei¡¯s pride with such a big gift, Zi Yan tried to make it easier for him saying it was a reward.


    Ye Wei paused and thought about it ¡°I will take one then!¡±


    ¡°You are my brother now, and you¡¯re not going to take what your sister is giving you? Do you despise me?¡±


    ¡°...Okay then.¡± Ye Wei nodded and took Zi Yan¡¯s gift, his heart was filled with gratitude as these Fiery Sun Quencher pills are exactly what he needs right now.


    ¡°Good!¡± Zi Yan stopped her tough act and smiled as she pulled Ye Wei on his shoulders and said: ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    For unknown reasons, for Zi Yan there is something making her gravitate toward Ye Wei, the distance between them had shortened within the span of a few hours.


    ¡°If you have any problems, you cane directly to me with them, you know where I live at in Green Phoenix now. I will head towards Master Yi now.¡± Zi Yan said her farewell with a big smile on her face as they reached a crossroad.


    ¡°Ok.¡± Ye Wei nodded


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s graceful figure slowly became smaller and eventually disappeared along the side path.


    ¡°Thanks you so much for the Fiery Sun Quencher pills I, Ye Wei will remember this favour!¡± Ye Wei held the jade bottle tightly, mumbling to himself. He was very quiet but at the same time hard as metal; he was determine to make something happen with these pills.


    Thest beam of sunlight faded as evening progressed into night time as Ye Wei returned to his dorm. South Star Academy is the cradle of future fighters and they even provide dorm rooms for the worst students.


    His room was very minimalistic, there was a nd wooden table in the middle of the room and against the wall was a nk of wood on legs he called a bed, sadly there was not even a chair in the room. The door let out a loud squeak when Ye Wei closed it tightly; he then took off his shoes and sat on the bed in a lotus position with his back against the wall.


    ¡°With these Fiery Sun Quencher pills, I should be able to breakthrough to two stars soon!¡±


    Ye Wei took out the bottle of Quencher pills, he was a bit nervous and breathed a bit quicker than usual. Nearly all of the students who were admitted the same time as Ye Wei three years ago made decent progress and are now in the intermediate ss, and even a few talented ones are in the senior ss.


    ¡°I am very far behind right now but once I get to the seven star level, I will be able to catch up in no time! Ye Wei fiercely shook his fists, feeling confident with his game n.


    Ye Wei opened the jade bottle and poured out one pill. He sat still and saw what five hundred silver looked like, then he took a deep breath and swallowed the pill.


    Hiss!


    The pill immediately melted upon touching Ye Wei¡¯s tongue, a scorching wave of energy flowed through his body turning his skin bright red all over, he looked almost like a piece of glowing coal.


    Ye Wei¡¯s skin and muscles were drenched with the surge of energy, as it tempered his skin and muscles, and strengthened his body. He was visibly getting bigger.


    He sat there absorbing the vast amount of energy from the pill.


    A whole 10 hours passed and the sky was brightening up starting to turn red and getting ready for a new day. It wasn¡¯t until then that Ye Wei absorbed everything from the pill.


    ¡°That was strong! I got more from this one pill than I did from at least three months worth of training!¡± Still sitting in a lotus position on the nk of wood, Ye Wei opened his eyes leisurely looking slightly childish as he couldn¡¯t hide the joy and satisfaction from his result.


    ¡°With this speed I will breakthrough in no time!¡±


    Ye Wei made fists with both hands as he felt his strength and energy surging. His lips curled up and disyed great satisfaction. Being one star ranked for three years was not glorifying, but it did give Ye Wei a good foundation to develop on. Now that he took one of the best Quenching pills, it¡¯s very possible that he would breaks through in the matter of days.


    Furthermore, Ye Wei was surprised as he discovered how his physique had changed a bit after his dream yesterday during the lecture.


    ¡°I will breakthrough before returning home that ought to surprise my parents!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s astounding dark eyes shone bright in the early dawn light.


    The Ye Wei of the past could never dare to imagine his training could go this fast, but with the recent changes to his body and the acquisition of the Fiery Sun Quencher pills, Ye Wei knew he stood a fighting chance of improving rapidly.


    Two stars was nothing, but to breakthrough with Ye Wei¡¯s red Sentient, now that was not a simple task at all!


    ¡°Without strength nobody will notice nor respect me. One day i will be a great fearsome Warrior!¡± Remembering the mockery he got from Joe Yin and her friends, Ye Wei held his fist tight, his veins bulging.


    There are many factors that determine how strong a Warrior is, their foundation is based on cultivation and stance performance, but putting aside stance performance as it is a non-factor before seven stars, the greater one¡¯s cultivation is the more primal energy and Qi one has to use; also how fast one can cultivate is determined by Sentient and Form usage.


    The Sentient spectrum is divided like this: red, orange, yellow, green, lime, blue, and violet; with red being the weakest and violet the strongest.


    The stronger one¡¯s Sentient is the quicker they are able to absorb primal energy from their natural surroundings.


    Whereas forms purify and convert the primal energy we absorb into a storable form like a transformer. Primal energy is a violent energy and if it is not purified and converted it will do more harm than benefit to the body.


    Like stances, forms are also divided in five ranks: Spirit, Myst, Earth, Sky, and Heaven. With the low, mid, and high, three levels per rank.


    To fill his body to the brim with primal energy, Ye Wei¡¯s red Sentient needs to work non-stop for around a day when the norm is usually around six to ten hours.


    Though Ye Wei¡¯s form is not shabby, the mid Myst level Falling Star Form was passed down in the Ye family through generations. And it does a good job purifying primal energy at a reasonable speed.


    The only thing that was holding Ye Wei back was his Sentient!


    The distance between Ye Wei and other students his age just became greater over time, as his rate of cultivating was much slower than others. Without resources and enough Qi to support his training his body simply could not keep up.

 Chapter 12 – Perfect Falling Star

    Chapter 12 ¨C Perfect Falling Star


    ¡°These next three days I am not going to lectures, I¡¯m going to lock myself up and focus on training!¡±


    Ye Wei got up and did his stretching routine after getting off his bed, then he started training after washing up.


    ¡°Time to use the Falling Star form!¡±


    Momentster, Ye Wei returned to sitting on the bed and he crossed his legs into a lotus position. He closed his eyes and adjust the speed of his breathing distancing himself from the world and slowly entered a zen state.


    Ye Wei¡¯s hands formed aplex hand seal in front of his chest, with the form operating his will-force slowly formed a vortex with the epicenter in between his eyebrows, as the suction drew in thin threads of primal energy from every direction.


    The primal energy got stuck onto the will-force and then was stored in Ye Wei¡¯s dantian. Now the energy was ready to be purified by the Falling Star form!


    An entire day passed and Ye Wei¡¯s dantian was finally fully saturated, the speed of his absorption being outrageously slow. Ye Wei opened his eyes wide when thest bit of space in his dantain was filled. One could see a glimmer of silver deep inside Ye Wei¡¯s eyes and as he formed the thirty-six different hand seals, the raging primal energy finally started to be tamed and purified.


    Suddenly, Ye Wei heard a noise inside his head.


    It came out of nowhere while Ye Wei was purifying primal energy with the Falling Star form. The loud cracking noise resembled thunder rumbling, he also saw an image of a towering mountain, the mountain covered in hundreds of thousands of mystic runes, the runes seeming to have a life of their own, crawling on the mountain¡¯s surface. Out of nowhere appeared a spectral being, revealing itself on the mountain.


    His translucent figure allowed the spectral being¡¯s meridianwork, a beautiful web of green and red to be visible!


    Ye Wei was stunned by the fact that the mountain revisited him, but something else caught his attention. The being was sitting down, in a lotus position, seemingly in the process of purifying primal energy with a form and his green and red meridianwork was vibrating slightly. Ye Wei could clearly see the energy, silver in colour, circling thework.


    ¡°Is this... Falling Star form?!¡±


    Ye Wei recognised the route of primal energy cirction and it was very simr to the Falling Star form he was using at that moment, but the spectral being¡¯s version was far moreplex!


    The Ye family¡¯s Falling Star form utilized thirty-six meridians, while this unknown being¡¯s silver energy was circting through a hundred and eight meridians, forming a perfect cycle.


    All the energy stored in its dantian was purified within only one cycle!


    In contrast Ye Wei¡¯s Falling Star form takes at least 9 cycles to purify a full dantian. The silver energy passed through more meridians inside the spectral being¡¯s system and it was passing through with twice the speedpared to Ye Wei¡¯s form.


    ¡®Our Ye family has always used the mid Myst level Falling Star form, and its speed is way slower than this spectral being¡¯s form though they are simr, is he using a high Myst level form?¡¯


    Deep in thought, Ye Wei was startled by this revtion. Being a Ye who is used to the Falling Star form, he knows exactly what a high Myst level form could help him achieve.


    A high Myst level form can purify the same amount of primal energy three times as quick as a mid Myst level form; putting Ye Wei¡¯s horrendous energy absorption speed into ount, if the purification process is sped up three times, training should be twice as efficient.


    To be twice as efficient...


    Wei¡¯s cousin Ye Zhong is a twenty-two years old four star Warrior. With Zhong¡¯s talent, he will need two or three years of non stop training in order to breakthrough, but with the spectral being¡¯s Falling Star form he would only need a bit more than a year to be a five Star Warrior!


    A twenty-three year old five star Warrior is quite a feat and that would make him one of the strongest young talents in Green Moon City.


    Moreover, there are no more than five families in all of Green Moon City that have a high Myst level form. Say the Ye family started utilising this version of the Falling Star form, then his family¡¯s status would be on a totally different level.


    The spectral being circted his energy 3 times around his meridians. Ye Wei watched and memorised every hand seal used and the cirction route, the information was urately imprinted onto his mind.


    ¡°Om!¡±


    Still sitting in a lotus position on his bed, Ye Wei¡¯s head buzzed and his body shook as he instantaneously opened his eyes.


    ¡°Zooom!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s hands made seal after seal and it took him no time to form the hundred and eight seals, he aplished it so fast that only a blurry afterimage was visible. The primal energy flowed swiftly from his dantian to the rest of his body through the hundred and eight meridians at an incredible speed.


    Two hours. In just two hours, a dantian full of raging energy was converted to pure and usable primal energy, Qi. And the purification process was working at twice the speed of before after adopting the new form!


    ¡®The legend must be true... There once was a Supreme within Ye¡¯s bloodline and the Falling Star form that was passed down from him was obviously iplete. It makes sense now that I have seen this version of the Falling Stars form!¡¯


    ¡®Well i¡¯m not sure if the Supreme was real, but at least the form bit of the story holds is!¡¯


    ¡®So a spectral being who resides on a mountain in my consciousness showed me the perfect Falling Star form, and basically gave our family a high Myst level form!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were shining as he was surprised by the experience and overjoyed... His facial expression twisted a bit from being overwhelmed by all the emotions, but it was obvious he was very happy.


    Improving the Falling Star form means the world to Ye Wei and the Ye family!


    Inhale, exhale... It took quite a bit of time and many deep breaths before Ye Wei¡¯s emotions subsided and he regained his calmness.


    ¡°My body is as strong as a one star Student¡¯s can get and tomorrow I should be able to break through to two stars without the aid of these Fiery Sun Quencher pills!¡±


    Ye Wei started his training again after mumbling to himself.


    In the morning of his third day training, as the sun was ring intensely a few drops of the golden sunshinended on Ye Wei¡¯s slightly childish face. He opened his eyes slowly and made a fist.


    ¡°Booom!¡±


    He threw a punch to the air fiercely, the sound of wind breaking around his fist was sharp and loud. Ye Wei was more than satisfied and he was surprised by the immense strength behind the punch.


    ¡°So this is what it feels like being a two star Student?¡± The corners of Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were slightly wet. It had been three whole years since he started at South Star Academy and this moment marked the end of an era. The era of Ye Wei, the one star Student who was stuck at the one star level for three years!


    All the good news aside, the changes in one¡¯s body condition was not exactly significant until a Student reaches five stars. When a Student reaches five stars, their skin and muscle will be hard as iron which drastically improves their speed and strength by ten fold!


    ¡°Dad, mom, I broke through! Your child is a two star Student!¡± Ye Wei looked towards the direction of his home as his tears slowly left a warm reflective trail on his face.


    No one can really empathise with Ye Wei, as the three years of struggle was very personal experience for him.


    ¡°I need to go home!¡±


    Ye Wei can not wait to bring home the good news to his parents and his cousin Ye Zhong, who took care of him since before he could remember. He had skipped his lectures for two days already, what would one more day matter?


    He packed light and hid the jade bottle of Fiery Sun Quenchers in a secret pocket in front of his chest. He closed the door behind him as he left his room and headed towards the school gate.


    It was early morning and the students were already in the ssroom and nobody was wandering around on the campus even though most tutors in South Star Academy were not very strict.


    Facing the sun, Ye Wei walked out of the school gate on his way home.

 Chapter 13 – The Du Family

    Chapter 13 ¨C The Du Family


    South Star Academy was located in the north-eastern corner of Green Moon City, whereas the Ye family Manor was positioned in the south-western corner. They are pretty much on the opposite side of town.


    Although Ye Wei is now a two star Student with enhanced strength and speedpared to ordinary folk, it would still take around ten hours for him to get to the family manor on foot.


    In Green Moon City, the three most popr means of transport were as follow: ordinary horse carriages, for a more expensive option one could use the beast carriages, and the most prestigious way to travel would be by runicles!


    A normal horse carriage cost around one to three thousand silver, beast carriage around thirty to fifty thousand silver, but runicles are a bit special because you can¡¯t pay for their service.


    Runicles are not pulled by horses or beasts. They are vehicles forged by rare metals, which were then engraved by Runemasters. The runes engraved onto the runicle draws primal energy from the sky and the earth, which powers it. Not only are runicles speedy, they also ride extremely stable, and runicle owners in Green Moon City could be counted with one hand.


    The Ye family¡¯s chosen means of transport is a green-maned unicorn carriage worth forty thousand silver. Green-maned unicorns are a hybrid species, they are cross bred between unicorns and green-maned horses. In green-maned unicorns the green-maned horse¡¯s genes in the hybrid hinders the unicorn beast¡¯s violent nature, while its endurance and strength was retained. It was an entry-level beast for a carriage.


    Ye Wei walked down the road with only himself forpany, the scotching sun shone down sunlight and caused droplets of sweat to appear on his face. From time to time there were horse and beast carriages passing by. And then he saw a runicle, which pedestrians and carriages gave way to.


    ¡°One day, I will ride in a runicle!¡± Ye Wei whispered slightly envious.


    Of course it was just a daydream now, as Ye Wei has not even traveled in the family beast carriage let alone him being able to ride in a runicle.


    It was a balmy summer day, the temperature abnormally high and sadly with Ye Wei¡¯s two star cultivation, he couldn¡¯t even expel the heat out of his body with Qi, all he could do was grind his teeth and tolerate it. But thinking about seeing his family again put a smile on his childish face and made the hot conditions just a bit more tolerable.


    By the time the sun started setting in the west Ye Wei had covered more than half of his journey. Meanwhile back at South Star Academy the school bell rang loud and clear. It was the end of school day and the midterm and South Star Academy students get a seven day break every three months.


    As the bell rang, South Star Academy went from peaceful to hectic in an instant. Junior, intermediate, senior, and the one and only ss of the gifted all came alive as students left the ssrooms quickly heading out one after another to enjoy their break.


    In the junior three ssroom where the teacher just left, a group of senior students with overwhelming energy presence blocked the ssroom door, the weakest being an eight star Student, and the alpha of the group who was dressed in a white robe was a very powerful and young individual, he was a Warrior!


    The white robed youngster was Du Ming Ze, the strongest student in senior five, the fifteenth strongest student in whole of South Star Academy! And also at the same time an avid admirer of Lin Zi Yan!


    Rumours of the of Ye Wei and Zi Yan¡¯s little venture has spread through every corner of South Star Academy, about how they were together at Green Phoenix Hall and how they were linking arms and holding hands.


    This pack of Zi Yan¡¯s fanatic admirers were provoked like piranhas that just picked up the scent of blood, they didn¡¯t even rest until they had found out everything rted to Ye Wei¡¯s identity. And three days was more than enough time for the admirers to gather every gritty detail from people around campus.


    ¡°I am here to see Ye Wei, everyone else... leave!¡±


    The group of senior students surrounded the white robed youth like they were bodyguards, his ice-cold eyes emotionlessly scanned through the faces of everyone in junior three.


    ¡°He is Du Ming Ze! The Du Ming Ze who is ranked fifteen on the South Star standings!¡±


    ¡°Leave the room! Just get out!¡±


    ¡°He is looking for Ye Wei? This time he is surely done for... How did he get into trouble with Du Ming Ze? Ming Ze is a Warrior! And the Du family is one of the three families, they basically run Green Moon City!¡±


    ¡°Even if Ye Wei has the talent to be a Runemaster, talent is just talent before he actually bes a Runemaster, he can¡¯t handle the Du family!¡±


    Junior three students with bottomless respect looked at the youth in a white robe, and they started to sympathize with Ye Wei. They quieted down as the tension in the ssroom built up. One by one, avoiding the middle of the room where Du Ming Ze stood the students almost held their breaths when exiting the room without making a sound.


    ¡®Hahaha! Ye Wei, who will save you this time!?¡¯


    Xiao Qi appeared to be calm and collected, but he was bursting out inughter inside.


    Since Ye Wei disyed his potentials of bing a Runemaster and turned his image upside down, Xiao Qi, even being the top student of junior three had no leverage to mess with Ye Wei. During these few days Xiao Qi had been frustrated and felt an extreme level of unease. Seeing Du Ming Ze here looking for trouble with Ye Wei soothed his need for revenge!


    ¡®But Ye Wei had not attended any sses for three days, is that lucky gu going to get away with it...¡¯ Xiao Qi looked at the empty chair Ye Wei usually sat in, shaking his head in regret.


    ¡®Ye Wei must be in his dorm room!¡¯ Xiao Qi¡¯s eyeballs spun around slowly and made a guess.


    While a student is purifying primal energy, it¡¯s a written rule in South Star Academy that the student shall not be disturbed by anyone under any circumstances, not other students, not any member of staff. This is one of the main reason Xiao Qi assumed Ye Wei was training in his dorm room.


    Moments after the ss evacuated, Xiao Qi was left alone. Being the only junior in junior three that was left in the ssroom!


    ¡°So you¡¯re Ye Wei?¡± The white robed Du Ming Ze¡¯s facial expression resembles a restless untamed mustang, as he posed the question in a chilling tone, his dark eyes looked like a merciless predator¡¯s.


    ¡°No no no! Ming Ze, brother, I am Xiao Qi, son of the senior five tutor Xiao Han Ji. I stayed here wanting to tell you that he hasn¡¯t shown up for lectures, I think he is hiding in his dorm room and I know where that is!¡±


    Facing the ice-cold Du Ming Ze, Xiao Qi brown nosed without hesitation.


    ¡°Tutor Xiao¡¯s son?¡±


    Du Ming Ze softened a little as he heard the familiar name, he is the proud understudy of senior five¡¯s tutor Xiao.


    ¡°So when Miss Zi Yan was substituting for our ss, not only did that bastard Ye Wei sleep through half of her lecture, he screamed and shouted when he woke up. He angered Miss Zi Yan and towards the end of lecture he criticised Miss Zi Yan¡¯s stance, saying it was wed and embarrassing her in front of the whole ss. I never liked that kid! If he didn¡¯t show the potential to be a Runemaster...¡±


    Xiao Qi walked close to Du Ming Ze as he trashed talked and made Ye Wei sound as bad as possible. He stopped the moment he realised he shouldn¡¯t say anything about Ye Wei¡¯s shocking disy.


    It¡¯smon knowledge the Du family was one of the ¡®Big Three¡¯ in Green Moon City. What Xiao Qi didn¡¯t know, however was that the Du family¡¯s willingness to provoke potential Runemasters. It would be against Xiao Qi¡¯s interest if Ming Ze refused to mess with Ye Wei because of the Du family wanting to befriend uing Runemasters. Xiao Qi realised he said too much, and he was now looking for ways to exin himself.


    ¡°Little Xiao Qi, I don¡¯t like people who are indirect and I also dislike hearing half a sentence!¡±


    Du Ming Ze looked at Xiao Qi, his thick sword-shaped eyebrows were dark as ck ink, they tilted up slightly showing Xiao Qi he was not pleased with the partial truth he was told. The presence only a Warrior has pressed down onto Xiao Qi like a forcefield.


    Xiao Qi was finding it hard to breath against the mountain like presence of Du ming Ze, he actually got knocked off bnce and had to take a few steps back, before he could regain his bnce and stand up straight. His body covered with cold sweat, Xiao Qi casted his eyes on Ming Ze with utmost respect.


    ¡°Ming Ze, brother, Ye Wei acquired knowledge about runes from god knows where, and answered a few question in Miss Zi Yan¡¯s lecture correctly which made her think he had the talent to be a Runemaster. Then Miss Zi Yan took him away from the ssroom after the lecture. That¡¯s.. that¡¯s all I know. If you want to get to Ye Wei¡¯s dorm room, though I can show you the way there!¡± Xiao Qi said carefully and tried to avoid eye contact with Du ming Ze, ¡°It¡¯s school break now and nobody will be guarding the residence halls!¡± Xiao Qi added.


    ¡°Lead the way!¡± Du Ming Ze was satisfied from what he heard for the time being, he nodded and walked up next to Xiao Qi patting his shoulders: ¡°If anyone is looking for trouble with you in South Star Academy, you can drop my name anytime you want!¡± Du Ming Ze expressed his appreciation towards the helpfulness of tutor Xiao¡¯s son.


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    Xiao Qi was ttered and he nodded. Although both Xiao¡¯s parents were tutors at South Star it is an inconvenience for tutors to interfere and take sides in disputes between students. Not only is Du Ming Ze a direct Du descendant, he is also a Warrior and the fifteenth strongest person on the South Star rankings, there was no better patron than Du Ming Ze.


    While having these thought and being proud of his new connection, Xiao Qi led Ming Ze and his gang to Ye Wei¡¯s room.


    ¡°Here we are!¡±


    Xiao Qi pointed at a shut door after they entered the building and said excitedly.


    Du Ming Ze didn¡¯t say a word he just nodded. With his eyes, he signaled the gang of senior students to break and enter, the act was prohibited in South Star Academy but the residence halls was not staffed today due to the break, the ce was basically unmonitored!


    Bang!


    The tall and sturdily built eight star Student stepped forward towards Ye Wei¡¯s room, he punched the door ferociously with his enormous fist.


    Boom!!


    The door split open with a muffled rumble. There was nobody inside and there was nothing in the tight space except a wooden bed and a simple wooden table.


    ¡°He¡¯s not here?¡±


    Xiao Qi was dumbfounded by the fact that Ye Wei was not in his room!


    ¡°Break them!¡±


    Du Ming Ze said furiously, he stared at the empty room with a gloomy face.


    ¡°Yea!¡±


    Without hesitation, the gang of seniors initiated the destructive act. There wasn¡¯t much to wreck in the room and it only took them seconds to turn everything into ruins.


    Despite this Du Ming Ze was still not satisfied by the poor state of Ye Wei¡¯s room and hemanded everyone to piss on Ye Wei¡¯s bedding before he led them out of the room.

 Chapter 14 – The Ye Family

    Chapter 14 ¨C The Ye Family


    After trashing Ye Wei¡¯s room and emptying themselves, Du Ming Ze and his gang left Ye Wei¡¯s room behind.


    A few hourster, Ye Wei finally arrived at the Ye Manor¡¯s front gate after walking through the streets that were lit up by starlightt.


    The Ye family was not quite that known in Green Moon City, but they were rtively well established in the southwestern district as their manor epassed ten acres of bright and opennd. The blood-red wooden gate was adorned with two well polished copper ring handles. Two grand marble lion statues decorated each side of the gate and standing in front were four sharp looking guards dressed in fancy uniforms.


    To regr citizens, the Ye manor looked grand and majestic, but to Ye Wei it did not. He frowned in confusion as he looked at the four guards.


    ¡°Ehm, Why are there only four guards guarding the gate?¡±


    Social status was very important for most families, and the strength, or more importantly the quantity, of guards symbolized the power and influence a family held; it was a show of vanity, after all.. ¡®Usually there are eight four star Students guarding the gates. Why are there only four guards today?¡¯


    ¡°Master Ye Wei!¡± They all called out.


    The guards bowed and greeted the young master of the household. Ye Wei nodded back, wondering what happened to the rest of the guards as he headed towards the courtyard.


    He stopped, however, when he overheard a loud conversation whilst entering the courtyard.


    ¡°Fu Shun, why is he only getting fifty silver? Our little Ye Wei is living and studying at South Star Academy, how could fifty silver possibly be enough? Don¡¯t we normally send him a hundred and fifty silver? Why are we only giving him one third of what he usually receives?¡±


    ¡°Madame, truth be told, the family... We don¡¯t have much money left! The master even sold his green-maned unicorn with the carriage and he had to let go of a handful of guards...¡±


    ¡°What?! This is outrageous! Are we really in such a desperate position?¡± Being on the other side of the wall, Ye Wei could only hear the muffled voices intermittently due to the noisy street. He frowned in puzzlement upon understanding what was being said...


    The Ye family had always been financially stable and actually didn¡¯t do too bad for themselves. Hearing about the financial instability of their family and how the master of the house sold his beast carriage, Ye Wei was shocked to the extreme as this had to be a fantasy.


    Although Ye Wei had almost no presence in the Ye family, the family never forgot about him. His allowance always arrived on time and everyone in the family was very friendly towards him.


    ¡°Creak...¡±


    Ye Wei, despite the heaviness he felt, pushed open the wooden door in front of the little yard.


    ¡°Pa, Ma, I¡¯m home!¡± he said as he walked towards the house.


    ¡°Little Wei!¡±


    The front door popped open, and a woman in her thirties threw herself at Ye Wei. She was inly dressed, but it worked together with her light and natural makeupplimenting her well as she gave off a warm and pleasant air.


    She was Ye Wei¡¯s mother, Joe Wan!


    ¡°Young master Ye Wei has returned.¡± Fu Shun, the butler, stood beside Joe Wan and respectfully greeted Ye Wei as he squeezed a smile out of his tired face.


    Ye Wei was not naturally talented ¡ª not in his built nor his Sentient. The Ye family, with that in mind, did not mock or bully him. He was just inadvertently ignored from time to time because he had no chance of bing a Warrior. The elders¡¯ focus in the family fell on the more talented kids his age.


    The Ye family didn¡¯t have to worry about having a roof over their heads or food on the table, but these new internal and external problems made it more important than ever to stick together.


    ¡°Mister Fu!¡± Ye Wei was happy to see familiar faces again and greeted the butler with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, excuse me.¡±


    Fu Shun left the grey money pouch with Ye Wei¡¯s mom, then bowed and left the house.


    ¡°Little Wei, why are you so sweaty? Did you walk all the way home? Come sit here and rest. You silly child, how many times do I have to tell you that the journey is too long a walk for your body? Your should have just rented a horse carriage for this trip. It¡¯s just money, our family is fine and eating well!¡± Joe Wan raised her eyes and gazed at her son, nagged him while looking for a handkerchief for his sweaty face then she poured him a cup of tea.


    ¡°Where¡¯s dad?¡± Ye Wei asked, ncing at the deted money pouch butler Fu left his mom and started imagining the horrible situation in his head.


    ¡°Your father has been busy dealing with family business. He hasn¡¯t been home for five days now he¡¯s working on something... Don¡¯t worry about him. Are you hungry? Mommy will go make you some food,¡± Joe Wan said with a smile.


    Currently, the seventy-two year old three star condensing prime stage Warrior Ye Zheng Qing, Ye Wei¡¯s grandfather, was the head of the family.


    Ye Zheng Qing had four sons and three daughters. Ye Wei¡¯s father, Ye Yi, was the oldest among his siblings and was responsible for the Ye family¡¯s cloth trade. The oldest and second oldest sons were responsible for mystic arms and scrolls respectively, while the youngest son ran a restaurant. All three of Zheng Qing¡¯s daughters except the youngest aunt were married.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not hungry stop making a fuss. Is the family doing okay?¡± Ye Wei couldn¡¯t stand his mother acting as if everything was fine, as he stood up and looked right into his mother¡¯s eyes as he asked sincerely.


    Ye Wei saw and felt something was not right with the family, having overheard the conversation between his mom and the butler, Ye Wei came to a conclusion: The Ye family is going through a crisis!


    And it was not a minor one, or his father would not be away for five days, nor would they have only four guards at the front gate instead of normal eight, nor would grandad have sold his green-maned unicorn and carriage!


    ¡°My child, why are you worrying about these little matters? You should just pay attention in school and focus on your own problems!¡± Joe Wan wanted to change the topic, flustered her eyes were darting around.


    ¡°Mom, I am grown up and Ye is myst name so the family¡¯s business is my business!¡± Ye Wei dered solemnly in a deep voice while keeping eye contact with his mom.


    ¡°Oh my child, if you insist...¡± Joe Wan walked to her son. Patting his head and sighed, mumbling to herself as she was still a little hesitant wondering if it was the correct thing to do, beingpletely open to Ye Wei.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Du family?¡± Joe Wan asked after taking a deep breath.


    ¡°The Du¡¯s are one of the ¡®Big Three¡¯ in Green Moon City, right? Is our family business being challenged by the Du¡¯s?¡± Ye Wei asked with a big frown on his forehead.


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± His mom nodded.


    ¡°Mystic scrolls, arms, restaurant, cloth and the horse ranch, everything was affected, especially our scoll business, seventy percent of our family¡¯s revenuees from scrolls. The Du family just hired a Runemaster¡¯s first apprentice to personally inscribe all the scrolls in their shops. Whereas the scrolls on our shelves were inscribed by a regr student from the Runemasters¡¯ Union. On top of that, they are undercutting our price by thirty percent, the scrolls are basically stuck on our shelves.¡± Joe Wan was upset and it was visible all over her face.


    ¡°We had to lower the price because the scrolls weren¡¯t selling. but we won¡¯t be making any profit on them. We are not as wealthy as the Du family, they can use their money like this to hit the Ye family¡¯s business, but we can¡¯t do anything about it!¡±


    ¡°We have been struggling for two months now and the family is running low on resources, your grandpa even had to sell his unicorn carriage. It is a crisis like none we have faced before.¡±


    ¡°Little Wei, your grandpa, dad, and uncles are supporting the family so you should not worry about the ins and outs of everything just focus and practice on your studies at South Star. Because only when you are strong will you be able to help the family, when you are as strong as say... your cousin, Ye Zhong!


    ¡°Nor should you worry or feel guilty about your expenses if worsees to worst your mom¡¯s dowry will be enough to support you until you finish your education!¡±


    Joe Wan patted her son¡¯s shoulder, trying tofort and reassured him with transparency and proposing a backup n.


    ¡°Why did the Du family do this to us all of a sudden? Did one of us step on their toes?


    Ye Wei wasn¡¯t really worried about his expenses. All he cared about was his family¡¯s wellbeing, because he knew he could trust Lin Zi Yan to put in a good word with the right people and that she will inform the vice principal when school starts again, which could possibly score him a schrship making money not a problem.


    ¡®There are around three hundred people under the Ye¡¯s roofs including family members and employees, if the family copsed what would grandpa do? What would dad and my uncles do?¡¯


    Ye Wei felt the weight on his shoulders wishing to be of help in the dire situation.


    ¡®Although I am just a two star Student, and though I am far from as useful as my cousin Ye Zhong, I should be able to do something with my excellent soul sensitivity!


    It¡¯s not impossible for the family to get out of this slump, what bothered Ye Wei was the mysterious motive behind these economic attacks from one of The Big Three. The Ye family is hardly big enough to be considered a threat to the Du family and their bullying simply did not make sense.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t and are in no position to mess with them, the dispute started when grandpa refused to sell our plot ofnd next to North Hill Bay. Thatnd was passed down through generation after generation selling it was out of the question for your grandpa, which was more than reasonable and should be respected. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Ever since the refusal, the Du family started to take action against us. They started by ruining the restaurant, horse ranch, and other minor sources of ie which was not a huge problem. But two months ago they started undercutting our scroll business, the lifeblood of the Ye family!¡± Joe Wan was filled with indignation.


    ¡°What kind of behavior is that!?¡±


    Ye Wei too, got emotional. ¡®Just because you want to buy it we have to sell it? That is a disgusting attitude! They know very well that plot ofnd belonged to us since forever and that our family¡¯s tomb is there at North Hill Bay. I know technically it¡¯s grandpa¡¯s decision not to sell it, but I am sure the rest of the family would think the same in the name of our heritage and family history!¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it son we have something to celebrate tonight! Your little aunt Ye Jing Jing has broken through, she just became a seven star Warrior, and we are throwing a dinner party tonight for the asion!¡± His mom smiled.


    ¡°Little aunt is that good now?!¡±


    Ye Wei too, smiled enthusiastically. Like star levels with Students, breaking through the fifth and seventh star level are major obstacles, but the power one gain after breaking through is significant.


    Students can perform stances once they reach seven stars. When Warriors reach the seven star level they gain a thinyer of Qi, primal feathers, which will permanently cover their body as an extrayer of armor, and it grants them the ability to levitate making them stronger and faster fighters!


    Some say it takes more than a dozen six star Warriors to take down a seven star Warrior.


    Ye Jing Jing was Ye Wei¡¯s youngest aunt, she was twenty-five years old and she is even more gifted than Ye Zhong, because condensing prime stage was within reach for her now that she is a seven star, only three stars away!


    To establish a family, getting to condensing prime stage was an unwritten cultivation requirement, and there were only two Warriors at that stage in the entire family: grandpa, a three star condense prime Warrior and big uncle Ye Hai at one star.


    Other than his parents, Ye Jing Jing was the closest to Ye Wei in his family because of this Ye Wei was ecstatic about his little aunt¡¯s progress.

 Chapter 15 – Dinner Party

    Chapter 15 ¨C Dinner Party


    Night fell quickly upon the Ye manor. The halls and corridors were heavily decorated with big, red, festiventerns that brightened the mood and interior. In the banquet hall, the leading figures of the family wore long-lost smiles.


    With the recent events, the leaders of the family had nothing but struggles and obstacles to ovee, and it was pleasant and refreshing having something to celebrate.


    In the spacious banquet hall, grandpa Ye Zheng Qing was sitting at the family head¡¯s seat, right at the head of the table. The old man was surrounded by an aura of power. He was around seventy years of age, and although all his hair had long since turned white, his face had a healthy, red glow, which showed he was in great shape, due to his cultivation and years of training.


    To his left was Ye Wei¡¯s big uncle, Ye Hai; second uncle, Ye Han; his dad, Ye Yi; and little uncle, Ye Yu. To his right were the talents of the younger generation: little aunt, Ye Jing Jing; male cousins: Ye Zhong and Ye Xuan; and the female cousins: Ye Qiu and Ye Ling.


    Big uncle, Ye Hai, was a one star condensing prime Warrior, while his dad, Ye Yi, and uncles, Ye Han and Ye Yu, were all ten star Warriors.


    For big family dinners, like this evening¡¯s, the seating n was very detailed and well thought out ¡ª the stronger one was the closer they would be seated to the head of the house. Less talented individuals, like Ye Wei, were ced in the corners of the hall which was next to his mother. Despite the clear segregation, the family members had healthy rtionships between one another, unlike other big families where the less important members could rarely join a conversation between the stronger members and elders.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were focused on the person sitting at the head of the table, as he was admiring Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s aura. Although he had the eyes of a strong, experienced eagle, the skin around them showed a slight weariness. ¡®It must be the recent drama,¡¯ Ye Wei thought.


    He felt a bit uneasy and helpless and wished he could share his grandfather¡¯s burdens.


    ¡°This is the first dinner party we¡¯ve had in more than three months! We are all gathered here today to celebrate Jing Jing¡¯s seven star Warrior breakthrough!¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s masculine voice echoed throughout the fully seated banquet hall.


    Ye Zheng Qing patted his youngest daughter¡¯s shoulder, feeling very proud. He raised his head to look at his family: ¡°I hope all the young folks can be motivated and inspired by Jing Jing. Train hard and be something to bring honor to our family!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, little sis! The Ye family has gained a seven star Warrior, let¡¯s toast! To my little sister!¡± Ye Hai stood up and said, raising his ss with a big grin on his face.


    ¡°You are a condensed stage Warrior, I still have a long way to go!¡± Ye Jing Jing raised her ss and emptied it into her mouth simultaneously.


    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re not at big brother¡¯s level, but you¡¯re going to overtake me soon, right? Let your second oldest brother offer you another drink!¡± Ye Hanughed and raised his ss.


    ¡°Thank you, brother!¡± Jing Jing emptied another ss without hesitation at all.


    Ye Jing Jing was very straightforward with everything, even masculine in some ways. She was very differentpared to thedylike women in other big families: twenty-six, unmarried, and still living in the family manor. She had a great personality, a people person, and she was usually the third inmand after grandpa and Ye Hai, making decisions and taking care of the family when those two were away.


    Little aunt has always taken care of Ye Wei since he was a toddler; she once said ¡°I will take care of the young ones in the family and help you kids establish yourselves, even if it means not getting married! Watching you grow is a great cause, and I will be satisfied and pleased.¡± He had always thought that little aunt was kidding, but as he thought about it his eyes got a bit wet upon seeing her still standing by her words after all these years.


    Little aunt was truly a family woman.


    ¡°Dig in!¡± The big and harmonious family put a smile on Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s aging face as he picked up his chopsticks and started the feast.


    There was great joy throughout the banquet hall, but everyone had amon and unspoken worry, thus they were not fully rxed. The bitterness could be felt, seeing as there was a family crisis going on, after all.


    Everyone ate and chatted, trying to temporarily put the negativity aside.


    When Ye Wei was half full, he excused himself and went outside for some fresh summer air, theorising ways in which he could use his rune knowledge to help his family get out of this unfavourable position. With his gift and Lin Zi Yan¡¯s referral, Ye Wei should be skilled enough to be a disciple of master Yi.


    There were only three Runemasters who lived in Green Moon City, and master Yi was the best and most respected of the three. If Ye Wei became his disciple, it would greatly improve the family¡¯s reputation.


    Ye Wei considered this possibility and decided that this would be his course of action. He clenched his fist tightly in determination, ready to turn this crisis around.


    Big uncle Ye Hai also came out to the courtyard, heading straight towards Ye Wei while he was lost in deep thought.


    Among rtionships between his uncles, Ye Wei got along the worst with his big uncle Ye Hai. Ye Hai was always harsh and strict with Ye Wei. This contributed to Ye Wei¡¯s fear of being close to and opening up to his big uncle.


    Noticing Ye Hai approaching, Ye Wei lowered his head, trying to avoid possible eye contact, and thought of an escape n.


    ¡°Ye Wei, where are you going!¡± Ye Hai shouted. He was not going to let his nephew get away.


    ¡°Big uncle...¡± Ye Wei unwillingly greeted him.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be at South Star Academy right now? What on earth do you think you¡¯re doing here?¡± Ye Hai was slightly irritated by Wei¡¯s presence.


    ¡°I...¡± Ye Wei tried to exin himself but got cut off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you skipped school? Could you put more effort into studying and breakthrough to the two star level?¡± Ye Hai questioned earnestly with a rough tone: ¡±Your cultivation is the worst among the new generation! All your younger siblings and cousins have overtaken you!¡±


    Ye Wei wanted to dere that he had broken through to the two star level, but the words would note out of his mouth. He noticed Ye Hai¡¯s stern face and looked down at the ground again: ¡°Yea, I will try my best!¡± He wanted to surprise his uncle with actions to prove his worth and shut up Ye Hai without using words.


    Ye Hai was somewhat eased by Ye Wei¡¯s submissive eptance to his scolding: ¡°At least you are listening. I will let you off for now. Our family is not doing too great at the moment, so your generation should train harder and contribute more to the family as soon as possible!¡±


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t think big uncle would him let him off the hook so easily, so he left the scene immediately. Having felt Ye Hai¡¯s disappointment, Ye Wei was desperate to get stronger as fast as he could!


    ¡®In your minds I have always been the worst, a bottom dweller. Well that is going to change, just you watch.¡¯ Ye Wei swore to himself.


    After Ye Wei walked pretty far, he turned a corner on his way back to the banquet. Right before he was about to leave Ye Hai¡¯s sight was when he caught something out of the corner of his eye He stood still behind the wall next to him and peered forward.


    Three figures stood there in the dead of night, in the deserted courtyard where his uncle had been standing; they were the three leaders of the Ye family.


    ¡°Ye Hai, how is the scroll business looking?¡± Ye Zheng Qing asked with a low pitched voice. He cut to the chase, hoping to have a better picture of how the most important issue was progressing.


    ¡°We lowered the retail price by thirty percent, but the figures are still suboptimal. There are more scrolls in the shop than there are customers.¡± Ye Hai sounded slightly depressed. ¡°Scrolls the Du family sell can dish out thirty percent of the original stance¡¯s energy, whereas our scrolls can only output up to twenty percent. They¡¯re not selling any better, even with the price cut.¡±


    A bitter smile emerged on Ye Hai¡¯s face; despite his best efforts, the scroll business remained irreparable.


    He uncle was the macho man of the family, and after hearing how washed up Ye Hai sounded, Ye Wei now realised how bad the situation really was.


    ¡°Han, how is the arms trade?¡± The head shifted his focus on to his second oldest son, who was responsible the other field.


    The Ye family had its fingers in many different businesses, but arms and scrolls had always been the most profitable two!


    ¡°The Du family undercuts us by forty percent, only two pieces left our doors in the past two months! And one of master Yi¡¯s men sent a message regarding the cancetion of our redistribution rights, if we don¡¯t sell their goods. They will find another distributor!¡± Ye Han looked anxious, both of the family¡¯s most profitable businesses were retail of others¡¯ work, and the risk of getting cut off was increasing.


    ¡°The Big Three indeed, ruthless moves!¡±


    ¡°They are taking this too damn far!¡±

 Chapter 16 – The White Tiger’s Assault

    Chapter 16 ¨C The White Tiger¡¯s Assault


    ¡°Pa, what should we do next?¡± Ye Hai frowned and asked.


    ¡°The foundations of our family¡¯s establishments took a few hundred years to build. If we are to copse now, we¡¯ll have to move out of the manor and spread out all across the city... Our enemies will take this chance attack us!¡± Ye Zheng Qing let out a long deep sigh and looked up into the sky and thought: ¡®This is an enormous world. Is there somewhere our Ye family can just live in peace?¡¯


    ¡°Thend in North Hill Bay belongs to the Ye Family. Our ancestors were buried there. I will never give up our ancestralnd. No matter what happens, I will defend it with my life!¡±


    Ye Wei was still standing behind the wall while they were talking, eavesdropping, and the conversation got heavier and heavier. He felt insecure because the thought of his family losing its integrity was frightening, but the thought of losing the only ce he could ever call home was unsettling.


    ¡°There are not a lot of options left... We shall agree to the duel posed by the Du family!¡± Ye Zheng Qing took a gold ted letter of challenge from his pocket: ¡°A messenger from the Du family delivered this letter of challenge. The event shall be in three days, where the younger generation of our families shall fight against each other! If we win the duel, the Du family has promised that they will stop interfering with our family¡¯s businesses, but if we lose, we will have to sell our ancestralnd to them!¡±


    ¡°That is out of the question!¡± Ye Hai said anxiously. ¡°The strongest youngster we have is a four star Warrior, but the Du family¡¯s youngsters have already be five Star Warriors. The strongest of them, Du Yue Han, is even a six star Warrior!¡±


    ¡°We cannot have Ye Zhong take this impossible task!¡± Ye Han frowned. He knew that the Ye family had little chance at winning and there was no way that they could risk the loss of their most talented youngster.


    ¡°I will train privately with Ye Zhong until the duel. Either way, one of our youngsters has to take on this challenge. Even if we lose, we can say at the least that we¡¯ve tried our best. There is no other way out of this dilemma!¡± The head of the family made this tough decision, as the family waspletely cornered by this crisis.


    Ye Hai and Ye Han felt helpless and dejected. Their Ye family might fall very and they could do nothing to stop it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for now. We also have to n for the worst oue: If we lose the duel, our old foes will be at the doorstep the moment they hear the news of our loss. We must send the young ones to Ning City, where they should be safe with the Yang family.¡± Ye Zheng Qing felt crushed. Having to split the family up was his worst nightmare.


    ¡°Father...¡± Ye Han clenched his fist as he saw his father¡¯s face.


    Ye Hai was speechless. After some consideration, he broke his silence: ¡°This will be the right move if we lose the duel. I¡¯m not worried about most of the kids, but my young nephew Ye Wei... He¡¯s not a talented child. The other children will survive and find their own way even if they¡¯re under a different roof. They¡¯re strong enough to work simple jobs, like being a guard, and eventually have their own small families. With Ye Wei, it won¡¯t be that easy. He has a red Sentient, and I¡¯m quite sure he will be excluded regardless of our good rtionship with the Yangs. He is protected by the Ye family, and we provide for him so he can live a carefree life and not worry about food and clothes... It won¡¯t be this simple if he has to live under another roof!¡±


    Having heard his big uncle¡¯s confession, Ye Wei was breathless. Two lines of tears fell from his red eyes.


    Ye Wei always thought that his big uncle was the worst-tempered and the meanest of his uncles ¡ª the uncle who disliked him the most. He never thought Uncle Ye Hai cared about him and his future that much!


    Ye Wei¡¯s heart was suddenly filled with guilt. He had always misunderstood his uncle who had always been strict with him for the noblest intention!


    ¡®I was a child who didn¡¯t care about anything outside my little bubble, but in difficult times like this... As grandpa said, it¡¯s about time the young ones take on some responsibility. I will defend the Ye family to my final breath! I have to do my part in keeping our loved ones close together. I won¡¯t sit back and watch us get separated! I swear I won¡¯t let this happen!¡± With the back of his hand, he wiped the tears away and firmly walked away. Slowly, Ye Wei¡¯s figure disappeared into the dark of the night.


    Soon after that talk, Ye Zheng Qing announced the duel with the Du family in front of the family at the banquet.


    Upon hearing the news, the majority of the family members¡¯ faces became pale with fear for the family¡¯s future. Although Ye Zhong, the strongest of the younger generation in the Ye family, was fairly famous in Green Moon City, his opponent would be a six Star Warrior. Fame would not even out the two star level difference in power!


    ¡°Our Ye family has no other choice...¡± Grandpa looked at the disapproving faces of the family members and sighed. He looked as if he were ten years older for a brief moment.


    ¡°This is outrageous!¡± Aunt Jing Jing violently smashed the table and stood up. She shouted: ¡°I will take on the Du family myself!¡± For a moment, she looked like a rampaging demon who would kill without hesitation... Her pretty face was bright red, but it was unclear whether it was from rage or alcohol.


    ¡°Father, is there no other way? Can¡¯t we discuss this matter with master Yi? I don¡¯t see Ye Zhong winning this duel, and thend at North Hill Bay is at stake. Our ancestors¡¯ remains were buried there for crying out loud!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s dad, Ye Wi, stood up and seeked to stop this madness.


    The most respected Runemaster in Green Moon City, Master Yi, actually had connections with the Ye family. If he were to be the peacemaker, even the Du family would have to stand down!


    ¡°Master Yi...¡± Grandpa shook his head with a bitter smile on his face: ¡°Master Yi¡¯s prestigious statuses with tight schedules and security concerns. It¡¯s not so easy to arrange a meeting with him, even as the head of one of the Big Three. This matter is too urgent. Do you really think I could convince Master Yi to help us in a couple days?¡±


    ¡°Gramps. When is the Du Familying over?¡± Ye Zhong had held his tongue until now. He now spoke each word loud and clear in a deratory manner.


    ¡°For the ancestralnd, I would give my life before giving up! I am the strongest in the younger generation and we need a strong leader in this moment of crisis!¡± Ye Zhong cracked his knuckles as he said these words.


    ¡°In three days!¡± Grandpa replied. He could see the recklessness in Ye Zhong¡¯s posture, so he added:¡± Little Zhong, just do your best. There will always be a winner and a loser, and nobody in this hall will me you. What you must not do is let your emotions control you. You are the one with the most potential in our family. I can picture you taking over for me one day and bing the master of this family!¡± Ye Zheng Qing was clearly worried about Ye Zhong¡¯s hot-headedness


    ¡°Of course! Gramps, dad, uncles and aunts, I will head back now!¡± Ye Zhong nodded and turned around, heading out of the hall.


    ¡°Cousin!¡±


    Ye Wei watched his cousin walking away, visibly stressed with clenched hands. The family¡¯s future was in his cousin¡¯s hands; he couldn¡¯t imagine how much pressure Ye Zhong was under right now, how much weight there was on his poor cousin¡¯s shoulders.


    Ye Zhong had always been a supportive figure to Ye Wei since he was a young boy. Namingly, after the entry exam to South Star Academy, upon hearing the bad news about his red Sentient, his big cousin was there tofort and motivate him patiently and caringly.


    ¡®Big Cousin is likely to risk his life for the family, but what about me? Can¡¯t I do anything but sit in the corner quietly and watch this unfold? No, I have to do something! I will not allow anyone to plot against my family, nor will I let anybody hurt my cousin!¡¯ Ye Wei remembered how he perfected Triple Tidal Palm and helped Zi Yan acquire cosmic energy, thus allowing her to break through to be a Warrior. He nned to help Ye Zhong with his training and perfect his stances, improving his cultivation and the chance of victory!


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to give this a go!¡¯ Ye Wei raised his head slowly and clenched his fists.


    After the feast, Ye Wei and his parents left the banquet hall and walked back to their house together.


    ¡°Little Wei, you should be tired from the trip home right? Get some rest, son.¡± Ye Yi patted his son¡¯s head, sounding a bit down, which was probably because of the announcement at the dinner party.


    ¡°Of course! Ma, pa, you two should get some rest soon too!¡± Ye Wei nodded agreeingly and made his way back to his room while his parents returned to theirs.


    The night was getting darker and darker. Dim, flickering tea lights in thenterns made the quiet walkways and corridors in the manor look slightly frightening. A midnight breeze gently blew past the tealights and leaves on the trees, the sizzling leaves seemed a bit tired in the darkness.


    Silence fell as the wind slowly died down as the starlight was fading, leaving the moon on her own. Ye Wei was appreciating the peaceful and gorgeous night sky while walking in the dark path towards Ye Zhong¡¯s residence with the moonlight¡¯s guidance.


    Ye Zhong was rtively independent. He was no longer living with his parents, but in a separate quarter by himself. As expected, he was training very hard in the courtyard.


    ¡®How long has he been doing this?¡¯ Ye Wei peeped through the gate into the courtyard, and he saw that his cousin was surrounded by heavy, white mist.


    It was a cloud of evaporated sweat!


    Ye Zhong was performing the high spirit-level stance White Tiger¡¯s Assault repeatedly, and the drain of will-force and Qi made him have a paleplexion and caused him to gasp heavily.


    A high spirit level stance was a Warrior¡¯s limit. The White Tiger¡¯s Assault was the most powerful among the sixteen high spirit level stances that the Ye family had and it was also what Ye Zhong was best at.


    There were significant strength differences between the stances. Simple, advanced, peak and forbidden, from weakest to strongest, were the four sublevels.


    Forbidden stances existed and were extremely powerful, but generally avoided, as performing them could be harmful to a Warrior¡¯s mind and body akin a double edged de.


    The White Tiger¡¯s Assault belonged to the peak level. It was easily one of the strongest stances a Warrior could master at Ye Zhong¡¯s level.


    The dim moonlight was the only reason anything was visible and in the dark, Ye Zhong drew an interwinding web of runes around his steaming body.


    The web of runes quickly shrunk, with him as the centre, and formed arge cat, a tiger as white as the first snow!


    Although Ye Wei was standing quite a distance from outside the courtyard, his skin could feel the force emitting from the cat from more than twenty feet away. A wave of pressure tightened Ye Wei¡¯s chest. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and a chill went down his spine. He was suddenly enveloped by inexplicable fear.


    Ye Wei remained calm as he could while staring at the white tiger levitating over his cousin¡¯s head.


    The mountain emerged in Ye Wei¡¯s consciousness and a golden light shone through the surface of his red Sentient that was slightly visible deep in his dark iris.


    ¡®Two nodes out of the hundred and thirty-six runes can be improved. If my big cousin¡¯s Qi could flow through them quicker and in sync with the other nodes, the White Tiger¡¯s Assault can be significantly stronger.¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes brightened up like shining stars in a bright, night sky.


    ¡®Two ws! I will figure out how to polish the stance and cousin Zhong¡¯s best stance will be much better once it¡¯s been perfected!

 Chapter 17 – Minor Changes

    Chapter 17 ¨C Minor Changes


    Ye Wei wasn¡¯t confident about repeating what he did when he was with Lin Zi Yan before actually spotting the errors in his cousin¡¯s stance, but now his body and mind were ready to refine and perfect the White Tiger¡¯s Assault. After all, helping his cousin would be the only way for him to contribute to the Ye family¡¯sst stand!


    Excited and euphoric, Ye Wei ced his hand on the gate as he leaned forward to have a closer look at his cousin¡¯s training. The gate moved an inch as he put his weight onto it and squeaked.


    The squeak made by the opening gate was just loud enough to surprise Ye Wei causing him to panic and immediately pull his hand off the gate.


    ¡°Show yourself!¡±


    Ye Zhong was focused and tensed while his eyes were ice-cold when he asked the intruder to identify himself. He bent his knees slightly and tensed up his calves.Then, heunched himself and within the blink of an eye he was already at the gate, charging in a way akin to a tiger ambushing one from above.


    The heightened hearing of a four star Warrior could easily pick up the squeak, it was not surprising that Ye Zhong could hear him.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s hand was glowing bright red as he pulled it towards his chest like a loaded cannon ready to be fired. If he released his strike, the door would, without a doubt, turn into dust and Ye Wei, who was right behind it, would meet the same fate.


    ¡°Cousin Zhong, it¡¯s me!¡± He shouted while realizing that this could be thest moment of his life, which caused Ye Wei to be covered in cold sweat in a rush of terror.


    ¡°Ye Wei, is that you?¡±


    Ye Zhong recognized the familiar voiceing from behind the gate. ¡®The owner of it should be friendly.¡¯ This idea surfaced in his consciousness just before the point of no return, so he stopped his attack before it hit him. However, the recoil from the attack took its toll on his body, causing his face to became a little pale.


    ¡°Squeak!¡±


    He opened the gate, while not being able to decide if he shouldugh or cry as looked at Ye Wei who looked like an injured critter resting on the ground, ¡°Ye Wei, it is way past your bedtime, why are you wandering around? Do you know that you could have been seriously injured a moment ago?¡±


    Ye Zhong rubbed his little cousin¡¯s scalp and told him off with a fake, serious face.


    ¡°The weather is horrible today.The heat is fine, but the humidity kept me up so I decided to take a walk and get some fresh air. My feet lead me here somehow, I don¡¯t even know how I got here!¡± Ye Wei came up with a random excuse, while scratching the back of his head and smiling.


    ¡°You little rascale on in!¡±


    Ye Zhong reluctantly shook his head with an amused look in his eyes as he closed the gate behind them while dragging Ye Wei into his courtyard.


    ¡°Du Han Yue is a six star Warrior. Cousin, are you nervous about the fight tomorrow?¡± Ye Wei innocently posed the obvious question to his now extremely pale and tired rtive.


    ¡°What do you know about it!¡± He replied and knocked his little cousin in the forehead with his knuckles.Then, he looked at the beautiful silver moon in the night sky. The moon¡¯s light reflected off his face and revealed his anxiousness.


    Nervous?


    As a four star Warrior, having to physically confront a well known genius, the young six star Warrior Du Yue Han of Green Moon City with their family¡¯s ancestralnd at stake, who wouldn¡¯t be nervous?


    Just thinking about the consequences of failing was enough to make it difficult for one to breath!


    ¡°Cousin, you were performing the White Tiger¡¯s Assault right? That¡¯s an impressive high spirit level stance! I wish I was as strong as you... I can¡¯t even make stances!¡±


    ¡°Could you maybe show it to me again? I want to see it close up.¡± Ye Wei looked at Ye Zhong with a fire in his eyes while scratching his head because he was shy from his overenthusiasm and questions.


    Worried he might have gotten it wrong, Ye Wei wanted to verify the ws he spotted a moment ago.


    ¡°If you work hard enough, you can and will be able to do stances!¡± Ye Zhong knew that talent was a sensitive topic for the mediocre Ye Wei, so he patted him on the shoulders as he motivated him with words. ¡®With his red Sentient, nobody really knows how long he will need to be a seven star Student... Ten? Twenty? Thirty years?¡¯


    ¡°You should take a few steps back.¡± Ye Zhong could not refuse the request from his little cousin.


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Ye Wei nodded his head enthusiastically as he stepped back around approximately ten meters. He opened his eyes wide this time and watched his cousin, waiting for the white tiger to strike.


    ¡°Zap!¡±


    Ye Wei saw this process before, but whenparing to Zi Yan, Ye Zhong did every step with much more re.The will-force on his finger was much more dense and the Qi on the will-force was thicker. He drew rune after rune like it was second nature.


    In a matter of seconds, Ye Zhong was surrounded by the hundred and thirty-six freshly-drawn runes, shrouded by the blurry shining runes which caused him to look mysterious and almost angelic.


    Here it was, White Tiger¡¯s Assault!


    Ye Zhong uttered a cry, causing the hundred and thirty-six spots of light to wrap around his body quickly as they came closer to one another.


    Rawr!


    The white tiger roared ferociously, as if it was a beast that had descended from the heavens themselves. The pressure wave it produced spread and quickly, like a mini tsunami travelling across the courtyard, the fallen leaves were picked up by turbulence produced by the stance and were blown away until stopped by the walls of the courtyard. The pressure even knocked Ye Wei off bnce despite being ten meters away. The overpowering pressure wave shook his body and he staggered for a while before finally regaining bnce after taking six steps back.


    ¡®I can see it clearly now!¡¯


    There was a golden sh deep in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes for a single moment when he was analysing the runes that formed the stance, his dark eyes focusing onto the two wrong nodes within the stance.


    ¡®This one is hidden much better than in the other stance. How should I perfect this and let cousin Zhong know?¡¯ Ye Wei frowned, as he tried to figure out how to tell his cousin.


    ¡®If I just tell him there are two mistakes in the White Tiger¡¯s Assault stance there¡¯s no way he will believe it. He¡¯s just going to think I¡¯m crazy.¡¯ He tried to figure out how to send the message in a subtle manner so as to not reveal his abilities.


    ¡°That was astounding!¡± Ye Wei took a deep breath and went on with his y. He attempted to look jealous and astonished as he approached his cousin, ¡°Cousin, is the order and position of those runes set? Would the stance still work if you for example, swap this one and that one around?¡±


    Hearing Ye Wei¡¯s oundish question, Ye Zhong went silent and thenughed: ¡±Of course they are fixed, little cousin.The masters who invented the art of stances thought thoroughly regarding the position and sequential order of the runes of each stance; they are optimise to their fullest in order to promote synergy between the runes. If you swap them around, either it wouldn¡¯t work or it would be less powerful than before which is undesirable!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha! I¡¯ve heard that Warriors can manipte mystic runes, but you know how far away I am from that level, right cousin? But I want to see it and had that idea, so I can grasp the feel of it... Ye Wei was trying to take full advantage of his puppy dog eyes, using them to manipte his caring cousin: ¡°Don¡¯t you want to show me how it¡¯s done, cousin?¡±


    It was obviously working. Ye Zhong¡¯s sympathy told him his talentless little cousin was a weakling stuck in the bottom of the well and wanted a peek at the world above. Naturally, he epted the request with a friendly smile: ¡°Manipting runes is not hard, little Wei. No matter what hardship life has for you never give up. Especially in things you think you¡¯re not as talented in as others. For example, Supreme Chen Feng was not at all talented when he was a teenager!


    ¡°Okay, watch, manipting runes is simple!¡± Ye Zhong looked at his little cousin with a thoughtful nce. The will-force on his fingertips formed an maic like attraction towards the runes, which allowed him to effortlessly swapped the two runes around and turned them upside down as Ye Wei suggested.


    The new pattern flowed and uponpletion it formed a slightly different stance.


    The Qi within the stance was now noticeably much more fluid since the formation of runes was more efficient.


    In seconds, the courtyard was filled with a silver light and the white tiger figure was shining brighter and clearer than ever before. Two roars were heard, each of them loud as thunder, shaking tiles on the roofs near Ye Zhong¡¯s quarters.


    ¡°Rawr!¡±


    The tiger¡¯s eyes were wide open while roaring. It was a glorious scene to behold as it seemed akin to the coronation of the king of the beasts .


    This time around, however, Ye Zhong only used less than half the Qi he normally used for White Tiger¡¯s Assault, but it was more powerful!


    ¡°Eh, what is going on?!¡± Ye Zhong waspletely baffled. When he raised his head in shock, he doubtfully looked at the figure of the white tiger above him. The power of the stance had undoubtedly improved by approximately one third!


    White Tiger¡¯s Assault is the strongest stance among the sixteen high level spirit stances that the Ye seniors taught to the younger generation; how was it possible that one minor change improved a stance with such a long history so enormously!

 Chapter 18 – Perfect Assault

    Chapter 18 ¨C Perfect Assault


    Ye Zhong was still not convinced by his senses and felt the astounding impact of the tiger¡¯s strike then look over to Ye Wei with suspicion.


    ¡®Fluke?¡¯


    ¡®One out of one hundred and thirty six, he picked one rune to alter and it just happened to refine the stance? Just how lucky is that?¡¯


    The tiger¡¯s roar echoed throughout the whole manor, the stronger family members¡¯ heightened senses were the first to pick it up. Everyone who heard it turned their heads towards the source and knew it was Ye Zhong from the direction it came from.


    ¡®Little Zhong works well under pressure, way to go! Judging by the tiger roar¡¯s magnitude, he is a good thirty percent stronger than when Ist saw him fight!¡¯ Ye Zheng Qing was overjoyed.


    ¡®Well done son! With your talent our family might just have a chance!¡¯


    Upon hearing the roar and realising it was the sound of Ye Zhong¡¯s improvement, young and old in the family were happy and proud. The younger family members will be gathering around Ye Zhong asking for a show from their idol tomorrow morning.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s hands were still shaking, and he jogged his memory to investigate the drastic difference in power the modification caused. ¡®In hindsight, this minor change was actually genius, and it would only work on these two specific runes.


    The White Tiger¡¯s Assault was passed down for generations and attempts to refine it have been carried out by the Ye¡¯s predecessors, but Ye Wei¡¯s suggestions seemed to have spotted what they missed and made a more significant impact on the stance in terms of improvement!


    ¡°Wei, be honest with me, what was going on? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what happened, or it was a coincident because I will not believe that!¡± Ye Zhong looked excited and ced his hands on Ye Wei¡¯s shoulders, looked him right in the eyes as he said each word clearly with sincerity.


    ¡°I am notpletely sure, a teacher at the academy told me I have outstanding soul sensibility and the potential to be a Runemaster.¡± Ye Wei did not hold back the information and answered calmly; he felt a bit embarrassed having yed stupid and gotten caught out.


    ¡°Outstanding soul sensitivity and the potential to be a Runemaster?¡± Ye Zhong was startled and euphoric, his head was buzzing, overwhelmed by this tremendous surprise. ¡®Red Sentient Ye Wei could be a Runemaster?!¡¯


    He held Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder tight and wanted to make sure he heard right, even though his soul sensibility talent was confirmed by correction to the stance. ¡°Is that true?¡± He was in seventh heaven, Ye Wei had refined the White Tiger¡¯s Assault so casually.


    A potential Runemaster, Runemaster Ye, this is big news!


    There were only around thirty Runemaster apprentices based in Green Moon City to three Runemasters, if Ye Wei was to be one with his connections the Ye family can easily befriend powerful individuals for quests and expeditions.


    Taking these benefits into consideration, the talentless Ye Wei was actually the greatest treasure of Ye family, a hidden gem, a trump card that can turn things around and put the Ye n on the map! If Ye Weipletes his training as a Runemaster, he will be as strong as a seven star Condensed Prime Warrior!


    Nobody, not even the Big Three would look down on a family that houses a Runemaster!


    Ye Zhong could not imagine how the elders of the family would react to Ye Wei¡¯s new found talent, the Ye family has been the underdogs for too long!


    ¡°Haha! Little cousin, if anyone say anything bad about you, send them my way and I¡¯ll give them a good beating!¡± Ye Zhong clenched his fist and dered his endorsement jokingly, the doubt in his mind and frown on his face vanished.


    ¡°Yea, but cousin Zhong, I still need to be a seven star Student before I can perfect and create my own stances with the speed I am at now it could take years, and the family still need you to help out and do work.¡± Ye Wei tried to bring his talent back to context and he was slightly unpleased with the time it may take for him to be a seven star Student and make a difference with his own abilities.


    ¡°Do your parents and does gramps know about your talent yet?¡± Ye Zhong took a couple of deep breath and regained his cool and with a curious look he asked his little cousin.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t got myself to do it yet, I was going to tell them when the dust has settled with my future ns about training, and I am sure they have a lot on their minds already with the Du family at our doorstep.¡± Ye Wei was being as sensitive as always and he knew it would not achieve much telling them.


    ¡°You should tell the old guys when you have the opportunity, they might be able to help you with your training and put your talents to good use for the family, however, it is important you don¡¯t let people outside our family know too much!¡± Ye Zhong knew very well the Du family knowing about little cousin¡¯s soul sensitivity could put his development as a Runemaster, or even his life, in jeopardy!


    ¡°Sure!¡± Ye Wei nodded, he was more concerned about hearing news from Lin Zi Yan regarding his apprenticeship with master Yi, wondering if he would meet the master¡¯s requirement.


    Ye Zhong patted his cousin on the shoulder andughed heartily saying: ¡°Before the news reaches grandpa you won¡¯t get a lot of resources from the family, if you need help on that front your cousin has your back!¡±


    ¡°Thanks so much big cousin!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me! That¡¯s what family is for!¡± Ye Zhong¡¯s mood was greatly elevated having heard Ye Wei¡¯s good news and refining White Tiger¡¯s Assault, the evening took a great turn for him.


    ¡°About White Tiger¡¯s Assault, there is still one other node that can be refined, but it is moreplicated than the previous change we made, thus I am notpletely confident dealing with it, cousin we will have to work together!¡± Seeking perfection, Ye Wei said sincerely.


    ¡°Another correction?!¡± Ye Zhong was in awe his eyes sparkled like an innocent child. ¡®After what was done moments ago, the stance was as strong as a peak high level stance could get and there was still room for improvement? Where are you going with this?¡¯


    He was strong, but a four star Warrior has his limits. His Qi and primal energy were not enough to sustain anything more than spirit stances, but if Ye Wei and him can upgrade White Tiger¡¯s Assault to a Myst level stance then cosmic energy will descend and upgrade his Sentient and cultivation by miles!


    The act of fighters refining a stance and pushing it into a higher level is what triggers the descent of cosmic energy. It¡¯s almost as if the cosmos listens to fighters body and rewards those who are worthy by giving them arge amount of pure energy that other would take years of training to acquire and umte.


    Furthermore the stance grading system is just an indication of the power it holds, if the performer upgraded a stances¡¯ power by switching the runepositions and arrangement they can perform the stances regardless of the star level requirements.


    ¡°Time is of the essence!¡± Ye Zhong will be facing a strong talented foe from the Du family in three days, to refine and perfect this stance he knows is the quickest way to raise his power andbat advantages and with limited time he knew how tight his schedule was.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± Ye Zhong looked forward to further improving the White Tiger¡¯s Assault, he was desperate to hear what Ye Wei had to say and start working on it!


    ¡°I am not sure how to fix this node, but I can tell your Qi flow is being slowed down at that ce. I would like to observe a few more times before confirming what is causing the problem!¡± Ye Wei pondered before he made the statement.


    ¡°Okay! Whatever it takes. I trust you!¡± Ye Zhong smiled and nodded.


    The cousins shared a look enjoying the moment of openness and started working on making Zhong¡¯s favorite stance perfect.


    With the experience he gained from the Triple Tidal Palm refinement he was more confident than thest time, Ye Wei pointed at the rune that needed correcting and started suggesting.

 Chapter 19 – Gift From The Heavens

    Chapter 19 ¨C Gift From The Heavens


    ¡°Get rid of the twenty-third rune, swap the thirty-eighth and fortieth runes with the fifty-seventh and sixty-third one, also they need to be adjusted a little bit. Humm move them up a little more!¡±


    Under Ye Wei¡¯s supervision, Ye Zhong¡¯s fingers started dancing in the air leaving shining trails of runes. Because he was very familiar with White Tiger¡¯s Assault the efficiency he disyed along with his movements made it seem as if he was performing a majestic y. Since childhood Wei and Zhong have been close ymates such that they did not need to use words tomunicate, Ye Zhong would know how his little cousin wanted him correct the rune halfway through the hints. They had a bond simr to dancing partners.


    ¡°Yep, just like that. Slow down! you don¡¯t want to move it too much!¡± Ye Wei frowned now and then trying to feel the Qi flow.


    There were one hundred and thirty-sixplex runes in White Tiger¡¯s Assaultpared to Triple Tidal Palm¡¯s thirty-six, finding a bnce and an optimal route was therefore not as easy.


    The cousins were making adjustments for half of the evening, Ye Zhong got pale from fatigue as Ye Wei got increasingly frustrated as the night progressed without significant progress.


    Ye Wei was not only bothered by theck of progress, his older cousin was only a four star Warrior and he was draining his Qi and will-force rapidly. He didn¡¯t have enough to repeatedly perform a high level stance much longer if he kept going like this.


    ¡°Hey cousin Zhong, let¡¯s take a little break? You should rest a little!¡±


    Ye Wei was looking at his cousin, seeing droplets of sweat on his pale face that were vibrating due to his muscle spasms. Refinement was not a task to be taken lightly, even more so when Ye Wei was not correcting them himself but someone else.


    ¡°Yea, good call!¡±


    Ye Zhong nodded and gave up being stubborn. His dantian still had some reserves left, but he ran out of will-force. His head got heavier and heavier causing him to lose focus very often during their attempts. With the back of his hand he wiped off the sweat then adjusted his breathing.


    Crossing his legs he sat in the middle of the courtyard. With the Ye family¡¯s Falling Star form running at full speed he regained will-force and Qi while thete night turned into early morning. The Falling Star form is one of the best forms in Green Moon City, it only circted for close to four hours, and Ye Zhong had already regained a big portion of his energy when the sun lit up the clouds while peaking above the horizon. Ye Zhong opened his eyes as the first drop of sun shone on his face, then he stood up and exhaled steadily.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue!¡±


    With enthusiasm and a good amount of Qi to spend, Ye Zhong was determined to finish what they started, but his mental fatigue was visible from a slight frown. Ye Wei caught the small gesture on his cousin¡¯s face and said, ¡°The sun ising up, can¡¯t we just call it a night? I can juste back tonight instead?¡± Ye Wei was worried about his cousin¡¯s health, as he looked up to the brightening morning sky and suggested.


    Performing stances for the whole evening and through the night took a lot of energy and mental focus. The Falling Star form could indeed recover his body, a bit, but it takes time not training to regain freshness of the mind which is crucial to a productive training session.


    Although there were still three days left till the fight, Du Han Yue was no ordinary opponent and Ye Zhong needed every second of training he could fit into his schedule to be able topete against him. The refinement of White Tiger¡¯s Assault could be the key to Zhong¡¯s victory. Ye Wei had almost fullyprehend the Qi path of the stance and he was more or less sure he could refine it within a day or two. As such, there was no point in big cousin pushing his body to the limit when he could be resting and be in better shape for the next day¡¯s training.


    ¡°I am fine, I know my limits!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try a few more times before calling it!¡± Ye Zhong was as stubborn as a bull. Though he was tired a whole night of training got him in the zone and he did not want to stop just yet.


    ¡°Well... a few more times it is then.¡± Ye Wei nodded reluctantly; he disagreed but understood his eagerness.


    The next couple attempts showed progress. The Qi flow was much smoother, but the connection between the corrected sections was shaky, so close but yet so far.


    Summer mornings in Green Moon City were very pleasent, hot but not scorching. The summer breeze brought the refreshing scent of soil and fresh cut grass. It woke up and refreshed their overworked minds a little.


    ¡°Get rid of the twenty-third rune and swap the thirty-eighth and fortieth with the fifty-seventh and the sixty-third!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try cing the hundred and third rune to the left of the twelfth rune as well.¡±


    Ye Wei was nowhere close to being a martial arts expert, but he was very familiar to the structure of White Tiger¡¯s Assault by now. The way it flowed was etched into his memory after seeing it repeatedly throughout the night.


    Although their progress wasn¡¯t a lot nor fast, the duo developed great synergy from the failures. Ye Zhong¡¯s fingers reacted to his little cousin¡¯s instructions almost immediately.


    Ye Zhong followed the instructions, at this point his body¡¯s movements were pretty much mindless. He finished drawing the hundred and thirty-sixth runes in the stance. The stance seemed to shine brighter uponpletion.


    A low humming noise erupted out of nowhere from thest rune he drew, its glow gradually intensifying as the tiger took shape. The brightness transformed into a silver spike on the forehead of the beast.


    ¡°zing Horned Tiger!?¡± As figure of a powerful spirit beast took shape it shook Ye Zhong. His exhausted mind was woken up by the beast¡¯s cry.


    The Horned Tiger stretched its muscr body and let out three roars from the bottom of its lungs. The sound wave mming onto their ear drums shaking the ground like a small earthquake, the brown soil showed underneath little cracks between patches of green grass.


    The terrifying pressure wave caused by the roar went through Ye Wei¡¯s body, his inner-ears were being strained to their limits. Hearing and feeling the third roar he lost his bnce and adrenaline sped up his heartbeat, but the paleness of his face did not reflect this. His fear could not suppress the joy erupting from the bottom of his heart smiling he thought, ¡®We did it?¡¯


    From what Ye Wei could tell, the runes were now at the most optimalbination. The cold blooded tiger had became so powerful he thought it might have broken into the realm of being a forbidden spirit stance.


    While the duo were recovering from both their shock and joy, a massive pir of light descended from the sky and engulfed Ye Zhong.


    The pores on Ye Zhong¡¯s skin opened up bathing in the bright white light. His skin turned red and became warmer as the energy rushed through his body, rinsing his meridians and Sentient.


    This pir of light was magnitudesrger than when Triple Tidal Palm was perfected when Lin Zi Yan received her gift.


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s Triple Tidal Palm went from a low level stance to a mid level stance. This time around, though, the Ye duo achieved the unimaginable and brought White Tiger¡¯s Assault up a whole ss. The cosmic energy that descended was several times the quantity of Zi Yan¡¯s.


    The vast amount of cosmic energy found its way into Ye Zhong and his body was trying to absorb it all, however, the rate of absorption could not keep up with the seemingly endless supply, as bolts of energy bounced off his body and were deflected in Ye Wei¡¯s direction.


    Ye Wei¡¯s body was like a dry sponge. The cosmic energy was immediately soaked up by Ye Wei¡¯s thirsty body. It was not arge amount, but for a two star Student this small amount was enough to fill his whole body. The energy worked its way from his skin into his meridians, then followed the meridians into his Sentient. It came to Ye Wei¡¯s attention that the gold in his Sentient was starting to outshine the red...

 Chapter 20 – Myst Stance

    Chapter 20 ¨C Myst Stance


    The white pir of vast cosmic energy bombarded Ye Zhong¡¯s Sentient, he was surely the winner in this training session.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The energy expanded Ye Zhong¡¯s Sentient with a small explosion resulting in a breakthrough; he was no longer a four star Warrior!


    This was a new experience for Ye Zhong, hearing about how powerful cosmic energy was one thing, but experiencing the intensity first hand was quite another. He broke through to four stars level just recently and ording to his training n he was prepared to spend two more years cultivating before attempting another breakthrough. He did not know how to express his exuberance at achieving the unanticipated.


    It was a great experience for Ye Wei as well. The refinement of Zi Yan¡¯s Triple Tidal Palm from a low to mid level Spirit stance and her subsequent breakthrough to a Warrior was a great start for any Runemaster.


    This time around he upgraded White Tiger¡¯s Assault to a new ss altogether, from Spirit to Myst, an astounding feat for a second time refiner.


    The cosmic energy that descended as a result of the refinement of White Tiger¡¯s Assault was immense, if Ye Zhong was more efficient in absorbing it he could have reached the six star level, but a lot of the energy went to waste which was a shame!


    ¡°Five star Warrior Ye Zhong with a Myst level stance in his arsenal! What an evening!¡± Ye Zhong was euphoric. ¡°You gave our family a Myst stance little cousin!¡±


    Ye Zhong clenched his fist, he closed his eyes and felt the fearsome power flowing in his veins and within his muscles.


    To be a dominate family, exclusive powerful stances are a must in this power-centric society.


    The Ye family is a upper second ss family in Green Moon City, as they have sixteen high level Spirit stances but only three Myst stances!


    Once in awhile Myst stances would be seen at the auction houses sold at ridiculously unaffordable prices by Runemasters. Ye Wei just gave the family a peerless gift that will be a family asset and foundation for a stronger Ye family in the future!


    The bad new was, other Warriors in the Ye family would not be able to perform the stance until they reach Condensed Prime level, as the zing Horned Tiger¡¯s Assault is in the end, a Myst level stance...


    ¡°Little Wei!¡± Ye Zhong looked at his cousin emotionally, grabbing ahold of his shoulders tightly and eximed. ¡°You are gifted! A gift for the family!¡± Grateful was an understatement.


    ¡°I just happen to be lucky with this kind of stuff!¡± Ye Wei did not forget to be modest, as he showed a small smile on his face and spoke to his cousin. He was overjoyed with Ye Zhong¡¯s breakthrough and mastering of a Myst stance before the big fight.


    ¡°Hahaha! Whatever you say! However you did it, you made me a five star Warrior and gave our family a Myst stance today!¡± Ye Zhong could not thank his little cousin properly, he was still amused by what just urred.


    Once upon a time, despite being supportive and loving even Ye Zhong had to agree with the family¡¯s opinion when it came to how untalented Ye Wei was. He had been rooting for his little cousin since he was a kid, and today it was an amazing surprise how help came from where he least expected.


    ¡°I am pretty worn out, cousin Zhong can I head home and sleep now?¡± Ye Wei yawned as the words came out of his mouth. Relieved from the pressure of constantly refining White Tiger¡¯s Assault, he waspletely rxed now and extra susceptible to the tiredness that had building up since the family dinner; how can he not be falling asleep? Ye Wei gave his big cousin a farewell hug before clumsily dragging his exhausted back to his room.


    The sun has risen by now and the turquoise morning sky was decorated with a few scarcely visible stars. The Ye manor was covered in a screen of fog, like a bride¡¯s face covered by her veil.


    The summer breeze was mixed with the scent of blooming flowers, keeping Ye Wei fast asleep. Meanwhile the master of the house was walking quickly, impatiently heading towards Ye Zhong¡¯s quarters. He was mumbling, looking a bit mean, it was apparent he prepared his mindset to train and instruct.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only Du Han Yue we should be worried about, there are also a few five star Warriors little Zhong might have to put on the ground before facing Han Yue. And that as well won¡¯t be easy...¡±


    ¡°Well, this time we will do what we can and roll the dice!¡±


    ¡°From the deep and powerful tiger cries I could hearst night, Zhong has gotten better at using White Tiger¡¯s Assault! That is a silver lining!¡± Grandpa was proud and smiling when he knocked on Ye Zhong¡¯s door able to see the positive side of the current events.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Ye Zhong was already awake and fresh, motivated byst night¡¯s progress he was training in the courtyard since he woke up.


    ¡°Gramps!¡± He stated as grandpa entered.


    Ye Zheng Qing was positive, but Ye Zhong could still see he was worried and tired from the way his white eyebrows were arching. ¡®Did gramps look this old at the banquet?¡¯ He thought.


    ¡°Zhong, I heard your tiger¡¯s roarst night. Do you have some good news?¡± Grandpa was eager to confirm his hypothesis.


    ¡°Yea Grandpa! I made amazing progressst night!¡± Ye Zhong wanted to tell grandpa everything, about his breakthrough, how Ye Wei showed his talent and refined Ye family¡¯s White Tiger¡¯s Assault into a Myst stance, but he wanted Ye Wei to tell grandpa the news himself so he held his tongue in the end.


    ¡°The White Tiger¡¯s Assault is your best stance. I am sure you are on top of it. What we are going to be focusing on today is your battle experience andbat wisdom!¡± Ye Zheng Qing said solemnly. ¡°You are the strongest Ye in the younger generation. I am not saying the others are weak, but you are the one with the most potential to be a Condenfased Prime Warrior while the other¡¯s chances are slimmer. You will be the leader of this family when the timees, and I want to make sure you be stronger before my time is up.¡±


    Hearing what grandpa had in mind, Ye Zhong felt the weight of the responsibility and got a bit teary as well. ¡°Grandpa you are as healthy as a horse! You can worry about that in fifty years!¡± Ye Zhong clenched his fist. He could not stop smiling because he knew deep in his heart that Ye Wei could be something too and the family will not be only his responsibility when the dayes!


    They started training in a good spirit, grandpa was passing on deepbat knowledge, the mind games and important subtle footwork and battle stances one could only learn from having their life on the line in a fight. During the training Ye Zhong held back and did not reveal that he was already a five star Warrior and also used White Tiger¡¯s Assault when he had to use it, instead of zing Horned Tiger¡¯s Assault .


    During the day Ye Zhong trained with grandpa and at night he was refining stances with Ye Wei, during these three nights they refined three stances in total: The now Myst stance, zing Horned Tiger¡¯s Assault. High level Spirit stances, Spindrift Steps and Triple Plunder Sword.


    The two other stances together with White Tiger¡¯s Assault were three of Ye Zhong¡¯s favorite stances. Although they were not that strong, but used in specific situations duringbat they be very useful, even more so now that they are refined and unknown by the enemy he was about to face due to the refinements.

 Chapter 21 – Bothersome

    Chapter 21 ¨C Bothersome


    The dantian of a five star Warrior can¡¯t normally support a Myst stance. Unless the Warrior upgraded the stance from Spirit to Myst through refinement. As such with the aid of cosmic energy, performing the zing Horned Tiger¡¯s Assault was made possible for Ye Zhong.


    The other two stances him and Ye Wei worked on produced decent results as well.


    Spindrift Steps was considered a simple high level Spirit stance, after the second night of refinement, it was now a peak high level stance.


    Also a simple high level Spirit stance, Triple Plunder Sword had more potential out of the two stances. On the third night it reached forbidden high level after three corrections.


    Forbidden was not just a name, while performing forbidden stances the user¡¯s Qi is essentiallypressed and causes great stress to one¡¯s meridians and Sentient as thepressed energy passes through the body. Practicing these techniques were eventually tabooed as the lives they imed umted over the years.


    Ye Wei was quite aware of the wild Qi flow with Triple Plunder Sword, therefore he swapped in runes that slowed the Qi flow down during the refinement process. The stance was now more Qi demanding, but less damaging to the user¡¯s body! Though, even with that in mind, Ye Zhong would not use it unless the timing was perfect, as the pressure Triple Plunder Sword gave to his body is not something he needs while fighting a stronger opponent where avoiding taking hits is crucial.


    Ye Wei was the only person in the household who knew Ye Zhong broke through and became a five star Warrior, also all the refinements were kept secret between the two of them for multiple reasons.


    Although Ye Zhong¡¯s strength was still outmatched by the six star Du Han Yue, the odds of Ye Zhonging out on top increased a lot due to the element of surprise and the intensive well rounded training!


    It was now the eve before the big fight and the challengers from the Du family would be at the manor¡¯s gates by dawn. The two cousins were sitting above the yard on the branch of a century old antique willow sharing their hardships under the mellow moonlight.


    They talked about everything, Ye Wei even shared his unpleasant andplicated rtionship with Joe Yin.


    ¡°That is crazy! Just who does she think she is? Those exact words actually came out of Joe Yin¡¯s mouth?¡± The insults and Joe Yin¡¯s behavior were deemed outrageous by Ye Zhong, and his face twisted in anger while cracking his knuckles as he spoke.


    ¡°We can¡¯t me it all on her, she is strong enough to get herself a bed at Green Phoenix, it¡¯s okay to have some pride. On the other hand though, she was right I should be stronger considering how long I have been training at South Star Academy!¡± Ye Wei sounded modest but in his mind he was eager to prove everyone wrong.


    ¡°Little Wei, never underestimate yourself! One day you will be the dragon and her the snake, and then she will wish she had never said that to a Runemaster!¡± Ye Zhong patted his little cousin¡¯s shoulder, although he was not a South Star Academy student he could imagine how much mockery and bullying from schoolmates Ye Wei had to endure over the years after hearing Ye Wei open up and talking about what had been bothering him.


    Ye Zhong witnessed Ye Wei and Joe Yin growing up, he knew how close they were, therefore understood the pain and suffering Ye Wei had to go through. Getting betrayed and insulted by a childhood friend is more agonising than an outsider could ever imagined. Trying not to be affected by emotions before the big fight, he took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.


    In the past, Ye Zhong asked his little cousin how school was going, but the conversations neversted longer than two sentences. Tonight was the first time Ye Wei feltfortable enough to open up about his experiences at school and let others see the scars on his heart.


    After unloading the burden he had been carrying around for the first time, Ye Wei felt content and relieved. He was pleased to have a caring cousin listen to him.


    ¡°Oh well... Guess I just have to get used to it! With Joe Yin though, I¡¯ve always treated her like she was my little sister, I never thought she would turn her back on me. Even if she won¡¯t respect me, I will! I do not need disloyal friends around me!¡± Ye Wei was leaning on the thick tree trunk, looking up at the silver moon enjoying the heartwarming moment with an honest smile on his face.


    ¡®Having real family caring about me is good enough, Joe Yin can live her own life the way she wants to, I won¡¯t let that bother me.¡¯


    Thinking about all the people who really care for him, Ye Wei couldn¡¯t help himself and was thinking about Lin Zi Yan. Her figure appeared in his mind out the blue. ¡®Apart from my family, Zi Yan might be the only person who really cares about me..¡¯


    ¡°From what you¡¯ve said about her that substitute teacher Lin Zi Yan seems to be a nice person. She must be a genius then as she is in the special ss. How old is she? Ye Zhong wanted to lighten the mood, guessing there might be something romantic going on between her and Ye Wei, so he cheekily changed the topic.


    ¡°Lin Zi Yin? I think she is fifteen, maybe?¡± Ye Wei pretended he wasn¡¯t sure.


    Ye Wei could hear from cousin Zhong¡¯s tone of voice that there were subtexts to him changing the topic. He started blushing and shook his head a little.


    ¡°Oh just two years older than you? That¡¯s not bad. You two should have loads to talk about!¡± Ye Zhong grinned as he spoke.


    ¡°Cousin Zhong, this is not funny when she gave me the bottle of Fiery Sun Quencher pills she did not look like she was going to miss them. It is obvious her family is extremely rich, even if I like her I am not good enough for her...¡± Ye Wei shrugged, although he likes Zi Yan, he would not consider anything other than being a friend to her before bing a Runemaster.


    ¡°That is nonsense, no girl on this is too good for you! Lin Zi Yan... I cannot recall any Lin family in Green Moon City, is she from around here?¡± Ye Zhong was curious about her background, but he could not recall anything remotely rted to a Lin family.


    ¡°Hey Cousin Zhong, it is gettingte and you haven¡¯t been resting properly at all and this is the third day in a row now; what do you say about having a good night¡¯s worth of sleep? Fighting for the family is going to be stressful!¡± Ye Wei looked at the darkening night sky, and told Ye Zhong who appeared to be in a deep thought.


    The result of tomorrow¡¯s fight will have a great impact on our family in every aspect!


    Ye Zhong was reminded that it was not only his fight and he has a great burden of responsibility on his shoulders. ¡®Yea! I will win and defend my family till my veryst breath if that is the case!¡±


    The family¡¯snd, reputation, and future is in his hands. There was no other way than to win.


    ¡°I will head back too!¡± Ye Wei nodded nervous but spirited. He leaped down from the branch and walked towards his room.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ye Zhong looked at the round moon, and thought about how it symbolizes family unity. He clenched his fists and swore to himself: ¡®My body and my strength belong to this family.¡¯


    Being a strong young Ye had never meant as much as it did today to him. He was ready to take on the greatest obstacle he had ever seen in the seventeen years he¡¯s been alive.

 Chapter 22 – Seven Star Condensed Prime

    Chapter 22 ¨C Seven Star Condensed Prime


    The evening passed in silence like the calm before the storm.


    At the break of dawn, there were only birds and a couple of Ye family elders at the Ye family arena.


    As the sun rose higher into the sky a crowd was starting to gather. The Ye family was well established in their corner of Green Moon City, but they were not the reason there was a growing crowd. The Du family had their fingers in different industries and produced countless quality fighters for around a century now and citizens were eager to see fighters from one of the Big Three families disy their strength.


    It was not news that Ye family¡¯s businesses had not be doing well, rumours had already been flying around for months now. The family¡¯s enemies that gathered at the arena couldn¡¯t sit at home and wait for the results, they wanted to witness it as it unfolds. On the other side a few worried families were present rooting for the Ye family and praying for a miracle.


    Although it had only been three days since the decision to fight again the Du family, news travel fast in this city and the authorities were here as well to keep things in order due to the amount of rivals gathered in one ce.


    The audience was talking amongst themselves, their small gossip and chatter was getting louder as more and more members of the audience started to converse about their predictions and opinions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Ye family can possibly win this fight! The Du family looks prepared. I even heard that they¡¯re after Ye¡¯s ancestralnd by North Hill Bay!¡±


    ¡°What? That is where their family graves are! If they lose that plot ofnd how would they stay influential here in Green Moon City? They would lose all face!¡±


    ¡°Yeah well the Ye family¡¯s legacy ising to an end, they only have two Condensed Prime Warriors, one of whom is a three star level and the other one is only a one star. The Du family is still rtively young but how often do you see a century old family with six Condensed Prime Warriors? Plus the strongest of them, their master Du Yuan Ming is a seven star Condensed Prime Warrior!¡±


    ¡°The Ye family¡¯s younger generation can¡¯t hold a candle to the Du family¡¯s; I like the friendly Ye family, but, sadly, I really don¡¯t see them winning or even having a chance!¡±


    The audience all looked to the side of the arena as the Ye family arrived, a majestic aura lingered around Ye Zheng Qing as he looked over the crowd then sat down in front of the arena, wanting to be close to the action.


    Ye Wei was way too weak to be participating today, he could only stand in the crowd and watch his uncles and aunt standing behind Ye Zheng Qing, Ye Zhong, Ye Xuan, Ye Qiu and other youngsters who will be fighting. The whole Ye family was tensed, worried about the family¡¯s future. The contestants from the Ye family were all looking extra nervous, being the best youngsters in the Ye family had never given them this much pressure.


    Ye Wei had his head down and his fists were clenched. ¡®Cousin Zhong don¡¯t be scared by the pressure,¡¯ Ye Wei was young, but growing up in a big family taught him that reputation was everything. If the Ye family were to fall now and scatter across thends, it would be the end of what the family had achieved so far and they would not get any help rebuilding what they had. Other families will always put their own gains in front of everything else! Humiliation today will hurt every member of the family.


    The tension in the air was palpable.


    ¡°The master of the Du family Du Yuan Ming is here, together with Ling He Merchant Guild¡¯s president Dong Ho and general Zhou Wu!¡± The announcer yelled. The tension at the arena intensified.


    The gossiping crowd fell silent and turned their eyes towards the entrance of the arena, awaiting the Du family camp¡¯s arrival impatiently.


    ¡°Let them in!¡± Ye Zheng Qing yelled in cold rage, the veins on his arms were popping out. He mumbled to himself: ¡°The Du family made an effort to invite those two? I guess the rumours about general Zhou and president Dong being bought was the truth after all!¡±


    The intentions of the Du family were clear, the general and Ling He Merchant Guild¡¯s president were here to pressure the Ye family. They wanted to seal the deal as soon as possible when they defeated the Ye ording to their n!


    The arena gates suddenly opened, letting in a great amount of uniformed men. Whoid out a long red carpet at the entrance. An intimidating blood-soaked silver sword crest was embroidered into each and every one of their uniforms. They have finally arrived.


    Judging by spirit, the Du family already had an advantage.


    The carpet split the crowd, and Du Yuan Ming came walking in. He entered with a swagger, chatting with the crowd on both sides as if socialising is what he came here for.


    Behind him to his right was a well built middle aged man in a ck battle robe. His face told a bloody tale, underneath his broad forehead was a long and hideous scar across his evil looking face. General Zhou of Green Moon City was an experienced Warrior, a Seven Star Condensed Prime Warrior.


    Rumour has it that general Zhou¡¯s face turned emotionless ever since the Shen dynasty decided to purge the rebel force. General Zhou wasmander of the army, killing rebels hiding among civilians as well as suspicious innocents... This was the start of his cruel reputation.


    On Du Yuan Ming¡¯s left was a slightly chubby man in an exquisite silk robe. He had the carefree smile of a rich man on his face and the attitude to go with it. President Dong Ho of Ling He Merchant Guild, a five star Condensed Prime Warrior.


    Behind the three men leading the way were more than ten chatty teenagers, all of them with a smirk on their faces while boasting and trashing the Ye family. They were the challengers from the Du family and some of the strongest teenagers in Green Moon City. Within the group was one of the top five strongest teens in the city: the six star Warrior Du Han Yue!


    The Ye family stared at the Du family with hatred while they entered the arena Their businesses were at the worst point they had ever been at with thest two months being especially rough.


    Being poor was okay, but to live without dignity was not. As such right now protecting the family¡¯s ancestral graves was all that was on the Ye family¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Yuan Ming, do you see their faces? Apparently the Ye family hates you by the looks of it!¡± The chubby Dong He was amused by their aggressive postures.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not hated, then you¡¯re doing it wrong!¡± The master of Du family shared some life philosophy with him, ¡°Business is war in a sense, if you lose you can¡¯t me anyone but yourself!¡±


    ¡°Ha, I guess you are right to an extent. But it¡¯s not exactly fair for the Ye family now that you have Lu Feng in the boat on top of the connection your family has. Taking over their mystic scroll and arms business was a certainty from the start right?¡± Dong Ho had been business partners with the Du family for a while now, he more or less knew their tactics inside out.


    Master Yi, Master Mu, and Master Ning were the only three Runemasters in Green Moon City. Rumour has it that Lu Feng was Master Mu¡¯s love child.


    He was master Mu¡¯s first apprentice and the main reason the Ye family¡¯s scroll and arms sales were in the dumps. He was the supplier of the Du family for this business attack.


    ¡°It¡¯s in both our family¡¯s and Lu Feng¡¯s interest, he did his part in securing our supplies and now we just need to get what he wants from the Ye¡¯s to finish the deal!¡± Du Yuan Ming had an evil smile on his face. Lu Feng promised to sign a thirty year supply contract if the Du family would give him the Ye family¡¯s ancestralnd next to North Hill Bay!


    ¡°The Ye family doesn¡¯t have a say in this; we will deliver when our youngsters destroy their kids today!¡± General Zhou¡¯s deep voice had great presence. He was appointed by Lu Feng to make sure Ye Zheng Qing handed over the deed once the fight was won.


    ¡°Mister Ye, it¡¯s been three months now. You look a lot older than when west met! You have to take care of your body, if you pass away these young ones may end up on the streets! Hahahaha!¡± Du Yuan Ming stared at Ye Zheng Qing and shouted, the volume of hisugh was as immense as thunder. His statement rang out and was heard clearly by every single member of the audience.


    The staggering power of a seven star Condensed Prime Warrior, he broke through...


    The impulse knocked everyone in the arena back a few steps, as most of the audience were ordinary Students who seldom got the chance to meet even their own family master. This was their first time witnessing a person this highly ranked. There were only around ten people who had reached this level!


    Ye Zheng Qing stood in front of the Ye family, using his Qi as a shield to protect himself and the family members behind him: ¡°Just worry about your own problems, my aged body is in good shape it¡¯s got at least fifty more years to go! Though I have seen stronger men than you through the years I have lived mister Du, and sadly, most of them are not alive now for some reason!¡±


    Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s voice did not pack as much power, but it had a prating quality dissolving the pressure from Du Yuan Ming¡¯s sonic waves.


    Although grandpa did all he could to shield his n, Ye Wei who was standing away in the corner still felt the pressure, and he was too weak... His Sentient felt like it was about to be crushed under the pressure.


    ¡°No! I can¡¯t faint here everyone else is on their feet. I can¡¯t let Du Yuan Ming put me to my knees just by his voice!¡± Mental strength was the only thing keeping Ye Wei standing up, his forehead was dripping with sweat and his body was cramping.


    The seven star Condensed Prime Warrior¡¯s crushing power not only pressured Ye Wei¡¯s body, his Sentient was suffering as well, the stinging sensation was agonising.


    ¡®I will not give in!¡¯ Years of being the weakest in his family had given Ye Wei an impressive iron will. That scream, that willpower came from the bottom of his heart and flipped a switch in his Sentient.


    All of a sudden a golden spark was shining bright in his Sentient and created a tiny explosion, fighting back Du Yuan Ming¡¯s power!


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The pain made Ye Wei¡¯s face pale, but he felt stronger somehow his Sentient was expanding!


    Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient took over his body, filling it with Qi and strengthening his bones and muscles; It made him a three star Student!


    Ye Wei was bare conscious, but he did notice that he broke through. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ He was surprised and confused. For any other Student, cultivating would be harder once they hit seven stars having to master mystic runes. But with Ye Wei, it was the opposite for him and he knew it. When he gets to seven star level he can start using stances and gain cosmic energy from creating and refining stances due to his superior runic knowledge. Not only would he not slow down, his cultivation would speed up immensely.


    ¡®Not long now, only four more to go then I can truly make a difference!¡¯

 Chapter 23 – Runicle

    Chapter 23 ¨C Runicle


    The psychological warfare started long before the official fight. Tension was high and weapons were already drawn.


    Du Yuan Ming did not expect Ye Zheng Qing to talk back and his face went ck. ¡®Let¡¯s see if your c*ckiness will help you hold your little plot ofnd, old fart!¡¯


    The servants of the Du family put a table down in the arena and three chairs around it for the patriarch, the general and the Merchant Guild president,fort was their priority over respecting the host.


    ¡°Ye Zheng Qing, now that we have general Zhou and president Dong as witnesses, I am going to ask you onest time. Will you sell us thend by North Hill Bay?¡± Backed up by two powerful men, Du Yuan Ming sounded confident as he was staring at Ye Zheng Qing like a hawk at its prey. ¡°You can still change your mind, and the Du family will forgivingly ept the troubles you made us go through and buy your ancestralnd for one hundred and twenty thousand silver!¡±


    ¡°If you decide to be stubborn about this you will not be getting anything after the fight!¡±


    ¡°Wait, I will give you lot a hundred silver so you don¡¯t end up on the streets right away, I am fair like that!¡± Du Yuan Ming was desperate to have thest word.


    Ye Wei was furious and felt helpless, it was bing apparent the Du family wanted to crush them and take everything they own.


    ¡°If you lose the fight the Du family will take their fingers out of the scroll, arms, restaurant, ranch, and fabric businesses. I hope you will keep your promise!¡± Ye Zheng Qing knew that if they lost the morale then there would be no hope, keeping his feet on the ground and countered.


    ¡°Please!¡± Du Yuan Ming looked scornfully at the youngsters within the Ye family camp, heughed and said: ¡°Win with what? But yeah sure, I am a man of my word! Plus we have general Zhou and president Dong here as witnesses. You just have to win for us to keep our promise!¡± He was rxed and confident, and didn¡¯t really care about the details.


    ¡°Words are just words, put it on paper!¡± Ye Zheng Qing took out the contract he prepared, stamping his right index finger quickly on the contract. The inscripted contract flew out and stopped in front of Du Yuan Ming.


    Ye Family¡¯s trademark telekinesis skill!


    ¡°I like your attention to details, I guess I could use some security too!¡± Du Yuan Ming cleared his throat. He quickly scanned through the contract and then put his handprint on it without hesitation: ¡°Ha, remember this is a deathmatch!¡±


    Ye Zheng Qing looked at his grandchildren. He was not ready to lose any of them... Ye Zhong caught his grandpa¡¯s worrying look, and signaled to grandpa that things will be fine with a solemn gaze.


    Ye Zheng Qing stamped his cold hand on the contract, there was no way out now.


    ¡°Rules are as follows: three youngsters from each side, fighting one on one with one fight at a time, the family with thest standing contestant is the victor! Any questions?¡± General Zhou had a blood thirsty look as he turned and announced the rules to make sure everyone heard them clearly.


    ¡°No objections!¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s deep voice has sounded more confident at other asions.


    ¡°No objections!¡± Du Yuan Ming on the other side sounded a lot more spirited. ¡®They have absolutely no way to win... This fight is just a formality, we are taking from the Ye family no matter what!¡¯


    He stared at the Ye camp with an arrogant smile as he sent their first contestant into the arena: ¡°Yin Hong, you¡¯re up!¡± Du Han Yue was at the six star level; Du An Yi, Cheng Zhi, and Yun Fan were five star. But the strongest Ye youngster was Ye Zhong at only four stars as far as Du Yuan Ming knew, as such there was no point for the Du family to send anyone stronger than four star, revealing their power.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Du Yin Hong entered the arena confidently and the smile he had told everyone he carried no respect for whoever the Ye family was going to send. In his mind he had no reason to, his cultivation should allow him to better whomever he faced.


    Du Han Yue was standing next to the Du Patriarch indifferently looking at the general direction of where the arena was. He was dressed in white today and didn¡¯t think he was going to fight.


    It was not tactically great to send Ye Zhong out right away because the less energy he has, the less chance he had to win against Du Han Yue. However, nobody else in the Ye camp could match Du Yin Hung¡¯s four star cultivation.


    Ye Zheng Qing felt dejected, slowly epting the cruel reality that the Ye family was facing, wondering if he had done something different in the past would the family still be bullied like this? Would his kids be stronger?


    ¡°Whiz~¡±


    Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s thoughts got interrupted by the noise of a grand looking carriage approaching the arena. It left a trail of dust behind it and the glimmering runes around the carriage became more visible as it got closer.


    ¡°Is that a runicle?¡±


    Ye Zheng Qing was startled ¡®Do they have even more back up? This time arriving by a runicle too!?¡¯ In the other camp Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Mu, and Dong Ho looked surprised as well.


    The crowd started specting.


    ¡°Could it be the City Lord? Or is it someone from the Runemaster Union?¡±


    Only a handful of powerful people traveled by runicle; another person known to own a runicle was South Star Academy¡®s principal.


    The runicle stopped by the side of the arena and everyone admired the exquisitely built machine while its blue jade body was reflecting the morning sun. A familiar figure walked out of the runicle gracefully in front of the loud and shocked crowd.


    ¡°Zi Yan!¡± Ye Wei shouted soon as he recognized who the graceful figure belonged to. He was gobsmacked.


    The crowd went quiet as Zi Yan walked towards the arena, every pair of eyes were waiting to see what this mysterious teenage girl¡¯s next move was going to be.


    Her green dress flowed like a willow in the summer breeze, her crystal clear eyes were set on the pale kid who was standing close to the Ye camp. Her flowing hair covered parts of her face, but it none the less caught everyone¡¯s attention. She still looked a bit childlike but she somehow had the beauty of a woman.


    ¡°Who is this beauty?¡± All the young men were looking at her and temporarily forgot they were here to watch a fight.


    ¡®How do I not know who this is?!¡¯ Du Han Yue was crazed by the hormones in his system, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Lin Zi Yan as she was about to walk past him.


    ¡®The pretty face and the elegance, this kind of ssiness is what I want in a girl!¡¯


    Du Han Yue was agitated, he adjusted his shirt and cleared his throat before he walked up to Zi Yan.


    With a warm and friend smile on his face, he introduced himself to the girl of his dreams: ¡°Pleased to meet you, I am Du Han Yue from the Du family, one of Green Moon City¡¯s Big Three.¡±


    Lin Zi Yan registered his words but decided to ignore him. She looked at Du Han Yue for a second then faced forward again continuing on her course.

 Chapter 24 – From Whom?

    Chapter 24 ¨C From Whom?


    Du Han Yue¡¯s hand was left hanging, his smile bing stiff. He could not believe what just happened. When he returned to reality, he embarrassingly pulled his hand back to his body. His face was bright red as if it¡¯s just been pped.


    A hostile look reced his fake smile as Du Han Yue stared at Zi Yan¡¯s back. If she didn¡¯t walk out of a runicle, he would probably have walked up to her and pped her.


    The strongest teenager in the Du family usually didn¡¯t get ignored in any circumstances unless he was asked to be left alone!


    ¡®Who is this young girl? And what¡¯s with the runicle? She is definitely not an ordinary girl...¡¯ Grandpa Ye Zheng Qing was wondering what business this mysterious girl had here at the arena on the morning of this big fight.


    Ye Wei was the only one in the family who knew Zi Yan and even he did not know her intention. Let alone the rest of the family. They were getting increasingly confused and anxious as Zi Yan got closer, especially Ye Zheng Qing, he did not want the situation to get worse than it already is.


    ¡°Good morning Patriarch Ye!¡± Lin Zi Yan politely greeted Ye Zheng Qing with a bow. From how well she presented herself Ye Zheng Qing could tell that this was no ordinary girl. She started searching for someone in the crowd as her sweet voice like an angel¡¯s faded into the crowd¡¯s noise.


    Lin Zi Yan looked excited like she had some news to share.


    ¡°Hey little girl, are you looking for someone?¡± Ye Zheng Qing was pretty sure she meant no harm by now, but still, he would like to know what she was after as by the looks of it she was looking for someone from the Ye family... This small disruption actually got his mind off the stress he was under.


    ¡®Does anyone know this girl here?¡¯


    ¡°I am looking for Ye Wei.¡± She answered. There were too many people standing in front of Ye Wei, and despite her greatest efforts she could not see him.


    ¡°For whom?¡±


    The Ye family camp was speechless. It was obvious this mysterious little girl had some powerful connections, and she¡¯s looking for Ye Wei?


    It would make more sense if she was here for Ye Zhong as he does have some admirers and she could be here to support him knowing how important this fight was. No, not even Ye Zhong was in this girl¡¯s league.


    Here for Ye Wei!?


    For what the family knew, Ye Wei was still a underachieving one star Student with no talent. Probably his red Sentient was the reason for him being at the one star level for three years despite South Star Academy¡¯s reputation. And now a girl like this was somehow connected to Ye Wei? None of it made any sense to them.


    ¡°M... Zi Yan, why are you here?¡± Ye Wei was still not use to not calling her miss, he slowly walked out of the crowd and answered.


    ¡®Zi Yan? So this is the substitute teacher little Wei was talking about so much? That Zi Yan?¡¯ Ye Zhong was surprised, he knew who she was now, but seeing her in person was another thing altogether. He never imagined her to be this young, graceful, and elegant. On top of her looks, her good manners indicated she was brought up by a great family.


    ¡®No wonder why little Wei seemed to be getting over Joe Yin¡¯s betrayal so well. Having a great person who cares about you certainly helps, and Joe Yin does not even look half as good!¡¯ Ye Zhong was d his little cousin had someone like that on his side and wondered what she was doing here.


    Wei¡¯s dad Ye Yi and gramps were the most shocked out of the lot. ¡®What¡¯s between those two?¡¯ They stared at Ye Wei waiting for them to speak.


    ¡°Ye, I thought were going to fight? Can people who have no business here just get out of the way!¡± Du Han Yue was extremely unpleased that he got ignored, he shouted out of anger.


    Zi Yan answered him with a frown on her face, sighing she gave Du Han Yue a cold look. ¡°Hasn¡¯t anyone taught you how to behave in public? Interrupting is considered rude.¡±


    ¡®Rude? You have to be joking right? You¡¯re here for you petty little crush while making a fool of yourself, and you¡¯re calling me rude?¡¯ Du Han Yue was about to give Zi Yan a lecture on how to behave in public.


    The Du Patriarch spotted something and that something gave him chill. Du Yuan Ming was trying to find clues that would tell him who this little girl was and as his eyes were darting around that¡¯s when he noticed something on Zi Yan¡¯s dress. There was a tiny tulip embroidering, though it was only thumb sized. Being a seven star Condensed Prime Warrior gave him extraordinary vision and while everyone else was admiring Zi Yan¡¯s beauty, Du Yue Ming saw what they couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡®A tulip... It can¡¯t be them, right?¡¯ Du Yue Ming did not want to take any risks and he ced his hand on Han Yue¡¯s shoulder signaling him to hold his tongue. There is time and ce to speak up but this was not one of them.


    ¡®They can wipe us out without even revealing themselves Han Yue, just let it go... No, actually, they can take Green Moon City from the shadows if they really wanted to; we can¡¯t afford to make them our enemy they are too dangerous.¡¯


    Du Han Yue was puzzled about why his dad would care so much about this little girl. But he was an obedient son, he got the signal so he stopped. ¡¯Yea, maybe I should just focus on the fight.¡¯


    Out of the the corner of his eyes, Ye Zheng Qing caught the Du Patriarch holding his son back. He looked at Zi Yan again curiously.


    ¡°Wei, let¡¯s go!¡± Zi Yan broke the silence as everyone else was talking and guessing what the rtionship between Zi Yan and Ye Wei was. ¡°Master Yi is waiting for us!¡± She didn¡¯t say it loud, but the Ye family could hear every word. As for everyone further away, they could only see her smile and her cherry lips moving.


    ¡°Now? But...¡± Ye Wei looked towards the arena and frowned the fight was about to start and he wanted to stay and support his family. Du Xian Hung was impatiently waiting.


    He knew his presence would not mean much, but he wanted to be there to support his family mentally in critical moments like this, an extra friendly face around the arena might make a difference.


    It was hard to leave his family behind, especially leaving Ye Zhong behind because they had developed a very tight bond over the past few days.


    Ye Wei froze for a few moments. I¡¯ve helped cousin Zhong refine three stances but Du Han Yue is a six star Warrior... I want to be here and see my cousin fight and tell him to get himself out of the arena if it gets bloody.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s a very rare window of opportunity. I have no idea when Master Yi will have time for you again after this morning so pleasee with me!¡± Lin Zi Yan didn¡¯t know the story behind this fight, and how it would affect the integrity of Ye family, she thought it was just a friendly sparring match.


    ¡°But...¡± Ye Wei was still hesitant. Although Ye Zhong had the element of surprise on his side with the zing Horned Tiger¡¯s Assault, he could still lose and in the worst case could lose his life. Ye Wei knew because he would do the same: give hisst breath defending the family¡¯s name. And he want¡¯s to be there to drag Ye Zhong out of this exact situation if it shall happen. ¡®I don¡¯t want to go...¡¯


    ¡°Did I hear right? Master Yi wants to see Ye Wei? What is going on?¡± The Ye family was discussing between themselves.


    Everyone knew the most influential person in Green Moon City was not the City Lord, in fact it wasn¡¯t anyone who lived in the castle. It was Master Yi.


    With his infamous weird temper and busy schedule he remained pretty mysterious outside his close circle. Even the Big Three and the city¡¯s officials do not really know much about him.


    Ye Zhong walked up to Ye Wei, patted his shoulder and said quietly: ¡°Wei, this is your chance and our chance, you can not let this one slip! If Master Yi likes you you might be able to get him toe here and solve this mess for you!¡±


    ¡°Cousin Zhong...¡± Ye Wei wanted to say a lot of things, mainly his worries.


    ¡°Stop being a little girl and go!¡± Ye Zhong interrupted him and gave him a push towards Zi Yan.


    Ye Wei grinded his teeth: ¡°Zi Yan, I¡¯ll go with you!!¡± He saw the bigger picture in the end.


    Zi Yan was confused by Ye Wei¡¯s indecisiveness, it is great honor for anyone, but Ye Wei seemed hesitant to meet Master Yi.


    ¡°Go son don¡¯t make him wait!¡± Ye Yi also patted Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder. He could feel the cousin duo was hiding something. They had been hanging out a lottely and now Ye Zhong seemed to be the only person in the arena who had any idea about what was going on.


    It seemed a little suspicious, but it was a possible way out of the Ye family¡¯s sticky situation, therefore nobody tried to stop him from leaving.


    ¡°I will be back as soon as possible!¡± Ye Wei took a deep breath and decided to take the opportunity. ¡®If I can befriend Master Yi and get him toe save us...¡¯


    ¡°Zi Yan, I am ready!¡± They headed to the runicle side by side.


    Not long after they entered the runicle shone bright, primal energy lifted the runicle into the air as the runes lit up. Turbulence picked up some sand and stones as the blue and green runicle flew a hundred meters away in the matter of seconds.

 Chapter 25 – Ye Wei’s Talent

    Chapter 25 ¨C Ye Wei¡¯s Talent


    Ye Zheng Qing was left puzzled as the runicle flew away, and it was at this moment that he realised how little he knew about what his grandson was doing these days.


    ¡°Zhong, you know something about this little girl and what she has to do with little Wei?¡± Asked Ye Hai with a deep frown, Ye Zhong is usually not the kind of kid who hides information from his family.


    Grandpa looked at him demandingly, the family longed for an exnation to their rtionship.


    ¡°Actually little Wei has phenomenal soul sensitivity. His talent was discovered by one of his substitute teachers recently, and because of this his substitute teacher is going to introduce him to Master Yi to possibly be an apprentice Runemaster!¡± Under the intense social pressure, Ye Zhong felt a bit guilty for not being transparent and open as such he could no longer hide it. There was no point hiding it now either everyone knew Ye Wei was heading to Master Yi¡¯s ce. He missed his chance to tell the good news to the elders himself.


    Ye Yi had always been a caring father and tried to be there for his son, so this news surprised him greatly and also shamed him a little. He felt like he did not know anything about his son!


    Ye Yi was not the only person who looked surprised, the rest of the family was staring at Ye Zhong, speechless and struggling to believe what they just heard.


    ¡®Every child in the Ye family deserves the same opportunities.¡¯ This had always been Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s motto; he always tried to be fair with attention and resource distribution no matter how limited they were. But there were too many children in the Ye family, and he had topromise his values for the families new policies to protect their future first. So he end up focusing more time and resources on the kids who showed more talent.


    Ye Wei grew up in the shadows of everyone else, outside of the attention of the family. The family expected nothing from him and his red Sentient, so Ye Wei got used to their uncaring attitudes. The family couldn¡¯t imagine he grew so much and became the child who surpassed the expectations ced on them the most out of all of kids of the Yu family.


    ¡°A Runemaster with his Sentient?¡± Ye Wei wasn¡¯t even expected to be a Warrior. ¡°Nevermind the details, we could have a Runemaster in the family soon!¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s voice trembled, he could not describe in words how excited he was.


    Ye Hai too was slightly ashamed: ¡°I scolded him pretty hard the other night for not training hard enough... ¡± Why didn¡¯t he just tell me he has been doing his best and actually achieved something incredible?


    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s okay he¡¯s a boy, but a mature one. Little Wei understands you just want what¡¯s best for him!¡± Ye Zhong smiled, he was proud of who Ye Wei was bing.


    Ye Yi started to tear up, Joe Wan and him had gotten a few white hairs over the years worrying about Ye Wei¡¯s talent. All the worry and bitterness just turned into hope and good wishes, they were relieved to hear that their son had a bright future ahead of him.


    Ye Zheng Qing calmed down a little. Having a Runemaster in the family would help solve many problems the family was facing, not only can Ye Wei be the next patriarch, he could also be the key to the Ye family reaching new heights! He looked across at the Du camp with a clenched fist determined to protect his family and hold things together. Buying time for Ye Wei now was the most important task, everything would be fine once he was with Master Yi!


    Du Yuan Ming stared at the the spirited Ye camp and he heard Master Yi¡¯s name mentioned.


    ¡®Ye Zheng Qing had already stamped the contract, when we crush them in this fight there will be no turning back, there is nothing Master Yi can do!¡¯


    ¡°Master Yi was known for his weird temper and being a hermit who doesn¡¯t interfere with personal disputes. He will not interrupt a mere fight, who cares about the Ye family anyway?¡±


    He thought it was naive for the Ye family to put their faith in Master Yi, and their misced faith will be meaningless against Lu Feng¡¯s ns to get ahold of their ancestralnd.


    ¡°Brother Ye, the contestant from the Du family is already standing in the middle of the arena, how long will you keep us waiting? Are you scared?¡± Du Yuan Ming taunted, wanting to get this done with soon as possible.


    Ye Zheng Qing frowned, the three strongest youngsters on their side were Ye Zhong, Ye Qiu, and Ye Yuan. And only Ye Zhong could match Du Xian Hong¡¯s four stars. ¡®It¡¯s a shame we didn¡¯t spend more time and resources on Ye Wei, he could be fighting for us today... Hope we will get through this for our families sake, our future, and I want to make it up to that boy!¡¯


    ¡°Gramps, let me fight. I might not be able to win, but I can waste his energy and set it up as an easy fight for cousin Zhong! This is the only way!¡± Ye Yuan was staring at the center of the arena, thinking it would not be an easy fight.


    ¡°Gramps there¡¯s no point. Du Xian Hong is going to toy with Yuan and will probably kill him... I will deal with this on my own!¡± Ye Zhong stepped up and walked in front of Ye Yuan.


    ¡°No gramps, let me!¡± Ye Qiu also stepped up, determined to do what she could for the family.


    Grandpa was proud of how the three strongest youngsters want to work as a team to wear the Du family down, it was obvious they put the family¡¯s honor in front of everything else. It was not a hard decision, but it was hard to actually send any of these kids out into the arena.


    ¡°Yuan, do your best!¡±


    ¡°It will be a game of hit and run, Yuan attack quick and then move back to safety. Waste Du Xian Hong¡¯s energy as much as possible, make him reveal as much as possible. Make him slower and weaker. Do your best!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ye Yuan nodded, his baby face showed nothing but focus and determination as he walked up to his opponent with his head held high.


    The crowd went quiet, this was history in the making.


    ******


    The runicle wasrge and spacious ten meters long, as well as tall and wide. The shining green runes on the surface decorated it elegantly, taking the green from the structure and flying around the runicle like little stones of emerald. It almost looked like a little temple from a distance.


    Though it was t in the front, the ride was smooth because some of the runes were redirecting the turbulence and drag around the vehicle, Zi Yan and Ye Wei could not feel they were in motion at all.


    The interior was luxurious; the seats and floor were covered by exquisite ferret pelts, by the seat was an elegant table crafted with the highest quality of amboine. But none of this concerned Ye Wei, his mind was still in the arena with his family!


    ¡®Du Xian Hung is a four star Warrior, Ye Qiu, and Ye Yuan shouldn¡¯t risk themselves, but it¡¯s already a tight fight between cousin Zhong and Du Han Yue. If we were to start with cousin Zhong we won¡¯t be able to win in the end... What can be done?¡¯ The win condition for Ye family is basically for Ye Zhong to finish the first two Du contestants without showing his five star cultivation and the refined stances, if he could somehow do that and still have enough Qi while not being injured, Ye Zhong could win. But the problem is, Ye Zhong would have to fight three people which is practically impossible.


    Ye Wei was confused and restless, thinking about the best scenario and ways out of this crisis for the Ye family.


    ¡°Ye Wei, are you okay? Looks like you have something on your mind?¡± Lin Zi Yan asked casually hoping to get an honest answer. She was not stupid and could see Ye Wei was preupied. For the whole ride Ye Wei was looking worried.


    It was verymon in Green Moon City, and even the rest of the empire, for different families to have sparring matches every so often, she had no idea what the Du family and the Ye family were fighting for.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing... ¡± Ye Wei shook his head pretended nothing was wrong. The Du family, is in the end, one of the biggest establishments in Green Moon City, now that they have joined forces with general Zhou and president Dong Ye Wei he thought ¡®Even if Lin Zi Yan seemed to have some influence she wouldn¡¯t be able to do much about it.¡¯


    Master Yi was Ye Wei¡¯s only hope!


    Slowly realising he would be a key part of the family¡¯s future, Ye Wei needed a confidence boost ¡°Zi Yan, do you think Master Yi will ept me as a disciple?¡±

 Chapter 26 – Entry Exam

    Chapter 26 ¨C Entry Exam


    ¡°I was able to refer you to him but to be his apprentice is not an easy task, it¡¯s very much up to you. Your performance will be the deciding factor.¡± Lin Zi Yan¡¯s well defined eyebrows moved as she answered, this meeting was a serious matter to Zi Yan because it was her who discovered Ye Wei¡¯s talent and as such her duty to follow up.


    Zi Yan was under the impression Ye Wei was acting nervous and weird because of their meeting with Master Yi, ¡°If I were you I wouldn¡¯t worry too much.¡± She tried to calm his nerves. ¡°Your soul sensitivity is very strong, I would even say it¡¯s close to a qualified Runemaster¡¯s level. You are young and may not have sufficient knowledge on runes. You need to be familiar with about seventy-two volumes worth of runic knowledge before bing a Runemaster. I guess for now that¡¯s what you have to focus the most on. But I¡¯m sure if you¡¯re going to study under Master Yi, he will go through the ¡°Sacred Rune Anthology¡± with you himself, coupled with his training you will be a Runemaster for sure!¡±


    Lin Zi Yan had a rxed smile on her face as she ced her hand behind Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder then winked at him.


    She could only do so much to encourage him when she didn¡¯t know what his concerns were. For Ye Wei though meeting Master Yi was something far bigger than himself because his future was not as important as the family¡¯s.


    In the Zhou dynasty, Runemasters were very rare, the amount of Runemasters has decreased over the years. The influentials noticed the trend and therefore will do anything to befriend them and try not to get on their bad side because they need the Runemasters more than the Runemasters need them.


    ¡°I will do my best!¡± After a lot of thinking, Ye Wei realized the best thing he could do was get Master Yi¡¯s approval, to befriend the Runemaster!


    ¡®If I perform phenomenally and am nice, Master Yi might like me on a personal level! Then I can ask him to help us!¡¯


    The runicle was nimble, it traveled through half of Green Moon City in the time it would take you would finish a cup of tea. They stopped next to a small mountain near the edge of town.


    Mount Yu Ying was just tall enough to be called a mountain, but citizens always remembered it as a taller mountain than it really was because of who lived there.


    On the top of the mountain inside a forest of purple bamboo sat a cottage made from bamboo, next to the cottage was a minimalistic courtyard and some open space where the runicle parked itself.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡±


    Lin Zi Yan exited the runicle leisurely followed by the anxious Ye Wei.


    ¡°Master Yi lives here?¡± Ye Wei was in awe this ce could not look any more ordinary.


    In Ye Wei¡¯s mind, Master Yi was a god like figure, mysterious and untouchable. An influential person who lives in massive pce, not the ruins that were in front of him. It was theplete opposite of what he had imagined.


    A dull small mountain, a messy courtyard, and a simple bamboo house, how can anyone with standards live here?


    ¡°Master Yi!¡± Lin Zi Yan stood in front of the courtyard and called for the Runemaster with a loud a clear voice.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    As Zi Yan¡¯s words left her mouth, sounds of a vigorous explosion came from the purple bamboo house followed by someone falling on the doorsteps. The unkempt old man in rags screamed as he clumsily ran into the courtyard. ¡±Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Failure! Failure again! I don¡¯t remember creating a mid level Myst stance being this hard!¡± The old man spoke to himself as he dug his fingers through his loose hair, scratching his scalp.


    ¡°Master Yi!¡± The Runemaster¡¯s disarray made Lin Zi Yan embarrassed. She put her palm on her face andughed awkwardly at Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei could not believe his eyes. ¡®This sloppy guy is Master Yi? His face looks like an old shoe!¡¯


    This was in no way how Ye Wei expected it, he¡¯s a dirty geezer!


    ¡°Hey cutie, when did you get here?¡± He finally noticed Zi Yan¡¯s arrival and looked at the two with a silly grin on his face.


    ¡°Just now actually, this is Ye Wei the boy I spoke to you about!¡± Zi Yan smiled back and introduced the Master to Yi Wei, entering the house as they spoke.


    ¡°Greetings! Master Yi!¡± Ye Wei immediately bowed down respectfully.


    Master Yi¡¯s face turned straight all of a sudden, and he stared at Ye Wei with a prating gaze. Ye Wei felt a shiver go down his spine, he feltpletely transparent. He gained respect for the Runemaster, this kind of presence he just felt was extraordinary.


    ¡°Impressive soul sensitivity!¡± Satisfied by what he was looking at Master Yi gave him a nod of approval.


    ¡°This cutie here said you refined Triple Tidal Palm, and that there is now a mid level Spirit version of the stance?¡± Master Yi asked Ye Wei openly while he looked at Ye Wei carefully from head to toe as if it was some kind of inspection.


    ¡°You relied solely on your soul sensitivity when you upgraded the stance right? That is a good start!¡±


    ¡°Humm, I should test your runic knowledge and rune consonance before anything else. Soul sensitivity alone can¡¯t count as a good foundation if you want me to train you!¡± Master Yi yed with his patchy beard as he spoke.


    ¡°Rune consonance?¡± Ye Wei hesitated, he has never heard of this term before.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, to be a Runemaster you need all three to be at a high level!¡±


    ¡°The most valuable trait of a Runemaster is the ability to create stances. How well one can manipte runes and how much energy you can get out of the runes is determined by your rune consonance level. If you can¡¯t manipte them and unleash the runes power you can¡¯t possible create anything and there will be no point continuing if your consonance is bad!


    ¡°But Master Yi, Ye Wei is not a seven star Student yet, he doesn¡¯t have enough Qi to draw runes!¡± Lin Zi Yan was concerned about her student¡¯s future.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I have a method!¡± Master Yi giggled. As a Runemaster he had many special tricks up his sleeves!


    Ye Wei was getting increasingly nervous, not even knowing what rune consonance was before being tested on it; he felt he was out of his depth.


    ¡°This is the Runemaster apprenticeships entry exam fromst year. I will give you six hours to do as much as you can. I would like to see what level your runic knowledge is at from the result.¡±


    Master Yi looked around his desk and found a thick stack of books which he then passed to Ye Wei.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ye Wei nodded, he quickly took the stack of books off Master Yi¡¯s hands, time was of the essence, his cousins¡¯ lives were at risk back home in the arena.


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t wait, he picked up the books and started right away. After reading the first question he immediately froze...

 Chapter 27 – Peerless

    Chapter 27 ¨C Peerless


    Were the questions difficult?


    All the questions on the paper were all written by Master Yi himself and he was very strict when it came to recruiting a new apprentice. The questions were designed to be challenging even for experienced schrs who have been studying runes for decades.


    Seeing how Ye Wei froze up, Lin Zi Yan frowned and was getting a bit nervous. ¡®What is going on? Is it too hard for him?¡¯


    They should not be easy, but he should be able to pick a couple easy questions and write a couple of lines!


    Lin Zi Yan looked straight at Ye Wei while she was gripping her hand tightly, hoping Ye Wei would be able to handle the pressure; there was faith in her bright eyes.


    Master Yi thought Ye Wei was still a bit too young. No matter how strong his soul sensitivity was it would not make up for hisck of runic knowledge.. Master Yi wanted to humble Ye Wei with this impossible challenge so he would be an obedient apprentice and focus on learning.


    ¡°If you want to be a Runemaster you have to develop not only your soul sensitivity, but runic knowledge, and consonance all at the same speed with no exceptions. There is no simple and easy path!¡± Master Yi said calmly he had assessed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of youngsters and every one of them was gifted and extraordinarily intelligent. However, there were only a few of them who could satisfy his high standards, satisfy but nothing more.


    Ye Wei was calm and collected, he expected himself not to know the answers to all the questions that was normal and eptable for a thirteen year old.


    However that wasn¡¯t the case, as Ye Wei looked through the questions, the golden spark appeared in his Sentient again, the answers to the questions suddenly appeared from deep inside his mind where all kind of runic knowledge was etched not long ago from that strange dream.


    He naturally picked up his pen and his writing hand flew over the sheets,posing line after line of information he was aware of.


    Answering the questions exposed him to other perspectives than what he knew about runes, and he slowly started to understand the purpose of every curve and line of different rune.


    ¡®I wonder if they have started fighting yet... hope nobody is hurt!¡¯ Ye Wei waspletely focused on the task at hand.


    ¡®Hang in there cousins! I wille back with help very very soon!¡± Ye Wei held his pen with a tight grip and resumed answering the questions swiftly.


    His eyes were glued to the exam while his hands were writing sentence after sentence at an incredible speed.


    Master Yi was saddened by the scene and he shook his head in disappointment. He was starting to think Ye Wei was just scrawling in a panic.


    It would take around two hours for a qualified Runemaster to answer all these question, but judging by Ye Wei¡¯s speed he would have the whole thing done in around ten minutes. In Master Yi¡¯s mind, Ye Wei was just scribbling irrelevant nonsense.


    It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t know the answer, you don¡¯t have to embarrass yourself even further...


    Master Yi could not bear to witness it any longer. He closed his eyes and started thinking about how to finish creating the Myst stance he was earlier working on. He didn¡¯t want to read what Ye Wei was writing down.


    Zi Yan was aware of Master Yi¡¯s indifference, she smiled bitterly and let out a reluctant sigh. It was obvious the master was not satisfied with Ye Wei.


    Lin Zi Yan headed towards Ye Wei and took a peek at the answers on his sheet, she had no idea what Ye Wei was saying at all.


    ¡°Master Yi, please take a look!¡± It didn¡¯t take Ye Wei very long before he put his pen down on the table, he exhaled rxingly as he finished. After stacking the answer sheets into a tidy pile, he respectfully handed them to Master Yi.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Master Yi responded casually, he was still in his own world of runes and stances, and didn¡¯t really show any interest to his surroundings especially because he assumed Ye Wei was writing nonsense.


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t appreciate the apathy as he stared at Master Yi in confusion he then turned his head towards Zi Yan, ¡®Why isn¡¯t he checking my papers?¡¯ Trying to telepathically ask Zi Yan if he was usually this cold.


    ¡°Master Yi! Fire!¡± Lin Zi Yan finally did something about it.


    ¡°Hey cutie, what¡¯s up¡± Master Yi snapped out of his daydream and looked innocently at Zi Yan.


    ¡°Ye Wei just finished!¡± Zi Yan said.


    ¡°Already?¡± Master Yi managed to articte while being stunned for a moment. Taking the papers from Ye Wei¡¯s hands, ¡°If there was anything you didn¡¯t understand while answering the questions, you should write them down on a note while you still remember them and do some research on the topics. The body of runic knowledge as vast and deep as the ocean, you will find yourself still learning something new when you¡¯re decades into studying. You¡¯re still young, use your time well...¡±


    Master Yi stopped talking mid-word and open his eyes wide as he started flipping through the pages and checking the answers. He shivered and his hands started shaking.


    ¡®The first answer is correct!¡¯


    ¡®The second one, correct!¡¯


    ¡®The third... fourth... fifth... are correct!¡¯


    Master Yi squinted his eyes in disbelief as he scanned through the pages, his mouth slowly opened subconsciously.


    ¡°Uhh, how is this possible!?¡±


    Curious and shocked, Master Yi went through the answer sheets as quick as he could, not only did he not spot any mistakes the answer Ye Wei wrote were very precise and well structured, they were perfect!


    Master Yi could not believe his eyes, he flipped through the pages back and forth, carefully re-checking the whole thing three times before he gently ce the answer sheets on the table then suspiciously looked at Ye Wei.


    An ordinary Runemaster would need two hours to answer these questions with mistakes here and there, but a mere thirteen year old child took only ten minutes to answer the whole thing perfectly. It was absolute madness!


    ¡°Master Yi, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing Master Yi¡¯splicated facial expression, Lin Zi Yan was worried for Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei too turned his head towards Master Yi, he was pretty confident, but in the end it was more or less effortless for him to finish the task.


    Ye Wei¡¯s heart was racing while he looked at Master Yi¡¯s strange facial expression. He desperately wanted the Runemaster¡¯s approval so hopefully he could make an impact on the crisis his family was facing, with the aid of the ultimate power in Green Moon City.


    ¡°Are you not just thirteen? This is very strange?¡± Master Yi gave Ye Wei a weird look again trying to remember himself when he was thirteen, even the talented child he was could not have done what Ye Wei just aplished.


    ¡®His soul sensibility is ridiculous and with this kind of understanding of runes... Even with mediocre consonance this kid is a rare find. He can shine bright like a diamond with a little polishing!¡¯


    Genius are always very hard to fathom.


    ¡°Ye Wei, you were born to be a Runemaster! This kind of powerful soul sensitivity is rare, despite that I have seen it before, but your understanding about the nature of runes is peerless, if you¡¯re not going to be a Runemaster you are wasting your life!¡± Master Yi was emotional, he just found the disciple of a lifetime.

 Chapter 28 – Flaming Golden Lotus Stance

    Chapter 28 ¨C ming Golden Lotus Stance


    Lin Zi Yan had never witnessed Master Yiplimenting anyone. After the shock and processing the situation, a joyful smile shone from her face. Then she quickly walked up to Master Yi.


    ¡°Master Yi, how did he do?¡± Zi Yan asked curiously, with that beautiful smile her face looked even prettier than it usually did.


    ¡°To my standards, he answered perfectly! I definitely underestimated him in the end. It¡¯s unbelievable how much he knows about runes considering he has only been living for thirteen years!¡± Master Yi eximed, when he was thirteen his understanding of runes was elementary!


    This was the standard entry exam of Master Yi¡¯s on runic knowledge. From experience, youths ages twenty to thirty would be lucky if they answered sixty percent of the questions correctly and the people who could reach seventy percent were considered geniuses.


    Last year when Master Yi recruited apprentices, there were thirty-eight candidates in total. Only four people got sixty percent on the entry exam and nobody reached seventy percent.


    Ye Wei answered all the questions perfectly and with incredible speed on top of his uracy!


    ¡°Ye Wei, what will happen now is that I am going to test your rune consonance, with your soul sensitivity and runic knowledge, if your conscience is not too shabby then I will be able to do something with you!¡± Master Yi smiled at Ye Wei, it had been quite a while since Master Yi was enthusiastic about a candidate. He who was usually calm and collected could not wait to test Ye Wei¡¯s rune consonance.


    As the Runemaster mentioned, to be a Runemaster Ye Wei would need soul sensibility, runic knowledge, and rune consonance. Without anyone of the three, it was not possible to be a Runemaster!


    ¡°Sure!¡± Ye Wei nodded, he was confident at this point due to the praise, he just wanted to get the formality done with and ask Master Yi for help. He was way more rxed now that he had two out of three topics covered aced.


    ¡°Ye Wei, you can do it!¡± Lin Zi Yan clenched her little fist and cheered for Ye Wei.


    This was thest step!


    ¡°Thanks Zi Yan!¡±


    Ye Wei smiled and nodded his eyes sparkling with confidence.


    ¡°I know you have a red Sentient, but you should not worry about these small details. Sentient is not that important to us, Runemasters, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem even if your Sentient was ck!¡± Master Yi stared at Ye Wei, his eyes shing inside his ck irises you could faintly see runes appearing, dposing then reassembling. Suddenly the room was filled with the master¡¯s majestic invisible energy.


    Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan felt as if they were two little rafts drifting in an ocean of runes.


    Astounding power! It was a lot denser than a seven star Condensed Prime Warrior¡¯s energy Du Patriarch made Ye Wei experience just a while ago!


    Though Master Yi¡¯s real power should be even more monstrous than this!


    Then the unthinkable happened. The ceiling was covered by phantoms of blooming golden lotuses. A grand and mysterious monastery was vaguely visible in another dimension behind the curtain of flowers, and a loud bell chime could be heard.


    Is this the Mythical Holy Conservatory? It was a belief that only the most powerful Runemasters could summon the Conservatory and seems like Master Yi maybe one of them!


    This is the ming Golden Lotus Stance, it was passed down from the Holy Conservatory to test one¡¯s rune consonance. Its purpose is to physically express the performer¡¯s potential therefore it was not a graded stance.


    ¡°This test is very simple, I just need you to focus when you perform this stance, if three ming lotuses appear, it¡¯s a pass; if four appear it¡¯s a distinction; if five or above appear I will give you a kiss!¡± Master Yi looked at Ye Wei and started sketching in the air using will-force and Qi on his finger as ink.


    In no time, Master Yi finished drawing eighty-one runes. They were quietly floating in the air and shone with golden brilliance as Qi passed through them, remolding the runes into four mourous golden lotuses. They were on fire and the heat wave quickly diffused, filling up the room!


    Master Yi¡¯s ming Golden Lotus Stance bloomed four lotuses, his rune consonance belonged to the high level; it was nothing too exceptional, but it got him to where his was today. Consonance is something that does not get better alongside one¡¯s cultivation, what you are born with will stay the same for the rest of your life!


    ¡°Ye Wei, now it is your turn!¡± Master Yi ced his hand on Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder, lending Ye Wei Qi from his seemingly bottomless dantain. Ye Wei felt extremely energised and sensitive to his surrounding, so this was what it feels like to be powerful.


    Lending Qi to others is one of the tricks only Runemasters can do.


    This is the only way Ye Wei could perform a stance without reaching seven star Student level!


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ye Wei nodded again. This time though he did it with a straight face. He waspletely focused while observing the eighty-one floating runes.


    Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...


    Ye Wei¡¯s body undted at the speed he was breathing, it was faster than normal due to his nerves. Performing the ming Golden Lotus stance was thest obstacle he needed to tackle before bing Master Yi¡¯s apprentice.


    He could not wait to show everyone; gramps who was stressed, his strict but caring big uncle, his protective parents, that he was worth something to the family. And now is the critical moment, if he can save the family by bringing Master Yi to the arena it would be the best contribution anyone could give the family!


    He always wanted to be a functional member, ever since the entry exam when he learned about his red Sentient, the thought had been imnted deep in his mind. Three lotuses, that was all he needed to be who he wanted to be.


    He studied the eighty-one golden runes Master Yi drew carefully, then he closed his eyes and made sure he remembers every changes and turn of the sequence. He started to draw rune after rune.


    He kept a very slow pace, he was paying attention to every single detail as if his life depended on it; it took him a long while before finishing!


    All three people present in the room were holding their breath as the eighty-first rune was drawn.


    How many?


    Lin Zi Yan wanted the best for him, whereas Master Yi was just curious and Ye Wei just wanted to save his family¡¯s future; they wanted different things but they were all desperate to see the result.


    ¡°Bup, bup, bup...¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s heart was beating like crazy, he could hear his own heartbeat while staring at the runes he just drew. He felt like time had stopped, just staring and hoping he would get at least three lotuses.

 Chapter 29 – Master Yi’s Dilemma

    Chapter 29 ¨C Master Yi¡¯s Dilemma


    Inhale, exhale...


    Heartbeats and breathing were the only things audible in the quiet room.


    The eighty-one runes were still floating in the air as time passed, nothing happened. The `runes were stationary and there was no Qi flow at all!


    Not even one golden lotus had bloomed.


    Drops of sweat started to appear on Ye Wei¡¯s forehead as he was staring at the eighty-one runes and feeling helpless while swallowing his saliva.


    The sound of Ye Wei¡¯s heavy breathing remained the only audible sound in the room, five breaths...ten breaths had passed!


    The runes remained the same, no signs of it turning into a stance!


    ¡°How is this possible?!¡± Master Yi opened his eyes wide and looked at the eight-one runes Ye Wei left floating in the air. He checked the sequence three times from start to finish.


    The sequence itself contained no mistakes and it was identical to what Master Yi drew, but there were no golden lotuses, why didn¡¯t it work?


    This was too weird!


    Even ordinary Warriors who had no potential to be Runemasters would be able to make one or two lotuses appear when they perform the ming Golden Lotus stance!


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Zi Yan was also shocked by the motionless set of runes in the air. What does this mean? This indicated Ye Wei¡¯s rune consonance was non-existent. Even if he bes a seven star Student, had enough Qi and will-force he would not be able to perform a stance! There were a few good stories of red Sentient fighters with a good ending, namely Supreme Chen Feng who became a household name. But it seems Ye Wei¡¯s story would not end as gloriously.


    ¡°...No ming lotuses at all... Does that mean my consonance level is zero?¡± There was an extremely bitter, self-deprecating smile on Ye Wei¡¯s childish face.


    Ye Wei went through a couple of possible oues before drawing the rune, hoping that at least one lotus would bloom, and of course he would be happy with more. But never did he think it would turn out like this... Master Yi had experimented with non-cultivators in the past and even the most ordinary townsfolk could make one lotus appear. It was less than one in a hundred thousand chance that a cultivator had zero rune consonance.


    Guess Ye Wei was a rare catch!


    This was so unfair!


    Why give me hope if I was destined to fail! Ye Wei was heartbroken; he was screaming and crying in his mind, bottomless sorrow could be felt by looking in his eyes.


    Lin Zi Yan looked at Master Yi and wanted an exnation, but he didn¡¯t say a word. All he did was shaking his head in disappointment. He thought he had found a huge gemstone with potential, but it turned out to be a piece of broken ss.


    ¡°Ye Wei, be strong!¡± Lin Zi Yan sighed, she was worried for Ye Wei because of how fragile she assumed he was. She slowly walked up to him and ced her delicate hand on Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder patting him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal that you can¡¯t perform a stance with your runic knowledge and soul sensitivity, you will be respected. I assume it will be easy for you to help some Runemasters with their projects!¡±


    ¡°Even if you can¡¯t perform stances and you can¡¯t train I swear on my family¡¯s honor that I will not let anyone wrong you!¡± Lin Zi Yan continued trying tofort him.


    ¡°On your family¡¯s honor?¡± Master Yi looked at the tulip that was embroidered onto Zi Yan¡¯s robe. Ye Wei didn¡¯t understand what Zi Yan¡¯s promise meant but Master Yi most certainly did. He knew very well how old and deeply etched into society her family was, and how they respect and honor allies. ¡®Zi Yan and this boy get along that well?¡¯


    ¡°Sigh! Such a shame!¡± Master Yi looked disappointedly at Ye Wei, his runic knowledge and soul sensitivity were already at the right level, if it were not for his consonance Master Yi was confident he could make Ye Wei a Runemaster in less than three years. He was getting excited just thinking about being the teacher of a sixteen year old genius!


    Who would have thought Ye Wei¡¯s rune consonance was this terrible, bad enough to make his excellent rune knowledge and soul sensitivity useless.


    Ye Wei clenched his fists because the situation was not great but at least it was better than what he had before the dream. Ye Wei¡¯s eyes showed determination, despite the disappointment he was ready to keep fighting and keep training as giving up was not an option.


    ¡°Master Yi, I would like to ask a favour... The Du family, one of the Big Three, in Green Moon City are plotting against my Ye family. They are trying to take our ancestralnd where our family grave is located. If you don¡¯t mind I would like you to help us in resolving the dispute between us!¡± Even if Ye Wei didn¡¯t make it as Master Yi¡¯s apprentice, he swallowed his pride for the sake of his family and requested Master Yi¡¯s aid.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help, but I have had a good life staying out of others¡¯ business, and I think my life being good is the result of not interfering these types of matters...¡± Master Yi frowned and answered hesitantly.


    Ye Wei got the hint, he was not rted to Master Yi in anyway and it would be awkward for him to get involved as in the end the Du family was a force to be reckoned with in Green Moon City. Master Yi would lose more than he would gain from helping Ye Wei.


    Asking Master Yi for help as an apprentice ispletely different than asking as a failed applicant who scored zero on the rune consonance test. Sometimes reality can be very far from one¡¯s expectations!


    If he stays here any longer and begs for Master Yi¡¯s help it will juste across as being annoying!


    Ye Wei couldn¡¯t stand the silence, ¡°Anyways, thank you Master Yi and Zi Yan for your time and this chance, sorry for disappointing you two. I will remember this favour and be forever grateful for it! Master Yi, Zi Yan, you will have to excuse me I need to go back home and deal with matters!¡±


    Ye Wei bowed to Master Yi and Lin Zi Yan, then he dashed out of the bamboo cottage and without looking back ran towards the Ye family mansion.


    ¡°Cousin Qiu, cousin Xian, and cousin Zhong please be okay!¡± Ye Wei didn¡¯t waste his time worrying about himself or being sad. It was way more important to see if he could help his family!


    Mount Yu Ying was not in anyway a big mountain and Ye Wei was now a three star Student, his strength, speed, and stamina were much greater than before. He was agile and fast like a monkey, jumping from one tree to the other descending down the mountain.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why all the people were gathering at the Ye family¡¯s arena? It was a bit strange that General Zhou and his men were there... Dong Ho the Ling He Merchant Guild¡¯s president was also there too now that I think about it!¡±


    ¡°The Ye family must be in real trouble. It¡¯s a second ss family against one of the Big Three!¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei you silly boy, why didn¡¯t you just tell me your family was in trouble?¡± Lin Zi Yan finally realized how dire the situation was and she sighed heavily. Ye Wei was the exact type who would hide things just because he didn¡¯t want to bother others, but he didn¡¯t know how influential Lin Zi Yan¡¯s family was and how effortless they could resolve the problem at hand!


    ¡°Master Yi, I have to go!¡± Zi Yan decided to get involved as she waved Master Yi goodbye and headed out to her runicle.


    Master Yi watched as Ye Wei left the building. The determination and the stubbornness he saw in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes really touched him. ¡®A weird thirteen year old with a mind that strong... Maybe I can do something with him!¡¯


    ¡°Oh screw it! I will break my rules this one time!¡± Master Yi sighed, he enjoied being a hermit but he could sense Ye Wei was something special. ¡°Cutie! I¡¯lle with you! Your family isn¡¯t with you today, if things get nasty I will have your back!¡±


    Now Master Yi is on Ye Wei¡¯s side, Lin Zi Yan was relieved and over the moon, as she was having a little bit of a headache thinking about how to deal with the situation on her own.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not waste any time!¡± Zi Yan nodded.


    As they stepped foot into the runicle they noticed a sh of bright light in the cottage.


    ¡°What was that?¡± They thought confused.

 Chapter 30 – Blossom

    Chapter 30 ¨C Blossom


    ¡°Swish!¡±


    A loud noise caught the attention of Master Yi and Zi Yan. They turned around and tried to find the source of the disturbance. Lin Zi Yan felt a warm burst of energying from the cottage so she went back inside the house closely followed by Master Yi.


    As they entered the cottage they discovered the sequence of pale golden runes that Ye Wei drew were still floating in the air after all this time. The two were not sure when it started to oscite, the runes were also slithering in the air like a snake as if they had a mind of their own. The runes started to expand in every direction while transforming and radiating colors of the rainbow.


    The Qi flowed at an extremely high speed through the sequence and it was elerating. Eventually the friction was so great that the runes started emitting a sizzling sound and sparks were visible as it cut through air.


    Master Yi and Zi Yan were gobsmacked. Their feet grew roots by the doorway and their eyes were wide open set on the eighty-one runes that they did not know still existed.


    At this point the Qi Master Yi lent to Ye Wei had already dispersed. The runes Ye Wei drew were not forming a stance hence the absence of golden lotuses, but despite this they did not disappear. The sequence was absorbing primal energy from the air and the earth to sustain itself, ridding and recing Master Yi¡¯s Qi within it!


    The runes kept absorbing energy from their surrounding and grew in size all while transforming themselves. The sequence was twisting and reassembling. For both Master Yi and Lin Zi Yan, It was the first time to witness a rune sequence operating and evolving itself, their jaws were on the floor.


    After an hour of stabilizing, the sequence of runes shrank into a bright formless cluster of energy. The noise of Qi flowing resembled the roar of a waterfall crashing down. The shining runes finally started to take shape as the noise echoed in the room. It was flowering season for golden lotuses...


    ¡°Are they finally going to bloom or what!?¡± Master Yi was trying to figure out why the rune sequence did not work and the blooming was dyed so long. After staring at the cluster and feeling its energy he began to understand what was going on ¡°My Qi was not adequate to Ye Wei¡¯s unique and powerful will-force, there was no way his ming Golden Lotus stance could run off the energy I lent him!¡±


    That was the only way to exin this bizarre phenomenon, it was a rare urrence that Master Yi had never before encountered. Ye Wei¡¯s astoundingly powerful will-force was very picky and it bluntly rejected Master Yi¡¯s Qi opting to acquiring raw and stronger primal energy on its own.


    Assuming that was the case, the two were now excited to see how many lotuses were going to bloom. Moments after, a few spikes started to break out from the cluster and take the shape of ming lotuses as expected!


    One, two, three, four, five!?


    ¡°Am I hallucinating? Five!¡± Master Yi was regretful! He could not believe he just casually dismissed a potential sessor! Ye Wei had what it takes to surpass Master Yi, himself, if he was given appropriate training...


    ¡°Five lotuses! This is amazing!¡± Lin Zi Yan was emotional; she was happy for Ye Wei and pleased by the surprise her satisfying smile spoke a thousand words.


    Just as they thought that it was over because the sequence calmed down, it started spinning around again more sparks were ignited by a violent burst of energy. A bigger and brighter golden lotus bloomed from one of therger sparks and set itself ame, blinding both Master Yi and Lin Zi Yan.


    ¡°The sixth!¡± Master Yi¡¯s voice broke as he shouted, he had an adrenaline spike as he witness this extraordinary moment!


    ¡°He has the legendary level of rune consonance! If the news is spread, Ye Wei will put Green Moon City in the spotlight of the whole empire! There are less than five people with this kind of gift in the whole dynasty!¡± He eximed and exined to Lin Zi Yan what kind of genius Ye Wei actually was.


    ¡°He has Legendary level rune consonance?!¡± Lin Zi Yan was rubbing her eyes in awe, just to make sure what she was seeing was real.


    Just as they finished speaking, the cluster was dimming and shrank to the size of arge watermelon.


    ¡°Pop!¡±


    The cluster was dying down and the final burst of energy set the runes on fire. It looked like it was starting to engulf itself. But instead of disappearing, an evenrger and brighter lotus emerged from the small fireball!


    ¡°Seven golden lotuses!? His rune consonance is at the Supreme level!?¡± Master Yi waspletely horrified. He nearly forgot to breathe, his eyes looked like they were about to fall out of their sockets. From what he read, ever gifted person with Legendary level consonance ended up being God¡¯s prime Warriors or even Supremes! It was the first time in centuries someone with Supreme level rune consonance had surfaced.


    ¡°If he didn¡¯t sleep and didn¡¯t shout in my lecture I would never have noticed him!¡± Lin Zi Yan too was shocked. She found someone that might end up in the history books from the most unexpected ce.


    ¡°What we just saw stays in this room!¡± Master Yi looked at Lin Zi Yan with a hysterical gaze. ¡°If anyone learns what Ye Wei possesses, he will be approached and bothered by different powers. This kind of potential will also make him a target for assassination by family enemies and maybe even demon tribes! The world¡¯s attention was not what he needs now, but privacy and space to train. Master Yi was desperate to protect Ye Wei by covering up this information.


    A thirteen year old genius should never be burdened because of his talents, although in Master Yi¡¯s eyes, Ye Wei was not a genius but a demon child. He was very aware of the dark side of Ye Wei¡¯s potential. It meant that if he falls into the wrong hands, he could grow into an uncontroble nefarious force.


    Lin Zi Yan on the other hand was more jolly and positive: ¡°Ye Wei is destined to be what he wants to be! I think the Ye family will reach new heights with him as the Patriarch!¡± She was smiling with an open mouth, her deep purple eyes were filled with hope and happiness. But then she realised something!


    ¡°Damn it! We have wasted too much time here. I think Ye Wei might already have gotten home... The Du family and their partners in crime are ganging up on the Ye family!¡±


    ¡°If Ye Wei ends up hurt because of them. I will make sure Green Moon Castle bes empty for a while... As well as the the Du family¡¯s and Ling He Merchant Guild¡¯s grounds.¡± Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes turned violet even Master Yi had never seen her this mad.


    ¡°Master Yi, we have to hurry! I don¡¯t want to live in regret for the rest of my life...¡±


    Every single talent counts when ites tobating the demons. Protecting Ye Wei is protecting humanity in Master Yi¡¯s point of view. ¡°From this moment on, Ye Wei is my apprentice if anyone harms a hair on his head then they will taste my wrath, whomever it maybe.¡± He dered in a ruthless voice. He knew very well that it would be impossible to find an apprentice of the same calibre again even if he went searching to the edge of the world.


    Master Yi added a couple more runes to the runicle to boost its speed before they took off. It was now a race against time!


    The seven golden lotuses were still floating in the air. The golden glint slowly fading, revealing the true colors of the lotuses underneath. Each lotus had a different luminous glow. This was a phenomenon that even a Master would not be able to exin if he had witnessed it. Ye Wei¡¯s rainbow coloured ming Golden Lotus stance finally faded without a trace...


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The fight started soon after Ye Wei took off with Lin Zi Yan, and it was now in full swing!


    ¡°You piece of garbage why do you even try!?¡±


    Ye Xuan was on the ground, heavily injured. Du Xian Hong¡¯s foot was on his chest. It was no surprise the four star Warrior would dominate and toy with the three star Warrior, but Du Xian Hong was taking it even further. With brute force he stepped on Ye Xuan¡¯s rib cage and broke three ribs. A twisted sadistic smile was on the bully¡¯s face as he spat on Ye Xuan¡¯s face. In shame and agony Ye Xuan coughed up a stream of blood...


    Early on Ye Xuan was overpowered by Du Xian Hong¡¯s high level Spirit stance. He was forced to the ground after a few attempts to parry and dodge the ferocious attacks, before he could even fight back. All he achieved was making Du Xian Hong use a small amount of Qi.


    ¡°Is this really all you¡¯ve got?!¡± Du Xian Hong eximed as his opponent fainted. He then lifted his foot in the air. ¡°Hey, wake up!¡± Down went his foot again, this time itnded on Ye Xuan¡¯s arm.


    His hystericalugher apanied by the sound of bones cracking echoed in the arena.

 Chapter 31 – Best Served Warm

    Chapter 31 ¨C Best Served Warm


    ¡°Crack! Crack! Crack!¡± Du Xian Hong¡¯s stare was cold but his smile was warm. He was enthusiastic and not easily satisfied when it came to torturing others. His footwork was as fast as lightning; the way he broke Ye Xuan¡¯s right arm and both legs happened in a sh as the three stomps took only a second!


    Ye Xuan¡¯s groan echoed in the arena sending shivers down the Ye¡¯s spines, his family¡¯s aching hearts ignited their anger and there was nothing they wanted more than revenge for the disrespect and torture.


    ¡®These guys... They really don¡¯t care about their rtion with the Ye family after this duel! Maybe the Du family ns to wipe them out here and now?¡¯


    The audience was shocked into silence and chilled by the violence. They came here for a fight and entertainment, but this... this was way more than what they had expected.


    ¡°Stop!!¡±


    Ye Zhong shouted as his veins bulged on his head. His bloodshot eyes made it apparent that he wanted Du Yin Hong in pieces; that he wanted to inflict unnecessary pain in the process giving him a taste of his own medicine. There was a good chance his cousin would get paralysed from this.


    ¡°Yin Hong, you can stop it now. We are friendly people after all. Even if they are rubbish they deserve a ce somewhere in society. Also remember we are the guests. We should respect other families!¡± Rubbing salt in his opponent¡¯s wounds was one of Du Yuan Ming¡¯s specialties. He kept a straight face while smiling as he spoke.


    Everyone watching understood the mockery but they could not understand the reason for their aggression.


    ¡°The Du family is surely the nicest family out of the Big Three. Them beating the Ye¡¯s would actually be a favour to them as they don¡¯t have any worthy young blood! I mean, if you want to call yourself a family you should at least have... I don¡¯t know, at least a five star Warrior who is less than twenty-five years old, right? Don¡¯t give them silly thoughts and false hopes. The young ones should be more realistic and learn their ce. Hahaha!¡± General Zhou fancied the bit of abuse too.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you guys be constructive?¡± President Dong Ho said, ¡°The only thing Du family ever wanted was a little plot ofnd. If I were you I would just sell thend and earn some money. There is no point in being dramatic about it!¡± His belly wobbled as heughed. ¡°There is a fine line between dignity and stupidity and everyone can see which of these two you guys are closer to.¡±


    Ye Zheng Qing did not take this topic light-heartedly. His fists were clenched, he was tired of the harassment and felt extremely frustrated. It was partially true the Ye family was not doing well, but the bullying waspletely out of line. He wanted Ye Zhong to give it his best shot hoping the surprise tactic he mentioned during training would work out.


    ¡°Ye Patriarch, I have to apologise for the young one he¡¯s still very new to the scene therefore very bad at controlling himself. I will scold him when this is all over, please don¡¯t take it too personal!¡± Said Du Yuan Ming, his fake smile was not much more convincing than his horrible speech.


    ¡°No, Ye Xuan should have protected himself better.¡± Ye Zheng Qing tried to sound cool and indifferent, refusing to give Du Yuan Ming any satisfaction.


    As soon as the exchange of words died down Ye Hai leaped into the arena and carefully lifted Ye Xuan up.


    Healthy would be thest word to describe Ye Xuan¡¯s critical condition. His breathing was light, weak, and fading! Even a tough man like Ye Hai could not remain calm in this situation, his eyes were red and wet. He wiped off his tears right after pushing a pill down Ye Xuan¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Zhong, please take care of yourself. Your cousin is not well, three broken ribs, fractured arms and legs... You know what to do!¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s warm palm rubbed Ye Zhong¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I know exactly what you mean.¡±


    He knew grandpa was angry and so was he, but surprise was his only chance so he kept a cool look and a small smile on his face. But deep in his mind, he was imagining himself destroying Du Xian Hong, the word mercy has been forgotten.


    ¡°Ye Xuan, you have done your best. I will make him pay! Get even for you, and more.¡± He was thinking out loud, but the mumble was not really audible for anyone but himself. He was mentally ready and after taking a deep breath he headed into the arena with clenched fists.


    His robe flowed gracefully as he leaped onto the stage, as much as he wanted to cover up his aggression his veins bulged and his beastlike posture gave everything away. It was obvious to anyone who knew him that this was not the normal, calm and collected Ye Zhong.


    ¡°Are there any talents in the Ye family? By the looks of things I can take out the trash on my own!¡± Du Xian Hong was c*cky from his domination over Ye Xuan. He waspletely rxed when he aimed his arrogant re at Ye Zhong and spoke with disdain.


    He was not aware that Ye Zhong was no longer a four star Warrior. In his mind, even though Ye Zhong had the same cultivation as himself he already had an answer to the threat. ¡°Cultivation is not everything. I can beat you easily... because I have what we call talent!¡± He based his confidence on mastering a peak high level Spirit stance which was a secret to everyone outside the family.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny how much stronger our family¡¯s youngsters are. To me it is a sad thing that a four star Warrior is all your family¡¯s young generation has to offer! Let¡¯s see how many seconds you canst, hopefully you won¡¯t go down quicker than that piece of rubbish did.¡± Du Xian Hongughed and beckoned arrogantly.


    Ye Zhong did not waste a single second, he wiggled his fingers at lightning speed. Just as Du Xian Hong finished talking there were already seventy-two runes flying around Ye Zhong. They glowed and transformed into a wave under his feet.


    High level Spirit stance, Spindrift Steps!


    Ye Zhong ced his feet onto the crest of a wave, his body disappearing leaving behind a sshing sound. A blurry sh was now approaching Du Xian Hong and the raging Ye Zhong was not slowing down in the slightest.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    In the blink of an eye he was in front of Du Xian Hong¡¯s face, and his fist was covered in a silver texture, held behind his head like an arrow on a drawn bow aimed at his target.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s n to hide his five star cultivation failedpletely. Only Warriors who are five stars or higher have the ability to materialise their Qi on any part of their bodies, if his lightning speed wasn¡¯t obvious enough, this materialization would be.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s posture resembled a pouncing cheetah, the tensed up muscles all over his body were shaking like they were about to explode. His fist that was breaking through the air, created a loud whistling sound.


    ¡®This is not what a four star Warrior can do,¡¯ Du Yuan Hong¡¯s eyes were wide open, Ye Zhong¡¯s fist was covering more and more of his vision as it approached. He subconsciously raised his guard.


    That split second decision might have saved Du Yuan Hong¡¯s life as the fist was deflected, but with had the momentum of a sledgehammer it passed through his guard andnded right between his corbones.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    Both bones in each of his arms and six of his ribs cracked like twigs as Ye Zhong¡¯s fist powered through leaving a dent in his chest.


    The difference between a four star and a five star Warrior was too vast, it was bound to be a one sided ughter regardless of Ye Zhong¡¯s rage. His ruthlessness and aggression just made it look even more one sided.


    ¡°Now you are going to pay. With interest!¡± Ye Zhong said as he walked slowly towards Du Xian Hong who has been knocked ten yards away by the impact. His face was deathly pale and full of fear as if he was looking at the the grim reaper.


    Du Xian Hong¡®s confidence was reced by an immense sense of fear, ¡°Please don¡¯t! I surrender! Just let m...¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Ye Zhong¡¯s silver fistnded on Xian Hong¡¯s face, torso, upper arms, and thighs. They each carried the weight of a mountain andnded in such a rapid session that it sounded as if only one punch connected.


    He did not hold back. Though most of the audience couldn¡¯t see how it happened, they knew from the silver texture on Ye Zhong¡¯s fist that he was at least a five star Warrior. Though they were not as shocked than the Du family was. A couple of spies were about to be punished and maybe fired.


    ¡°So there will be a fight after all! And this Ye Zhong kid has some future ahead of him!¡±


    The crowd was specting and the people from other big families who came to scout were getting worried. If the Ye family lives through today they might be a threat with young Ye Zhong¡¯s potential to be a condensed prime Warrior in a few years.


    Ye Zhong was furious, but he didn¡¯t lose his cool and could still control his bloodlust. Du Xian Hong only had a few unbroken bones in his body which was now bleeding internally. There was a good chance of paralysis but it was fair in a way. If Ye Zhong would have stopped anyter he would have taken his opponent¡¯s life. Giving the Du family an excuse for revenge was not the best idea as they brought support with them to the arena.


    ¡°Zhong, you can stop now. We are friendly people. Let¡¯s show some respect to our guests! Making the Big Three lose face in front of that many people was not very considerate.¡± Ye Zheng Qing copied the Du Patriarch¡¯s words and tone. Sometimes revenge is best served warm.


    The Ye family were gentle people but they had never been afraid of confrontations, no matter what the obstacles may be.

 Chapter 32 – Trump Card

    Chapter 32 ¨C Trump Card


    ¡°Old Du, the young ones are hot-headed aren¡¯t they! I am sorry your grandson was injured, hopefully he will recover quickly. I will have a serious talk with Ye Zhong when this is over, as you mentioned just now it¡¯s not very nice to stomp your opponents like that especially when they¡¯re rubbish, it¡¯s hardly constructive is it?¡± Ye Zheng Qing waved slightly and bowed making an apologetic gesture.


    ¡®An eye for an eye!¡¯


    Du Yuan Ming was ashen-faced as he viciously stared at Ye Zheng Qing.


    ¡®Ye Zhong you sneaky child! You¡¯ve been hiding your breakthrough all this time when we were training? How did you, how could you?¡¯ Ye Patriarch was as d as he was puzzled. Then he realised everything was linked. That the night he heard the tiger¡¯s roars were rted to Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensibility and that Ye Zhong actually broke through thanks to his little cousin¡¯s soul sensibility.


    ¡®My family can be great again! I have to somehow lead us out of this mess so the young ones can blossom. Even the weakest of them is showing great potential, I can¡¯t let their efforts go to waste.¡¯ He saw the silver lining during their darkest hours. If little Wei can achieve something seemingly impossible so could he.


    ¡°Little Zhong is full of surprises!¡± Ye Yi wore a satisfying smile as he turned to the others and said.


    ¡°Yi, brother, thank you.¡± Ye Hai answered as a few drops of tears ran down his face.


    Ye Yi as well realised his son contributed vastly to Ye Zhong¡¯s breakthrough, he felt like a better father and was extremely proud of his son. He had seldom gotten appreciation from his siblings.


    ¡°Cousin Zhong is my new idol! He just became a four star Warrior not long ago! How does he do it?¡± The young ones too gained respect for him, and they were looking at their big cousin standing in the middle of the arena imitating his moves.


    ¡°Get out of the way now!¡± Ye Zhong muttered and kicked the unconscious Du Xian Hong in the air, towards the Du camp¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Well fought!¡±


    Feeling humiliated, Du Yuan Ming¡¯s face was ck. He let out a low hum and flicked his long sleeves out to catch his grandson which was empowered with Qi to make it supportive like a cushion. He wrapped his sleeve around the limp body then ced it next to where the medics were waiting.


    ¡°Han Yue, looks like they¡¯ve gotten themselves a five star Warrior. What do you say about ying with him a bit before killing him?¡± He couldn¡¯t look at the bloody mess which happened to be his grandson for more than a second. Revenge was the only thing in his head, and his voice was slow, low, and cruel when he spoke to Du Han Yue.


    He never thought he would have to send Du Han Yue out to get his hands dirty as the n was to let Du Xian Hong and other five star Warriors finish the deed until Ye Zhong disyed his capabilities. ¡°Han Yue, respect your opponent and give it your all. If anything happens dad has your back?¡± He stared at Ye Zhong and said with the intention to kill.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Du Han Yue nodded. He squinted his eyes in the direction of Ye Zhong, nning how to knock him out cold. He shifted his bnce to his forefeet, bent his knees thenunched himself high up in the air, towards the arena.


    The Ye family all had worrying faces as Du Han Yue¡¯s shadow entered the ring, the ones that had seen him fight were more anxious than the others who had not. The six star Warrior¡¯s unique ruthless fighting style etched a bloody image on the minds of whoever witnessed him in action.


    Ye Zhong couldn¡¯t win with power and speed, the cultivation difference was to much; nor did the Ye family have an advantage when it came to stance variety because the Du family had a big library of them. The odds were stacked up against Ye Zhong...


    ¡°Little Zhong...¡± Ye Hai has seen Du Han Yue fight, there was no reason for him not to be worried. At this point it was fair to say the Ye family and the Du family had fallen outpletely. It would not be a surprise if the Du family wanted Ye Zhong badly injured, or dead to gain some face after Ye Zhong humiliated them.


    ¡°Cousin Zhong, Please protect yourself!¡±


    It¡¯s not they didn¡¯t have faith in Ye Zhong, the old and the young Ye¡¯s were worried because they were aware of Du Han Yue¡¯s status as one of the top five youngsters in Green Moon City. They knew that he had real talent to back up the name he made for himself.


    The air froze in and around the arena. Ye Zhong was in a long light green robe and Du Han Yue in white. Standing ten meters away from each other exchanging looks, both imagining ways to overpower his opponent.


    All eyes were on these two. This was the matchup everyone was here to watch. Talents speak for themselves and there were two of them standing off right here, right now; early on the crowd learned what the stake was during the patriarchs¡¯ verbal exchange. It wasn¡¯t just any fight. The sh of these two geniuses will affect future affairs in Green Moon City and the result of this fight would be as interesting as the fight itself for those who were not present.


    ¡°Ye Zhong being a five star Warrior has little effect on the oue of this fight. Even if he breaks through to six star here and now in front of us, he still won¡¯t be able to beat Han Yue, and that¡¯s a big and impossible if!¡± The talkative General Zhou couldn¡¯t bare the silence. He smiled as he turned his head towards the two who sat next to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone who has less than a seven star cultivation will be able to challenge Du Han Yue... Good luck finding someone like that in Green Moon City! Or in the Ye family in this case! Hahaha!¡± President Dong agreeably nodded.


    Du Han Tue came to fame because of a fight six months ago where he beat not one, not two, but three six star Warriors... People have since kept an eye on his development.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name again? Ye Zhong right?¡± Du Yue Ming was getting into the mood to fight. He was feeling pretty confident after hearing praises from the audience¡¯s chatter and the sardonic smile on his pale face reflected just that.


    ¡°You guessed it!¡± Ye Zhong was on the alert. A fight with someone stronger than himself can be over in a matter of seconds. Although he is now a five star Warrior and has mastered a low level Myst stance, he could not reveal the stance before the right moment; the stance has to connect and finish the fight, using it defensively would not help him win the fight against this six star Warrior who stood before him.


    ¡°So, I was watching your fight. I counted seventy-eight punches and sixteen kicks. I am here to collect the debt!¡±


    ¡°I will punch you seventy-eight times and kick you sixteen times. I will keep count and won¡¯t stop before we¡¯re even, if it means punching and kicking your corpse, so be it!¡± Du Han Yueughed and made the first move. He moved his right foot forward, his white robe and shoulder length hair were flowing in the wind giving off the bloodthirsty aura of a wild beast as he got into a half crouch position.


    ¡°You sure talk a lot!¡± Ye Zhong too moved his right foot forward, dust spread out in a rippling motion when he stomped the ground to show off his strength.


    ¡°I will see how long you can stay on your feet!¡± Du Han Yue said with an impassive expression. He quickly channeled his will-force and Qi, his finger were moving fast, drawing eighty-three runes in no time.


    The screen of runes veiled Du Han Yue therefore Ye Zhong lost clear sight of him. There were some movements behind the veil but it was blurry.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh Swoosh!¡±


    The veil was transparent on Du Han Yue¡¯s side and he could evaluate where Ye Zhong¡¯s weak spots were, then he injected more Qi into the rune sequence, transforming it into a blood red ancient looking de.


    ¡®Peak high level Spirit stance, Phantom Ichor de!¡¯


    Known for its brutal force; this stance was one of the Du family¡¯s most famous weapons.


    Du Yue Ming then pointed his finger at one of the weak spots, the phantom de vibrated and flew towards Ye Zhong¡¯s heart, leaving a crimson trail in the air.


    The phantom de was sharper and more powerful than any mortal de and it left a tiny ravine wherever it flew.


    Ye Zhong knew there was no way to parry this attack and that he was dead if he took it head on.Thus he immediately drew a string of runes and stepped on the wave¡¯s crest and disappeared in a sh. The de missed him by about three meters.


    He knew Spindrift Steps would now be very useful thanks to Ye Wei. If Ye Wei didn¡¯t refine this stance with him, the fight would have been over already.

 Chapter 33 – Forbidden Swords

    Chapter 33 ¨C Forbidden Swords


    What a dodge, little Zhong¡¯s speed is incredible! It¡¯s great he broke through to five star level, the speed just saved his life!¡± Ye Zheng Qing was amazed and soon realised that Ye Zhong¡¯s Spindrift Steps was a bit different to the advanced high level Spirit stance he learned as a teenager. He was positive because he had been teaching this stance for decades since he first started training youngsters in the Ye family.


    ¡®Could this be!?¡¯ He stated, as it became more obvious.


    ¡®His Spindrift Step became a peak high level Spirit stance! Did little Wei do this?¡¯ Remembering what Ye Zhong said earlier about Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensibility and putting two and two together was easy, but believing it was another thing altogether. The Ye Patriarch appeared calm, but he was more excited than anyone in the entire arena. ¡®Will the Ye family really have a Runemaster? God bless us!¡¯


    ¡°How many secrets are those two keeping from us?¡± Ye Hai looked at Ye Yi, both were pleasantly surprised and shook their heads in frustration. The brothers, themselves, hid things from the patriarch when they were Zhong and Wei¡¯s age, but they didn¡¯t know until now how it felt being on the other end of such secrecy. The brothers felt that they do not at all understand their growing children anymore.


    ¡°Only three out of sixteen of our family¡¯s high level Spirit stances are at the peak stage.Now with Spindrift Steps we have four!¡±


    ¡°Its practicality and value just doubled. We need to ask Ye Zhong to tell us what rune they changed!¡± Ye Zhong¡¯s aunt and uncles were amazed by his swift maneuver in the arena, and they temporarily forgot about the dire situation they were in.


    The Ye family was awed and shocked whereas the Du family was aggravated and stunned. The Du family carried out a thorough investigation of the Ye family. The Du Patriarch was not happy that these two important details were not described in the report regarding Ye Zhong¡¯s cultivation and stances.


    ¡°What is this report? Does Ye Zhong look like a four star Warrior and does his Spindrift Step looks like an advanced high level Spirit stance to anyone here? We all make mistakes, but two inurate pieces of information on the same person? I cannot ept this!¡±


    ¡°Who was investigating the Ye family?¡± Du Yuan Ming questioned as he was extremely dissatisfied. The family members were distressed by the patriarch¡¯s gloomy face as he scanned around him looking for whoever was responsible.


    ¡°Big brother... I was responsible for the reports!¡± The patriarch¡¯s third eldest brother Du Yuan Yan stepped forward. He was as frustrated as anyone else in the Du family if not more. He had verified every little detail himself and could not understand the inconsistency in the report.


    ¡°I expect precise exnations for this mistake!¡± Du Yuan Ming frowned at his brother.


    ¡°Patriarch, surely it doesn¡¯t matter that his Spindrift Step is at the advanced level or peak level? Jumping around very quickly is not going to win him the fight against Han Yue.¡± Dong Houghed as he spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a peak level Spirit stance, even if this kid brought out a forbidden stance it wouldn¡¯t affect anything. The difference in their cultivation is too vast; these tricks won¡¯t get him anywhere!¡± General Zhou sneered.


    The two were very confident about Du Han Yue¡¯s cultivation over Ye Zhong¡¯s. He was one of the best six star Warriors there were. Du Han Yue knew he was destined to win.


    ¡°Looks like Han Yue is bit angry though?¡± There was a smile on Dong He¡¯s chubby face, and he could tell the fight was going to get interesting. He squinted his eyes and looked into the arena. The six star Warrior did a look a bit frustrated by his speedy opponent.


    There was a cold glimmer in Du Han Yue¡¯s eyes, and he said in a low voice: ¡°Dodge? Can you dodge this with just your fancy peak high level Spirit stance?¡±


    His face suddenly looked very serious then he transferred will-force to his fingers. He focused on getting a good aim at Ye Zhong who was quick due to the wave on his feet.


    He wiggled his fingers and the phantom de started transforming, it vibrated vigorously then split into four. Which were now homing in on Ye Zhong from all directions.


    There was a de above, below, left, and right of Ye Zhong, dodging was no longer an option.


    ¡°In this case... ¡± Ye Zhong evaluated his situation. His eyes brightened up, Qi and will-force came pouring out as he came up with an idea. He was so familiar with this stance, the eight-one runes were almost engraved into Ye Zhong¡¯s mind from his training. Therefore it took him less than a second to finish drawing the sequence.


    The runes lit up around his body, emitting a crystal clear glow as they intertwined into three ancient double edged spirit swords. Each of the swords were engraved on their fullers with mysterious runes, giving off an deste aura.


    ¡°High level forbidden Spirit stance, Triple Plunder Sword!¡±


    Ye Wei and Ye Zhong refined three stances in total: Spindrift Step, Triple Plunder Sword, and White Tiger¡¯s Assault. They all became more powerful, but the refinement was a bit different with Triple Plunder Sword. Not only did Ye Wei made it more powerful, but he also reduced the recoil so it would not hurt the user as much as other forbidden stances would.


    Performing it once or twice was fine, but the stance might still harm whoever used it too often.


    Now that Du Han Yue sealed all the escape routes, retaliation was Ye Zhong¡¯s only way out!


    Ye Zhong trod on the dusty ground while pointing his fingers at the four phantom des. What followed was a razor sharp pressure wave, and his spirit swords flew out in a sh towards the blood red phantom des.


    The three spirit swords were on a course to collide with the four phantom des. They too carved marks into the ground on their path as if their shadows had a cutting edge.


    ¡°ng!¡±


    Forbidden technique was more than just a title; the spirit swords were very powerful. The four phantom des were repulsed by two spirit swords as thest sword flew straight at Du Han Yue.


    ¡°Forbidden stance!¡±


    It became apparent to Du Yue Ming and the spectators that Triple Plunder Sword was a forbidden stance when they saw that just one sword was powerful enough to block two peak high level phantom des. Both the Ye and Du family could not hide how surprised they were as both had the same facial expression.


    A Ye who practised forbidden stances! It was shocking news to both families not only because of the strength of these techniques, but also due to the dangers it brings. Furthermore, Ye Zhong was the strongest youngster with a bright future ahead of him. It made little sense that he should use a forbidden stance given their reputation of having a life threatening recoil.


    Even though Du Han Yue was a six star Warrior, his cultivation advantage didn¡¯t y a big part in this Mystic stance showdown. His crimson phantom des could notpete with the forbidden swords, therefore they were destroyed and turned into red smoke upon impact.


    However the Qi and will-force of a six star Warrior was on another level. Although Du Han Yue¡¯s stance was a level lower, Ye Zhong¡¯s two spirit des were shattered by the phantom des that were made from denser Qi.


    The sh of Qi swords and des turned into a screen of dust and smoke. From the smokescreen came Ye Zhong¡¯sst spirit sword. It flew towards Du Han Yue with frightening, prating momentum.


    It tore through the air travelling at a furious speed while creating an explosive, and piercing whistling sound. It didn¡¯t matter if Du Han Yue had a cultivation advantage, the speed of the forbidden sword made it undodgeable.


    ¡°Get him!¡± Ye Zhong said with wide open eyes and the intention to kill..

 Chapter 34 – Butterfly Effect

    Chapter 34 ¨C Butterfly Effect


    Ever since the duel was arranged the odds were stacked heavily against Ye Zhong in this five star versus six star Warrior death-match. Even his own family did not have high expectations of him leaving the arena as the victor; they just wanted him toe out alive. But after seeing Ye Zhong performing a forbidden stance, as the spirit sword closes in on Du Han Yue, they felt victory was near.


    If Ye Zhong beat Du Han Yue here not only will the the Du family give up on their ancestralnd at North Hill Bay they would also stop sabotaging the Ye family¡¯s businesses.


    Exceeding the Ye family¡¯s wildest imagination, Triple Plunder Sword had now be a forbidden stance and it might just help them bury their problems!


    The audiences¡¯ eyes were popping out and they could not look away. They were at the edge of their seats as they witnessing a possible upset. The details of thest fight where a lower ranked cultivator beat a higher ranked opponent was so monumental that it would be recorded in the history books of Green Moon City! This rare achievement will put Ye Zhong¡¯s name in the hall of fame.


    ¡°Forbidden stance! Damn it! Since when do the Ye¡¯s have one of those in their arsenal!?¡± The whole Du camp was worried except three people who were keeping their cool and looked undaunted.


    The Du Patriarch, President Dong, and General Zhou were impressed but they knew Du Han Yue would not go down that easily; the six star Warrior had many ways to deal with this situation!


    For Ye Zhong using a forbidden stances was a way to challenge and maybe even topple a six star Warrior, but Du Han Yue was anything but ordinary. Without amazing defense, this genius couldn¡¯t have beaten three six star Warriors single-handedly.


    Being a pretty talented fighter himself, even when he was a level below six star, Ye Zhong should be able to defeat many six star Warriors, but he was about to find out just how versatile this opponent was.


    ¡°High level Spirit stance, Ivy Armor!¡±


    ¡°High level Spirit stance, Iron Frame!¡±


    The spirit sword was a sizeable threat that concerned Du Han Yue. It was the first time in a long while he looked worried. But he wasn¡¯t startled as he knew exactly how to respond. His will-force came pouring out and with Qi he drew rune after rune which became the two high level Spirit stances.


    Therge amount of twinkling runes were floating around the duelists. Behind the screen of shining shapes, ivy armor started materializing on Du Han Yue¡¯s body. Underneath the armor his skin gained a metallic luster and all of a sudden his flesh and skin be hard as steel.


    Du Han Yue¡¯s lightning reflexes allowed him to react moments before the spirit sword connected, and he finished the two stances in less than a second! The spirit sword did not wait as it tore through the newly formed armor.


    ¡°Pop!¡±


    Ye Zhong¡¯s spirit sword pierced right through, but the armor did slow its momentum. When the sword reached Du Han Yue¡¯s skin it was weakened by roughly thirty percent.


    ¡°ng!¡±


    The spirit sword threw sparks as it grazed the glowing skin on Du Han Yue¡¯s cheek. The sharp grinding echoed in the arena.


    The sword was deflected as if it crashed into a solid block of steel!


    The spirit sword shattered after leaving a shallow red trail. ¡°A forbidden stance... Good. Welldone!¡± Fresh blood ran down Du Han Yue¡¯s face as he slowly raised his hand and wiped it off. He spoke in an intriguingly calm tone. His stare remained sharp and it was apparent that he was not emotionally affected by Ye Zhong¡¯s ferocious onught.


    The wicked spirit sword had the intent to kill, but it did next to nothing to Du Han Yue!


    ¡°I am proud of you. Seem the Ye family has more than just history after all! But you¡¯re not special! We know forbidden stances too!¡± Du Han Yue said with a straight face, looking right into Ye Zhong¡¯s eyes. It sounded like he didn¡¯t really care about his opponent¡¯s impressive forbidden technique. He leisurely raised his fingers, will-force was still lingering on them as he skillfully moved his Qi from his dantian to his hands.


    With his fingers Du Han Yue transformed his Qi into runes. He drew every rune with great intensity and there was burst of energy for every rune he finished. The energy waves were warm and pressuring.


    ¡°Forbidden stance, Butterfly Inferno!¡± There was an abnormal red flush to his face as he finished the twinkling sequence. The hundred and thirty-six runes were formed within the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    Qi flowed vigorously within the sequence of runes then it metamorphosed into a swarm of clear winged butterflies which burned brightly.


    pping wings from the swarm of butterflies stirred up a blistering tornado. Hundreds of raging butterflies rushed towards Ye Zhong.


    Each burning butterfly had the wingspan of only three inches, but their presence exceeded their size! The faces of the Ye family turned pale when they saw the enormous swarm of burning butterflies fill the arena.


    ¡°Butterfly Inferno stance! The Du family lets their kids practice forbidden techniques?!¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s face went pale. Ye Zhong¡¯s performance was way better than the patriarch¡¯s expectations and that gave him a glimmer of hope which had just been shattered by Du Han Yue using a forbidden technique.


    Being one of the Big Three, it was natural that Du family had ess to forbidden stances, but they were actually against younger family members, especially geniuses like Du Han Yue, using such techniques because of the repercussions they could cause and their harmful side-effects.


    Using these dangerous stances can shake one¡¯s foundation therefore it is usually not worth the risk. When Du Han Yue and Ye Zhong showed off their double-edged techniques their families were far from pleased!


    ¡°Butterfly Inferno... Is that really necessary? Han Yue seems to be a bit too impulsive. It¡¯s just Ye Zhong, there is no need to use a forbidden technique surely? He¡¯s just a five star Warrior! Yes, he knows a forbidden stance, but Han Yue still has the will-force and Qi advantage!¡±


    ¡°Just wait until Ye Zhong uses up his Qi. A fatigued opponent is an easy opponent that is an obvious and risk-free way to win right?¡± Seeing Du Han Yue getting carried away, General Zhou and President Dong both shook their heads in disappointment thinking he was too young and hot-headed to judge the situation.


    Du Yuan Ming was not angry, but he too was disappointed. The most talented youngster basically just wasted a few months worth of training. It was very possible for Du Han Yue to reach the condensed prime Warrior level before he turned thirty. Ye Zhong was not a worthy opponent, definitely not worth wasting his son¡¯s precious¡¯ future prospects.


    ¡°Idiot! Ye Zhong is just a five star Warrior of course he is going to give everything he has including forbidden stances! He¡¯s willing to risk everything for honor and to save his ancestralnd! Why the hell would you use a forbidden technique just to match him? You could be looking at breaking through to the seven star level in six months! The recoil is going to set you back so much and now you won¡¯t be able to breakthrough for another year!¡± These were the words of a mysterious teenager who stood amongst the Du camp. He shook his head with disdain when he saw Ye Zhong and Du Han Yue performing forbidden stances.


    A few of the Du family¡¯s talented youngsters frowned when they heard the mysterious youth¡¯s rant, but they didn¡¯t dare verbalise their disagreement.


    They didn¡¯t know exactly who he was, but they knew he was rted to Lu Feng, and that he was an eighteen year old seven star Warrior! It¡¯s hard to imagine but they do exist. The Du family wouldn¡¯t gain anything if they angered such a person.


    ¡°What!? Du Han Yue knows forbidden techniques too! This is thest nail in the coffin for Ye Zhong for sure his opponents cultivation advantage and stances are too much for him to handle!¡±


    ¡°The Ye family is done for!¡± Seeing the butterflies burying Ye Zhong the audience started to specte again.


    Ye Zhong impressed many by fighting valiantly, but it looked to the audience like the fairytale wasing to an end the moment they saw Du Han Yue performing a forbidden stance.


    The butterflies swarmed towards Ye Zhong like a rain of burning arrows. They were closing in on Ye Zhong fast, ready to explode.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Red hot waves exploded on Ye Zhong. He found himself bathing in a tornado of burning des, his clothes and skin were ripped and burnt by the stance. His clothes became rags and his skin turned ck and green from bruises and burns. It was looking grim for him.

 Chapter 35 – Mystic Tiger

    Chapter 35 ¨C Mystic Tiger


    In no time, Ye Zhong¡¯s hair and eyebrows were burnt. His face became worryingly pale, and he spat out blood due to internal injuries. Despite being hit hard though, he did not shake, nor did Ye Zhong take his eyes off Du Han Yue. He was staring at the six star Warrior with a determined look through the hundreds of burning butterflies.


    How was Ye Zhong suppose to defend himself against his rival¡¯s forbidden stance with his cultivation deficit?


    ¡°Ye Zhong, just throw in the towel! The plot of ancestralnd by North Hill Bay means nothing if there is nobody to inherit it!¡± Seeing Ye Zhong struggling, the patriarch¡¯s heart dropped. He yelled and tried to interrupt the fight because he could feel Du Han Yue¡¯s killing intent.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s disy of exceptional strength and talent was more than anyone had expected. But Du Han Yue was an obstacle on a different level. With a forbidden stance in his arsenal, the elite six star Warrior from the Du family was too much for Ye Zhong¡¯s five star Warrior cultivation to handle.


    The Ye family had lost. The script for this duel¡¯s finale had been written!


    Although inheritance is one of the main priorities for the Ye family, it was not quite as important as the young ones¡¯ lives.


    The plot ofnd at North Hill Bay didn¡¯t mean as much as Ye Zhong¡¯s well-being did to the patriarch. He was only twenty-two and judging by his progress, the five star Warrior had great chance of bing a condensed prime Warrior if he was given enough time. The patriarch was ready to trade his family¡¯s pride for his grandson¡¯s future. The eldest grandson who had the potential to be stronger that he was.


    With Ye Zhong and Ye Wei as the foundation, Ye Zheng Qing was certain the Ye family could rebuild and be strong again, even if they were to lose the duel. One will always win and lose in life, sometimes it¡¯s more important to protect the future than to be obsessed with pride and honor.


    ¡°Ye Zhong, surrender now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth it big cousin!¡±


    Ye Zhong¡¯s green robe was now blood-soaked, partially burnt ck, and in shreds. Looking at the burnt and bloody man, Ye Hai, Ye Yi, Ye Jing Jing, and the Ye youngsters showed immense worry in their eyes as they shouted desperately.


    ¡°Du Yuan Ming, I am speaking for my family! We surrender! Make Du Han Yue stop fighting!¡± Ye Zheng Qing shouted towards where the Du Patriarch sat.


    ¡°This fight is not really mine but the young ones¡¯ business. The moment they stepped into the arena we have no rights to interfere, their lives are their own responsibilities. I didn¡¯t call a stop to the fight when our Du Yuan Hong nearly lost his life, did I?¡± Du Yuan Mingughed wryly. He wore a cold smile on his face while casually ncing at the desperate Ye Patriarch.


    ¡°You!¡± Ye Zheng Qing was clouded by anger and didn¡¯t know what to say. Du Xian Hong started the torture earlier and it was fair for Ye Zhong to take revenge. It frustrated him greatly because he was willing to give up the ancestralnd, but the Du patriarch was still cold and refused to be reasonable! ¡®What more do you want!?¡¯ He asked in his mind.


    Butterfly Inferno was a forbidden stance, and now that it was performed by a six star Warrior its destructiveness was in apletely different realm! If it was not stopped Ye Zhong will have zero chance of surviving; he will be engulfed and incinerated!


    ¡°This is our premises!¡± Ye Zheng Qing looked towards Ye Zhong who was now in grave danger. He could not wait any longer. The Ye Patriarch took a step forward, and his force had the presence of the great mountains, he stirred up breezes and the air around him started rippling.


    At the Ye camp, the one star condensed prime Warrior Ye Hai, the three seven star Warriors Ye Han, Ye Yi, and Ye Yu, and the seven star Warrior Ye Jing Jing were all releasing their Qi readying for a brawl to save Ye Zhong.


    How could they just sit back and watch?


    ¡°What? Do you lot want to break the rules? Don¡¯t any of you daree a step closer to the arena!¡± Du Yuan Ming said as he was staring off with the Ye family. Walking forward he channeled his energy emitting an invisible wave from the tip of his foot.


    ¡°Ye Patriarch, I, Zhou Wu, am the judge of this duel. What do you think you¡¯re doing? And who do you think I am? The City Lord will hear about this!¡±


    Seven Star condensed prime Warrior General Zhou Wu too took a heavy step forward. He stood side by side with Du Patriarch and gave a cold re to the Ye camp.


    ¡°Ye Zheng Qing don¡¯t make stupid mistakes!¡± The sneering Ling He Merchant Guild¡¯s president Dong Ho stood up by his allies as well.


    Du Yuan Ming and general Zhou were both seven star condensed prime Warrior whereas Dong Ho was a five star condensed prime Warrior. The energy from these three together was enough to drown out the Ye camp¡¯s despite their greatest efforts.


    The Ye family only had two condensed prime Warriors, and they were three star and one star level. There was no chance for them to contend against the Du camp.


    The challengers did not n to go easy on the Ye family from the start. If the Ye Patriarch and his kin decide to interfere with what was happening in the arena then it would be the perfect excuse for the Du¡¯s to wipe them out!


    ¡°Du Yuan Ming, if anything happens to Ye Zhong I will fight you to myst breath!¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s silver hair framed his straight, furious face. The energy he was releasing made his hair stand up, the patriarch resemble an angry lion.


    ¡°To yourst breath?¡± Du Yuan Ming sneered with disdain. ¡°We are one of the Big Three. There are six condensed prime Warriorspared to your family¡¯s two! What does your decaying family have to challenge us with? That is some overconfidence!¡±


    ¡°Looks like the Du family wants to go in for the kill. What a shame for the Ye family... This Ye Zhong stood his ground pretty well. His mastery over that forbidden technique and him being a five star Warrior will be wasted. It¡¯s a shame personalities like this will fall at such young age.¡±


    ¡°Ye Zhong looked like he had a shot at breaking through to the condensed prime level before he turned thirty. It¡¯s unfortunate that his family made powerful enemies who don¡¯t really mind taking his life just for face. It is toote for the Ye family to do anything now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t the Ye family see? Do they still think they are the Ye family?¡±


    ¡°A few centuries ago the Ye¡¯s were something. They were undoubtedly the strongest family in Green Moon City, but now... Haha, how much could they achieve by fighting to theirst breath?¡±


    Witnessing the two camps¡¯ confrontation and the swarm of butterflies slowly overwhelming Ye Zhong, the Ye family was ridiculed by some members of the audience while the others were shaking their heads and sighing about their misfortune.


    ¡°Son of a bitch! I am going to smash your heads in!¡± Ye Jing Jing¡¯s temper was bad, and seeing Ye Zhong¡¯s end closing in she could no longer just sit and watch. Screw the situation, screw the rules, she was going in no matter what!


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    A thin mist of Qi solidified on Ye Jing Jing¡¯s skin forming a thin but sturdyyer of primal feathers.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Just as Ye Jing Jing was about to enter the arena and make a move, a deep, powerful roar filled the arena.


    The tiger¡¯s roar was fearsome and magnificent, it reached up to the clouds in the blue summer sky!


    Ye Zheng Qing, Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong He were all shaken by the noise. They immediately turn their heads in fear toward the source of the uproar.


    Everyone¡¯s sight met at the ce where a three meter long spectral white tiger emerged from within the swarm of burning butterflies. This beast was horned. Its well defined silver white hair flowed gracefully in the wind.


    The tiger¡¯s eyes opened wide, permeating a domineering aura. The king of beasts¡¯ presence was felt and feared by every single one of the burning butterflies!


    ¡°Roar! Roar! Roar!¡±


    The horned white tiger looked up to the sky and cried as three consecutive deafening roars exploded the ears of everyone like thunder. The whole arena shook vigorously and the ground started to crack!


    Members of the audience who had less than a five star Warrior cultivation covered their ears and cried out in pain. Some of the ones who had yet to reach the Warrior level were knocked unconscious from the impact.


    Back in the arena, Du Han Yue was catching his breath still trying to recover from performing a forbidden stance. Stunned by the horned tiger¡¯s roar, his face was as pale as chalk from fatigue and fear, and his legs were shaky. The noise prated his eardrums and dazed him. He lost his bnce, and staggered backwards for six steps. His organs were shaken by the vibration and were aching.


    ¡°A zing horned tiger!¡± Ye Zheng Qing, Ye Hai, and others in the Ye camp were showing a sense of unshakable amazement from their facial expressions when they saw the horned white tiger.


    ¡°Ye Zhong¡¯s White Tiger¡¯s Assault is more powerful than a high level Stance, it¡¯s a Myst stance!¡±


    ¡°Myst stance! Our family now has another Myst stance!¡± The Ye¡¯s could not suppress the thrills and euphoria and screamed out almost incoherently.


    Myst stances were normally exclusive to people who were condensed prime Warriors, or stronger. It was a shock to everyone that Ye Zhong had such power at hismand.

 Chapter 36 – The Rise To Fame

    Chapter 36 ¨C The Rise To Fame


    ¡°This is White Tiger¡¯s Assault, it is suppose to be strongest of the sixteen high level Spirit stances. If I remember right it is only a peak high level Spirit stance! Howe it has the power of a Myst stance!?¡±


    ¡°How can a five star Warrior possess such overwhelming power!?¡±


    A portion of the audience was from martial families, and although the Ye family was not as big as they use to be, they still remembered what kind of firepower the once great Ye¡¯s possessed. They were more shocked than others by this incarnation of the tiger because they knew the Ye family¡¯s stances and the White Tiger¡¯s Assault was suppose to be one of their sixteen high level Spirit stances.


    ¡°Ye Zhong isn¡¯t a condensed prime Warrior but he performed a Myst stance! That means he refined and upgraded the White Tiger¡¯s Assault himself?!¡±


    To refine a stance takes a lot of effort, but to increase its rank is a feat; a task that cannot bepleted by a Warrior on his own. People were starting suspect the involvement of a Runemaster in Ye Zhong¡¯s training. ¡®It can¡¯t be! The Ye family has a Runemaster behind them?¡¯


    ¡®He must have trained and upgraded all his stances with a Runemaster¡¯s aid. That is the only exnation to his sudden breakthrough in such a short time! He was still a four star Warrior three days ago!¡¯


    ¡°Maybe the Ye¡¯s really have some connections with Master Yi?¡± Du Yuan Ming was stunned seeing Ye Zhong bring out the White Tiger¡¯s Assault as a Myst stance. His mind wandered as he tried to reevaluate the situation.


    Members of the audience who were still conscious were starting to wonder how could Ye family retaliate this hard. Even general Zhou and president Dong were starting to frown, they might be digging themselves into a sticky situation if there was a Runemaster behind the the Ye¡¯s.


    Obviously nobody outside the Ye family would ever imagine that White Tiger¡¯s Assault was upgraded by a thirteen year old South Star Academy junior ss student, not even if the Ye family admitted it was done by one. Ye Wei waspletely nobody for most people.


    To elevate a stance through the barrier between Spirit and Myst level was difficult even for some qualified Runemasters, not to mention that Ye Wei was a junior who had never been taught anything about modifying stances.


    ¡°This White Tiger¡¯s Assault, was it refined by Ye Wei too? But how is that possible? Refining it would take time even for Runemasters who are qualified for the job!¡± Ye Zheng Qing was struggling to make sense out of the situation.


    While outsiders were under the impression that the Ye family was hiding a Runemaster somewhere in their dungeons, the Ye camp knew in their hearts that there was no Runemaster behind them.


    Ye Wei was the only person in the family who had the talent it took to be a Runemaster.


    ¡°Han Yue,e back!¡± After the shock, Du Yuan Ming ordered a retreat with his deep, desperate voice. Du Han Yue was pale and weak, there was little chance for him to handle a Myst stance, especially in his current state.


    Although Ye Zhong was only a five star Warrior and his Myst stance was obviously not, currently, at its full potential but the sheer power of the stance could not be stopped by anyone below a seven star Warrior.


    The tables had turned on the Du family who were now panicking. They were aware that Du Han Yue would be destroyed by the Myst stance. But it was toote for them to do anything!


    ¡°I need to get out of this!¡± Du Han Yue¡¯s senses told him to retreat as the overwhelming force of the White Tiger¡¯s Assault closed in. He was hoping the butterflies would slow the tiger down, but the big cat just powered through as if they were not there. Its unstoppable momentum was in Du Han Yue¡¯s face in no time.


    Overwhelmed by fear, Du Han Yue turned around and clumsily sprinted towards the arena entrance. He ran for his life!


    ¡°You think you can get away! Don¡¯t you?¡± Ye Zhong¡¯s blood soaked clothes were in pieces. His eyes were cold and stared at Du Han Yue like a bloodthirsty tiger. He wanted to return the pain he was given.


    ¡°Argh!¡± As Ye Zhong finished his sentence, the horned white tiger cried. Its deafening roar stunned the target. It then raised its gigantic paw up high and pounced.


    The tiger¡¯s paw struck towards Du Han Yue¡¯s back but arge swarm of butterflies surrounding Du Han Yue was getting in the way.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Apanied by a loud noise, caused by the impact, the white tiger¡¯s paw scatteredyers andyers of butterflies, powering through the resistance andnding on Du Han Yue¡¯s back. His back immediately bend and deformed. The massive force connected against Du Han Yue and forced him onto floor of the arena.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    His nose shattered when his face hit the ground. Spiderweb cracks appeared on the arena¡¯s foundation made of greenstone.


    Du Han Yue squealed like an animal in a ughterhouse. He was bleeding out of his crooked nostrils.


    ¡°I will end you!¡± Du Han Yue stared at Ye Zhong ferociously from the ground, freaking out as he screamed. He was missing a front tooth, and crawling on the ground like a madman. He was furious. The strongest youngster in the Du family had never lost a fight, and now a five star Warriorpletely overpowered him!


    Du Han Yue ignored his injuries, and forced more Qi out of his dantian. The huge swarm of burning butterflies reformed and regrouped then flew towards the white tiger.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Waves after waves of burning butterflies exploded on the white tiger. Ye Zhong grunted and coughed up a lot of blood. Despite being on the ground and in a bad position the six star Warrior¡¯s counter attack was fierce.


    ¡°You want to end me? You are not capable of that I¡¯m afraid!¡± The white tiger soared into the air again. Ye Zhong grunted and ignored the swarm pushing forward with heavy steps that carried the momentum of andslide.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s fearsome force dove from the sky, keeping Du Han Yue on the ground.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Du Han Yue¡¯s face collided onto the arena grounds again, and blood gushed out of his head. He squealed even louder than before, and the scene gave the audience goosebumps.


    ¡°Our family has kept good traditions and honor for generations, you opportunistic, greedy, disrespectful garbage have no rights to get ournd!¡± Ye Zhong said in a cold, heavy tone, the force he used increasing after each word he spoke. The pressure waves mped Du Han Yue onto the floor.


    Du Han Yue was drowning in helplessness under the immense pressure that held him down. His heart was trembling out of fear. He struggled and shook his body, but his attempts to free himself were denied by waves of intensifying force from Ye Zhong. He waspletely stuck and there was no way of getting out of the crack on the ground that Ye Zhong made using him as a pick.


    There were no unbroken bones or uninjured organs in Du Han Yue¡¯s body. If he was not a six star Warrior with a formidable amount of Qi protecting his body, his organs would have been torn apart and he would have died.


    Du Han Yue was unresigned. ¡®How? Why can he use a Myst stance? He¡¯s just a five star Warrior...¡¯ He coughed up a mouthful of blood and passed out before he could finish his thought.


    Feeling that Du Han Yue was done for, Ye Zhong kicked his unconscious opponent out of the arena. After using all his energy on White Tiger¡¯s Assault and eating its recoil, although he won, his face waspletely white and he was wobbling. It took great effort for him to stay on his feet.


    ¡°I cannot fall! I have to stay on my feet. For my family!¡± Ye Zhong was struggling to keep just his eyes open and stay conscious.


    Du Han Yue was defeated?


    Everyone was shocked by what they just witnessed. Ye Zhong was barely standing up but he was the victor! It took them a while to digest this information.


    ¡°A five star Warrior defeated a forbidden stance performed by a six star Warrior!¡±


    ¡°There must be a Runemaster behind this! Who is it?¡± The audience was ecstatic, they were energized by the possible drama and how today¡¯s events might unfold!


    With this bloody battle, Ye Zhong had now reced Du Han Yue as one of the top five youngsters in Green Moon City!

 Chapter 37 – Mysterious Youth

    Chapter 37 ¨C Mysterious Youth


    If the Ye family really had a Runemaster behind them then overrunning them was not longer as carefree and simple as the Du family initially nned!


    Look at the Ye family! They were not as washed-up as everyone imagined. The valiant resistance they showed inspired hundreds at the arena.


    Du Yuan Ming looked at Du Han Yue, who was lying motionlessly on the ground, then he shifted his focus to the arena at the staggering Ye Zhong with a murderous re.


    ¡°Du Patriarch, a Warrior who can perform Myst stance... This is fishy!¡± Dong He spoke up, he was feeling a bit difficult regarding the situation. He closed his eyes then continued calcting. ¡®If a Runemaster gets involved I should still be fine. I did not start this dispute. I¡¯m not going to get too involved therefore I can be meless if this goes south.¡¯


    Du Yuan Ming¡¯s face remained straight, and not a word has left his mouth.


    ¡°Little Zhong won, our five star Warrior defeated a six star opponent. God bless our family name!¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s frown loosened, and his aged face once again disyed bottomless delight.


    ¡®None of us in the older generation had the potential little Zhong has, and little Wei clearly has the potential to be a Runemaster. In twenty years nobody will be able to mess with the Ye family!¡¯


    Ye Hai¡¯s hands were shaking. He could not repress his emotions the moment he knew the fight was over. Not only was his son alive, he even won!


    ¡°Big brother, you have a great son!¡± Ye Hai¡¯s siblings all gratefully looked at him with genuine smiles on their faces.


    Ye Zhong aplished a great mission; he defended the Ye family!


    ¡°Little brother thank you! We have to thank little Wei too!¡± Ye Hai thankfully patted Ye Yi¡¯s shoulders. If it wasn¡¯t for the new White Tiger¡¯s Assault Ye Zhong¡¯s life would have been at the Du family¡¯s mercy! Ye Wei contributed the most to him winning this fight!


    Hearing Ye Hai¡¯s little speech, Ye Yi became emotional and his eyes were wet. Ye Wei was no longer a sore spot in his heart. Set aside that it was thought to be impossible for him to reach the Warrior level with his red sentient, if the fight did not just end the way it did then Ye Wei would not be able to survive without the protection of their family¡¯s roof.


    Ye Yi was still trying to let the news regarding Ye Wei¡¯s talent settle. The power to change the Ye family¡¯s future nowy in his son¡¯s hands. He could not be any prouder.


    There is no reason to worry about Ye Wei anymore, he could finally let go of the burden in his mind.


    Meanwhile at the Du camp, the patriarch, general, and president were having an unprecedented moment ofplete silence.


    Du Han Yue was not their main concern. He was gravely injured but as long as he was breathing, the Du family¡¯s wealth would fund his recovery. The problem at hand was deciding what their next step would be because of the mystery around Ye Zhong¡¯s breakthrough and Myst stance. They had to figure out whether there was a Runemaster behind the Ye family and if so, who it was.


    ¡®Could it really be Master Yi?¡¯ Du Yuan Ming frowned while stuck in deep thought. The Ye family did mention his name.


    ¡°Upgrading a Spirit stance to a Myst stance is no easy task. I¡¯m afraid master Yi is the only person in Green Moon City who¡¯s capable doing it!¡± General Zhou proposed the hypothesis seriously. He was someone that used brute strength, but also one who could think clearly. He was aware that if master Yi was one of Ye family¡¯s allies then he was not willing nor could he afford to step foot in this mess.


    Out of the three Runemaster in Green Moon City, Master Yi was indisputably the strongest. He was a ten star Runemaster. Just one step away from bing a Legendary Grand-Runemaster!


    The amount of Grand-Runemaster in the dynasty could be counted on one hand. Their supreme existence was unchallenged. In remote cities like Green Moon personalities like Master Yi were not to be messed with, and even the City Lord, himself, would think twice before saying anything to him.


    General Zhou and Dong Ho looked into each other¡¯s eyes and exchanged a solemn, careful expression.


    ¡°This is impossible! If the Ye family was that close to Master Yi then why isn¡¯t the Runemaster at the arena to spectate?¡± The Du Patriarch could feel that Zhou Wu and Dong He¡¯s determination was softening, and he desperately attempted to rally his camp.


    For the Ye family, Zhou Wu and Dong Ho were invited by the patriarch to helpplete his scheme. They were not viins in the Ye¡¯s eyes like the Du family was. If the Ye family could get past today, the Du family was going to be the target of revenge!


    The Du family had already passed the point of no return! Their best option was to deliver the knockout punch to the Ye¡¯s right here and now!


    Du Yuan Ming snorted and said: ¡°The Ye family is bluffing maybe Master Yi unintentionally refined a stance for Ye Zhong when he was experimenting or something, but knowing Master Yi¡¯s hermit lifestyle, the chances of him getting involved in our dispute is zero! Why would he help the Ye family?¡±


    Zhou Wu and Dong Ho considered the patriarch¡¯s reasoning in silence and eventually saw the logic in it.


    ¡°If we get our hands on their ancestralnd at North Hill Bay and hand it to mister Lu Feng, he would most definitely be on our side! Plus, the Ye family has already stamped the contract, with the document in hand all we need to do is win the duel. At that point even if Master Yi wanted to do something about the situation, he couldn¡¯t!¡± Du Yuan Ming ground his teeth and said coldly, this is all or nothing!


    ¡°Brother Du, Han Yue the strongest of our youngsters has been defeated, and you only have a handful of five star Warriors at your disposal. Although Ye Zhong has already been weakened and I don¡¯t think any of them can finish him!¡± Dong Ho was looking at Ye Zhong while still on his feet. And in Dong Ho¡¯s eyes he was still hiding some tricks up his burnt and bloody sleeves.


    ¡°He has a Myst stance at hismand, Dong He is right this could be tricky!¡± General Zhou Wu said with a straight face. If Ye Zhong can perform White Tiger¡¯s Assault just once more, anyone lesser than a six star Warrior will not stand a chance! It¡¯s thest man, we can¡¯t risk it!


    ¡°Before this day came, I had a long talk with Lu Feng, and it¡¯s lucky for us he over-prepared... If a six star Warrior can¡¯t put Ye Zhong down then we will send a seven star Warrior into the arena!¡± Du Yuan Ming looked at the group of youngsters who stood behind him, focused on the stern looking mysterious teenager.


    That young seven star Warrior was Lu Feng¡¯s friend, but hisst name was not Du.


    ¡°Who of you dare face me?¡± Ye Zhong gathered his strength and roared. His words echoed throughout the arena as he scanned the scared faces of the youngster standing in the Du camp.


    ¡®Just one more fight. One more win until our ancestralnd is safe!¡¯


    Feeling Ye Zhong¡¯s determination and seeing his fierce nce, the five star Warriors of the Du camp were hesitant and some were even trembling in fear. The image of Du Han Yue¡¯s horrifying defeat was still freshly imnted in their heads.


    ¡°Little Zhong, don¡¯t force yourself!¡± Seeing Ye Zhong¡¯s blood stained clothes and body, the Ye family looked very concerned. He was just a five star Warrior, although he did beat Du Xian Hong and Du Han Yue it was uncertain whether he could take on another five star Warrior the Du family would send into the arena.


    ¡°If I¡¯m breathing, I will be fighting! I am not going to step out of this arena!¡± Ye Zhong ground his teeth in pain. He grunted and spoke, ¡°Ye is myst name and I will defend our history and honor!¡±


    Fight!


    It¡¯s the only way! He had done this much and gone this far. Ye Zhong nned to defeat thest person the Du family sent out even if he was going to die of fatigue. He was one step away from saving his family from this crisis!


    Meanwhile, the stern looking youngster walked through the Du camp slowly. He rolled up his sleeves as he leisurely approached the arena, not looking concerned at all.


    ¡°I admire your courage, but the party¡¯s over. You will lose now!¡± He calmly said to Ye Zhong while closing in on him.

 Chapter 38 – Seven Star Warrior

    Chapter 38 ¨C Seven Star Warrior


    ¡°Who is that teenager?¡±


    The Ye family was in touch with the current affairs of Green Moon City, and had knowledge of the other families¡¯ strengths and weaknesses. They also kept track of the up-anding youngsters of this generation. However nobody in the Ye camp recognized this teenager¡¯s stern looking face.


    Ye Zheng Qing researched the Du family, and he knew every single one of them well. His heart sank as he saw this teenager¡¯s face. The patriarch¡¯s eagle-like eyes darted to Du Yuan Ming: ¡°Is this kid one of yours?¡±


    Hearing Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s question, the people around the arena immediately cast their eyes onto the Du Patriarch. They were not stupid and they knew that it was entirely possible that Du family was now seeking help from outside the family in desperation!


    ¡°Of course he¡¯s one of us!¡± Du Yuan Ming said loudly and proudly.


    ¡°Bullshit! We know about the new generation of Du family! Who are you trying to fool?¡± Ye Hai couldn¡¯t hold himself back and therefore screamed in anger. He knew there were only three youngsters left on the family¡¯s roster; only three five star Warriors were left, and with Du Han Yue defeated, Ye Zhong¡¯s chances were not low. But now Du Han Yue summoned this teenager with an unknown background, everyone could smell something fishy!


    Du Yuan Ming stared at Ye Hai coldly and grunted, ¡± You have no grounds to question me. I am the Du Patriarch if I say he¡¯s with us, then he is with us. Why would I lie? We are a great branch of a well established family in the capital! There are tens of thousands of Du¡¯s within the dynasty¡¯s borders!¡±


    It was obvious that Du Yuan Ming was givingme excuses and lying. The audience was specting and discussing how low, and shameful the Du family was, but no one dared stand up for the Ye family. The truth had always been whatever the powerful insist it to be!


    Everyone in the Ye camp was enraged by Du Yuan Ming¡¯s tant lie. ¡®If they are not going to abide by the agreement, we are not going sit back and get bullied!¡¯


    ¡°Gramps, even if I die, I will not ept this humiliation! I, Ye Qiu, volunteer to fight these despicable liars!¡± Her eyes were teary as she asked the patriarch.


    ¡°Dad, let me fight! I will defend our dignity by any means necessary!¡± Ye Hai said furiously.


    The Du family stepped on the Ye¡¯s again and again, and the Ye¡¯s just stayed quiet and dealt with the hardship as they came. But cheating was not quite the same thing, especially when there was a written agreement.


    ¡°Stand still! Nobody said you can step foot into the arena!¡±


    Just when that stern looking teenager was about to enter Ye Yi, the ten star Warrior, shouted with uncontroble rage. He fiercely took a step and turned into a sh. His body now blocked the teenager.


    ¡°This is a duel between the Ye and Du families¡¯ younger generation!¡± Ye Yi stared coldly down at the teenager¡¯s eyes then he shouted again. ¡°Are you one of the Du¡¯s?¡±


    The teenager indifferently looked at Ye Yi. In his mind, if he lies and deres that he is a Du, it would be the same as betraying his ancestry which he was too proud to do, and telling the truth would not help the situation therefore he decided not to speak a word.


    The teenage¡¯s silence just confirmed everyone¡¯s suspicion!


    ¡°Du Yuan Ming, this kid is not one of you! Why would you let an outsider fight for you in a family duel? Has your family run out of talent?¡± Ye Yi pointed at the patriarch and furiously shouted.


    ¡°General Zhou, President Dong, that teen is obviously an outsider don¡¯t tell me you think otherwise? The Du family is cheating, can¡¯t you see?¡± Ye Hai gazed at the two men who were suppose to be judges for this duel, and questioned them in a furious tone.


    ¡°Well, what do you want now? This is a duel between the young ones! You are one generation too old to step in. Are you going to ignore the rules? I am the representative of the City Lord, and we do not tolerate cheaters!¡± General Zhou raised his voice, and not only did he evaded Ye Hai¡¯s question, he even used the Ye family of attempting to break the rules.


    ¡°Step back! All of you! How dare you entering the arena? Do you know no shame? Do not forget you signed the contract! You are breaking the terms!¡± Dong He squinted his eyes and said, the pressure of Lu Feng was more realistic to him than the potential of angering a hermit therefore he chose to stand by the Du family.


    ¡°Us? We are breaking the rules? Hahaha!¡± Ye Zheng Qing was extremely angry, andughed hysterically. ¡°Our family has been through its ups and downs throughout the centuries. Even when we were going through bad times, we kept our dignity and always made the honorable decisions! We don¡¯t make trouble, but we are not afraid to confront others when they cause trouble!¡±


    Ye Zheng Qing was furious to the point where he was willing to sacrifice anything, even his own life, to get revenge. These three were abusing their influence, resources, and power for evil and personal gain; they are poison to society. It was obvious that they could care less about any kind of rules. This was just about ending the Ye family!


    First the Du family shamelessly used the hands of outsiders in a family dispute, then Zhou Wu and Dong He ignored fairness and sportsmanship, andstly this unreasonable usation!


    This was ridiculous!


    The audience was talking amongst themselves and all their respect for the Du family had just vanished, but they didn¡¯t have the power, nor the guts, to interfere... The Du family will eventually be a public enemy because nobody will be able to trust them!


    ¡°Du Patriarch, this is a serious matter please think before you take any action!¡± Someone from the crowd could no longer hold their tongue.


    Hearing that the crowd was joining in, Du Yuan Ming¡¯s face looked even more twisted than it already was, but he could not back down now. The Ye family had to be eliminated right now before they grew big again!


    ¡°You¡¯re saying he¡¯s not one of us because you have not seen him? What kind of reasoning is that? Where is your evidence?¡± Du Yuan Ming shouted as he kept taunting and beckoning the Ye family hoping they would be more restless and start a brawl.


    Though justice was on the Ye family¡¯s side, general Zhou and president Dong were on the Du family¡¯s side and with their aid the Du camp was many times stronger than the Ye camp.


    With that in mind, Du Yuan Ming wasn¡¯t worried about fighting them at all. He was just a bit worried about the Ye family¡¯s possible, self-proimed, rtionship with Master Yi.


    Du Yuan Ming was a calcting, cautious man. He was taunting non-stop because the sooner he could wipe out the Ye family the less chance there was for them to say anything wrong, or reveal possible evidence against them in the case Master Yi doese to investigate.


    ¡°Haha! Do you think the Ye family is made up of imbeciles? Let¡¯s try this!¡± The Ye Patriarch spoke to Du Yuan Ming with a cold grin. ¡°You! Which branch of the Du family are you from? And where did you grow up?¡±


    ¡°If he is a Du I will rest my case. Win or lose, I shall ept the results, but on the contrary if he¡¯s not we will not sit here and let you do as you please!¡± Ye Zheng Qing looked intensely at Du Yuan Ming and said in a low voice.


    Ye Zheng Qing and his family were not going to give the Du Patriarch an inch; they will notpromise.


    The situation was at a stand off, and everyone knew a fight could breakout at any moment.


    Ye Zheng Qing, I know it¡¯s hard for you to trust the Du family but you trust the City Lord¡¯s judgement, right?¡± General Zhou took a step forward and said slowly.


    ¡°Yea, you two have had some misunderstandings and disagreements. Ye Patriarch we understand your misgivings with the Du family, but general Zhou and I are the judges for this fight and you trust us, right? That teenager is definitely a Du!¡± President Dong stated diplomatically.


    ¡°Pfft, trust you? You are hrious!¡± Ye Zheng Qing startedughed hysterically. He wanted to kill everyone of these liars. He now regretted that he did not train hard enough. If he was stronger his family would have justice!


    ¡°Looks like I have to do something to maintain order!¡± General Zhou swung his right arm and the power of a seven star condensed prime Warrior was unleashed. The telekic force knocked Ye Yi into the air and out of the arena.


    Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho were keeping the Ye family in check using their condensed prime Warrior power.


    Ye Zhong was the only person left standing in the arena.


    ¡°Finally all the trash has been taken out!¡± The stern looking teenager grinned and jumped into the arena his body covered by a feather like shiny texture. He looked at Ye Zhong with a cruel, sadistic smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will keep your corpse in one piece!¡±


    Primal feathers, seven star Warrior!


    Just as the audience thought they had seen all there was today, they were again shocked, this time by a baby-faced seven star Warrior!


    Ye Zhong clenched his fist as he looked at the teenager with worry in his eyes.


    Ye Zheng Qing on the other hand was using his power and trying tobat the three Warrior¡¯s oppressive auras. ¡°Du Yuan Ming, just bring it on if you want to wipe us out cut the acting!¡±


    ¡°Brother Ye you are taking this whole thing too personally, I really am a reasonable man!¡± The Du Patriarch looked rxed smiling when he spoke.


    The big battle was now underway and a cold atmosphere slowly covered the arena.


    The Ye family had never before been humiliated like this. Just before the fight was going to start a familiar childlike boy ran into the arena.

 Chapter 39 – Concession

    Chapter 39 ¨C Concession


    The duel between the Ye and Du family¡¯s youngsters upied Ye Wei¡¯s mind. Ye Wei could not think about anything else as he was running back home. He was anxious and restless about the situation back at the arena. He was running home at full speed, and despite recently breaking through and bing a three star Student his body was still not strong enough to cover the trip¡¯s distance at full speed.


    All eyes suddenly gathered on Ye Wei.


    The two supporters for the Du camp were agitated by his arrival, it was usible that he went to see Master Yi judging by his means of transportation on his way out. Depending on the result of this hypothetical meeting they might have to alter their course of action.


    ¡°Little Wei, did you meet with Master Yi?¡± Ye Wei could not havee at a better time, and Zheng Qing did not give Ye Wei anytime to catch his breath. He asked anxiously, his gaze was serious.


    Everyone was thirsty for Ye Wei¡¯s answer.


    ¡°We did meet...¡± Overwhelmed by the crowd¡¯s enthusiasm and embarrassed by the oue, Ye Wei lowered his head and answered quietly.


    With a rush of blood to his head he was starting to flush. It was not easy to tell others the shameful news.


    The Du camp was pressured by his arrival while Ye Wei¡¯s whole family was momentarily encouraged by the potential good news. But Ye Wei knew how things would go...


    Just thinking about the consonance test results made him bitter. He bit his lips due to his nerves. The burden in his heart made him clench his fist extremely tight and his nails were going to leave red marks on his palm. The pain in his heart was so agonising he didn¡¯t feel pain on his lips or his hands.


    What did his phenomenal soul sensibility mean? Where would his rune knowledge get him? Ye Wei knew that even though his performance on the tests showed that he was better than most Runemasters, his horrendous rune consonance made the meeting with Master Yi meaningless. How could one be a Runemaster if he can¡¯t even perform a stance?


    ¡°What did Master Yi say?¡± Ye Zheng Qing questioned with great enthusiasm.


    ¡®Ye Wei was born to be a Runemaster. It took him only three days to refine three stances for Ye Zhong, a task even real Runemasters would find challenging.¡¯


    ¡®With this level of talent getting epted by Master Yi was almost a given, even bing the Master¡¯s legacy apprentice was not out of Ye Wei¡¯s reach! If that were the case with Master Yi¡¯s guidance it wouldn¡¯t take long for Ye Wei to be a Runemaster.¡¯ The patriarch thought to himself.


    Ye Zheng Qing dedicated his whole life nurturing the Ye family, from babysitting to dealing with their business. Now at his old age and despite his time and effort he still had not been rewarded for what he gave the family; the family was still weakening and falling apart bit by bit. He was a three star condensed prime Warrior, but he was also an infirm old man with unfulfilled dreams.


    At this point, there was nothing more uplifting than seeing his children and grandchildren achieving greatness!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Ye Wei lookedpletely deted. His family¡¯s eyes were stabbing his heart like sharp knives.


    Ye Zheng Qing flinched. He didn¡¯t need further exnation nor did Ye Wei did borate. All his bubbles burst and bitterness was the only thing left, ¡®How naive was I? It¡¯s Master Yi we¡¯re talking about in the end. The strict and entric Runemaster..¡¯


    ¡°Little Wei, I am sure you did your best. We have no other choice. We¡¯ll have to give up thend by North Hill Bay and start again somewhere far from Green Moon City.¡¯ Ye Zheng Qing thought about fighting to hisst breath, but in the end it was just out of his character which put his family¡¯s future and well-being before everything else.


    Meanwhile the Du camp was specting.


    ¡°General Zhou, president Dong, looks like they were bluffing in the end. If Master Yi was on their side he would have arrived in a runicle for this emergency!¡± Du Yuan Ming said in a mocking tone, nothing worried him now and he felt on top of the world.


    ¡°You are right!¡± Dong Houghed and said, ¡°Without a Runemaster the Ye family is nothing to be afraid of! Ha!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t see the sunrise tomorrow!¡± General Zhou roared as killing intent was emanating out of his body.


    Ye Zheng Qing slowly looked up towards the arena at Ye Zhong who was injured and barely standing. If he kept fighting he would die. After an easy risk assessment, the Ye Patriarch announced: ¡°Du Yuan Ming. We concede, our ancestralnd is yours!¡± He swallowed his pride while trembling in frustration and grief.


    The audience had mixed feelings. They came anticipating a one sided duel and wanted to see the Du family showcase their power, but having witnessed the Ye family¡¯s resilience against these cheats they started to empathize and root for the underdogs. They actually felt uneasy now that it was all over and started to worry about themselves.


    ¡®We might be the next victim of the Du family¡¯s schemes!¡¯


    ¡°You think this is over? Ye Zheng Qing, just who do you think we are?¡± Du Yuan Ming said and casted an evil gaze at the Ye Patriarch. He would not let the Ye family off that easily, especially now that the rtionship between them the worst ever.


    ¡°Du Yuan Ming what more do you want!?¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s heart dropped. The two people that mattered most to him were Ye Wei and Ye Zhong. These two cousins were the key to the Ye family reestablishing themselves after today¡¯s ughter.


    ¡°Ye Zhong injured Han Yue, he is not leaving the arena with his arms and legs!¡± Du Han Yue¡¯s voice was malicious. He scanned the Ye camp and found Ye Wei. Pointing his finger at the depressed young cousin, Du Yuan Ming continued. ¡°I want him crippled as well!¡±


    He wanted to eliminate all threats, and kill the ones with potential while they were still young; put all the eggs in a basket and destroy them together. These were the guidelines the Du family stood by, and also the reason why they became one of the Big Three in less than a hundred years after they started their business in Green Moon City.


    Du Yuan Ming¡¯s eyes and attitude reminded Ye Wei of a nasty, venomous snake. He was scared and angry at himself. ¡®Why couldn¡¯t I be stronger...¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient was boiling, and a golden sh appeared. He longed for power, the ability to make a difference.


    He was tired of feeling helpless!


    ¡°Du Yuan Ming, You ought to stop now!¡± Ye Zheng Qing could no longer keep his cool as he screamed his lungs out. If Ye Zhong and Ye Wei were going to be neutralised here then there would be no outs for the Ye family, not now not ever.


    ¡°Me? Stop? I am a fair man and I stand by my decisions!¡± Du Yuan Ming thenughed hysterically, and attacked the Ye camp with his sonic waves. His condensed prime cultivation was tranted into pressure waves. The force was almost as strong as andslide!


    ¡°I am only going to say this once more. Though we are not as great as we once were the Ye family still carries great tradition and history! I have lived long enough!¡± Ze Zheng Qing finally made up his mind to be reckless. ¡°We will end this right now!¡±


    ¡°You are so naive! Ending this? What with?¡± Du Yuan Ming chuckled indifferently. Master Yi wasn¡¯t here with the Ye family while he had aid of general Zhou and president Dong who were both stronger than Ye Zheng Qing in terms of cultivation. ¡°I was never scared of you and your pathetic family. I was just waiting for this little one to return so I can save a trip!¡±


    Although the the odds were against them, the Ye family prepared themselves as they reached theirst straw. Everyone started channeling their Qi which then merged into a pressure wave, shooting towards Du Yuan Ming¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The two pressure waves collided and exploded. The pressure wave kepting from both camps, and the continuous impact eventually turned the greenstone floor into dust.


    ¡°Since you guys are fighting instead of obeying the winner¡¯s request we are going to join in!¡± Dong Ho¡¯s squinted eyes opened, and he stared coldly at the Ye camp.


    General Zhou and Dong He joined the fight as Dong He finished his excuse of a speech. The force wave from Du camp erged and started crushing the Ye camp

 Chapter 40 – Bones

    Chapter 40 ¨C Bones


    Du Yuan Ming and general Zhou were both seven star condensed prime Warriors. Dong Ho was slightly behind being a five star condensed prime Warrior.


    On the other hand, the Ye camp only had two condensed prime level Warriors. The strongest of them being the patriarch with a three star condensed prime cultivation.


    The three strongest Warriors in the Du camp were more than capable of wiping out the Ye family on their own! And all three of them intended to kill.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    The three strongest force waves from the Du camp merged and shed onto the Ye family¡¯s defense.


    Ye Zhong, Ye Wei, and other weaker ones¡¯ meridians were shaken and hurt by the force wave. They were knocked down on their knees and coughed up blood.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Ye Wei could barely breathe under the immense pressure. He desperately tried to draw power from his Sentient as he channeled all his Qi to fight the crushing power of the three high level condensed prime Warriors. But the gap was too vast. Ye Wei could feel, and almost hear, his Sentient cracking.


    Du Yuan Ming¡¯s first step was to destroy all the younger Ye¡¯s!


    Seeing the youngster being hit, Ye Zheng Qing became anxious. If this continues he would be a witness to the end of his own bloodline!


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s now or never!¡± A determined look briefly shed through Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s eyes before he looked down at his hand. A glinting and translucent bone bracelet slided down from his wrist.


    There were eighteen pieces of bone fragments in the chain. The engraved fragments emitted a weak iridescent glow. The runes engraved onto the fragments started glowing brighter as the patriarch injected his Qi into the artifact, and waves of rippling energy burst out from the chain.


    Mystic Arm!


    Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho all looked extremely concerned seeing what Ye Zheng Qing was holding in his hand as if the glow of the bone fragments stunned them.


    Ye Zheng Qing was levels weaker than his three opponents, he should have been neutralised within moments because of the gap in power. But after seeing the bracelet, the three were hesitant as they weren¡¯t sure what power it held.


    Although they were now a washed up family, the Ye¡¯s were once indisputably the most powerful presence in Green Moon City. History was history, and stories did not threaten the Du camp, but the family¡¯s heirlooms did!


    Lu Feng wanted thend at North Hill Bay which was basically already in his pocket so now the Du Patriarch wanted to wipe them out. Fighting the Ye family was not really General Zhou¡¯s business anymore; he was not willing to risk his life fighting an unknown artifact because his job was done. He quickly backed away behind Du Yuan Ming and said ¡±I will go after Ye Hai, the Ye Patriarch is all yours!¡±


    General Zhou took off towards Ye Hai before Du patriarch could reply.


    ¡°I will take on the rest of the Ye family!¡± Dong Ho tried to make avoiding confronting Ze Zheng Qing¡¯s secret weapon sound just as he headed towards the second generation of Ye¡¯s.


    Both Dong Ho and Zhou Wuid their eyes on the artifact with greed. But the Ye Patriarch was not that weak, and with the power of his bracelet still being a mystery the two were not willing to risk too much.


    Du Yuan Ming too was somewhat scared by the green glow of the bracelet.


    Mystic Arms can store stances which were activated by the Qi of the user. They were sorted into five different grades, low, medium, top, imperial, and sacred. Each grade then divided into ten star levels.


    Low grade arms store Spirit stances, and they glow ck when activated.


    Medium grade arms store Myst stances, and glow green while activated. Top grade arms store Earth stances, and have a silver glow; whereas Imperial grade arms store Sky stances, they glow gold while activated.


    Sacred grade arms, rare as they were, store Heaven stances and glow purple!


    Mystic Arms were crafted from bones of rare beasts and demons. Some of these powerful creatures carry stances in their bodies and bones therefore their remains were always sought after by men. And these artifacts even low grade ones were very rare. The stances within are unique and therefore hard to deal with.


    Judging by the glow, Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s Mystic Arm was medium grade. There were less than five pieces of that quality in all of Green Moon City, and all of them were valued family heirlooms that won¡¯t be put to use unless absolutely necessary. The fact that Ye Patriarch owns this piece adds a bit more mystery to the Ye family¡¯s history.


    The power of a medium grade arm was great enough to threaten condensed prime Warriors.


    ¡°No wonder why you refused to hand your ancestralnd over. What else do you have up your sleeve old fart?¡± Du Yuan Ming red at the Ye Patriarch with intensity.


    Du Yuan Ming¡¯s cultivation advantage over Ye Zheng Qing had just been evened by the artifact as such the result of the fight was not so clear all of a sudden.


    The audience was surprised to see what the Ye Patriarch was holding.


    ¡°That green glow! The Ye family is holding nothing back! I had no idea they had ess a Mystic Arm!¡±


    ¡°The Ye family is full of surprises aren¡¯t they! Do you think Du Patriarch can deal with the Mystic Arm?¡±


    Some of the audience were drooling over Ye Patriarch¡¯s artifact hoping that the two families will weaken each other, and when the chance presents itself the Mystic Arm would be up for grabs. Medium grade arms talk louder than money does.


    ¡°Is it really a good move showing his bracelet this soon? Or fighting the Du family at all? He might be able to take down Du Patriarch, but is it really worth... That medium grade arm will just end up in Zhou Wu or Dong Ho¡¯s hands!¡±


    ¡°This is going to get messy kind of exciting isn¡¯t it?¡± Stronger members of the audience were just standing back and waiting for the start.


    Du Yuan Mingughed, ¡°Ye Zheng Qing, do you think you are the only person here with dirty tricks up your sleeves? You¡¯re not seriously thinking you can save your family with that sissy bracelet do you? Let me tell you a little secret, we have back-up! Someone high up and powerful wants yournd. It¡¯s not convenient for him to show his face, but he did gave us a few things to help seal the deal! You have no chance against us what you just did is basically handing over a valuable item!¡±


    The whole Ye camp heard what he said, and their hearts dropped. Ye Zheng Qing was saddened. Just the thought of a powerful figure behind this campaign scared him. ¡®Who is powerful enough to use Du family as a chess piece? What have I done wrong to deserve this?¡¯


    The Ye family was full of questions. They had never been this scared. However, there was one person who was more angry than he was scared. Ye Wei had been through a lottely, all the negativity converted to anger then despair.


    ¡®I swear if I live this day, I will find out who is behind this, and whoever it is will pay for the suffering of my family!¡¯ Ye Wei swore.


    ¡°Power speaks for itself! Watch this! Ye Patriarch and you will see how little you and your family are!¡± Du Yuan Mingughed and fetched three scrolls from his pocket; the three scrolls the radiated a faint green light.

 Chapter 41 – The Ichor Palm

    Chapter 41 ¨C The Ichor Palm


    Ye Zheng Qing was shocked to see three green scrolls in the Du Patriarch¡¯s hand. The Du family was resourceful, but a medium grade mystic scrolls were super rare, and not something one could acquired through wealth!


    A Myst stance was inscribed on each of the scrolls which activates when one tears the scroll.


    Mystic Arms and scrolls both have their pros and cons.


    The scrolls are rtively cheaper and their activation require no Qi, but the downside is that they are one-use artifacts. Once torn and activated they were useless, and only a fraction of the inscribed stance¡¯s power would be releasedpared to a Mystic Arm.


    The arms were reusable, and activated by Qi they would release the full potential of the stance stored in them as long as the Qi of the usersted. Their price and rarity were their drawbacks, together with the fact that they don¡¯t work when the user runs out of Qi, unlike scrolls.


    Having said that, both medium grade arms and scrolls were very rare, and people who possess them usually prefer to keep them.


    ¡°The person backing us gave me these three scrolls though I never thought I¡¯d have to use them. You should be proud of yourself for putting me in this situation!¡± Du Yuan Ming sneered.


    Both Zhou Wu and Dong Ho were jealous of the Du Patriarch. They kept a healthy rtionship with Lu Feng but had never received any gifts like the patriarch did.


    Lu Feng was strong but he was not capable of inscribing medium grade scrolls. These three scroll were made by nobody other than his master, Master Mu, himself.


    ¡°Du Yuan Ming, none of us are afraid of dying for the family!¡± Ye Zheng Qing turned around, energized by the courageous faces of his kins and said to the Du Patriarch. ¡°We are all in! Maybe we won¡¯t make it through today, but your family will not walk out of this arena the way you came in, if you walk out at all!¡±


    Ye Zheng Qing stared at the Du camp as he furiously injected Qi into the bone bracelet.


    The bracelet rattled and hummed! It radiated a blurry but bright green burst of light as the runes carved on the bone fragments twitched. The runes were then projected onto the green blurry light sphere. They transformed it into the shape of an enormous bird, and a big burst of energy exploded from the artifact!


    The bird¡¯s call was proportional to the size of the creature. It spreaded its wings and flew towards the Du camp.


    ¡°No!¡± Du Yuan Ming started panicking, ¡°I will deal with Ye Zheng Qing while you two wipe out the rest of them!¡± He said to Zhou Wu and Dong Ho as he torn up one of the scrolls. A thick vine shot out of the broken scroll andshed towards therge green bird. The bird was tangled and slowed moments after.


    The destruction of two condensed prime Warriors armed with Mystic Arms and scrolls was life threatening, and because of this the audience started running away in panic as the scale of this fight escted quickly.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Although tangled in vines, the green bird¡¯s attack was not stopped. It opened its beak and spat out a scotching pir of me. This incinerated a few of the Du youngsters who were too slow to react, and their chilling cries slowly faded in the sea of fire.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Du Yuan Ming¡¯s expression was twisted. With the impable speed of a seven star condensed prime Warrior he traveled to the Ye side of the arena in a blink of an eye. He was levitating over the Ye youngsters with a long sequence of glowing runes already on his fingertip.


    Together with this stance he tore up the second scroll. This summoned balls of fire that rained down onto therge green bird. They left long trails of fire which resembled colossalets breaking through the atmosphere.


    It took two medium grade scrolls on top of a Qi shield to finally stop the the vigorous attack of the green bird. But Du Ming Yue¡¯s rage had not subsided because of the casualties they suffered he was not going to just let this go. ¡°Do it!¡±


    Zhou Wu and Dong Ho chuckled as they charged towards the Ye camp. The general¡¯s hand spread open, and it was as big as a hand fan. He extended his arm and reached towards Ye Wei.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch my nephew!¡± Ye Hai shouted then channeled his Qi striking out with his palm.


    ¡°You are not in my league!¡± Zhou Wuughed and punched Ye Hai¡¯s palm with his other hand. Ye Hai¡¯s arm immediately shattered upon contact. Ye Hai was overpowered by the crushing momentum, he spat out blood and fell to the ground.


    There were cruel smiles on both the general and president¡¯s faces as Ye Hai was thrown back.


    ¡°You guys are rubbish! Is there anyone here who can fight? I am getting bored! If you¡¯re not going to fight back I will just end your miserable lives and send you lot to meet your ancestors!¡± Zhou Wu quickly wrote a rune sequence with each of his hands.


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    Driven by Qi, the runes started rattling. The runes transformed into twenty blood red palms, each of them was ten meters long and emanated vile Qi out of the grooves and palm lines. They were just like the gigantic hands of a demon.


    Myst stance, Ichor Palms!


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The red palms were still materializing, but they were already emitting petrifying pressure waves that knocked all the Ye youngsters including Ye Wei onto the ground. They were pressed against the floor looking pale and defenseless.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    Themanding power of Zhou Wu was menacing! Before actually attacking, the red palms were just hovered in the air, but Ye Wei¡¯s joints were starting to crack as if they were about to be shattered. The pressure waves mercilessly pushed against him causing him to bleed internally and spit out more blood.


    ¡°Little Wei!¡± Ye Zhong clumsily stepped to Ye Wei¡¯s side. He turned his head to his little cousin and shouted with a broken voice after seeing his precious partner¡¯s condition. ¡°Over my dead body!¡±


    ¡°And my tiger!¡± Ye Zhong forced his Sentient and dantian dry with thest bit of his will-force and Qi he forced himself to perform White Tiger¡¯s Assault. There was only one thought in his mind, he had to protect Ye Wei.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    The mighty beast appeared. It growled and immediately lunged at the falling red palm over Ye Wei¡¯s body. The tiger and Ye Zhong shared a ferocious and determined look.


    ¡°This is hrious. You are still just an ordinary Warrior! What are you thinking?¡± Zhou Wuughed hysterically then mmed his hand down, and the red palm dropped down with great momentum.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The white tiger was shattered by the red palm immediately.


    They were both Myst stances, but Zhou Wu had decades of training before Ye Zhong was even born. The seven star condensed prime Warrior¡¯s stance broke White Tiger¡¯s Assault upon contact.


    ¡°Little Wei, I¡¯m sorry...¡± Ye Zhong lost consciousness as the tiger was shattered, and his Sentient was fractured.


    ¡°Cousin Zhong!¡± Ye Wei screamed his lungs out as tears were flowing out of his bloodshot eyes. His Sentient too began to fray.


    A golden sh emerged in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient empowering his body so it stayed rigid under the immense pressure.


    One by one the Ye¡¯s dropped to the ground with blooding from their mouths. Ye Wei was standing but his consciousness was fading.


    ¡°A Student and still on your feet? Admirable!¡± Zhou Wu grunted and channeled more Qi, ten more red palms struck towards Ye Wei with even stronger force.

 Chapter 42 – Master Yi

    Chapter 42 ¨C Master Yi


    ¡°No!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he looked around him. He grunted in agony as he was saddened by his fallen brothers and sisters bathed in blood.


    As the red palms approached Ye Wei, the spine-chilling force intensified exponentially. His bones started to crack and his wounded body couldn¡¯t stop bleeding, even his Sentient which was protected by the golden light was starting to rupture. His whole body was on the edge of breaking.


    The pain Ye Wei suffered from his tearing Sentient was ten times greater than his body was enduring; the pain was striking his soul. However strong Ye Wei¡¯s mind was, there was no way he could stay conscious for much longer.


    Suffering from critical haemorrhaging, his blood starteding out of the pores on Ye Wei¡¯s skin. He was no longer conscious, but his body was somehow still standing straight!


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    Just as Ye Wei lost consciousness, the mystic mountain appeared in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient, and the golden light started repairing and patching up the cracks.


    Some of the energy even escaped his Sentient and rushed throughout the rest of his body, into his blood, muscles, and bones. This energy silently nourished Ye Wei¡¯s body causing it to repair and even strengthen itself at an incredible rate! Bathing in this energy, his body would have the strength of a four star Student in mere minutes.


    What Ye Wei was experiencing sped up his cultivation enormously. He was catching up to the naturally gifted children his age, but his life is now at risk. It was at the mercy of his luck and the gigantic red palms shown no sign of stopping!


    ¡°Little Wei!¡±


    Ye Zheng Qing looked at his grandson in despair. Hoping it was not toote, he hastefully injected his Qi into the bone bracelet.


    Therge green bird in the sky shook and broke through the vines with a couple wing strikes then it flew towards Ye Wei immediately after it got free.


    The patriarch¡¯s bracelet was actually a six star medium grade Mystic Arm. The stance within was powerful enough to threaten even a seven star Warrior. However, the distance between him and Ye Wei was far, despite the effort the red palms made contact with Ye Wei.


    ¡°No!¡± Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s vocal cord was close to tearing. His cry echoed throughout the arena; it was the only sound that could be heard.


    Zhou Wu was extremely excited, his lips curved upwards showing a sadistic smile. It has been too long since hest saw a bloodbath. He had been picturing himself drawing blood since the fight broke out.


    ¡°Who dares hurt my apprentice?!¡± An angry voice came out of nowhere loud as thunder. It staggered everyone in the arena. The cry was powerful as a force of nature.


    Before the voice faded, a sequence of some three-hundred runes appeared in the skyline and merged together instantly radiating a blinding light. They formed thirty golden fists with unproportionallyrge knuckles, filling the sky.


    This mighty presence made everyone at the arena think that a god had arrived it seemed as if the sky itself was pressing down onto them.


    The condensed prime Warriors were the only ones who had an idea of what was happening. The Du Patriarch and general Zhou were two of the strongest men in Green Moon City, but they were shivering under this pressure like everyone else.


    Rays of golden light from the fists shone onto the red palms and subsequently dissolved them in an instant right above the Ye camp.


    ¡°Swish!¡±


    The golden fists dropped from the sky like a rain ofets. They elerated towards Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho. These fists connected with the three in a sh, and their chests took most of the hits. All three were sent flying and spinning like a kite with its string cut.


    Their ribcages were broken, and they simultaneously spat blood turning pale. The three were put into a life threatening situation from theirmanding positions in a mere moment.


    While the Du Patriarch was flying he saw a blue shape far far away through his dted pupils. It was a square object that resembled a tiny temple. He suddenly realised it was the runicle he saw earlier, and his heart sank in fear and panic.


    What kind of monster could injure three condensed prime Warriors from a mile away? Nobody at the scene knew that this kind of power existed.


    Half a minute passed as the blue runicle drew closer. It came to a stop right by the destroyed arena.


    The door slid open, and a ragged-clothed old man with shaggy hair walked out of the runicle. The sky went dark the moment this vulgar figure stepped his foot onto the arena. Master Yi had arrived!


    There was a golden glow in Master Yi¡¯s eyes, his levitating body emanated a force field that covered the whole arena and caused the air around him to ripple.


    He scanned the arena with his golden eyes, and his calm stare was prating. People at the arena were intimidated by his pressure and trembled uncontrobly.


    ¡°Master Yi!¡± Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho were as pale as ghosts, and they looked at the Runemaster in fear. They couldn¡¯t believe what just happened.


    General Zhou and President Dong stared at the Du Patriarch resentfully, and regretted helping him. Never in their wildest dreams did they think they would anger Master Yi because of it.


    ¡°I am Zhou Wu!¡±


    ¡°I am Dong Ho!¡±


    ¡°Greetings Master Yi!¡± The two said in unison. Being nice to the Runemaster was more important than the pain they were suffering and their regret. They bowed down before Master Yi while grinding their teeth.


    Master Yi was always in his own world, and this was the first social interaction he had for a while. If it wasn¡¯t for Ye Wei he would be at home studying and researching runes and stances.


    ¡°Greetings Master Yi, my name is Du Yuan Ming!¡± The patriarch knew he was in trouble as Master Yi never got himself involved in family disputes and from the Runemaster¡¯s behavior he could tell the Ye family was protected. Du Yuan Ming had temporarily forgotten about the deal with Lu Feng, and he was just focused on how to survive Master Yi¡¯s wrath.


    The Du Patriarch¡¯s status meant nothing in front of this sociopath. Not only was Master Yi an individual with immeasurable strength, he was also someone who was worshipped. If he started a fight and somehow needed help, he would get it.


    ¡°Master Yi!¡± The audience too bowed to the Runemaster. For many of them it was an honor seeing his face, and some of them just wanted to leave a good impression on the most powerful man in Green Moon City. Surely some of the audience¡¯s grandchildren would hear about the story of this encounter.


    Master Yi looked less than ordinary, his appearance did not reflect his achievements at all. Du Yuan Ming was surprised that the powerful golden fist stance came from someone who looked like this.


    The Du Patriarch was going to mention his rtionship with Master Mu in hopes that it would gain Master Yi¡¯s respect. But after experiencing Master Yi¡¯s power first hand, he realized Master Yi was on apletely different realm than the second most famous Runemaster in Green Moon City, and there would be no point in dropping Master Mu¡¯s name.


    ¡°Master Yi please don¡¯t be angry. We did not know the Ye family was affiliated with you. We are really sorry!¡± Zhou Wu broke silence and begged Master Yi for forgiveness with a trembling voice as his legs went soft.


    Dong Ho too was scared of the consequences. His white lips were twitching as he tried to talk himself out of trouble. ¡°I have no idea what the Du family is trying to get me and the general into. They invited us without telling us any details!¡± He cowardly shouldered the responsibility and the me on the Du family.


    Master Yi grunted. He did not look at anyone in the Du camp as he headed straight to the Ye camp after hearing the excuses, more specifically towards Ye Wei.


    He turned his head around and casually gazed at Zhou Wu and Dong Ho. Not only did this scare them, but their chests were hammered by Master Yi¡¯s invisible strike and they coughed and choked on their own blood.

 Chapter 43 – Rain

    Chapter 43 ¨C Rain


    ¡°I am the Ye Patriarch. Greetings Master Yi!¡± Ye Zheng Qing slowly walked towards their savior, and gave the traditional two hand greeting, palm against fist, as he spoke nervously.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Master Yi¡¯s face was emotionless. He stopped walking to nod at Ye Zheng Qing, who was ttered by the small acknowledgment from the fabled figure.


    Even though the exchange was brief, Ye Zheng Qing was really proud of the fact that the Runemaster responded because Master Yi ignored the three leaders of the Du camp when they greeted him. When his status and more importantly his cultivation was pretty far behind them, only at three star condensed prime stage, he still gave Ye Zheng Qing face.


    ¡°Master Yi...¡± Ye Zheng Qing looked at the Runemaster¡¯s back. He was excited but shortly after, he frowned in confusion when he realized Master Yi was only nice to him because he was rted to Ye Wei. Who told the family he did not make it through the entrance exam? ¡®If that was the case why is he here!?¡¯


    The Ye Patriarch stood still both grateful for and confused by Master Yi¡¯s intervention. He just hoped it was not toote for Ye Wei and the youngsters. If not then this experience will strengthen them more than it would scar them.


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡± Lin Zi Yan nervously ran out of the runicle once the situation was stabilized by Master Yi. Her ink ck pupils became bright purple the moment he saw Ye Wei¡¯s damaged body in the middle of fallen Ye youngsters.


    An invisible wave of energy was emitted by her as her eyes turned purple, it swept the arena like a breeze. The tulip on her robe was flowing in the wind and the air around her began to freeze.


    ¡°Girl!¡± Master Yi felt the fall in temperature. His face twitched, and he turned around to Lin Zi Yan. It was apparent that he was concerned about what she might do when he saw the color of her pupils.


    ¡°Ye Wei is fine!¡± Master Yi shouted anxiously, desperately trying to calm Lin Zi Yan¡¯s anger. He knew what she was capable of doing in a frenzy. She was just a Warrior, but she was one from that family. Justice is one thing, but a massacre is another matter entirely. Master Yi ran over to Zi Yan then held her by his side, calming her down. Her eyes gradually returned to their normal state; she was reassured but still breathed a bit quicker than normal.


    Master Yi then scanned around himself, assessing the injuries the Ye camp sustained. Most of the youngsters were critically injured by Du Yuan Ming and were in need of immediate medical attention.


    ¡®Oh Ye Wei, you reckless child!¡¯ Master Yi looked at Ye Wei, who though covered in blood and unconscious, was still on his feet. His eyes were still glimmering. ¡®Stubborn and strong willed, this one will go far if he stays out of trouble!¡¯ He was d he made it in time. He was very close to having a big regret that would have haunted him for the rest of his life.


    Wasting no more time, Master Yi with a grave look on his face rapidly drew a sequence of three hundred and sixty-six runes with both of his hands, and immediately injected his dense Qi into them.


    Master Yi¡¯s Qi circted through the sequence and shook the runes. The illuminating runes then transformed into arge cloud of green fog that shrouded the Ye camp.


    The cloud condensed into drops of green rain which nourished the injured youngsters. The visible wounds were quickly healing at an abnormal speed under the moisturization of the glowing raindrops.


    Forbidden level Myst stance, Green Mizzle.


    Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho were all able to identify this stance; they were all shocked and envious.


    The Green Mizzle was a rare and miraculous stance Master Yi was rumored to possess. It had the power to heal and rejuvenate human bodies to a fresh and healthy condition as long as they were still breathing.


    Lives of Warriors were not calm orfortable. They were bound to umte injuries over time from fighting demons, beasts, and, sadly, even themselves. Many times they would even have to tap their will-force reserve dry, fighting for their lives at the cost of damaging their Sentients. Sentients were such that they could not be repaired or recovered from rest and ordinary medication.


    Suffice it to say no condensed prime Warriors got to where they were without battling hundreds of beasts and demons, injuring their bodies and sometimes even their Sentients. The good news for the Ye¡¯s was that the Green Mizzle stance could reverse these injuries, at a cost of the user¡¯s health. Even the strongest man in Green Moon City can not escape its cost. Even Master Yi could not use this forbidden stance too often.


    Thest time Master Yi used this stance was some eighteen years ago when a massive beast hordeid siege to Green Moon City. Eight generals of Green Moon City were gravely injured when they defended the city. The beasts were eliminated by their valiant efforts, but their injuries did not go away, and their conditions actually worsened during their five years of rehabilitation and rest. Not only were their bodies not recovering, but their cultivation was also starting to show signs of regression.


    In desperation to restore the city¡¯s defense, the city lord offered Master Yi a million silver in exchange to use the Green Mizzle stance on the injured generals. The stance worked miracles, and the eight generals went back to the line of duty as stronger men.


    A million silvers! The Du camp was jealous because it was not them receiving this treatment. They were also scared for their future because it showed how much Master Yi cared for the family they just mercilessly vited.


    Having said that, Master Yi did not do it for the money eight years ago; he did it out of respect. The eight generals gave their all and got injured fighting armies of beasts! He would have done it for free. The ten star Runemaster was living self-sustainably, he did not care about wealth nor living a life of luxury.


    ¡®Du Yuan Ming you idiot! You and your stupid reports! How could you miss this!? Who is going to deal with Master Yi?¡¯ General Zhou panicked.


    ¡®If the city lord hears about this, I will certainly lose my position!¡¯


    The general was anxious. He looked at the Du Patriarch with a pernicious stare and quietly swore and cursed. Unlike Du Yuan Ming, he did not have a goodwork, and it would be hard for him to keep his job if the city lord knows he had bad blood with Master Yi. The Du family was connected to Master Mu¡¯s legacy apprentice Lu Feng, who might be able to help them rebuild their reputation in Green Moon City.


    Dong Ho was even more concerned about his future. In the business world, public rtions and reputation was everything. If people spread the word about his involvement in a dispute with Master Yi, his merchant guild would definitely lose clients and suppliers. Ruining a name that took centuries of hard work to build.


    The members of the audience that recognized the Green Mizzle stance were shocked, and they could not quite believe what Master Yi used it voluntarily. Using the stance made Master Yi look pale as he was quietly catching his breath.


    While the Ye family was recovering, the whole arena turned quiet. Humbled by the Runemaster¡¯s offensive and healing powers. Everyone was frozen in awe.


    They would never correctly guess the reason Master Yi did all this for the Ye family. But one thing was sure; the Ye¡¯s were now out of bounds! Nobody would dare touch them again; they were protected by someone incredible.


    The members of bigger families who were present all had one thought in their minds, ¡®I need to tell the family about what just happened today... The Du family¡¯s greed, the Ye family¡¯s hidden strengths, and the power of Master Yi!¡¯ It was fortunate not many people rted Master Yi¡¯s intervention to Ye Wei, or else the young talent would be in more danger than he could ever imagine.


    With Master Yi now publically supporting the Ye family, their future was brighter than ever before. Not that the Ye family wanted to be carried by connections, but respect and fear are what they will learn to ept from now on as they got back to their everyday life.


    The Ye family¡¯s reputation too had been restored. Not to the level it once was, but now they had a good foundation to be something amazing.

 Chapter 44 – Legacy

    Chapter 44 ¨C Legacy


    The green rain was slowing, and the cloud of fog began to fade.


    The Ye family was feeling fresh after ten minutes under Green Mizzle¡¯s affect, wounds on their bodies vanished, and even the small cracks in their Sentients disappeared. The rejuvenated Ye¡¯s started to regain consciousness and opened their eyes.


    Although he was heavily injuredpared to others, Ye Wei also slowly opened his eyes. Ye Zhong though was still unresponsive because his Sentient was far too damaged, to the point that it could not be repaired by even Master Yi¡¯s stance.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s clothes were still shredded, but his body was now uninjured. What one could not see with the naked eye was his Sentient¡¯s state. It was broken into pieces and covered in hideous scars.


    To protect his dear cousin, Ye Zhong ignored his injuries from fighting Du Han Yue. Not only did he use White Tiger¡¯s Assault when his body was in a terrible condition, but he also took a clean hit from Zhou Wu¡¯s Ichor Palm for Ye Wei.


    ¡®It was a miracle Ye Zhong managed to live after taking a hit from someone with such a vast cultivation advantage over himself. It¡¯s worth mentioning that he waspletely out of will-force and Qi.¡¯ Ye Zheng Qing sighed.


    ¡°Cousin Zhong!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes popped wide open the moment he regained full consciousness. He anxiously cast his eyes to where Ye Zhong was. His cousin protected him against the Ichor Palm with White Tiger¡¯s Assault was hisst memory before fainting.


    It was almost like time unfroze when he woke up, and it was his reflex to check if his cousin was okay.


    Seeing his cousin lying unconscious with his eyes closed, Ye Wei teared up and crawled towards Ye Zhong. He sat next to the selfless Warrior and guarded his motionless body.


    ¡°Ye Wei! Are you okay?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s could not care about anyone other than Ye Zhong while Lin Zi Yan could not worry about anyone else but Ye Wei. She wasn¡¯tpletely calm until she actually saw Ye Wei open his eyes. She looked relieved and exhausted from the distress.


    ¡°Zi Yan, Master Yi...¡± Ye Wei looked around him. He saw that Master Yi and Lin Zi Yan stood next to him, further away Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho were bleeding and were on their knees. It wasn¡¯t long until he figured out what happened.


    ¡°Thank you, Master Yi! Thanks for saving us!¡± Ye Wei said from the bottom of his heart and bowed politely.


    He figured out the what and when, but the why was still a mystery. Master Yi declined Ye Wei¡¯s request just a while ago.


    ¡®Why did he...¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s already been proven... I won¡¯t even be able to perform a stance. Zi Yan must have convinced him somehow... How much do I own her now.¡¯


    Oblivious to his actual capacity, Ye Wei was again opting to pathetic thoughts and couldn¡¯t be more thankful to Lin Zi Yan for yet more help. Apart from that he was impressed by her influence, It¡¯s hard even for influential figures to get an appointment with Master Yi, but not only did Zi Yan arranged the entry exam for him in a short notice now she got him to save his family and him.


    ¡®Does she like me that much? How can I ever repay her?¡¯ Ye Wei looked at Zi Yan, as she was looking at him nervously. Her pretty face showed nothing but concern over Ye Wei¡¯s condition. Ye Wei¡¯s heart melted because of this misunderstanding.


    ¡°I feel okay!¡± Ye Wei forcefully squeezed out a smile. His memories were slowly returning. He remembered how badly injured he was, thus realizing how far Master Yi went just to save him. ¡®My torn Sentient, the broken bones, and muscles are now in perfect condition!¡¯


    ¡°Master Yi, the Ye family is forever in your debt! We will never forget about this favor!¡± Ye Zheng Qing gathered up the family and bowed to the Runemaster. ¡°If there is anything you can use manpower for, you can ask us anytime. We are three hundred strong, and ready to do anything you want us to!¡± The Ye Patriarch dered solemnly.


    Although Master didn¡¯t really need their help, Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s sincerity did move him a little.


    Upon hearing Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s touching speech, he waved his hand and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, I didn¡¯t do much! Furthermore...¡± Master Yi shifted his focus to Ye Wei as his eyes were full of joy. ¡°Furthermore, I¡¯ve decided to take Ye Wei as my apprentice, from now on he will be my legacy apprentice!¡±


    Everyone who heard what Master Yi just said turned their head to Ye Wei. They couldn¡¯t believe their ears.


    Master Yi had a few apprentices through the years, but all of them were just tutored asionally, they were more like his assistants.


    They were all good learners who had the potential to be Runemasters in their lives. But Master Yi did not think they were talented enough, and he never taught them his secrets. Master Yi merely guided them while the apprentices did self-study. Even those apprentices had great lives with their superb reputations, and now Ye Wei was appointed to be his legacy apprentice!


    Though the announcement drew a lot of attention and jealousy, Master Yi¡¯s intention was met. He wanted everyone to know the Ye family was off limits! People were speechless and would appreciate the Ye family¡¯s statusing out of today¡¯s events.


    Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho were kneeling close to the arena¡¯s center with their faces pale as if they were headed to the guillotine.


    It was bing apparent to them that they were now Master Yi¡¯s enemies. One must know the rtionship between masters and legacy apprentices were as close as fathers to their children.


    During this time, Ye Wei was still confused; he wondered if something happened when he was unconscious that changed Master Yi¡¯s mind.


    Master Yi kept his eyes on Ye Wei and continued his speech, ¡°I have decided to pass all the knowledge and skills I possess onto Ye Wei!¡± Master Yi got excited just by thinking about Ye Wei¡¯s future. The child¡¯s innocence and humbleness would help the Runemaster mold him into something greater than anyone ever imagined, even greater than his own master.


    Ye Zheng Qing was just quietly stood at the side, trying to digest everything he just heard. The message could not be any clearer. The renowned Master Yi, this outstanding Runemaster, had chosen his grandson as his legacy apprentice. Although he knew what it meant, it proved to be something that the Ye Patriarch could not fathom.


    After processing the words they heard, the rest of the Yi family too became hysterical.


    ¡°Can you pinch me?¡±


    ¡°Little Wei? Legacy apprentice?¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were on Master Yi¡¯s gentle face while the Runemaster kindly asked a question. ¡°I am not sure if I am qualified to teach someone like you, but would you like to be my, YI Yan¡¯s apprentice?¡±


    How could Ye Wei in his right mind refuse? ¡°Of course, I would love to be your apprentice!¡± He answered with slight confusion in his voice. ¡°Greetings Master!¡± He bowed before Master Yi.


    Master Yi burst intoughter looking Ye Wei¡¯s clueless face. ¡°Very good!¡± He replied.


    The Ye family was feeling ecstatic, especially Ye Zheng Qing. He has been through ups and downs with his family, and after seeing it on the edge of crumbling, now he could see the silver lining. It was reasonable that he was in tears.


    Ye Wei¡¯s uncles too were overwhelmed by emotions as well. They were all startled by this unlikely source of intervention and honored to be rted to Master Yi¡¯s new apprentice.


    ¡®Everything Master Yi knows? Just how lucky are the Ye¡¯s today?¡¯ From being in a dire situation to now being at a ce everyone envied in just a morning, it was all to unfathomable. They knew too well what having a Runemaster in one¡¯s family implied...

 Chapter 45 – It’s Not Fair

    Chapter 45 ¨C It¡¯s Not Fair


    Contrary to the Ye family¡¯s ted mood, Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho were feeling unsettled and frightened.


    The Du Patriarch perniciously looked at the Ye camp. He was so close to getting rid of them, and now they were about to get away as if nothing happened. The feeling of being stopped one step away from eradicating a threat was like nothing else, especially when they were going toe back stronger, and be protected by someone like Master Yi!


    Most of the Ye youngsters had now woken up. They didn¡¯t think too much about Ye Zhong¡¯s condition, as he had endured the most injuries. It was reasonable if he woke upst.


    Master Yi was relieved the moment he learned Ye Wei was fine, but he was still curious about why Ye Zhong was not moving. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. A golden sh appeared in his eyes after which he then cast his prating gaze onto Ye Zhong, checking his Qi flow and body condition.


    He stared at the motionless body for ten seconds, looking worried and mournful.


    ¡°This child was gifted, it¡¯s such a shame...¡± He broke the silence after a thorough assessment. He shook his head resentfully and then a long, sad sigh followed.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s name was the first thing that left Ye Wei¡¯s lips after he woke up. Master Yi could tell from his observations that the cousins upied arge ce in each other¡¯s hearts. Due to that, he would do anything within his abilities to revive his apprentice¡¯s cousin from hisa.


    But, sadly, this was not the case. Without the aid of a Welkin Leaf, Ye Zhong might never again see the sun due to his shattered Sentient!


    Getting ahold of the rare herb would be just the first step. It could wake him, but the chance of his Sentientpletely recovering was less than ten percent.


    Ye Wei¡¯s heart dropped when he heard Master Yi¡¯s sigh; he asked anxiously, ¡°Master Yi, is my cousin okay?¡± He nervously clenched his fists while waiting for his master¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Why is he not waking up?¡±


    Ye Hai asked. The family was getting restless as they too heard the long sigh. Being a five star Warrior at the age of twenty-two, Ye Zhong was well on his way to overtake Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s cultivation, and he was the most likely candidate to the patriarch¡¯s position.


    ¡°This child¡¯s Sentient is shattered; he won¡¯t be waking up for the rest of his life.¡± Master Yi did not fabricate facts; he did not know how to.


    Master Yi¡¯s words struck the Ye¡¯s like a bolt of lightning that sent shivers down the group¡¯s spines. The patriarch and Ye Hai staggered and almost fell.


    ¡°But what do you mean? The Green Mizzle didn¡¯t save him?!¡± Ye Hai couldn¡¯t ept his son, the strongest youngster, and future of the Ye family was in a vegetative state.


    ¡°Shattered Sentient?¡± Master Yi voice echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s head. ¡°Won¡¯t be waking up the rest of his life?¡± He was stupefied, standing still like a soulless being.


    ¡®He did that for me... He was fighting an impossible fight against the general for me...¡¯


    With a bottomless sense of guilt stabbing at his heart, Ye Wei had severe chest pain. He could hardly breathe.


    ¡°Is there any other ways?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face showed determination, but his trembling voice told otherwise. He clenched his fist, and raised his head to look at Master Yi, ¡°I will do anything for my cousin¡¯s recovery, even if it means I have to go through hell.¡±


    Inspired by Ye Wei¡¯s stubbornness, Master Yi found the answer to the question. ¡°If, a big if... If I can get ahold of some Welkin leaves, I should be able to restore his consciousness with a fancy stance. But that nt is extremely rare. With it, I will see what I can do!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Master!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s mood lightened slightly. ¡®If master can¡¯t find it, I will.¡¯ He bowed to Master Yi again.


    Du Yuan Ming, Zhou Wu, and Dong Ho knew they were going to be in trouble as they were responsible for every bit of Ye Zhong¡¯s injuries. They tried to sneak away from the scene quietly as the Ye¡¯s started talking about the youngster who was now in a vegetative state.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Master Yi grunted, their sneakiness did not escape his cold gaze.


    ¡°Master Yi...¡± The three were shivering in fear. They would not be able to fight their way out of this situation, not alone, and not together.


    ¡°There were some misunderstandings between our family and the Ye¡¯s, but I realize now that we took it a bit too far due to our hotheadedness, and for that we apologize. We didn¡¯t do anything wrong, please just let us go!¡± Du Yuan Ming said with a trembling voice as he spoke quieter and quieter trying to excuse himself and his crew. He even put down his pride as a patriarch in front of Master Yi.


    What Du Yuan Ming said opened Ye Wei¡¯s eyes. ¡®You did all this! You shamed, and harmed our family, and you dare say it¡¯s a misunderstanding? If Master is not going to make this right, I will revenge for my family when I am strong enough!¡¯


    Master Yi saw Ye Wei¡¯s hateful stare, and it just confirmed the Du family¡¯s wrongdoings. Without a second thought, he started moving his right hand. A long string of runes flew out of his fingertips, and a wave of Qi came crashing like high tide reaching the shore.


    Golden Arhat Palm was one of Master Yi¡¯s powerful creations. For most people it was an honor to see his stances two times in one day, but not for these three.


    Knowing its power, Du Yuan Ming quickly used the Onyx Tortoise stance. Raw primal energy stuck onto his body forming a thick ck armor that covered every inch of his skin. Zhou Wu roared like a lion and quickly finished a rune sequence, ¡°Primal Blockade!¡± The runes in his palm grew around themselves; eventually, they dug into and shook the ground forming a hefty Qi wall that stood tall in front of him. ¡®cial Casket!¡¯ Dong Ho grunted. His fat was shaking as he channeled Qi. Four sheets of dense ice froze around his body forming arge coffin, shining blue and seemingly imprable.


    They were not going to fight back to further anger the most powerful man in this corner of thend; therefore, they opted to defend themselves the best they could.


    Master Yi grunted and continued channeling his ruthless attack. The golden palms viciouslynded on the three¡¯s defenses.


    Soon as the palms hit, Du Yuan Ming¡¯s armors frayed; Zhou Wu¡¯s wall disintegrated and the ice of Dong Ho¡¯s shattered.


    Dong Ho got hit the hardest as his defense waspletely irrelevant, it only took one golden palm to get him out of the picture. He was sent flying and fell twenty meters away from the point of impact. He screamed on the ground in pain when he was not puking blood.


    It wasn¡¯t much better for the general and the patriarch despite their defense being more solid due to their cultivation, the palms were therefore slowed, but they still left dents on their bodies and damaged their meridians which obstructed Qi flow in their systems causing intolerable pain.


    Karma bites, sometimes sooner than people expect. It had been a while since the three feared death.


    Master Yi stared down onto the Du patriarch and said coldly: ¡°I don¡¯t think there is a ce for the Du family in this city.¡± His sharp voice petrified the Du family members, and they were aware the Runemaster could squeeze them like ants.


    ¡°Greetings Master Yi! I am not one of them. I am from the Lu family in Ning City! Please don¡¯t harm a civilian!¡± The stern-faced teenager was scared too; he never thought things would go bad with the Du¡¯s.


    ¡®Humm he¡¯s pretty talented better than the kid in aa, but nothingparing to Ye Wei, and he sounds like a two faced punk!¡¯ Master Yi looked at him with a prating stare and thought. ¡°What are you doing here then? Piss off!¡± He flicked his sleeve intensely at the Lu teen.


    The teenager¡¯s talent and gestures were not going to save him today. Master Yi¡¯s invisible strikeshed at him quicker than he could blink, and he didn¡¯t have time to use a defensive stance, all he could do was raising his arms which broke like twigs from the pressure wave. He flew like a small rock skipping ake¡¯s surface; after bouncing off the ground a few times, he was stopped by a side wall in the arena. He bled from his mouth andid motionless on the ground twisted like a tangled string puppet.


    Only barely conscious, he decided to pretend he was dead and hope someone from his family would save him when the dust settled.


    Master Yi¡¯s strange temper horrified everyone at the scene, even the Ye¡¯s. They were now his friends, but they would have to be on their best behavior if they were going to keep contact with this loose cannon.


    One minute he was smiling, the next he was breaking bones like it was nothing. Seeing Master Yi¡¯s wrath was more vivid than fearing the Grim Reaper.


    Out of the silence came a voice. ¡°Master Yi, this is not fair!¡± Du Yuan Ming was on his knees, taking what might be hisst chance to speak his mind.

 Chapter 46 – One Point Six Million

    Chapter 46 ¨C One Point Six Million


    Master Yi swung his arm hard and fast. A heavy mnded on Du Yuan Ming¡¯s cheek and sent him flying. The patriarch thennded heavily on the ground.


    Three teeth were knocked out of his mouth when he was hit; his mouth was leaking blood and his cheek was swollen to the size of a mandarin. Du Yuan Ming was shaking, but that did not stop him trying to negotiate for his family members¡¯ lives. ¡°Mashter Yea thish ish not phare!¡± It was a chilling scene. Just moments ago he was the bully, and now the Du Patriarch was a convincing victim.


    Another swing, this time on the other cheek. The patriarch took flight once again after a loud p resounded.


    ¡°Argoh aoh Ii...¡± His speech was no longer audible, nor was his face recognisable as it covered in tears, snot, and blood.


    Zhou Wu could see Master Yi was about to lose his temper and deliver the killing blow so he threw himself in front of Du Yuan Ming and begged, ¡°Master Yi! Please show us mercy?! Please give us a reason!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I show you mercy? The real question is why didn¡¯t you show mercy?¡± Master Yi answered calmly. He flicked his sleeve at Zhou Wu, and knocked him to the ground where he belonged.


    He would not reason with the unreasonable.


    Zhou Wu refused to stay on the floor waiting to be ughtered. He climbed back up and kneeled towards Master Yi again while both Du Yuan Ming and Dong Ho were rolling on the ground, dazed and confused.


    ¡°Master Yi, please listen to me!¡± It was hard to tell what emotions Zhou Wu was experiencing from his facial expression considering how swollen he was. His trembling voice, though, gave it away.


    ¡°You have ten seconds, use it well.¡± Master Yi hadplete control over life and death for the moment.


    Zhou Wu was just blowing air more than he spoke. ¡°Killing us won¡¯t benefit you or the Ye family! We understand our wrongdoings, and we will do anything to help out the Ye family if you let us live. We have learned our lesson! Furthermore, ending our lives here will anger other branches of the Du family, and cause more bloodshed and hatred. It would not be worth the hassle!¡±


    Master Yi raised an eyebrow, and it took him a few seconds to register the logicing out of Zhou Wu¡¯sedically swollen face.


    Zhou Wu felt that his speech hit the right note therefore he continued: ¡°We promise, if you let us leave this arena alive, we will never bother the Ye family again. We will help and protect them whenever they need us!¡±


    Master Yi was waiting for a deration like that. He still looked cold, but it was all an act. He knew being ruthless wouldn¡¯t help the situation, and he did not n to kill anybody, not today, not any other day. He did what he did because examples needed to be set, and words needed to spread: do not touch the Ye¡¯s. He had experiences with hatred, revenge, and their consequences.


    The Runemaster then looked to Ye Zheng Qing, ¡°Patriarch, what do you think?¡±


    Ye Patriarch red hatefully at Du Yuan Ming, who would need months to recover from the injuries the Runemaster inflicted and said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you Master Yi.¡±


    ¡°If you want satisfaction, I have no problems killing these guys for you, but consider the consequences!¡± Master Yi said solemnly. He kept his act up as he wanted Ye Zheng Qing toe to the right conclusion by himself.


    ¡°Well, looks like they¡¯ve learned their lesson. I will let this go!¡± The patriarch replied after a long sigh. Though he was d his family got through this crisis and realised revenge doesn¡¯t solve anything, but he was still heartbroken for Ye Zhong¡¯s sufferings.


    ¡®They better pray for cousin Zhong, If he doesn¡¯t wake up I will still make them pay!¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fists. He understood and respected his grandfather¡¯s noble decision, though still clouded by anger he was ready to let it go for now and focus on reviving Ye Zhong.


    Master Yi coldly red at everyone in the Du camp then grunted. ¡°I will let you live, butpensation is in order! For all mess you¡¯ve made!¡±


    The Du¡¯s were slightly relieved knowing they would live to see another day. This was one of the best oues they could wish for now that someone who could easily eradicate them was involved.


    ¡°So, the Du family is going to pay a million silver to the Ye family, and I expect Dong Ho and Zhou Wu to pay the Ye¡¯s three hundred thousand silver each!¡± Master Yi calmly said, without any hesitation.


    Upon hearing the request the trio went from relieved to shocked.


    The Ye family was worth around three hundred thousand silver whereas the Du family was worth roughly two million silver. Although the Du¡¯s were richer but to gather that much money would not be an easy task. They would need to sell half of the family¡¯s assets! And as for Zhou Wu and Dong Ho, three hundred thousand was about three-quarters of their assets.


    ¡°Mashter Yee...¡± Du Yuan Ming¡¯s could barely speak, with a sincere look he wanted to ask for a reduction, but the Runemaster¡¯s mind was made.


    ¡°May I remind you that you hurt my legacy apprentice? You¡¯d normally have to pay with your lives!¡± Master Yi stared at Du Yuan Ming and said with an angry voice before the patriarch could finish his sentence.


    Although the request was outrageous, they were in no position to refuse. They just had to swallow their unwillingness and be grateful for Master Yi¡¯s harsh mercy.


    ¡°You have three days to deliver the full amount, or else!¡± Master Yi grunted then turned his face back towards the Ye¡¯s.


    Master Yi¡¯s angry face was branded onto Du Yuan Ming¡¯s face. He was not sure if he would be able toe up with that much money on such short notice, but he didn¡¯t talk back because of the stress and having a huge headache was better than dying.


    The damage done was not what money couldpensate, but money talks. The Ye Patriarch was smart enough to know the family would benefit more from the money than from the rest of the Du family from every corner of thend looking for revenge. He took a deep breath and thought, ¡®I can probably buy some Welkin Leaves for little Zhong with that money!¡¯


    ¡°Are you satisfied with this arrangement?¡± Master Yi asked Ye Zheng Qing.


    The Ye Patriarch nodded and said: ¡°Thank you Master Yi! If it wasn¡¯t for you, not only wouldn¡¯t we getpensation, the Ye family would not be here right now.¡±


    ¡°We will be on our way now!¡± The Du family no longer had business here, they bid farewell and headed back.


    ¡°This is over only for now! If my cousin does not recover, I will see you again!¡± Ye Wei shouted, he was just a student but his words were not to be taken lightly. The Du¡¯s trembled and left the arena, nobody dared look back.


    It wasn¡¯t long ago Du Yuan Ming wanted Ye Zhong dead, now, however, the tables had turned, and he was praying for Ye Zhong instead. ¡°One day we will have satisfaction! You better hope Master Yi does not die before I do...¡± With each of his arm over a youngster¡¯s shoulder, the Du Patriarch mumbled while limping away from the arena.


    Back inside the arena, Ye Wei was fighting his resentment. He was calming down slowly, but anger could still be seen in his fiery eyes. Lin Zi Yan gently pat his back after noticing this and said in a soft,forting voice: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will find a way to wake him up!¡±


    ¡°Yea!¡± To Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan¡¯s voice seemed to have a mysterious soothing effect.


    The audience left the arena soon after the Du family¡¯s departure.


    Within days, the news regarding Master Yi¡¯s newly acquired legacy apprentice spread between the martial families, some of them sent gifts and medical supplies to the Ye mansion. Weeks after, most citizens of Green Moon City would learn and reposition the Ye family in their hearts.

 Chapter 47 – Four Star Student

    Chapter 47 ¨C Four Star Student


    ¡°Just stay home and rest for the next few days. I will search for Welkin Leaves, you will be the first to know if I get a hold of one.¡± Master Yi earnestly rubbed Ye Wei¡¯s head, and he could feel his grieving apprentice¡¯s frustration. The Runemaster also understood there was no point training Ye Wei right now because distracted minds don¡¯t process knowledge efficiently; Ye Wei could even hurt himself training if he¡¯s not focused.


    ¡°Thank you master!¡± Ye Wei gratefully answered.


    ¡°Ye Wei, I will get out there and also see if I can gather any information regarding Welkin Leaves! Promise me you will take care of yourself!¡± Lin Zi Yan could see the sorrow in Ye Wei¡¯s frown; it was a heartbreaking sight.


    ¡°Yea, thanks so much Zi Yan!¡± He nodded.


    Master Yi and Lin Zi Yan boarded the runicle together and left.


    Although they left, what they did today would stay in people¡¯s hearts forever. Nobody in Green Moon City would dare to make a move against them in the foreseeable future!


    A while after they left, the Ye¡¯s ced Ye Zhong in a quiet part of the mansion, and he was carefully guarded by a dozen men.


    Days after the duel the mansion became a busy ce. It was filled with representatives from different martial families wanting to see Ye Wei. As for the hot topic himself, he upied a room in Ye Zhong¡¯s quarter, and kept his door closed to meditate and cultivate.


    In a house on the east side of Green Moon City, a slim built, handsome man was furious. His name was Lu Feng. A few feet away from him there was a bed where the stern-faced teenager was lying, spasming every half a minute or so.


    ¡°Imbeciles! You had one job! Damn it! Why was Master Yi there? How did some nobody from the Ye family suddenly became his legacy apprentice?¡± Lu Feng threw vases onto the floor, Master Yi¡¯s intervention destroyed his npletely. He was greatly discouraged, but he had not given up. He went back to the drawing board, ¡®No more mistakes! I need their ancestralnd!¡¯


    Though for now he would have toy low because their family name was mentioned in the Ye family arena, and even his father feared Master Yi. ¡®Ye Wei huh? Just you wait, I will love to see what a little Student can do without your master!¡¯ An insolent smile appeared on Lu Feng¡¯s pale face.


    Back at the Ye mansion.


    Although Ye Wei was still a child, his position in the Ye family has changed drastically. His uncles and aunts would talk to him before making some decisions regarding the family business, even the patriarch would sometimes consult him.


    However, Ye Wei¡¯s mind was elsewhere. He was distracting himself from worrying about his cousin by cultivating. The bullying from his ssmates, betrayed by Joe Yan, and more recently the dispute with the Du family... All these little events became motivation for Ye Wei; he hungered for power, he wanted control.


    Strength is the most realistic foundation of anything in this dog-eat-dog world. He realised he had been saved by dumb luck too many times, and one day his luck might just run out.


    ¡®My rune consonance is dirt, I have to train as hard as I can! Maybe a miracle will happen... I can¡¯t let Master Yi down. I can imagine teaching someone like me would be easy for him.¡¯


    ¡®I wonder what Zi Yan said or did to change Master Yi¡¯s mind. Anyway, I can¡¯t let either of them down now that everyone knows I am his legacy apprentice!¡¯ While taking a break from self-training, Ye Wei looked back on the past few weeks.


    Both Lin Zi Yan and Master Yi did not mention anything to anyone including Ye Wei regarding the actual result of Ye Wei¡¯s rune consonance test. It was safer that way, when Ye Wei was stronger he would figure it out himself, and furthermore Master Yi thought theck of confidence was a good trait to have for an apprentice. He wanted to keep it that way. Pride has always driven people away from greatness.


    ¡®I just want to be able to use stances... Why didn¡¯t Master Yi take me to train?¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white and his veins bulged.


    Learning about his non-existence rune consonance was more traumatizing than being told about his red Sentient, but one¡¯s attitude can change things. ¡®Usually Students can use stances when they reach the seventh star, but maybe I will be able to use stances when I am a Warrior! I just have to train!¡¯ His eyes showed determination.


    ¡®My body feels... stronger. Did Master Yi do something to me other than healing?¡¯ The Runemaster did mend his muscles, bones, and even his Sentient, but what strengthened Ye Wei¡¯s body was the golden sh in his Sentient. Little did Ye Wei know his body was ready for another breakthrough. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to work...¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself while carefully reached for a jade pill bottle. He then poured a Fiery Sun Quencher pill onto the middle of his palm.


    The Ye Patriarch gave Ye Wei quite a lot of Quencher pills, but none of them couldpare to the ones Lin Zi Yan gave him. Ye Wei only consumed one out of the ten Fiery Sun Quencher pills, which aided his breakthrough to two star level days ago.


    ¡®Ye Wei, one small step at a time.¡¯ He took a few slow, deep breaths to clear his mind. When his mind was as calm as a stillke¡¯s surface, he took the pill. It melted in his mouth immediately, and it took only moments before his body started heating up from the surge of energy entering Ye Wei¡¯s bloodstream.


    The hot but tender energy circted through Ye Wei¡¯s veins, and it turned his skin red. From the bloodstream into his muscles and bones, the surge was absorbed almost immediately. HIs muscles started vibrating at a high frequence as they grew bigger and tougher. There was even a soft metallic glow on his skin where his pressure pointsy, as the Quencher upgraded his body. The vibration quickened and turned into a humming sound. This was a sign of the breakthrough into four star level!


    As the humming sounds intensified, so did the glow on his pressure points. The metallic green glowing points suddenly started linking to one another, and Ye Wei¡¯s body was slowly covered by a shining green web.


    It took Ye Wei around four hours to fully absorb the pill¡¯s energy. The green glow on his skin became brighter and clearer and all the muscles and bones in his body were shaking, this was it! His Sentient glowed gold as he became a four star Student!


    ¡°Did I just became a four star Student!?¡± Ye Wei was euphoric. He opened his eyes and looked at his glowing body.


    Normally it takes Students years to reach the four star level, but in the frame of merely few days he advanced three levels! After his next breakthrough, the green web would be an inner skin that glows when Qi flows into it, this reinforcement will make Ye Wei¡¯s skin hard as iron.


    From the worst in ss to a four star Student, at the age of thirteen, Ye Wei had now overtaken most of the Students around his age is his ss. There were only seven of his ssmates at four star level, and of course Xiao Qi who was a five star Student.


    He couldn¡¯t yetpare himself to the prodigies in ss of the gifted, but he was above average to say the least, and not the piece of trash he once was!


    ¡®Falling Star form!¡¯ Ye Wei didn¡¯t stop after the breakthrough. He adjusted his breathing, and made aplex hand seal then started cultivating again. A will-force vortex formed and grew between his eyebrows, it sucked energy into his body from around him. He was taught a mid Myst form by his family, but a few days ago Ye Wei discovered that the Falling Star form was originally a high Myst form when he was hallucinating.


    Ye Wei¡¯s improved Falling Star form purifies energy a few times quicker because of itsplex routes. It directs the silver primal energy through one hundred and eight meridians as opposed to the simplified form¡¯s thirty-six.


    After running the improved Falling Star form the whole night, a vast amount of primal energy had circled Ye Wei¡¯s body been purified and now was stored in Ye Wei¡¯s dantian ready to be used by the new four star Student.


    ¡®I forgot to tell gramps about the improved Falling Star form! I need to do that when I see him, so he can start teaching it to the others!¡¯ Ye Wei opened his eyes after a whole day of training. During which many visitors had asked to see him, but were kindly declined by the Ye Patriarch.


    Seeing the graceful morning he immediately narrowed his eyes again because of the bright sun. He rxingly took a deep breath as summer breeze caressed his childish face, after which he stretched his body and felt his newfound strength.


    ¡°Things are going well... Hopefully I¡¯ll get news from Master Yi or Zi Yan soon...¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself, though he was in a good ce, he was still bothered by his cousin¡¯s condition.

 Chapter 48 – Proposal

    Chapter 48 ¨C Proposal


    ¡°Knock! Knock!¡±


    The day after his breakthrough, Ye Wei slept very well. The sound of a few quick knocks on the door woke him up early in the morning. ¡°Son, are you awake?¡± Joe Wan asked soft and gently.


    ¡°Mom? What¡¯s going on? Is breakfast ready?¡± Ye Wei clumsily opened the door and narrowed his eyes to the person who looked like his mom.


    Lit by the morning sun, Joe Wan¡¯s kind smile seemed warmer than usual. ¡°You stink, go get changed.¡± She urged after pulling her son¡¯s robe to her nose, sniffing it then frowning and narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°Huh... Why? What¡¯s happening? You look suspiciously excited.¡± Ye Wei could tell his mom was hiding something from him by looking at her posture and happy face.


    ¡°Something great is going to happen! Just shower and get changed already! You are our family¡¯s pride and Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice. You have to be presentable at all times!¡± Though she started to get a little annoyed, the proud mother was still wearing a smile on her face while gently pushed Ye Wei towards the bathroom.


    ¡°Okay...¡± Slightly confused by the intrusion, Ye Wei reluctantly shook his head then took a quick bath.


    Ye Wei was a good looking young man, and even more so now that he was in a dashing white robe. ¡°Yea, that¡¯s better!¡± Joe Wan straightened the creases and made sure the robe was sitting right. She then nodded satisfyingly. ¡®I don¡¯t remember him being this tall...¡¯ She was both proud and sad, sad that time flew by and because she knew her son would not need her soon.


    ¡°Mom, can you please tell me what¡¯s going on now?¡±


    ¡°We are all waiting for you, just get to the great hall! You will know soon enough.¡± Joe Wan winked and smiled as she dragged Ye Wei through the corridors.


    ¡°The great hall? What¡¯s the asion?¡± Obediently he followed his mom¡¯s lead, scratching his head in confusion. It was hard for him to make sense out of anything this morning.


    They followed the stone pathway and hallways and ended up at the bottom of a small set of stairs that led to a magnificent building with a symmetrically arched roof. It was supported by thick, sculpted pirs. Ye Wei pulled back his shoulders then followed his mother into the great hall.


    The pair of old wooden doors to this spacious great hall were usually closed, and the fact that they were open meant the family had important guests over.


    The great hall was crowded and loud for how early it was. The patriarch too was present, chatting with people around him in his designated seat. On his left sat his sons and daughter, they all wore a smile on their faces. On his right sat the guests, all of them were familiar faces.


    The ruddy-faced old man with white hair and beard sat directly to Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s left was none other than Joe Zheng Feng, the Joe Patriarch.


    The Joe¡¯s and the Ye¡¯s friendship spanned generations. Ye Wei¡¯s mother was from one of the Joe family branches. Ye Wei had seen today¡¯s guests since he was a toddler. However, they stopped associating themselves with the Ye family three months ago when Du Yuan Ming started their campaign.


    To the Joe Patriarch¡¯s right sat a boy and a girl, they were both wearing traditional family robes. The boy had a cold look, and he sat as straight as bamboo. This young man¡¯s eyebrows were arching slightly arrogantly, and the confidence and glow in his eyes drew some of the young Ye girls¡¯ attention.


    The girl was around Ye Wei¡¯s age, her ear length ck hair was luxurious and glossy. The old fashioned family robe contrasted her yful vibe. It was obvious she spent some time getting ready this morning as the womanly features perfectly emphasized her youthful face.


    Ye Wei frowned. Under no circumstances will he forget that face, she insulted him twice at South Star Academy, and in theirst encounter he was told: ¡°Dragons don¡¯t associate with snakes.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is she doing here?¡± Ye Wei mumbled and quietly grunted. He couldn¡¯t bare to look at her for more than a second, so he switched his attention to his family. ¡°Good morning grandpa, dad, uncles, and aunt Jing Jing!¡±


    ¡°You can take a seat little Wei!¡± The proud smile made Ye Zheng Qing look a decade younger. Ye Wei¡¯s aunt and uncles too smiled genuinely at the young talent. The front door-sill of the mansion had been worn down by all the visiting representatives from the different martial families since the duel. Despite that fact that dealing with an endless line of guests was tiring, the family did gain a lot because of Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei saw two empty seats next to his aunt, Jing Jing. He realized that this was the first time he got assigned a seat that was so close to the patriarch.


    Ye Jing Jing started talking before Ye Wei could sit down. ¡°Little Wei, have you seen how pretty Joe Yin has gotten? She is going to be a very attractive woman in a few years... And I¡¯ve heard she broke through not so long ago! A six star Student at her age! That¡¯s quite something, right? If I remember correctly, you two were like two peas in a pod a few years ago. Do you two hang out at school?¡± She looked at Ye Wei and Joe Yin alternately while speaking with a cheeky smile.


    ¡°Hang out?¡± Ye Wei sat down and replied with a sarcastic smile on his face. ¡®With her mentality, I should not be associated with her! I am Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice, and I will overtake her cultivation soon enough!¡¯ The bitterness soon calmed down. Ye Wei reyed the two insulting encounters with Joe Yin in his head countless times since they happened. Although he decided to move on, the memories still bothered him.


    A silhouette of a long-haired, slim girl appeared in Ye Wei¡¯s mind. ¡®She has nothing on Zi Yan. Talent, personality, appearance and Zi Yan is always on my side even through the bad times.¡¯ Ye Wei suddenly found himselfparing Joe Yin to Lin Zi Yan.


    Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s loudugh snapped Ye Wei out of his imagination. He was chatting with Joe Zheng Feng about their childhood. The fun, nostalgic episodes of themselves growing up together and more recently how Ye Wei had be the talk of the town caused him tough loudly.


    It was not an interesting conversation for anyone else but the two patriarchs. ¡°Little Wei, why do you think the Joe¡¯s are here with Joe Yin and Joe Pei?¡± Aunt Jing Jing started talking to Ye Wei quietly.


    ¡°Erm... To show off?¡± Ye Wei answered. It was not a secret that the Joe Patriarch loved bringing the two most talented youngster of his family to social meetings, and that he was very proud of them. He had nevere to the Ye Mansion without them on his side after their birth.


    Ye Jing Jingughed: ¡°Ha ha, what bragging rights they have now that you are doing so well! I think they are here for a marriage proposal!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face turned ashen white, and aunt Jing Jing patted his back when she saw how nervous her nephew became.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡± Ye Wei looked at Joe Yin only to discover her eyes were fixed on him. Her face immediately turned red as she lowered her head.


    Joe Yin was extremely frustrated because she despised Ye Wei ever since she started at South Star Academy. When she learned the news regarding Ye Wei¡¯s new master, she spent half a day convincing herself what she heard was not real and the other half cringing in her room. Lin Zi Yan¡¯s insult started to make sense, and she regretted her rudeness. ¡®No wonder why he was hanging out with someone like Lin Zi Yan...¡¯


    Ye Jing Jing¡¯s assumption was correct. When Joe Patriarch heard Ye Wei had be Master Yi¡¯s only legacy apprentice and how the Runemaster fought off the Du family¡¯s best men, he immediately wanted to befriend the Ye¡¯s again. ¡®What can link two families together better than a marriage does?¡¯ With that in mind, the Joe Patriarch had a brief chat with Joe Yin. They established that the marriage would be great for both her and the family, and in the end having a legacy apprentice son inw was the same as having Master Yi in his family. And being Master Yi¡¯s extended family is what many could only dream about.


    Joe Yin knew how much Ye Wei always cared for her and liked her; she believed a sincere apology would put her back into Ye Wei¡¯s heart. She was a beautiful girl with a lot of admirers, and she was aware of that, thus assumed Ye Wei would not say no to her.


    Although she was intimidated by how close Lin Zi Yan and Ye Wei had be, she was convinced that she could win him back with her charms as spoiled as she was her confidence and arrogance didn¡¯t let her think otherwise.

 Chapter 49 – Decision

    Chapter 49 ¨C Decision


    Ye Wei chuckled when he saw Joe Yin¡¯s fake charming look as he knew better now. ¡®Does she think I am stupid enough to be manipted by her?¡¯ He was more repulsed than charmed.


    ¡°Joe Yin is very mature for her age, and not to mention she¡¯s a talented girl! She is already a six star Student, and destined to be a Warrior at a young age!¡± Joe Wan couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the young girl she saw as a good daughter inw.


    Nobody could me her, the idea of having a Warrior daughter inw was very attractive.


    Joe Wan was a distant rtive of the Joe¡¯s visiting today. She heard the rumor of a marriage proposal involving her son and Joe Yin before anyone in the Ye family even knew they were going to have the Joe¡¯s as visitors.


    She was ecstatic after hearing the news, and Joe Wan would be lying if she said she never thought about her son and Joe Yin marrying each other. Now that the day had arrived she could no longer contain herself.


    Ye Wei finally understood why his mom was so excited. He shook his head and decided it was not an enthusiasm he shared. He had no interest in someone like Joe Yin!


    Back in the days when they were children, Ye Wei did like Joe Yin, and they were very close to each other. But that was not the case now, not because she wasn¡¯t pretty enough, not because she wasn¡¯t talented enough to match Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice, but because he had seen her true colors.


    When he was going through hardships in his life, not only Joe Yin was not there to support him, but she looked down on Ye Wei when he was suffering. If that had not changed his opinion about Joe Yin, the recent insult surely did. It was not easy toe to terms with how little he meant to Joe Yin, but Ye Wei dealt with the negativities and saw the bright side of things with a little help from his friends and family.


    ¡°Zheng Qing, My brother! Your family is surely doing better with Ye Wei now appointed as Master Yi¡¯s Legacy Apprentice! That is an enviable honor!¡± Joe Zheng Feng¡¯s energy did not match his white hair and beard. He expressed his heartfelt respect to the Ye Patriarch with great enthusiasm.


    ¡°Ah don¡¯t mention it, the young ones in your family are not doing so bad themselves! Joe Pei is what? Twenty-two? It¡¯s admirable that he is already a five star Warrior!¡± While on the topic Ye Zheng Qing thought about Ye Zhong, and he was slightly saddened. ¡°And you have Joe Yin; she¡¯s a six star Student right?!¡±


    ¡°They are nothingpared to little Wei!¡± The Joe Patriarch could not stop looking at Ye Wei enviously. He was willing to do a lot of things if in return he could call Master Yi¡¯s Legacy Apprentice his son inw. ¡°By the way! Ye Wei is already thirteen years old if I remember correctly, is he engaged to anyone? It¡¯s about time for him to think about marriage don¡¯t you think?¡± Joe Zheng Feng sipped his cup of tea acting as casual as he could.


    In this age of the Zhou Dynasty sixteen year olds was the time when one was considered an adult. Not only was itmon for children to get engaged at the age of twelve and married by sixteen, it was actually encouraged. Humanity always needed new blood to fight the savage beasts and demons.


    It has only been a few days, but news of Ye Wei bing Master Yi¡¯s Legacy Apprentice already spread far and wide. A few families had alreadye knocking on their doors discussing possibilities of their young daughters getting engaged to Ye Wei. But Ye Zheng Qing turned them all down because he was not satisfied with them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that; we have to be very careful who we match Ye Wei with. We don¡¯t want to upset Master Yi. He should have a say about Ye Wei¡¯s future too!¡± Ye Zheng Qing knew exactly what Joe Zheng Feng was implying as he looked at Joe Yin then replied calmly.


    After the Du family started their campaign against the Ye¡¯s, the Joe¡¯s didn¡¯t think twice before cutting all ties with the Ye¡¯s. Ye Zheng Qing could understand the reasoning behind it, but he was still not entirelyfortable with how swift the Joe¡¯s handled it without even consulting him.


    The Ye Patriarch was disappointed in the Joe family, but he was also aware Ye Wei and Joe Yin were close, if Ye Wei wanted to marry her he would not say no.


    ¡°Zheng Qing brother! What do you think about Joe Yin? Ye Wei and her basically grew up together, and they understand each other very well I think! What do you say to giving them a life together?¡± Joe Zheng Feng attempted to hide his nerves; therefore, he suggested the matter in a joking tone.


    Knowing the Ye family won¡¯t really get anything out of the marriage, Ye Zheng Qing yed dumb: ¡°Oh! I¡¯ve never thought about it!¡± Not denying the request altogether as he was under the impression Ye Wei might be in favor of this arrangement.


    The Ye Patriarch actually had an idea of matching Ye Wei with Joe Yin, but it was put to the side when Ye Wei¡¯s embarrassing South Star Academy entry test results got revealed.


    With her talent and potential aside, Ye Zheng Qing had always been charmed by Joe Yin¡¯s wittiness. The picky patriarch was starting to convince himself that this engagement might actually make Ye Wei happy.


    ¡°See? What did I tell you?¡± Aunt Jing Jing rubbed Ye Wei¡¯s head and said in a cheeky voice. ¡°About time if you ask me!¡±


    When Joe Zheng Feng dropped the obvious hint, all of Ye Wei¡¯s uncles cast their eyes onto Joe Yin and briefly evaluated, after which they all nodded and smiled satisfyingly at her.


    Ye Wei¡¯s mom too was wearing a big smile. She was d that her son could have someone this excellent by his side. Joe Wan was ready to spoil her new daughter inw!


    Joe Yin was not stupid, and she slowly curled her lips into the cutest smile she could, seeing the older Ye¡¯s eyes were all set on her. She was slightly bothered with how their eyes met hers so she looked at Ye Wei instead, never had she ever been this flustered before. Ye Wei was an unworthy friend in her mind for so long, but now all the negative perceptions about him were reced by his prestigious position, and Joe Yin started to realize how good looking he was, and how he was actually good enough for her.


    All but one person was excited, and he did not get carried away thinking about the engagement, not one strand of Ye Wei¡¯s facial muscles were contracted. He was sitting still with an emotionless straight face. Ye Wei knew that if he stayed quiet, then Ye Zheng Qing would seal the deal. ¡°Gramps!¡± He took a deep breath and stood up.


    ¡°Little Wei, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Zheng Qing was slightly confused. Why did his grandson look sad and concerned? ¡®You won the girl! Why do you look mad? Young kids are so eager these days!¡¯


    ¡°Gramps, I do not wish to be engaged just yet...¡± The calm voice of Ye Wei¡¯s provoked everyone in the great hall. They widened their eyes and put them on the Runemaster¡¯s apprentice.


    ¡®What? They would look good together! And he¡¯s thirteen! Hasn¡¯t he always been close to Joe Yin?¡¯


    The Ye Patriarch¡¯s mind went nk for a while he frowned then apologetically waved at the embarrassed Joe Zheng Feng.


    Being the patriarch, the news of his engagement request getting declined would make him aughingstock in Green Moon City. With that in mind, Joe Wan and Ye Jing Jing pulled Ye Wei¡¯s robe simultaneously trying to pull him down and make the situation less awkward for everyone in the hall.


    Though Ye Wei tried to sound as mild as possible by not directly declining the idea of an engagement, but even still both the guests and the hosts could not help but cringe a little. They all thought the two would make a beautiful match.


    Ye Wei ignored his mom and aunt¡¯s wishes, and kept standing regardless of how hard they were pulling his robe. ¡®Not this time...¡¯


    He didn¡¯t like Joe Yin anymore and was afraid he would have to spend the rest of his life with someone he couldn¡¯t trust. Yes, she was gorgeous and talented, but Ye Wei¡¯s trust had been shattered from the two times Joe Yin insulted him and left him in the ditch.


    It was not hard to figure out Ye Wei and Joe Yin had bad blood now judging by the way he was looking at her. Knowing the deal was probably not going to happen, Joe Zheng Feng failed to keep up the casual act. He stood up and said: ¡°Little Wei, did Joe Yin wrong you somehow? You don¡¯t look too happy! If that¡¯s the case, we can talk it over! I will be a fair judge and the peace-maker!¡±

 Chapter 50 – Cracks

    Chapter 50 ¨C Cracks


    ¡°It has nothing to do with Joe Yin. I¡¯ve just became Master Yi¡¯s apprentice, and I want to focus on learning and training. Getting engaged and married would be distracting right now.¡± Ye Wei calmly said while looking at Joe Yin, who was looking down to avoid eye contact.


    He did not hate Joe Yin, nor did he hold a grudge because of what she said to him. It was her own choice to behave the way she did and Ye Wei just could not trust her. If Joe Yin didn¡¯t really care about him, there was no point for him to invest his emotion in this rtionship.


    Telling everyone what Joe Yin said to him certainly won¡¯t help, nor would apologies do anything meaningful. Trust is like a mirror; you can fix it if it¡¯s broken, but you can still see the cracks in the reflection.


    Ye Wei was over Joe Yin. He did not want to get even with her, and he did not want anything to do with her.


    Joe Zheng Feng noticed the difference. Ye Wei used to smile when he called Joe Yin¡¯s name, and it used to sound sweet. The Joe Patriarch knew in his heart that it was over. If Ye Wei doesn¡¯t like Joe Yin anymore, nothing can be done. Even if Ye Zheng Qing doesn¡¯t agree with him, he would respect and follow his grandson¡¯s wish. It won¡¯t be surprising if Ye Wei could find someone better than Joe Yin.


    Experiencing humiliation for the first time, Joe Yin widened her beautiful eyes in disbelief. She had never been rejected before!


    Since Joe Yin was a little girl, she had countless boysplementing and tailing her every move. She genuinely thought Ye Wei would still dance on her palm if she told him to.


    But that was not the case! Joe Yin¡¯s heart ached like it was stabbed and tears built up around her eyes uncontrobly.


    ¡°Why?¡± Joe Yin raised her head to look at Ye Wei then screamed. ¡°Is it because of Lin Zi Yan?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ye Wei was disgusted with how his discreet response was not appreciated. Heughed and replied, ¡°Joe Yin, you know better don¡¯t you? You told me we don¡¯t live in the same world. You told me dragons don¡¯t associate with snakes. You said that in front of tens of South Star Students outside Green Phoenix Halls. I forgave you, and now you feel insulted?¡±


    ¡°Joe Yin, don¡¯t be so self-centered! The world does not revolve around you. You are a pretty girl, and because of it there is always a queue of boys following you, doing whatever you tell them to even if you treat them like dirt. That is not me!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I cared about you because I fancied you like those other boys? You could not be more incorrect... I cared about you like you were my sibling, It hurt when I realized you don¡¯t care about me the same way.¡±


    ¡°When I got my Sentient test result back, how did you treat me? You couldn¡¯t get away from me fast enough. You didn¡¯t want to be seen with me for all that time, and now that I am Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice you would like to be engaged to me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your fake attention! If I get married I want someone who really cares about me! Yes, you are pretty and talented, but my future wife will be a better person than you!¡±


    Ye Wei did not want to make a scene, but when Joe Yin shamelessly talked back, he needed to get that negativity out of his head and draw the line. He also wished Joe Yin would realize how maniptive she was!


    These words stabbed Joe Yin¡¯s heart like a sharp knife. Two lines of tears ran down her cheek as Ye Wei finished his rant.


    Ye Wei always treated her well and those words did hurt, but Joe Yin was more emotional than she appeared to be...


    Memories came crashing like a tide overwhelming Joe Yin¡¯s mind.


    They used to y together, train together. Ye Wei always shared toys and treats with Joe Yin. Every time he was nice to her, she would pull the corner of his robe and say ¡°Thank you Wei Wei!¡±


    It was not before now that Joe Yin realized she misunderstood Ye Wei and that she might be losing someone who genuinely cared for her. She thought Ye Wei was one of her admirers and no matter how far she gets ahead, he would always be there when she turned around. However, what she saw right now was that Ye Wei was further away, at an unreachable ce. Joe Yin just wanted him to care for her again, to be reachable again.


    ¡°Ye Wei, will you forgive me? I know it¡¯s my fault, I messed up!¡± In the beginning, Joe Yin felt undignified but Ye Wei¡¯s emotionless face somehow hurt her. She started to understand how much her arrogance and willfulness actually wounded him. ¡°Whatever it may be, I will change it for the better!¡± Joe Yin said.


    Seeing tears streaming down her face, Ye Wei let out a long sigh. ¡°Joe Yin can you stop being so dramatic? You don¡¯t get it... If I was not Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice, I really don¡¯t see you apologizing. You¡¯ve hurt me enough, and I am sure we have grown apart now.¡±


    After hearing Ye Wei¡¯s confession, Joe Yin could feel nothing but guilt. She knew if Ye Wei did not be the Runemaster¡¯s apprentice she would probably still be ignoring him, neglecting his feelings. She truly felt guilty and regretful, and she realized the bond they had might nevere back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have to check on cousin Zhong now, excuse me.¡± Ye Wei bid his farewell, nodded at Joe Zheng Feng then headed out the door.


    If the Runemaster¡¯s legacy apprentice wanted to leave the room nobody could stop him, not even the Joe Patriarch.


    A drop of golden sunshinended on Ye Wei at the hall¡¯s entrance. It lightened up his mood as he stepped away from the drama. He took a deep breath then moved on.


    Looking at Ye Wei¡¯s silhouette getting further and further away, Joe Yin felt emptiness and a sense of unease. She wouldter learn that something irreceable just left her life.


    There was tension building up inside the great hall as Ye Wei departed.


    Joe Zheng Feng felt as if he was sitting on a carpet made of needles. He did not know the rtionship between Joe Yin and Ye Wei was this dire. He took a sip from his teacup then said: ¡°Kids always make a huge fuss out of the small things, it should be resolved soon!¡± He smiled awkwardly as he spoke.


    ¡®Ye Wei was Master Yi¡¯s only legacy apprentice! If this engagement worked out we¡¯d be protected by the Runemaster, even the Big Three would fear us... How stupid is little Yin? Why didn¡¯t she tell me she messed up?!¡¯ Joe Patriarch¡¯s eyes darted around as his mind wandered.


    ¡®Make a fuss out of small things?¡¯ Ye Zheng Qing was not happy with how the Joe¡¯s reacted during the Du family¡¯s campaign, but he was able to be the bigger man because he thought Joe Yin was close to the hero of the hour. But now that did not seem to be the case, there was no reason to be nice to the Joe family.


    ¡°Dragons don¡¯t associate with snakes, that¡¯s a good one!¡± Ye Zheng Qing said in a cold sarcastic tone.


    The Ye Patriarch¡¯s words made Joe Zheng Feng feel increasingly embarrassed and uneasy, his face was red as a tomato.


    Joe Wan could see how bothered Ye Wei was from his posture. The slow steps he took and how he kept his head down as he walked out. The enthusiasm she had earlier disappeared from her eyes. Although, she is rted to the Joe family she is also Ye Wei¡¯s mother. The moment her son revealed the details, she forgot about the engagement and started siding with him.


    ¡°Joe Patriarch, excuse me!¡± Ye Yi too wanted to leave the scene. He was there when his son told him about his red Sentient, he knew exactly how vulnerable Ye Wei was. To Ye Yi and Joe Wan, what Joe Yin did to their son was intolerable.


    Their son¡¯s wish was clear therefore they had no business here. They weren¡¯t worried about his future, Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice deserves better.


    Aunt Jing Jing was known for her bad temper and caring for the youngsters, she stood up and grunted while staring at Joe Yin. It would have been less traumatizing if the insults came from a stranger, but she knew Ye Wei had been looking after and cared for Joe Yin since he could walk. Ye Jing Jing realized she did not pay enough attention to Ye Wei. ¡®Only if I had spent more time to talk to him, it could have avoided him getting hurt...¡¯


    Following Jing Jing¡¯s lead, the rest of the Ye¡¯s left their seats quietly.


    ¡°For goodness sake!¡± Joe Zheng Feng trembled in anger under the social pressure, he shouted at Joe Yin: ¡°What were you thinking? Apologise to them now!¡±


    ¡°Brother Ye, kids say silly things all the time, don¡¯t take this too personal.¡± After shouting at Joe Yin, the Joe Patriarch spoke to Ye Zheng Qing in an apologetic tone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, you are thinking too much. Why would I take children¡¯s words seriously?¡± The Ye Patriarch sounded diplomatic, but his cold facial expression told another story; the recent developments showed him the darker sides of the Joe¡¯s they were too opportunistic and maniptive.


    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, and I¡¯m not young and energetic like I used to be! Ye Hai, do you want to show the Joe¡¯s the way out?¡± The Ye Patriarch stood up and faked a yawn.


    ¡°Sure, dad!¡±


    Ye Hai stood up, ¡°Uncle Joe, this way.¡± He said indifferently.


    ¡®Drop the act...¡¯ Joe Zheng Feng felt extremely bitter, not only did the Joe¡¯s get embarrassed from the proposal. He was pretty sure the Ye family wouldn¡¯t be interested in doing any kind of business with him.


    A rtionship that spanned through generations came to an end today. When the words from today spread, the Joe¡¯s will be theughingstock of the city.

 Chapter 51 – Return To South Star

    Chapter 51 ¨C Return To South Star


    Ye Hai sullenly escorted the Joe¡¯s out of the mansion.


    Joe Yin emotionlessly followed while staring at the floor as her mind wandered.


    Anger? Yes, but here was no sign of tiredness on Ye Zheng Qing¡¯s face as he conversed with his sons and daughter.


    ¡°When The Du¡¯s were at war with us, the Joe family did not help us one bit. It is understandable they don¡¯t want trouble with the Big Three...¡± The patriarch was an understanding man. ¡°But it¡¯s obvious they just want to use little Wei for their own advantage; that is just disrespectful!¡±


    ¡°And that girl! She abandoned my grandson when he was going through hard times! I can¡¯t imagine what kind of parents would put values like that in their kids head?!¡± Ye Zheng Qing tightened his grip as he eximed, the jade teacup in his hand turned into dust.


    Ye Hai let out a long, disappointed sigh and said, ¡°That is pretty cold-blooded, even for a kid!¡±


    ¡°From now on our family will not be affiliated with the Joe family!¡± Ye Zheng Qing said with determination.


    ¡°Dragons don¡¯t associate with snakes? Who the hell did she think she was?¡± Said the angry aunt, Ye Jing Jing, who was bold enough to stand up against the Du family, if Joe Yin didn¡¯t look so regretful, she would have pped her right in the face.


    ¡°Terminate all the deals we have with the Joe¡¯s!¡± Withpensation on the way and their newfound reputation, Ye Zheng Qing did not need the Joe¡¯s anymore; he would rather work with people he trusted.


    Outside Ye Zhong¡¯s room stood Ye Wei looking at the clear blue sky.


    ¡°I will prove myself with actions. I¡¯m not going to let my rune consonance drag me down! If Master Yi thinks I am good enough to be his apprentice, then there must be a way for me to improve. I will shut everyone up, and all the people who insulted me will be proven wrong!¡±


    The countless insults Ye Wei received throughout the three years at South Star Academy strengthened his mind enormously. He was a lot more mature than the other kids of his age due to the constant bullying.


    His youthful face looked incredibly confident. Apart from getting epted by Master Yi, Ye Wei¡¯s quick progress also yed an important role in him improving his self-esteem. Being a four star Student was not that impressive, but his fast speed of improvement due to the original Falling Star form he discovered and the Fiery Sun Quencher pills he was given, Ye Wei had an advantage over others his age.


    On top of that, the dense cosmic energy Ye Wei received while refining the White Tiger¡¯s Assault gave him strength that other four star Students could not match. Now, he could probably take down an ordinary five star Student in realbat.


    In the next few days, Ye Wei trained non-stop next door to his cousin¡¯s sick bed; Ye Zheng Qing arranged a three days feast which weed guests to celebrate with them the end of their family¡¯s crisis and Ye Wei bing Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice.


    While the big families were there feasting in the mansion, the Ye¡¯s took the chance to ask if any of the guests knew anybody who might have Welkin Leaves in their possession. But despite their effort, they got no news regarding the rare herb.


    The school holiday passed by in a sh and before packing up for the return to South Star Academy Ye Wei passed the original Falling Star form to the Ye Patriarch.


    The patriarch was stunned by Ye Wei¡¯s discovery. Although they were struck by the Du family, the Ye family obtained more than a million silver and gained a high Myst level form. With that kind of resource, the family would soon be drastically stronger.


    When Ye Wei was asked how he got his hands on the perfect Falling Star form, he mentioned Master Yi¡¯s name which stopped Ye Zheng Qing from questioning further.


    There was another thing Ye Wei wanted to do before leaving.


    ¡°Cousin Zhong... I have to return to South Star Academy soon.¡± He stood in Ye Zhong¡¯s room with a heavy heart. Ye Wei carefully wiped the sweat off Ye Zhong¡¯s pale face with a warm towel. Scenes of the cousins¡¯ time together kept reying in his head as he took care of the unconscious patient.


    ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough right now, but when I be a Runemaster, I will take this matter into my own hands, and you will be avenged!¡± Ye Wei swore with a fiery spirit.


    ¡°Master Yi is searching for Welkin Leaves, and if anyone in Green Moon City has the herb, I¡¯m sure master will retrieve it for us. Although he looks sketchy and dirty, he is a strong man who we can trust.¡± Ye Wei spoke solemnly, hoping his cousin could somehow hear him.


    ¡°It¡¯ste; I should get going.¡± There was a hint of tears in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes. He adjusted and straightened Ye Zhong¡¯s nket and left the room with his head lowered.


    ¡®Unfortunately, obtaining them was easier said than done, Welkin leaves are simply too rare. Their rarity means Master Yi¡¯s influence would not make the search any easier. Even if he managed to get ahold of some and wake up cousin Zhong, a full recovery of his Sentient is not guaranteed. If his Sentient didn¡¯t fully recover would cousin Zhong be able to ept that...¡¯ Ye Wei was distracted by the countless possibilities.


    ¡°I will do everything I can to help your recovery cousin Zhong, and I will find a way to fix your Sentient!¡± Ye Wei looked at Ye Zhong as he mumbled and closed the door.


    Ye Wei then returned to his room to finish packing. With the help of some guards, he loaded his luggage into the horse carriage and left for South Star Academy soon after.


    Ye Zheng Qing wanted Ye Wei to take the quicker and morefortable beast carriage back to school because a legacy apprentice deserved a bit of luxury, especially now that Ye family was financially secure. The Ye Patriarch could afford to get Ye Wei a new beast carriage.


    However, Ye Wei turned it down. He didn¡¯t want to be too shy and draw too much attention, so he opted for an ordinary horse carriage.


    South Star Academy students were mostly from ordinary families. Martial families preferred home education as they usually had an established system to train the youngsters, unless it was an unusual circumstance.


    In Ye Wei¡¯s case, he had to go to South Star Academy because the Ye family¡¯s system would not work on someone with a red Sentient; for Joe Yin, the Joe family¡¯s system was too rough and physical for girls.


    And all the other marital families¡¯ children and talented South Star students were there under the same instruction: ¡°Learn the Pole Star Finger!¡±.


    Only three powers had possession of high level Myst stance in Green Moon City; they were the City Lord, Master Yi, and South Star Academy.


    The City Lord¡¯s Myst stance was passed down from the Zhou Dynasty under the strict order directly from the royal family that it shall never be taught to outsiders; Master Yi¡¯s Myst stance was passed down from the Holy Conservatory, and he would only teach it to his legacy apprentice.


    The only way for a civilian to learn a Myst stance was through South Star Academy. The founder of South Star created the stance in his youth. Every top ranked students had one chance to challenge the Emerald ming Maze, and the stance was passed down to whoever could get through the gauntlet perfectly. In the recent decades only a handful of student overcame the challenge and got their hands on this powerful stance.


    ¡°Thank you! You can just drop me off here!¡± Ye Wei got off the carriage and gave the coachman a nice handful of silver.


    ¡°Greatly appreciated!¡± The coachman smiled and respectfully bowed towards Ye Wei. With the generous tip, he would buy a bottle of fine rice wine at The Drunken Hermit when he got off work. ¡®Unbelievable! Even with this kind of fame, little Wei is still so caring and kind!¡¯ The Ye family¡¯s uprising made the Ye mansion as busy as a marketce, to the point where people from martial families were even starting to bribe the Ye¡¯s servants for inside information.


    The students at South Star had not seen each other for a whole week, and a lot of them were excited to see each other again, so they had stayed at the school gate to chat and catch up.


    Ye Wei was only carrying two hand size suitcases, which allowed him to slip through groups of students without anyone noticing. He then followed the crowded path back to his room.


    All sses had a mandatory meeting on the evening students return from their break. Ye Wei¡¯s n was to finish unpacking his room and tidy up before heading to the meeting; however, after seeing the state of his room, his ns were going to have to change. As he stepped foot through the door and looked around him, he became furious. His fists were clenched, and his knuckles cracked.


    The table was in pieces, and the floor was covered by ripped clothes. His nket and bed stank pungently of piss.


    ¡®Who did this!?¡¯ Ye Wei said fumingly.


    ¡®Was it Xiao Qi?¡¯ The first person he suspected was the infamous ss bully. ¡®No... no, It can¡¯t be him, he stopped being irritating to me ever since I answered those questions correctly in Yi Yan¡¯s lecture. He doesn¡¯t have the courage toe after me. But I don¡¯t see who else would do it!¡¯ He was convinced Xiao Qi was guilty, or at least had something to do with the vandalism.


    ¡®Whoever you are, I will make you pay!¡¯ Ye Wei was not in the best mood. If he wanted it his way, he would have stayed by Ye Zhong¡¯s side until he heard from Master Yi, Lin Zi Yan, or anyone to bring news about the Welkin Leaves.


    Ye Wei took a deep breath then left his room.


    Ye Wei mmed the ssroom door open only to find out Xiao Qi was not there.


    The students from martial families were wealthy, and they usually went out together for food at a random restaurant close to the academy, whereas the students from ordinary families would stay in the ssroom and chat.


    With both his parents working at the academy as senior instructors, Xiao Qi was probably enjoying a cage of dim sum with his friends.

 Chapter 52 – Conflict

    Chapter 52 ¨C Conflict


    ¡°What now?¡± The less privileged students in the ssroom had their eyes set on Ye Wei, some of them were happy for him, but most of them were rejoicing when they heard of his misfortune and then were jealous of his recent fame.


    Ye Wei was the punching bag of junior ss three, whoever was having a bad day wouldsh out at him verbally and sometimes even physically. Being at the bottom of the ss, that kind of bullying was not justified, but it wasmon; his ssmates would look the other way and talk about it during breaks.


    Who would have thought that this one star Student had the potential to be a Runemaster? Some of Ye Wei¡¯s ssmates were happy that he finally got out of the toxic cycle of being bullied while the others were envious that Lin Zi Yan was on his side since he showcased his newfound talent. Some people can¡¯t be happy about the good fortune of others.


    The rest just liked the drama. They looked forward to what the tutor had to say about how Ye Wei skipped school for three days in a row, and if Du Ming Ze was going to continue bullying him now that school was starting again.


    At this time, only the upper ss and martial families had heard about what happened in the Ye family arena a few days ago. The vast majority of South Star students were oblivious of the duel, and how even the Du Patriarch was afraid to cross Ye Wei now. They thought the Du family was still what they were before the break.


    ¡°Ye Wei skipped school three days in a row! Xiao Qi is definitely going to bring it up during the ss meeting and make it sound worse than it is. I wonder what his punishment will be!¡±


    ¡°But he is Lin Zi Yan¡¯s pet now. I don¡¯t think he will be punished that much. He will probably just get detention or something like that. Du Ming Ze might give him a rough time though!¡±


    ¡°He brought it onto himself, all he did was answered a couple of questions correctly. Do you really think he will get lucky again? The monthly assessment is in two weeks, and he is still a one star Student! Ha ha! I look forward to seeing him getting the worst grade again!¡±


    The quiet gossip continued as the ss was hesitant to tease him openly, but they couldn¡¯t wait to see how the drama was going to unfold andugh at him when everything goes south.


    Cao Ning waved, ¡°Ye Wei! Come over here!¡± He was worried sick. Having sat next to Ye Wei in ss for years, he was one of the few real friends Ye Wei had.


    When Du Ming Ze and his little gang raided Ye Wei¡¯s room, Cao Ning was close by Ye Wei¡¯s dormitory, so he saw them entering Ye Wei¡¯s room and heard the noise they made.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Ye Wei hid his anger and replied with a casual smile. He walked to his seat and sat himself down, slightly confused about Cao Ning¡¯s anxious tone. Ye Wei saw Cao Ning as his closest friend in ss; he was not going to let his negative emotions affect their friendship.


    ¡°How can you be smiling?¡± Cao Ning covered his earnest face with his hand frustrated by Ye Wei¡¯s carefree attitude.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? We¡¯re having a ss meeting soon that¡¯s what!¡± Cao Ning was struggling to empathize with Ye Wei as he continued to rant in a serious tone, ¡°You know about our ss tutor¡¯s temper! You skipped school without telling anyone, three whole days! Do you think he will let you off?¡±


    Cao Ning was a bit grouchy from having nothing but studying and training on his schedule for the past few days. His eyes were slightly bloodshot from theck of sleep. ¡°The monthly assessment is in two weeks, and you¡¯re skipping school while we were preparing for it during ss! Miss Zi Yan saw something in you from what I could see... Aren¡¯t you afraid to let her down? What would she think if you came inst again.¡±


    ¡°¡°Oh! About that...¡± Ye Wei rubbed his nose and replied with an awkward smile. He hadpletely forgotten about it.


    The assessment was split into three parts. Part one was a rune knowledge test. Part two was a cultivation level check, and part three was a realbat test. Thinking about it, Ye Wei was not worried about any aspects of the assessment. He passed Master Yi¡¯s written exam with a perfect score. He couldn¡¯t yetpete with the other gifted kids of his age due to histe start, but his four star cultivation was more than impressive when stacked up against everyone else in his ss. Furthermore, Ye Wei¡¯s body had been strengthened by cosmic energy, the high Myst level cultivation form, and Fiery Sun Quencher pills. He didn¡¯t know it yet, but he could probably beat a five star Student in a duel.


    Cao Ning patted Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°It is pretty tight, but you still have two weeks, you should start caring about it! Miss Zi Yan knows about your situation. I don¡¯t think she expects you to do that well, but at least don¡¯te inst. You could really use a teacher on your side right now!¡± Ye Wei had a moment of rity, but Cao Ning misinterpreted his facial expression as a nk out due to panic.


    ¡°Coming inst?¡± Ye Wei smiled bitterly. He was agitated by the frustrating memories ofingst throughout the three years he was at South Star Academy. ¡®It won¡¯t happen again...¡¯ He thought.


    ¡°And...¡± Cao Ning scanned the room to make sure nobody was eavesdropping as he pulled Ye Wei close to him then continued in a whisper, ¡°You have to avoid Du Ming Ze at all costs. He came looking for you with a gang of friends from his senior ss. I don¡¯t think they had good intentions. When they couldn¡¯t find you in our ssroom, he went to your room!¡± The worry on Cao Ning¡¯s face looked sincere.


    In Cao Ning¡¯s mind, he thought that for Ye Wei neither how well he did in the assessment or minimizing his punishment was an urgent matterpared to his dispute with Du Ming Ze. Because this dispute could potentially destroy his social life at South Star and get him severely hurt.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t stand it, just head home. You can train with your family instead where you will be safe!¡± Cao Ning bit his lips as he suggested. He didn¡¯t want anything bad to happen to Ye Wei. The two were each other¡¯s only real friends in South Star Academy, and Cau Ning could not help solve this problem, therefore, he wanted to at least try to persuade him.


    ¡°Du Ming Ze?¡± Ye Wei asked with a cold re. Having to think about the Du¡¯s, Ye Wei started to get fired up. ¡®A Du would have the guts...¡¯


    ¡°But Xiao Qi volunteered to help; he led them to your room!¡± Cao Ning continued whispering.


    ¡°Xiao Qi and Du Ming Ze... I see!¡± All the puzzle pieces suddenly started toe together. ¡®The coward found a bully to help him!¡¯


    Right as Cao Ning was going to tell Ye Wei not to cause any trouble, the ssroom door was kicked open. Xiao Qi stomped in with a swagger and the gossip instantly died down while the brown-nosers greeted him. Being the number one student of the ss gained him some respect from both teachers and students. He was often assigned to help discipline the ss during breaks and therefore every student feared and obeyed him.


    Since Ye Wei¡¯s show of talent, the atmosphere in junior three had changed slightly. The ss feared his strength more than they respected him as a person. They would not side with Xiao Qi if he decided to say or do anything to Ye Wei.


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡± Xiao Qi scanned the whole ssroom with his eyes, feeling superior as his ssmates nodded at him and avoiding eye contact out of fear. He was going to start bullying again thinking Du Ming Ze was on his side.


    ¡°Only you are dumb enough to provoke Du Ming Ze. How do you like the new decor?¡± Xiao Qi said in a sadistic tone as he walked towards Ye Wei¡¯s seat. ¡°And, you are also the only person dumb enough to skip school three days in a row! How dare you disrespect our teachers and the school rules!¡±


    ¡°As the prefect, I will make sure our tutor hears about this!¡± Xiao Qi stood next to Ye Wei, looked down at him and chuckling.


    Ye Wei frowned, he was finding it hard to control the anger within as he darted his angry eyes on Xiao Qi. The moment before Ye Wei was going to stand up, Cao Ning pulled his sleeve and tried to convey to him the message, ¡®Without Miss Zi Yan in the ssroom, you are in no position to challenge Xiao Qi! He is a five star Student! Ye Wei you rascal!¡±


    ¡°It will be fine!¡± Said Ye Wei as he shook Cao Ning¡¯s hand off his sleeve. He patted Cao Ning¡¯s shoulder and slowly stood up to stare Xiao Qi straight in the eyes.


    ¡°Xiao Qi, did you lead Du Ming Ze and his dogs to trash my room?¡± Ye Wei asked calmly in an interrogative tone.


    ¡°As I said, you deserved it. You shouldn¡¯t have offended Du Ming Ze!¡± Xiao Qi grunted coldly and answered by not denying it.


    The tension built up as the pair refused to stop staring at each other. The whole ss was nervous, and they didn¡¯t know who to root for. They didn¡¯t know if they should notify the teachers either. The ss prefect nor the potential Runemaster wanted to back down.


    ¡°Ye Wei has changed a lot... Nobody talks to Xiao Qi like that! It would be foolish if he started a fight though, his runic knowledge won¡¯t do him any good in a fist fight!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Qi wouldn¡¯t start a fight, right? In the case, Ye Wei does be a Runemaster in the future... And Miss Zi Yan might have something to say about it too!¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten about Du Ming Ze? He is from one of the Big Three and seemed to be pretty close to Xiao Qi from thest time he came to our ssroom.¡±


    The gossip started again as the room was bing too quiet and the atmosphere got heavier.

 Chapter 53 – Martial Families

    Chapter 53 ¨C Martial Families


    ¡°Just answer me, did you lead Du Ming Ze to my room?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s re was intense and cold as he narrowed his eyes then slowly clenched his fists. He looked ready to fight.


    ¡°Oh, what is this? Do you want to fight me?¡± Xiao Qi saw Ye Wei¡¯s fists and said jokingly in a mocking tone. He was not afraid of a one star Student who answered a few of questions correctly during ss. ¡°You assume correctly! I did lead Du Ming Ze to trash your room! You¡¯re lucky you weren¡¯t there, otherwise you too would have been trashed!¡±


    There were not a lot of things Xiao Qi enjoyed more than mouthing off to people inferior to himself.


    ¡°What if I told you that it was me who led them there? Will you do something with those fists, or are they just for show?¡± Xiao Qi¡¯s arrogant smile grew bigger.


    ¡°Ye Wei don¡¯t let your emotions get the better of you.¡± Cao Ning was afraid that Ye Wei was going to fall for the insults and taunts, and he attempted to hold him back again.


    If Ye Wei started the fight, Xiao Qi would be meless and get off the hook by iming he fought in self-defense.


    Cao Ning reached for Ye Wei¡¯s arm but he grabbed nothing but air, and before he could finish his sentence Ye We had alreadyunched himself towards Xiao Qi.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡± Cao Ning¡¯s face turned pale, and he could do nothing but watch.


    The ss was staring at Ye Wei surprised that he would fall for Xiao Qi¡¯s taunts, and they were even more surprised by his decision to fight someone much stronger than he was.


    ¡°Ha, I was afraid you would nevere at me!¡± Xiao Qi¡¯s lips curled into a prideful sneer. He took a step forward with a heavy stomp and channeled his Qi. A green metallic glow shone under his skin as his Qi flowed through, hardening his body from head to toe.


    Xiao Qi threw a punch, and it cut through the air creating a shrill piercing sound.


    A small whirlwind violently spread throughout the whole room from Xiao Qi¡¯s punch. The pressure tilted the tables and pushed over the books set atop.


    Xiao Qi did not hold anything back; he showed off his full strength, the strength of the five star Student that junior three feared.


    Cao Ning¡¯s eyes were closed. He shut his eyelids the moment Xiao Qi threw the punch as he did not want to see his best friend get hurt and suffer.


    The rest of the ss too simultaneously looked away. They were aware that Xiao Qi mercilessly gave this punch his all and that it was going to break some bones. They thought there was nothing Ye Wei could do to avoid the bloodshed from happening, therefore, they looked away.


    On the other hand, there was no trace of panic on Ye Wei¡¯s face. He was terrifyingly calm. He saw through the mind games Xiao Qi tried to y and was ready to confront him physically and mentally.


    Ye Wei channeled his Qi, and his bones and muscles surged with strength. With the momentum of his whole body, he answered Xiao Qi¡¯s strike with a punch of his own.


    Ye Wei¡¯s Qi was condensed from cosmic energy, the Fiery Sun Quencher pill, and that golden sh in his Sentient; his fist and the rest of his skin were covered in a soft fire red glow decorated by dots of golden light where his meridiany.


    The red fist and the green fist met in mid-air, and they collided together like two pieces of solid steel. The collision created a shower of sparks and a force wave that knocked over all tables and chairs within two meters from the point of impact.


    ¡°How is this possible?!¡± Xiao Qi¡¯s full-powered punch was stopped by Ye Wei¡¯s counterpunch, neither of them gaining an inch. He stared at Ye Wei¡¯s fist, and his eyes widened in shock. ¡®When did this idiot be this strong?!¡¯


    ¡°I thought you were the strongest in our ss?¡± While holding his fist against Xiao Qi¡¯s, Ye Wei grunted. His right fist traveled from his waist to his opponent¡¯s abdomen at lightning like speed akin to a venomous snake striking its prey.


    Xiao Qi¡¯s body bent backwards, and his organs were pressed together by Ye Wei¡¯s powerful right hook. Within seconds, he was overwhelmed by pain. Stomach acid gushed out from Xiao Qi¡¯s mouth, and his eyes widened as Ye Wei¡¯s fist dug deeper into his abdomen.


    Xiao Qi¡¯s strength was drained by the pain. His punch weakened, and his fist dropped. He just couldn¡¯t hold his arm up.


    Ye Wei seized the window of opportunity as he followed through with a left punch andnded it on Xiao Qi¡¯s jaw. The left cross knocked Xiao Qi over, and his body fell on and smashed the chair behind him.


    After the noise had died down, everyone turned their heads back to see the damage Xiao Qi did, only to find him on the ground! They froze in shock with their eyes and mouths wide open. ¡®What just happened? What is Xiao Qi doing on the floor?¡¯


    The surprise and confusion on everyone¡¯s faces couldn¡¯t evene close to how startles Xiao Qi felt. He could not believe he was knocked down by this one star Student. With red eyes, Xiao Qi stared at Ye Wei like a bloodthirsty beast hunting his prey as he shouted, ¡°Ye Wei! I will kill you!¡±


    Xiao Qi hair was disheveled, and his jaw was bruised. He struggled to get up from the floor like a newborn deer. ¡®I was careless! I am the strongest student in junior three, and he is just a one star rubbish!¡¯ Fuming in shame and anger, Xiao Qi was deep in denial. He refused to think about what just happened and instead gave himself an excuse.


    ¡®He humiliated me with a sucker punch in front of everyone!¡¯ The thought rapidly grew in Xiao Qi¡¯s head as hepletely lost his cool. He roared with rage then dashed at Ye Wei. Xiao Qi needed to prove to everyone, and himself, that he was the best in ss.


    Ye Wei just calmly stood still and curled his lips into a smile. He was more entertained than threatened by the person in front of him who looked like an angry clown.


    Though Ye Wei was irritated by Xiao Qi¡¯s attitude, he wanted to get even and teach the corrupt ss prefect a lesson about respect. He slowly clenched his fist, ¡®In the past Xiao Qi has abused his power to bully others, and it had gotten way of control; this time he tagged along with Du Ming Ze to trash my room. If I don¡¯t stop him what¡¯s next? And who will be the victim?¡¯ The more Ye Wei thought about it, the angrier he got.


    ¡°Xiao Qi! Are you out of your mind?¡± While Xiao QI was dashing towards Ye Wei, three well-dressed teenagers entered the ssroom.


    These junior three students were from martial families. Two of them were four star Students, and thest one was a three star Student.


    They saw the mess as they stepped into the ssroom, and the moment they identified who the brawlers were they shouted at Xiao Qi simultaneously. ¡°Xiao Qi, who do you think you are? You have no idea who are you messing with!¡± The three teenagers were fully aware of Ye Wei¡¯s rtionship with Master Yi.

 Chapter 54 – Punishment

    Chapter 54 ¨C Punishment


    The three teenagers¡¯ screams startled Xiao Qi, and before he knew it the three ran in front of Ye Wei shielding him from Xiao Qi.


    The trio nodded at Ye Wei, signaling that they were friends not foes. They then turned to stare at Xiao Qi and coldly shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let Xiao Qi touch a hair on your head!¡±


    These three were talented individuals, and they were in junior three only because of their sloppiness and that they were toozy to train. Although they weren¡¯t the top students of the ss, their family backgrounds made their ssmates respect them. They were close to Xiao Qi and often hung out together.


    The three martial family teenagers on their own were a little social group. There was an aura of snobbiness around them. It¡¯s not that they were bad people, but they just didn¡¯t think they would gain anything by associating with ordinary students, nor did they see a point hanging out with Ye Wei before now because of his horrible red Sentient.


    Seeing that those three were protecting Ye Wei, the ss was again confused. They could not figure out what happened to cause the three teenagers to not side with their friend, but instead defend Ye Wei.


    But for the trio, it was clear. Unlike the others in junior three, they received the information regarding the family showdown very shortly after it happened. As a matter of fact, they were just discussing how to befriend Master Yi¡¯s new legacy apprentice. Now that Xiao Qi served this opportunity on a silver tter to them there was no way the trio would let this chance slip by.


    ¡°What? You three are going to fight me too?¡± Xiao Qi¡¯s bloodshot eyes were fixed on the trio who stood in front of Ye Wei and sternly shouted, ¡°If you three do not already know, Ye Wei has offended Du Ming Ze, from the Du family! You don¡¯t want them after you!¡±


    After Xiao Qi¡¯s statement, the trio showed no sign of standing down. Not aware there were bigger things in y, Xiao Qi was clouded by frustration wondering why they would help Ye Wei.


    ¡®These guys are from martial families, but none of them are half as well established as the Du family, what the hell has gotten into them?¡¯


    ¡°The Du family? Haha.¡± The trio looked at each other then contemptuously sneered at Xiao Qi¡¯s naivety andck of exposure. To them, the Du family were the losers who got humiliated by Master Yi during a failed plot against the Ye¡¯s, and after which they were forced to pay a million silver inpensation as an apology.


    ¡°Xiao Qi, don¡¯t try to threaten us with Du Ming Ze¡¯s name. Even if he personally came here, we would still stand our ground! We won¡¯t let anyone touch a hair on Ye Wei¡¯s head!¡± They were acting as guardian like as they could.


    Seeing the scene, Ye Wei shook his head reluctantly. He was aware what the trio¡¯s real intentions were.


    Although Ye Wei was slightly put off by the intentions of this unnecessary attempt of intervention, he didn¡¯t say anything as one should never decline help.


    ¡°You guys! You will regret this!¡± Xiao Qi clenched his fists, as he coldly stared at the trio, then fixed his eyes on Ye Wei as he made his threatening speech.


    Protected by three determined bodyguards, Xiao Qi could not do anything to Ye Wei but intimidate him.


    ¡°Skipping school three days in a row, starting fights in the ssroom, and harming a student¡¯s body! These are grant vitions of school rules! When the tutors get here, I will see how you three can protect this idiot!¡± Xiao Qi grunted and said as he rubbed his stomach, it was still hurting from their exchange of blows.


    After looking around at the messy ssroom, Xiao Qi limped back to his seat, sat down, and hoped the ss tutor would arrive soon.


    ¡°Ye Wei! Are you hurt?¡± The trio had better things to worry about, they ignored Xiao Qi¡¯s threat and continued fawning over Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice. They knew nobody, not even the principle, would do anything to the Runemaster or his associates.


    ¡°I am fine. Thanks for the help!¡± Ye Wei shook his head to signal he was fine, and politely expressed his gratitude although he knew they were doing it for potential personal gain.


    Seeing that Ye Wei did not talk more, the trio was afraid they were intruding on his personal space, therefore they bowed then quietly went to their seats.


    ¡°Hey, I am fine! I¡¯m strong enough now. I don¡¯t start fights, but I am not afraid to confront unfairness!¡± Ye Wei could see his best friend was still trembling, so he patted Cao Ning¡¯s shoulder and spoke in aforting manner.


    Cao Ning was by no means untalented. He was a three star Student, and his civilian family upbringing made him an honest boy, but also a timid one.


    This did not escape the martial family boys as they looked at each other. It seemed that if they wanted to be close to Ye Wei, they might have to befriend Cao Ning too.


    ¡°Yea!¡± Cao Ning nodded then replied. He was calmed by Ye Wei¡¯s trustworthy aura, and he could sense there was something different about his best friend.


    It wasn¡¯t snobbiness from showing off his potential to be a Runemaster or Miss Zi Yan¡¯s high regards. It was a deeper temperament; a transformation.


    Time passed, and the sky darkened. Junior three¡¯s ssroom was almost full. The mess made earlier remained, and Xiao Qi pressured his ssmates not to touch a thing so he could present it as an evidence of Ye Wei¡¯s alleged crimes.


    ¡°The ss will be a witness to you skipping school and starting a fight. This mess will be the proof of your violent acts! You can get severely punished for viting either of these rules, and I will see if you can keep calm when our tutores!¡± Xiao Qi¡¯s face was ashen while as he clenched his fist tight. He spoke to the ss while staring at Ye Wei, who was sitting rxed.


    The ss was casually looking at Ye Wei as they spoke about what happened in the ssroom earlier. They too were curious about how their tutor was going to handle this ouw.


    There had been a lot of strange events happening today in junior three¡¯s ssroom. First it was Ye Wei actually standing up against Xiao Qi and knocking him to the ground. Secondly, the martial family boys sided with Ye Wei instead of their usual ally. The ss knew way too little to make sense out of these episodes!


    They anticipated an exnation for when the tutor confronted all the participants of the fight that happened earlier. Usually, the tutor would arrive in the ssroom before the scheduled meeting starts to catch up with the students.


    However, it was not before an hour past the scheduled time before the sweaty tutor showed up panting. He was wearing the standard issue ck robe and looked suspiciously concerned about something.


    This was the moment the ss has been waiting for! As the chubby tutor entered, thirty pairs of eyes immediately set on him.

 Chapter 55 – Gifted

    Chapter 55 ¨C Gifted


    ¡°Huh?¡± Before the tutor¡¯s eyes was a messy, hardly recognizable ssroom. It was obvious a fight took ce not long ago. He noticed that he was the focus of the whole ss¡¯ eyes. He slightly frowned letting the ss know he was unpleased.


    ¡°The Tutor is going to lose it!¡±


    ¡®Oh god, Xiao Qi is going to make it sound way worse than it really was. Ye Wei is in deep trouble!¡¯ The students thought while looking at their tutor¡¯s ashened face, but they were all too timid to speak up.


    ¡°Ha! Nobody can help you this time Ye Wei!¡± Xiao Qi was d to see the tutor¡¯s angry face, thinking Ye Wei¡¯s punishment would be exceptionally heavy.


    Seeing that the tutor was going as ask who was responsible for the mess, Xiao Qi adjusted his shirt and rehearsed the allegations in his head. He was ready to report Ye Wei¡¯s crimes in detail, that may not bepletely urate.


    Xiao Qi was impatiently waiting but the tutor did not ask anything about the mess. The ss tutor¡¯s eyes stayed on the broken tables and chairs for merely a second before he shifted his attention to Ye Wei.


    The chubby tutor respectfully looked at Ye Wei and approvingly nodded.


    He did not like the state of the room and he did not know Ye Wei was responsible for it. But he knew he was looking at Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice and could not wait to show respect.


    The reason why he waste to the ss meeting was that he was held up in another meeting, a meeting with the administrators of South Star Academy. There he learned that Ye Wei had been recruited by the renowned Runemaster, Master Yi.


    ¡°Tutor!¡± Xiao Qi was tired of waiting for the tutor to ask the question, so he enthusiastically stood up while coldly staring at Ye Wei.


    ¡°Not only did Ye Wei defiantly skipped school for three days in a row, but he attacked me from my blind spot with a sucker punch in this very room! He broke the school rules! Please serve justice!¡±


    ¡°The whole ss is my alibi!¡± With his twisted sense of right and wrong, Xiao Qi presented his ims. His stomach was still hurting, but his mind felt eased. He was sure the tutor would avenge him swiftly and forcefully.


    The tutor of junior three was known to be bad tempered. In the past, even when Xiao Qi and the martial boys broke a less serious school rule, this man would still punish them as if theymitted serious offences. He did this to make an example of them and to make sure they didn¡¯t do it again.


    ¡°Skipping school? And he attacked you?¡± The tutor confusingly looked at Xiao Qi, his eyebrows curled up as he frowned. Then he madly replied to Xiao Qi with a few questions, ¡°Xiao Qi, you are the strongest student in this ss, the one and only five star Student! And Ye Wei? Who doesn¡¯t know that he is a one star Student? He attacked you?¡±


    ¡°You have let me down!¡±


    ¡°You insult me with your lies! Don¡¯t you have better things to spend your time on, other than lying?¡±


    The tutor¡¯s scolding echoed in the ssroom and it startled Xiao Qi and the rest of the ss. They were very confused why the tutor would take Ye Wei¡¯s side before further investigation. They all knew that Ye Wei skipped school for three days. This favoritism was very much uncalled for.


    Xiao Qi couldn¡¯t believe the strict ss tutor favored Ye Wei, he paused his pursuit.


    ¡°But even if he couldn¡¯t or didn¡¯t attack me, he still skipped school for three whole days! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask the substitute teacher!¡± Xiao Qi grinded his teeth after he spoke as he was notfortable being the victim of unfair treatment.


    The day was getting weirder and weirder for everyone, they just didn¡¯t understand why everyone seemed to be favouring Ye Wei!


    Xiao Qi¡¯s mind was full of resentment and unwillingness. He couldn¡¯t let this go without making Ye Wei suffer! ¡®The evidence is right here! The proof of Ye Wei¡¯s offence was the ssroom, itself! Even if the tutor favoured Ye Wei, there is no escape for this ss skipping rascal.¡¯


    ¡°The act of skipping school for three days is not always against the rules now, is it? The tutor calmly stared at Xiao Qi as his face darkened.


    He was annoyed by Xiao Qi. ¡®Ye Wei is Master Yi¡¯s one and only legacy apprentice, and even people as high up as the principle and the vice principal have to pay Master Yi respect!¡¯


    ¡®Xiao Qi you little brat, why would I look for trouble on your behalf?¡¯


    As the tutor¡¯s mind wandered, the ss was stillpletely lost while trying to understand the situation. It was a written rule that students at South Star Academy are not allowed to skip school but Ye Wei skipped three days. Ye Wei had been bullied in the past, but that should not exclude him from being the subject of the school¡¯s discipline policies!


    Xiao Qi looked irritated and the rest of the ss looked puzzled. Everyone that is, but the three martial family boys, they were secretly chuckling as they could guess why the tutor was behaving this way. ¡®Haha, why would a junior ss tutor dare punish Master Yi¡¯s apprentice? No tutors are in the position to do so!¡¯


    ¡°South Star Academy has strict rules against ss skipping, but that only applies to students in junior, intermediate, and senior ss!¡±


    ¡°The school board has made a decision to reassign Ye Wei to the ss of the gifted!¡± The tutor briefly gave Xiao Qi a cold look, then turned to Ye Wei and said with a friendly tone, ¡°Let¡¯s all congratte Ye Wei¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei? ss of the gifted?¡±


    The announcement bombarded Xiao Qi¡¯s mind like thunder. He felt dizzy and struggled to breathe normally. ¡®Ye Wei? Did I hear correctly? Since when is he qualified to be in that ss?! He is a talentless one star Student!¡¯


    ¡°A student in the ss of the gifted can show up to lectures whenever they please, and this is one of the privileges Ye Wei has earned!¡± The tutor added.


    The martial family boys were the first in the ss to stand up, and they winked and bowed at Ye Wei, ¡°Brother Ye, congrattions!¡±


    ¡°Gifted as you are it was only the matter of time before you got reassigned!¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei! Don¡¯t forget about us although you won¡¯t be among us!¡±


    The rest of the ss started cheering, ¡°Congrats Ye Wei, you are our pride!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s ssmates were a bit confused as nobody knew the details yet, but the tutor¡¯s words were enough. There was no reason to doubt what he said regarding Ye Wei being reassigned.


    Nobody even cared about the pale and spaced out Xiao Qi at this point.


    ¡°Ye...Ye Wei! You really made it into the gifted ss?!¡± Cao Ning¡¯s eyes were widened as he disbelievingly staring at Ye Wei like an owl.


    ¡°Erm... Yea I guess so.¡± Ye Wei scratched his head and nodded. He realized now that the academy might have learned that he had be Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice.

 Chapter 56 – Dragon

    Chapter 56 ¨C Dragon


    After the ss meeting, Ye Wei went back to his trashed room. He didn¡¯t unpack earlier so now he just picked up his luggage and a few belongings then followed the tutor to his new residence in the Crouching Dragon Hall under the dim moonlight.


    The grounds at Crouching Dragon Hall were filled with trees, and the winding green stone pavement was calm and peaceful.


    Now that Ye Wei had be a gifted ss student, he had to say goodbye to his old room. All his ssmates lived at either the Crouching Dragon Hall or Green Phoenix Hall depending on their gender.


    The academy was not going to be stingy when it came to treating Master Yi¡¯s only legacy apprentice. They arranged an elegant little house for Ye Wei. It was a house like Lin Zi Yan¡¯s residence in Green Phoenix Hall!


    Only the top three students in the whole academy were assigned these elegant houses apart from Lin Zi Yan and now Ye Wei.


    ¡°I always dreamed of having my own house here at South Star, but now not only am I moving into Crouching Dragon Hall, but I am also getting my own house!¡±


    ¡°Fate is a mysterious thing!¡± Ye Wei was looking at the luxuriously decorated interior while standing on a rare beast pelt as he eximed in awe.


    ¡°There are thirty-six students in my new ss, and every one of them are astonishing cultivators. A few of them are even younger than I am, and some of them are Warriors! I have to breakthrough soon so I canpete with these people. I was at the bottom of junior three for three years, and I do not wish to be the worst again!¡±


    ¡°I have to be an elite and earn my position properly! It will be hard to catch up to my ss, but I will do it!¡± Ye Wei rubbed his hand together as he tried to motivate himself. His eyes shone with determination.


    ¡°Though, I don¡¯t think I will learn anything from ss right now. I shouldn¡¯t just tag along with the ss and waste the tutor¡¯s time because I¡¯m not on the same level. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to my new ssmates, and it won¡¯t be fair to the teachers who would have to pay attention to me just because of my apprenticeship with Master Yi!¡±


    ¡°I need to attain a seven star level before attending ss. I will benefit more from training than attending ss for now!¡± Ye Wei made the decision after pondering, he then marched up the engraved staircase into the training room on the second floor. He swallowed a Fiery Sun Quencher pill and started cultivating.


    Ye Wei¡¯s recent improvements didn¡¯t change the color of his Sentient. He was still hopelessly slow at absorbing primal energy. If he were to train without any pills or outside help, he would not be a five star Student in less than three years at the least.


    Quenchers were his only solution as of now, and he was using a lot of them too. Ye Wei just wanted to get to seven star level as soon as he could. He actually had to thank the Du family, Zhou Wu and Dong Ho for thepensation money because with their financial support he did not have to worry about resources.


    With extreme effort, Ye Wei took pill after pill and trained non-stop for seven days.


    During this week, he consumed all the Fiery Sun Quenchers in his possession. This helped him gain two moreyers of green web under his skin!


    When he umted tenyers of this Qi web under his skin, then Ye Wei would breakthrough to be a five star Student.


    ¡°These pills were really effective... I can¡¯t believe how much I have progressed in just a week; a breakthrough is almost in sight!¡± Ye Wei slowly opened his eyes and stood up from his lotus position. He clenched his fist and flexed his arm so that he could see the green web under his skin more clearly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I don¡¯t have any more Fiery Sun Quenchers. If I did, it wouldn¡¯t take me more than one month to be a five star Student.¡±


    ¡°If only they weren¡¯t that rare! Our family can afford them now but had to settle with lower quality pills because of avability.¡± Ye Wei shook his head and sighed reluctantly, unpleased with having to fall back to a slower cultivating speed.


    ¡®I Wonder how Zi Yan is doing...¡¯ After a few days of hard training, the elegant silhouette of Lin Zi Yan appeared in his mind.


    Having lost track of time, Ye Wei looked out the window to discover the sun was setting. He stretched his body and went out for some fresh air.


    He decided to follow the shaded trail and head towards Green Phoenix Hall. As Ye Wei got closer to the female¡¯s hall of residence, he was joined by some familiar faces who were returning to the hall after a busy school day. They all were looking at him and talking about him quietly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the boy who was chasing after Joe Yin? How many times did he get humiliated by her? Why is heing back?¡± A girl with braided hair asked her friends in a judgemental and disdainful tone. She was stopped by one of the girls from speaking further.


    ¡°Shuu! Have you not heard what everyone was saying?¡±


    ¡°Heard about what?¡±


    ¡°Do you live in a cave or something? Rumour has it that this boy has an outstanding Soul Sensibility and that he just became Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice!¡± The leader of the group answered while admiringly staring at Ye Wei.


    ¡°What? How sure are you about that?¡± The girl with braids asked again disbelievingly. She would have never associated Master Yi with Ye Wei before now.


    ¡°I am very certain! He now has his own house at Crouching Dragon Hall, just like that guy!¡±


    ¡°Joe Yin is so lucky! If Joe Yin bes his girlfriend, she will most likely receive special treatment too! Imagine if she got her own house at Green Phoenix!¡± The girl with braids showed a hint of envy.


    After hearing that, the girls all had a sour look on their faces as they knew more regarding the situation.


    ¡°I heard Joe Yin¡¯s father brought her to the Ye mansion for a wedding proposal and got rejected on the spot!¡± The leader of the group had good sources.


    ¡°Wow, I guess a boy with potential like him would aim higher not to mention all the times he has been humiliated by Joe Yin!¡±


    ¡°Why is he heading to Green Phoenix Hall then?¡±


    ¡°For Lin Zi Yan I guess. Her talents would be a good match for a future Runemaster!¡±


    While the group was specting, a better looking and therefore more confident girl decided to try her luck and took the initiative. She gently flicked her shoulder length hair as she approached Ye Wei.


    She waved at him and showed a charming smile, ¡°You¡¯re Ye Wei right?¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes locked on to the approaching girl. Her white silk dressplimented her body well, but it wascklusterpared to Lin Zi Yan¡¯s natural elegance. He replied coldly, ¡°Yea that¡¯s me, can I help you with anything?¡±


    The girl dismissed the cold reply and continued her pursuit with a shy smile: ¡°A few of my friends and I would like to hang out with with you, are you free?¡± She pointed at the group of pretty girls standing far behind her. They were all shyly looking in Ye Wei¡¯s direction and giggling.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have time!¡± Ye Wei shook his head and directly replied. He walked past her without a second thought.


    Ye Wei¡¯s reaction stupefied the group of girls.


    ¡°Who would have guessed that this red Sentient boy had it in him?¡±


    ¡°Joe Yin must really regret what she did to him now!¡±


    Just behind the girls around the corner stood a girl with ear length hair. She was quietly watching Ye Wei walking towards Lin Zi Yan¡¯s house. Two lines of tears slid down her rosy cheeks as the group of girls talked about how she had missed her chance. Joe Yin saw Ye Wei on her way back from ss, but she didn¡¯t even have to courage to say hello to him.


    She regretted her actions dearly, but regret would not help her by now.

 Chapter 57 – Sealed

    Chapter 57 ¨C Sealed


    An elegant fragrance struck Ye Wei as he entered Lin Zi Yan¡¯s front yard. Curious to find out what it was, he walked towards the mini flower garden to the side where the smell came from.


    The source of the fragrance were purple tulips. They were surrounded by different exotic flowers. Ye Wei remembered seeing the same purple tulips embroidered on Lin Zi Yan¡®s clothes and wondered what it represented.


    Ye Wei took a deep breath and was refreshed by the sweet scent that reminded him of Zi Yan and her elegance.


    He then turned around and looked up. The doors were shut, but Lin Zi Yan did once say that he was wee to visit anytime. With that in mind, he walked up and gently knocked twice.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is she not home?¡± Ye Wei was puzzled because it was way after thest ss of the day had ended.


    All of a sudden a violent disturbance of Qi was felt by Ye Wei. He felt that it came from the second floor where her training room should be located. The wave hit him internally, and it disrupted both his Qi and blood cirction. The rusty taste of blood was in his mouth suddenly.


    ¡®What was that? Howe a Qi wave of that magnitude came from Zi Yan¡¯s house?¡¯


    ¡°She just became a Warrior less than a month ago. This is not something that came from Lin Zi Yan. These escting violent Qi waves feel more like the sh of Qi in a battle!¡¯


    Afraid that Zi Yan was under attack, Ye Wei¡¯s face turned ashen. He worryingly rushed towards the front door and tried to open it.


    With a huge bang, the doors glowed. The runes inscribed onto the doors shone and repelled him. Ye Wei was knocked off bnce and forced to take a few steps back.


    These houses were secured by a runic system installed by the academy to stop unwanted persons from entering. Only authorized people could open the doors under normal circumstances.


    Just like Ye Wei¡¯s house over at Crouching Dragon Hall, without the correctbination of runes nobody below the condensed prime Warrior level could disarm the security system without the code.


    Ye Wei started to panic. He could tell from the fearsome disturbance of Qi that was growing rapidly that it could turn the house into rubble if it was not stopped.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± Ye Wei frowned. He could not afford to lose Zi Yan.


    ¡®This was not the time to hesitate!¡¯


    Ye Wei took a deep breath and stared at the doors. He remembered seeing Zi Yan opened this set of doors, and he tried to recall what exact she did on this very spot. He cleared his mind and followed his memory, Ye Wei ced his fingers onto the runes on the door and flicked them.


    The doors made a clicking sound then opened up. ¡°Yes!¡± Ye Wei screamed with joy. He felt lucky that his peripheral vision was urate enough and that he could remember the code under stress.


    He didn¡¯t waste a second as he ran inside the room without even closing the doors.


    It took merely a second for the four star Student to dash up the stairs. The closer he get to the training room, the more suffocated he felt. When he arrived in front of the training room, tides of pressure waves pressed against him so strongly he could hardly breathe. His body and mind were overwhelmed by the fearsome energy surge. He channeled his Qi to fight the outside pressure.


    Although a bit scared, Ye Wei opened the training room doors without hesitation.


    Expecting to see a fight, Ye Wei was shocked to see the massive Qi surgeing from a gentle figure. There was only one person in the room apart from himself, and it was Lin Zi Yan sitting in a lotus position. She was sitting quietly in the middle of arge carpet.


    ¡®How can she generate energy of this magnitude?¡¯ Ye Wei was first shocked by what was urring in front of his eyes, and then his face flushed when he took a closer look.


    Lin Zi Yan was wearing nothing but a thin silk gown. Damp with sweat; it was almost transparent. Ye Wei was embarrassed and surprised to see this. He couldn¡¯t move nor could he take his eyes off her.


    Her wless skin, her pale and delicate arms, the curves at her chest, the slender waistline, and the muscr but slim legs. Ye Wei could see that her body was a product of years of hard training, and his eyes were drawn by every bit of it.


    He couldn¡¯t help himself; no young boy could either.


    Ye Wei froze in confusion. He didn¡¯t know if he should leave this scene or not. It was clear that she was in some kind of trouble, but he was also sure that he walked in at a very private moment.


    While Ye Wei was pondering, Lin Zi Yan¡¯s moan caught his attention. She looked like she was in great pain, and her slightly loose hair was drenched. Drops of sweat were dripping from the ends onto her body. Aroused by these drops of sweat running down her skin, Ye Wei¡¯s face turnedpletely red.


    As Ye Wei was frozen by the sight, he considered how to apologize when Zi Yan opened her eyes and learned that he had been looking at her barely dressed figure. Suddenly, an intense wave of energy came from Lin Zi Yan¡¯s body and snapped him out of his daze.


    Followed by the explosion of Qi, sequences of runes burst out of Lin Zi Yan¡¯s body and started spinning around her. Millions of runes merged in a long chain and formed a purple vortex.


    The whirl of runes projected a violet runic pattern onto her. She didn¡¯t look human under the purple light.


    After taking a closer look at the whirl, Ye Wei discovered that most of those runes contained massive amounts of energy, and were stronger than Myst stance runes!


    It was a mystery to Ye Wei how and where Lin Zi Yan could store that many runes inside her body. This kind of energy would tear one¡¯s body apart if they were below the condensed prime Warrior level. But then a couple of strange looking runes caught Ye Wei¡¯s eyes. ¡®Those are dimensional runes! They are only used for sealing!¡¯


    It struck Ye Wei that Lin Zi Yan was either a vessel, or her power was being sealed by a sealing stance for some reason. That she was actually much stronger than people believed her to be.


    The power surgesing through the seal were filtered and weakened. Ye Wei could not imagine what would happen if the seal was to be broken, how strong would she be.


    It has long been apparent to Ye Wei that Lin Zi Yan¡¯s family background wasn¡¯t ordinary, but today was the first time he was scared and intimidated by it. It was bing more obvious that she grew up around some very powerful people.


    Ye Wei hadn¡¯t really known Lin Zi Yan for that long, but he opened his heart to her a little bit without noticing, ¡®To be strong enough to match her and protect her.¡¯, This had be his goal after Ye Wei started to get to know the kind-hearted beauty.


    This was a wake-up call. Ye Wei learned right now that he needed to multiply his efforts to reach his goals.


    ¡°I will not give up!¡± Ye Wei was determined although he had no idea how much catching up he would need to do.


    The whirl did not stop revolving, it suddenly expanded and released an even stronger wave of energy akin a mini-tsunami.

 Chapter 58 – Sorry

    Chapter 58 ¨C Sorry


    The fearsome wave of energy came crashing into Ye Wei, and he was knocked flying before he could react and defend himself although the result would have been the same. He was shocked by the impact and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground feeling like his organs were all twisted together.


    Ye Wei quickly got up and swallowed a pill. He sat in a lotus position and adjusted his disturbed Qi flow.


    ¡®What is happening? I don¡¯t understand!¡¯ Ye Wei was increasingly confused by Lin Zi Yan, who was sitting still with closed eyes.


    Under great pain, Lin Zi Yan¡¯s lovely facial features were all squeezed together. Ye Wei had never seen Zi Yan looking like this. He could not help but empathize with her as she was going through this agonizing experience.


    Just as Ye Wei started breathing normally again, the whirl of runes contracted. They touched Lin Zi Yan¡¯s skin and disappeared altogether, and the Qi waves vanished instantaneously as well.


    While Ye Wei was relieved, Lin Zi Yan did not look like she was suffering any less. A small amount of blood leaked out of her mouth and slid down her pale chin. She then lost bnce and fell over.


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s fall did not go unnoticed by Ye Wei. He immediately stood up and ran over to hold her tightly as she fell.


    Lin Zi Yan had no strength left in her body, and she struggled just to open her eyes. Her brain registered the familiar face then she asked in a low whispering voice, ¡°Ye Wei why are you here? Am I dreaming?¡± Zi Yan was barely conscious and weakening as she spoke.


    Ye Wei grabbed her arm and tried to feel her pulse. He realized it was weak, and it felt like it would stop at any second. ¡®What should I do now?¡¯


    While feeling Lin Zi Yan¡¯s pulse, Ye Wei noticed there was a fading marking on each of her wrists that resembled a runic seal. They were only one shade darker than her skin was and were hard to notice unless observed closely.


    Ye Wei was trying to work out whether these marks had anything to do with what just happened to Lin Zi Yan while he carried her toy on the little bed to the side.


    Ye Wei was close enough to smell the sweat on Lin Zi Yan¡¯s drenched silk gown; it was sticking onto her body, and he couldn¡¯t help but trace the outline of her body with his eyes. From her perky breasts to her t, smooth stomach and all the way down her toned legs, every inch of her skin was driving Ye Wei crazy, but he had much more serious matter to deal with, and he knew it.


    He took out a meridian nourishing Jade Moistener pill and fed it to Lin Zi Yan. It was not a valuable concoction, but Ye Wei knew from his experience that thismon pill was exactly what she needed at the moment.


    ¡°Water...¡± Lin Zi Yan mumbled, having sweated for hours she was extremely dehydrated.


    Ye Wei went downstairs and started a fire for the kettle then returned to pour a ss of lukewarm water slowly down Lin Zi Yan¡¯s throat.


    Afraid that Zi Yan might catch a cold, Ye Wei channeled his Qi around his arms to warm Lin Zi Yan up and evaporate the sweat covering her gown. After a minute, her body was warm again and covered by a dry and therefore less revealing gown.


    After Ye Wei warmed Lin Zi Yan up, he checked her breathing and her pulse. Luckily she appeared to have stabilized but was still very weak.


    After Lin Zi Yan had stabilized a little, Ye Wei could finally rx. He took a deep breath and sat down next to the bed. Ye Wei was just inches away from Lin Zi Yan, but he felt distant; he knew nothing about her apart from her name and her brilliance. Although they were bing close, the mysteries around her still remained; where was her family? What was sealed inside her body? Why was she in Green Moon City?


    Ye Wei appreciated Lin Zi Yan¡¯s cute face while she slept meanwhile he asked himself these questions over and over again. He was trying to sketch a possible answer in his mind that would exin every question he had regarding her. He had a feeling that Lin Zi Yan was going to leave Green Moon City one day to return home. And that the ce Zi Yan call home would be somehow rted to the dynasty.


    ¡®Either way, I just need to get stronger! I am Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice. I won¡¯t be trapped in this little city forever.¡¯ Self-motivating had be a habit of Ye Wei¡¯s whenever he felt challenged.


    For the next twenty hours, Lin Zi Yan was going in and out of aatose state while Ye Wei guarded her, and fed her pills and water. Lin Zi Yan was starting to move a little, and showing signs of recovery.


    While Ye Wei was taking care of her with his best efforts, Lin Zi Yan had the two longest dreams she had ever had. In the first one, she visited a magnificent hall where her parents and the rest of her family were present; Ye Wei was there with her too.


    Upon arriving at Green Moon City, Lin Zi Yan was solely focused on her studies at South Star Academy. Although she was a popr girl with a lot of admirers, she always kept a distance with them and enjoyed her ownpany instead. That was before she got to know Ye Wei.


    Undoubtingly, Lin Zi Yan held Ye Wei¡¯s talent in high regard. She was curious about how he acquired so much knowledge at such young age, and she greatly respected his resilience in the face of adversity. Maybe it was the fact that Ye Wei was two years younger than her that caused her to slowly let her guard down and weed him into her life like something akin to a little brother. Thus, that made Ye Wei one of the closest people she knew in this city.


    In her second dream, she was training and attempting to break the seals on her body when she diverted her Qi to the wrong set of meridians. Not only did this ident cause her to failed, but her Sentient was impacted by her own Qi. She then used all her efforts to guide her Qi back to the right path. Although the situation improved, she waspletely exhausted and dehydrated, and at this time, Ye Wei entered her second dream. She then felt embarrassed because her clothes werepletely transparent from sweat but she was unable to do anything.


    ¡®That was a strange dream!¡¯ Was the thought that woke Lin Zi Yan up. She slowly opened her eyes, but the ring sun made her narrow them again.


    ¡°Zi Yan, are you awake?¡± Ye Wei was ecstatic. He stood up enthusiastically and asked, ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Little Wei...?¡± Lin Zi Yan was shocked then she realized that the second dream was her actual memory. She then looked down to see if she was decently dressed. She could see a nket on top of her body, and judging by the texture her skin felt, she knew she was wearing nothing but a thin silk gown.


    Lin Zi Yan blushed, and the temperature of her skin dramatically rose upon realizing Ye Wei saw her bare body. It was the first time since she was born that anyone saw her wearing this little. It caused aplicated feeling to arise when she knew she revealed that much in front of a boy.


    This was not the n. Lin Zi Yan wore that thin gown assuming she would be training alone and that it would provide better venttion when her body temperature eventually rose due to the amount of Qi involved in breaking the seals. Never would she have imagined that Ye Wei, or anyone, woulde through the locked doors.


    Ye Wei knew what Lin Zi Yan¡¯s facial expression meant, and he immediately tried to exin the situation and ease the tension. He didn¡¯t want to bebeled as a pervert after all, ¡°Zi Yan, I didn¡¯t mean to intrude, but I felt a big disturbance of Qi when I was waiting for you to answer the door. Judging by the magnitude of the pressure waves, it was not what I assumed you could create which led me to believe that you were under attack. I thought you were in danger, so I just rushed in. I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw when I finally came in...¡±


    While Lin Zi Yan bought the exnation and was touched by how Ye Wei cared about her, she was not at all over the fact that a boy just saw her body. She was a great schr but nothing she learned taught her how to behave in such situation.


    Ye Wei too was stupefied because of the situation the two were in. He just hoped what he did would eventually be forgiven or forgotten.


    ¡°I am so sorry!¡± Ye Wei said with his head facing down.

 Chapter 59 – Caretaking

    Chapter 59 ¨C Caretaking


    Looking Ye Wei¡¯s guilty face, Lin Zi Yan didn¡¯t know how to react. She grabbed her nket tightly and sighed deeply.


    ¡®Should I really hold a grudge against Ye Wei for this? His intentions were good, and if it wasn¡¯t for him looking after me the injuries I sustained from this ident could have killed me...¡±


    Feeling embarrassed and struggling to stay calm, Lin Zi Yan¡¯s reasonings told her that she should let it go, but her emotions said not to.


    ¡°Ye Wei.¡± The blushing on Zi Yan¡¯s face showed no signs of fading as she raised her head to look Ye Wei in the eyes. She said, ¡°What you saw does not leave this room, okay?¡±


    ¡°My lips are sealed!¡± Ye Wei nodded heavily seeing as Lin Zi Yan was prepared to bury this incident and move on, but he felt inexplicably unsettled.


    ¡°If others learned about what happened today... you might actually get killed!¡± Lin Zi Yan warned him in a serious tone.


    Ye Wei was puzzled why Zi Yan would be so caught up with what happened, and he wondered if she found him untrustworthy. He would never say anything that would ruin her reputation no matter what.


    ¡®He looks pretty cute when he¡¯s confused. Although he does look childish but he is quite a handsome boy...¡¯ Lin Zi Yan¡¯s mind wandered. ¡®What am I thinking!?¡¯


    The rush of blood to her head didn¡¯t really help her regain her strength. She wanted to get up, but her dantian and her meridians in her limbs were still weak, so she gave up trying once she noticed how floppy her arms and legs were.


    ¡°Ye Wei, can you make me some food?¡± She resorted to asking for help instead.


    ¡°I will get right to it!¡± Ye Wei replied reflexively and ran downstairs to the kitchen. The Ye¡¯s had servants, but they were taught to do these basic things themselves from a young age which made him quite a good cook for someone with his family background.


    Shortly after he went down the stairs, Ye Wei came back up holding a tray with a bowl of warm congee and some pills.


    While Ye Wei was downstairs cooking, Zi Yan tried to strengthen her body by filling herself with Qi but failed miserably because of her dantian¡¯s injury.


    ¡°Zi Yan, let me help you sit yourself up...¡± The awkwardness remained, but she was incapable of taking care of herself for the time being.


    ¡°Yea.¡± Lin Zi Yan shyly nodded.


    Ye Wei put the tray on the nightstand and took her hand to help her up. He then held her in his left arm and fed her one spoonful at a time.


    Their bodily contact did not help lighten the atmosphere.


    Feeling Ye Wei¡¯s warm palm on her back, his touch sent shivers down her spine. It was one thing knowing he saw and touched her body when she was barely conscious, but quite another to experience it fully awake. While she was aware that he was not strong enough to protect her, she had never felt more secure than right now leaning on his chest and feeling his heartbeat.


    Right now Lin Zi Yan was just a teenager caught in the moment, and she had no idea this memory would stay in her heart and revisit her more often than she could ever imagine.


    Ye Wei was very careful when feeding her. He blew on each spoonful of food to make sure it wasn¡¯t too hot. While he was unquestionably doing a decent job at being attentive, he couldn¡¯t help but shift his attention to Zi Yan¡¯s wonderful scent and her exposed body through the opening of the silk gown.


    It was Ye Wei¡¯s first time being this close to a girl he liked, and he kept telling himself it was not appropriate to stare, but he just couldn¡¯t help himself.


    Aware of Ye Wei¡¯s gaze, Lin Zi Yan subtly tried to cover her chest with her arm, but it only opened up her gown even more. Her anxiety and embarrassment were bing unbearable all of a sudden.


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡± She stared at him rebukingly. She knew this was unavoidable being in the same room with a young boy while dressed like this, but she expected better from this boy.


    It was impossible for either one of them to remain calm while Ye Wei was ashamed of his behavior, it was just too hard for him not to look at the girl of his dreams; in fact, the fondness was mutual, but Lin Zi Yan had more on her mind. She knew her family background would make her rtionships moreplicated than she would have liked, and that her future was not really in her own hands.


    Although Ye Wei had potential, Lin Zi Yan was mindful of how difficult it was for an outsider to earn her family¡¯s approval and trust. A century old superpower was not going to ept a nameless boy to continue their prideful bloodline.


    Lin Zi Yan signed resentfully. Sometimes she just wished she was born into an ordinary family.


    She wished she could live a simple life without being involved in family disputes and having to please other people¡¯s wishes.


    ¡®I will get away someday...¡¯


    The awkward silence seemed never ending. After finishing her food quietly with Ye Wei¡¯s aid, Zi Yan felt somewhat energized and wanting to cover herself up a little more to ease the tension, ¡°Help me up. I would like to get changed!¡± Her face was stillpletely red.


    ¡°Yea!¡± Ye Wei nodded and helped her bnce while she took small wobbly steps back to her room.


    Ye Wei stepped out of the room then shut the doors behind him. He took a deep breath and loosened his shoulders. Scenes from the training room incident kept reying in his head. He deeply regretted his behavior, but on the other hand, he couldn¡¯t rid himself of his impure thoughts.


    Just being left alone was enough to make his mind wander. He couldn¡¯t stop visualizing how Lin Zi Yan was getting changed behind the door. He shook his head and sat down to cultivate, hoping that would clear his mind.


    As he was beginning to focus, he was immediately distracted by a loud bang from inside the room.


    ¡®What now?¡¯ Ye Wei was worried. He jumped up and knocked on her door quickly. ¡°Zi Yan! What¡¯s happening?¡± He screamed hysterically.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Her tone of voice was hard, but it was also shaky and the volume was low. It sounded to Ye Wei that she was in pain.


    The seals on Lin Zi Yan¡¯s body were too strong, and she literally used all of her Qi and energy earlier trying to break one of them. Until her meridians and dantian recovered, she would not be able to store Qi in her body. She was now as weak as a normal person.


    Ye Wei was not convinced, and he stood right outside the door listening closely for any movements.


    Secondster, another banging noise came from the room followed by the sound of Lin Zi Yan grunting.


    ¡°Zi Yan!¡± Ye Wei screamed anxiously. He did not get a reply, and therefore shouted again. Even then still not a sound came from the room.


    He started to panic. ¡®What just happened!?¡¯ He was too worried to stand still and wait around while Zi Yan could be dying. He mmed the door open hoping it was not toote.

 Chapter 60 – Promise

    Chapter 60 ¨C Promise


    Ye Wei rushed in to discover Lin Zi Yan lying on the ground. The left sleeve of her gown was dyed red by blood. He immediately ran forward to check her condition.


    There was a huge bruise on her forehead and a long cut on her arm that didn¡¯t look like it was going to stop bleeding anytime soon.


    ¡°Zi Yan! Can you hear me?¡± Ye Wei waspletely distressed. He knelt down to feed her another Jade Moistener pill after which he crushed a trauma pill into powder and applied it to her wound.


    ¡°I... I¡¯m okay.¡± Lin Zi Yan drowsily opened her eyes. She panicked again when she realized she was still in the same revealing silk gown. She tried to turn away from Ye Wei and stand up but immediately lost her bnce and slipped. Luckily Ye Wei caught her before she hurt herself more. The seals on her body were very unstable at the moment and were disrupting her body functions, or else she would have already recovered given that she was stronger than most humans.


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t understand why she was panicking and acting crazy. ¡°Stop moving!¡± He said while frowning.


    After Zi Yan was calmed down by Ye Wei¡¯s steady voice, he wrapped his right arm behind her neck and lifted her legs with his free hand then slowly rested her body on the bed. Just as he let go of her body, her gown slid off.


    Lin Zi Yan closed her eyes and shivered in embarrassment. She didn¡¯t even have the strength to cover her body with her hands. She had never felt this weak her entire life; she was scared, shy, and drowning in helplessness.


    The soft and smooth texture was telling Ye Wei that he should not let go, but he did not let his impulses get the better of him. Instead, he focused on Zi Yan¡¯s tired face, and how to help her recover.


    ¡®One day I will win her heart properly, and before then I should not allow myself to take advantage of situations like this. She is too gentle and nice; I can¡¯t degrade her any further.¡¯


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes were tightly shut, so tight that her eyshes were twitching. She just wanted to hide her nervousness and forget about the awkward situation she was in.


    Ye Wei reached for the nket and gentlyid it on top of Zi Yan. He was actually relieved that she was now covered as he could finally think straight again. He filled his hand with Qi and ced them on Lin Zi Yan¡¯s forehead, and then started massaging the bruise. The bruise faded little by little with each of Ye Wei¡¯s strokes.


    Lin Zi Yan slowly opened her eyes after understanding Ye Wei¡¯s intent. She actually started to rx and enjoy the little treat.


    Although they weren¡¯t talking, their bodynguage showed that they both felt warm and blissful.


    Lin Zi Yan was watching Ye Wei, it was simply impossible for him to break eye contact. Feeling that the tension was building, Ye Wei opted to start a conversation. ¡°So why did you move to Green Moon City on your own?¡±


    Lin Zi Yan heard the question but was hesitant to answer. She arranged her thoughts and said: ¡°Sorry, I can not go into details about that!¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Ye Wei felt slightly upset by Zi Yan being so secretive.


    Zi Yan could see from Ye Wei¡¯s facial expression that he was offended, and as she didn¡¯t want toe across as distrusting she exined, ¡°There is arge city thousands of miles away from here. It is hundreds of times bigger than Green Moon City. The martial families there are so strong it is actually hard topare them to the forces here. My family is one of the most resourceful and influential families there. There are people in my family who could single-handedly erase Green Moon City off the map!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes widened. He had heard about the world beyond Green Moon City, and he was told there were unimaginable powers out there, but he never thought he would meet a person from one of those high ces. That someone actually turned out to be Lin Zi Yan.


    ¡°I am a direct descendant of my family. When I was born, somebody put numerous seals on my body. If I want to breakthrough one level, I will have to spend extra effort on loosening or breaking the seals so I can ess my Qi.¡± Lin Zi Yan continued, ¡°However, I can use part of the sealed energy at random times, they are out of control. I have always wondered who put these seals on me and for what reason...¡±


    It was an unexpected confession, and Ye Wei did not even understand half of what Lin Zi Yan was saying. He did know that Lin Zi Yan bing a Warrior under these circumstances was quite astonishing.


    ¡°Just focus on training. When you are stronger and able to defend yourself, I might tell you more! I did loosen a couple seals today and got some of my power back from that. I will be stronger than I am now once my body recovers.¡± Lin Zi Yan smiled to cover up her worries; the past two days hadn¡¯t treated her well.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear!¡± Ye Wei nodded and replied. He then solemnly looked at Lin Zi Yan and continued, ¡°Zi Yan, next time you attempt to break those seals, let me know in advance. I wille to guard you!¡±


    Unsure about Ye Wei¡¯s intention, Lin Zi Yan started blushing again, ¡°Erm... Why?¡± She asked shyly.


    Ye Wei¡¯s face turned red and started stammering, ¡°I... I¡¯m just, just worried that you will get into an ident like this again...¡±


    Lin Zi Yan was not sure whether to ept his offer or not. She would have to be in thin clothes when she trains again. She did not want to go through this embarrassing situation all over again.


    ¡°Zi Yan, I will get you another ss of water.¡± The awkward silence was getting to Ye Wei¡¯s nerves; he thought she wanted to say no but couldn¡¯t say it to his face. He stood up and tried to escaped downstairs


    Just as he was leaving the room, Lin Zi Yan stopped him: ¡°Ye Wei...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He turned around in confusion not knowing what to expect.


    Lin Zi Yan looked toward Ye Wei with a soft gaze, ¡°Ye Wei, I meant it earlier... Nobody can know about what happened today, not a single detail... We...¡± She didn¡¯t know whether to tell how she felt about him.


    ¡°I know. This will be our secret!¡± Ye Wei was increasingly frustrated. He tried to stay calm, but it was just impossible. He stomped out through the doors right after he replied.


    Lin Zi Yan could see Ye Wei was hurt, and her heart was hurting from feeling guilty for giving him so much information at once and pushing him away to an extent.


    Ye Wei suddenly stopped by the door on his way out. He did not turn around, but he spoke loud enough for Lin Zi Yan to hear it, ¡°I know I am not good enough for you both in terms of my family background and cultivation. You are in another world than me...¡±


    ¡°No... That¡¯s not what I mean...¡± Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes turned red, and her heart was aching. She couldn¡¯t find the right words to exin how she felt.


    ¡°But...¡± Ye Wei took a deep breath and said with determination, ¡°My family is not very powerful, but we will work our way up; I am weak, but I will keep training as hard as I can! I will catch up with you one day and even overtake you! I just got to know you not long ago, but you¡¯ve be the most important girl in my life. We are more like brother and sister now, but when I am strong enough I will ask you out properly and hopefully you¡¯d eventually be my wife...¡±


    Ye Wei stormed downstairs after giving the speech.


    Lin Zi Yan was not expecting a confession, and her face was as red as a cherry tomato. The sweet taste lingered in her mouth while a line of tears ran down her face.


    ¡®Ye Wei, you are talented and hardworking, but you don¡¯t understand how my family works... I can¡¯t expose you to that kind of risk. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Lin Zi Yan sighed and wiped her tears dry.

 Chapter 61 – Bloodmist Valley

    Chapter 61 ¨C Bloodmist Valley


    After Ye Wei returned with a ss of water, the pair didn¡¯t say a word as they both preferred the silence. He stayed by the bedside to guard Lin Zi Yan while she recovered.


    Although Zi Yan was touched by his kindness, she treated Ye Wei coldly. Contrary to her heart, she didn¡¯t want him to get too close and get hurt.


    Time flew and by the time Zi Yan was almost in her best condition, two more days had passed. Her cultivation hit a new high as her body recovered.


    When Lin Zi Yan was strong enough to get out of bed by herself, Ye Wei decided it was time for him to leave: ¡°Zi Yan, I am off!¡±


    While Ye Wei was walking away, Zi Yan did not take her eyes off his back. She wanted to talk to him, but when she opened her lips nothing woulde out.


    ¡®Why was I born into this family? Why can¡¯t I decide anything by myself? I just want to have a simple life! Ye Wei, I can¡¯t be with you but I know you will do well for yourself. I hope I can see that day with my own eyes before I have to leave the city...¡¯


    Her heartache choked her as she cried quietly.


    Zi Yan was not the only one feeling uneasy, Ye Wei was hurt but he believed he had the capability to improve and didn¡¯t let the devastation stay in his system. Ignoring the attention he got from his fellow students on the path to the dorms, he ran back to his ce while nning how to fulfil his dreams. His dreams about bing a Runemaster, about making his family thrive, and his dreams about Zi Yan.


    He noticed that the sun was shining through the gap between a fewrge rainclouds as he looked up to the sky now and then, appreciating the spectacr scenery as his mind wandered. Ye Wei immediately starting cultivating again once he arrived back at his house.


    While Ye Wei was training behind closed doors, a few things happened inside and outside the academy.


    The news of his status spread to all the staff and student. The story of a one star Student bing Master YI¡¯s apprentice was an inspiring one, and the atmosphere at South Star Academy had never been this positive. Some of the students who were about to give up were reinvigorated, and the students who were already doing well were now doubling their efforts.


    Xiao Qi did not have the best time because it was amonly known fact that he did not get along with Ye Wei. So after the news broke, everyone started to alienate him. Some kids from martial families even started to pick fights with him hoping Ye Wei would hear about it. Xiao Qi¡¯s social life had never been this bad. He was very frustrated as he was not at all used to being on the receiving end of bullying or being left alone.


    With Du Ming Ze when the teachers found out what he did to Ye Wei¡¯s old room they notified his family about his misconduct. When the Du family learned about it, they were petrified. They knew what it meant to be on the wrong side of Master Yi, and the Ye family. The Du family took Du Ming Ze out of South Star Academy and rumour had it that they physically punished him so hard that he had to rest in bed for weeks.


    While people expected Master Mu to speak to Master Yi to solve some of their disagreements, he never really stood up for the Du family, nor did he show himself in public after the duel. That was when Green Moon City realized that although both of them were Runemasters, Master Yi and Master Mu were onpletely different levels.


    All this was told to Ye Wei by Cao Ning; he remained close with Ye Wei even after the move. He visited Ye Wei a few times with gossip and supplies, this let Ye Wei focus solely on his training. Though, because of this Cao Ning¡¯s friendship with Ye Wei was spotted by people. The martial families treated him as Ye Wei¡¯s sidekick, a close associate. They would give Cao Ning pills and other gifts now and then which improved his cultivation speed.


    ¡®I wonder what Master Yi is up to at the moment.¡¯ Ye Wei thought as he was taking a little break from training. A few days had passed since he returned from Lin Zi Yan¡¯s.


    There was a knocking sound on the door and Ye Wei was surprised to see who came to his house.


    ¡°Zi Yan...?!¡± Ye Wei blushed when he saw the face of the girl he had been thinking about the past few days.


    ¡°Hey, you look surprised! Am I not wee here?¡± Lin Zi Yan was wearing a cheeky smile. It seemed like she had put the embarrassing incident behind her.


    ¡°Of course you are wee! I was just expecting to see Cao Ning¡¯s silly face.¡± Ye Wei shook his head and broke into a smile.


    Lin Zi Yan could see from his darkened eyes that he was tired. She was happy to be able to refresh him with great news, ¡°Little Wei, I have received information regarding Welkin Leaves!¡±


    ¡°Really!? Where!?¡± The news widened Ye Wei¡¯s tired eyes, and he looked more energized than he had for days.


    ¡°Bloodmist Valley!¡± Lin Zi Yan felt Ye Wei¡¯s enthusiasm and surprise and therefore answered immediately.


    ¡°Blood what?¡± Ye Wei frowned as the name did not ring any bells.


    ¡°It is to the north of Frozen Sun City, deep inside the Red Wolf Mountains.¡± Lin Zi Yan exined, ¡°About half a month ago, the Lee family of Frozen Sun City sent their youngsters to train in the mountains, and when they went past Bloodmist Valley they found some Welkin Leaves trimmings.¡±


    ¡°And what happened to them?¡± Ye Wei couldn¡¯t wait for Lin Zi Yan to finish.


    ¡°The Lee family sold them to an anonymous Runemaster for one point eight million silver. The transaction was kept on the down low, and that¡¯s all the information my source could find unfortunately.¡± Lin Zi Yan frowned and said in a slightly regretful tone.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Wei digested what he heard then nodded. ¡®If he bought it for that price, I don¡¯t think he would resell it for a profit. Needless to say the Runemaster would be nowhere to be found anyway...¡¯


    ¡°I will go to Bloodmist Valley!¡± Ye Wei took a deep breath and said to Lin Zi Yan, his determination was audible.


    Although Ye Wei had no idea where it was, he was ready to go through the gates of hell for his cousin whom he owed his life to without a word ofint.


    ¡°I have a beast carriage ready for us.¡± Ye Wei¡¯s hasty decision was all within Lin Zi Yan¡¯s calction. Proud of her prediction and entertained by Ye Wei¡¯s hotheadedness, she chuckled.


    ¡°Zi Yan... You can¡¯t go!¡± Ye Wei frowned, he did not want to rely on Zi Yan when it came to family business. He was too prideful and felt that he owed her enough already.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t tag along, it will take you a very long time to locate Bloodmist Valley!¡± Lin Zi Yan smiled at Ye Wei with a light blush. ¡°Just let me help you as kind of a repayment!¡±


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t understand she seemed so happy. A few days ago the tension between them was unbearable. He nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, I appreciate your help.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get ready!¡± Lin Zi Yan said lightheartedly as she proceeded to help Ye Wei pack then led him out of the house.


    A horned elephant carriage was waiting outside, and they quickly boarded and headed off.


    Frozen Sun City was a city located to the west of Green Moon City. It was wayrger and more popted than Ye Wei¡¯s hometown. When the carriage drove past the busy streets of the big city, Ye Wei was amused by the view and the people.


    They went off road at the north end of the city into the wilderness and passed through the mountains. As they got closer to their destination the red mist was thickening. The mist was constantly changing shape from one second to the next and it smelled a little like blood.


    ¡®We will be there soon...¡¯ Lin Zi Yan slowed the beast down before they were spotted by other travellers as she did not wish to draw too much attention.


    After arriving, they got off the carriage and walked towards Bloodmist Valley. Ye Wei could hear chattering noises in front of him, and he quietly walked ahead of Lin Zi Yan. He spotted arge group of tents on the t ground far ahead. ¡®Why are all these people here?¡¯


    Lin Zi Yan could see Ye Wei was confused, ¡°Bloodmist Valley is a very strange ce. ording to legends, it was the training ground for a very strong group of cultivators. They left a lot of treasures in there and they made the mist with a stance to keep people out of this ce. The stronger one is, the more one will be hurt by the red mist. It is life-threatening for cultivators above Warrior level, and I¡¯ve heard tales of condensed prime Warriors getting paralyzed by the mist long time ago when they discovered the ce.¡± She told Ye Wei as she was looking at an old sheepskin map in her hand.


    ¡°See the thick mist over there? It gets thinner every few days, sometimes weeks, and when it does we will enter, but we will have to watch for the signs. When the mist starts thickening again, we will get out. People have found great treasures in there, but not all of them found their way back out of the thick mist...¡± Lin Zi Yan said as the two walked towards the edge of the valley. There were more than a hundred groups of people gathered close by where the thick mist was. The pair decided to wait near the others so they too could enter as soon as the mist dispersed.


    Although they tried to keep a low profile, the beauty of Lin Zi Yan had the opposite effect. The cultivators couldn¡¯t help but talk about the elegant girl who had just arrived. How she was dressed like someone important, and how lucky Ye Wei was to have herpany.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people. They look like they know the valley well so they must be here for the treasures.¡± Ye Wei shared his concern with Lin Zi Yan, ¡°We will have to act quickly and seize the chance before the herb is spotted by anyone else. I don¡¯t want to miss this chance to save Cousin Zhong.¡± He clenched his fist with determination and took a couple of deep breaths, then went back to observing the ever changing mist.

 Chapter 62 – Talents From Ning City

    Chapter 62 ¨C Talents From Ning City


    ¡°Oh? A beast carriage? And there were only two of them?¡± A routine scouting report raised a green shirted youngster¡¯s suspicion. ¡°A skinny boy and a purple haired girl right?¡± His surveince was concealed by many others who were looking in the same direction.


    At the age of fifteen, Li Zi Yan looked way more mature and elegant than most teenage girls therefore it was not a surprise that she was drawing so much attention.


    But simply watching them did not provide enough information so approached the couple, ¡°Hi!¡± He greeted them while astounded by Li Zi Yan¡¯s beauty after taking a closer look.


    rmed by the green shirted youngster¡¯s diplomatic smile, Li Zi Yan subconsciously took a small step back.


    Driven by the need to befriend and find out more about the couple who traveled in such a luxurious carriage, he enthusiastically lifted his hand towards Ye Wei, ¡°My name is Zhou Hou, what about you?¡± He saw the indifference from Li Yan Yan¡¯s posture and figured he could find out more from the innocent looking Ye Wei.


    ¡°I am Ye Wei!¡± He wondered if he should use a pseudonym but didn¡¯t see the need because it seemed that people here came from all across the country, and Ye Wei was a prettymon name anyways.


    ¡°First time here?¡± Zhou Hou asked with a smile on his face after briefly looking them over.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here before. During which, I had to camp for months. If I don¡¯t recognize you then you¡¯re probably a first-timer!¡± Zhou Hou chuckled then continued, ¡°I basically know this ce like the back of my hand.¡±


    ¡°Ah... That makes sense!¡± Ye Wei nodded.


    ¡°May I ask where you two are from?¡± He could feel Ye Wei¡¯s guard was down.


    Lin Zi Yan discreetly nudged Ye Wei and he finally realized what Zhou Hou was trying to do. ¡°We are from far away, we¡¯re just passing through!¡±


    Zhou Hou was no fool; he didn¡¯t expected them to tell the whole truth so he just smiled and nodded. ¡°Bloodmist Valley is an interesting ce, Students can basically walk in unaffected by the mist whereas Warriors can¡¯t really enter unless the mist is thin. Not to mention condensed prime Warriors who will most definitely be killed if they enter! With that in mind Students should still bring a Warrior with them because there are some strange and dangerous creatures within the valley...¡± He kept ying the friendly stranger.


    ¡®Judging by their age they are at most Students, but why are they so calm? People usually freak out a little when I tell them about the valley.¡¯ Zhou Hou thought as he kept analysing the couple. ¡®They seem rich in the end, so they probably came prepared.¡¯ He was thinking about recruiting the two for his expedition team to increase their chances of salvaging something valuable.


    Zhou Hou guessed correctly, Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan talked about what they were going to do when they were in the carriage.


    ¡°There are fifty-six people in my group. Seventeen of them are Warriors, would you two be interested in joining us? We have been in the valley before, and we¡¯re familiar with the terrain. You two seem like nice people, and it would be mutually beneficial for both parties.¡± He suggested with a smile on his face, and as he spoke he could feel that Lin Zi Yan was not just a pretty face.


    Ye Wei turned to Lin Zi Yan for her opinion, but before he could open his mouth she answered Zhou Hou in a cold, calm tone: ¡°We can go together, but if we find Welkin Leaves they are ours, everything else you can keep.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s what you two want? No worries! We will enter the valley together, and when you two find what you want you can leave, but staying together will increase our chances of getting out safe!¡± Zhou Hou admired their bravery, just a while back a group of thirty warriors were ambushed by a group of beast and never made it out of the valley. The past of the Bloodmist Valley was literally painted in blood.


    ¡°There around ten thousand people here at this campsite; some are alone while others prefer to be in groups. We are actually one of the stronger groups. Some of the others are pretty hopeless actually, like those guys over there. I don¡¯t even see the point of them trying!¡± Zhou Hou pointed to a group of seven aggressive looking youngsters and chuckled, ¡°I heard the strongest of them is only a five star Student!¡±


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes followed Zhou Hou¡¯s finger to the group and a purple light shed through her eyes. She was intrigued by the aura they were giving off.


    Ye Wei too found the group intriguing. Judging by their confident appearance, they didn¡¯t look like five star Students to him.


    ¡°Stop staring at them, they are not worth our time.¡± Zhou Hou said pridefully as he signaled the couple to follow him.


    ¡°Little Wei, this is for you!¡± Lin Zi Yan discreetly handed Ye Wei a interspatial bag.


    He opened it and peeked inside. He discovered that there were five Mystic scrolls within, and he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. Each of the scrolls was worth a fortune and Lin Zi Yan had just given him five.


    Ye Wei wanted to decline the gift, but Lin Zi Yan held his hand down, and signaled for him to be discreet.


    ¡°These two are defensive scrolls.¡± Lin Zi Yan pointed inside the bag and whispered in Ye Wei¡¯s ear, ¡°You will activate a defensive Mystic stance by tearing it. Only use them when you¡¯re in trouble. And the other three are offensive ones.¡±


    The physical contact and her soft voice sent a shiver down his spine.


    ¡°Remember their faces!¡± Zhou Hou pointed at a group of teenagers in a distance. They were wearing blood colored uniforms with a golden hem. He seemed intimidated just by the sight of them.


    ¡°They are all from the Golden Wood Academy in Frozen Sun City. Everyone of them is a seven star Warrior or above. Their leader is the nine star Warrior, Luo Wu Xue. He is the most talented student at his school, and he defeated a ten star Warrior with a low level Myst stance. He¡¯s quite a character...¡±


    Ye Wei followed Zhou Hou¡¯s nce, and he saw three youngsters dressed in red about three hundred meters away from him.


    One of them was significantly paler than the other two. He was wearing the same robe as the others, but his tall build set him apart. Luo Wu Xue was sat down cultivating but even still he stood out. He quietly cultivated, and while he did there was a screen of red Qi surrounding him.


    ¡®I can feel his energy from here... What kind of stance is that?¡¯ Ye Wei was slightly scared from what he was seeing.


    Lin Zi Yan though was calm and collected like usual. She didn¡¯t seem to care about these three while Zhou Hou was too afraid to keep his eyes on them. He turned away and briefly introduced some of the other campers around them.


    ¡°Xue Yao, the strongest youngster of the Xue family from Frozen Sun City. He is only seventeen but he is already a seven star Warrior!¡±


    ¡°Lu Chao, the strongest youngster in the Lu family, also from Frozen Sun City.¡±


    ¡°Hong Xun. Now, he is a mysterious one. Nobody knows where he is from or how powerful he is. But three days ago he had a fight with a six star Warrior over a disagreement, and he managed to kill his opponent with one palm strike...¡±


    With that many people gathered in one ce, conflicts were verymon between groups and families. Every once in awhile there were some condensed prime Warriors at the camps sent by the groups¡¯ leaders to protect the youngsters before they enter the Bloodmist Valley.


    ¡°These four are the most dangerous people here, that we know of at least.¡± Months of being at the camp made Zhou Hou quite paranoid and cautious but that¡¯s what kept him alive. ¡°Just avoid conflicts if you can; it¡¯s for the best.¡± He then led Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan to his group.


    Everyone was there. The seventeen Warriors along with the rest who were nine, or ten star Students. Although they were sitting together by the campfire, they weren¡¯t really talking because they were just temporarily put together for the expedition.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know when the blood mist will thin out. It might be in a few hours or in a few days...¡± Zhou Hou said reluctantly.


    After the talk with Zhou Hou, Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan settled down and started training by the campfire while waiting for the mist to fade.


    A few campers near them started chatting.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a group of youngsters from Ning City just arrived!¡±


    ¡°Ning City? Maybe they are here for the inner regions.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that they want to enter the forbidden sanctums? That would be interesting, I don¡¯t think anyone has ever made it there. Well maybe they did, but they didn¡¯t live to tell the tale.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, we¡¯ll see.¡±


    Ning City was the biggest of the thirty-six cities on the outskirts of the dynasty¡¯s territory. This big city attracted talents from everywhere, and rumour had it that some returned prime Warriors resided there.


    ¡°Why would they be here otherwise? I think they came prepared.¡±


    At the other side of the campfire, Lin Zi Yan was disturbed by what she heard, and she opened her eyes while frowning.

 Chapter 63 – Rune Barrier

    Chapter 63 ¨C Rune Barrier


    Lin Zi Yan quickly calmed down and went back to training.


    Avishly dressed teenage boy walked passed Zhou Hou¡¯s camp, and he spotted the most astounding beauty he had ever encountered; a girl that made his heart skip a beat.


    He couldn¡¯t stop his feet from walking towards Lin Zi Yan. He saw that Ye Wei sat right next to her, but he didn¡¯t think the in-looking boy was associated with her.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Lu Chao. I am from the Lu family in Frozen Sun City. What would you like me to refer to you as?¡± His snobbishness was over the top, and you could tell he was proud of himself from his posture all the way to the way he introduced himself. Being the boy with the most potential in his family, and also one of the top three teenagers in his city did more harm than good to his personality.


    Zhou Hou was rmed by Lu Chao¡¯s visit. ¡®Why is he here?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t the only person who was not pleased with the sudden visit. Lin Zi Yan wasn¡¯t impressed by Lu Chao¡¯s attitude and therefore didn¡¯t reply while Ye Wei just frowned.


    The tension was building up, and Zhou Hou came over to dismiss the unwanted visitor. ¡°Mister Lu, it¡¯s good to see you. Did you need something from her? She is a member of our group; maybe I can help?¡±


    ¡°You have no business here!¡± Lu Chao did not respect Zhou Hou at all as he knew he didn¡¯t have to. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I am trying to have a conversation with thisdy?¡±


    He pushed Zhou Hou to the side and continued speaking to Lin Zi Yan, ¡°If you wish to enter the Bloodmist Valley you might as well join us! I can guarantee your safety under our banner.¡± He garnished his offer with a confident smile.


    ¡°Please leave me alone!¡± Lin Zi Yan was irritated not charmed. Her tone of voice was as cold as ice.


    In frustration, Lu Chao frowned and grunted, he couldn¡¯t understand why she treated him like this, ¡°What do you mean miss?¡± He had not been declined his whole life.


    ¡°I would like you to go away. Do you understand?¡± Lin Zi Yan raised her long, slender eyebrows as the temperature around her seemed to have dropped suddenly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t insult me!¡± Lu Chao looked furiously at Lin Zi Yan.


    Ye Wei clenched his fists; he wouldn¡¯t sit back if Lu Chao decided to move any closer to Lin Zi Yan, regardless of his cultivation deficit.


    A purple light shed through Lin Zi Yan¡¯s pupils, Lu Chao¡¯s head slightly dropped forward, his confidence was reced by fear. He was spooked by what he saw in her eyes; his body froze, and his palms turned sweaty.


    ¡°Mydy, I should not have disturbed you. I apologize for the intrusion.¡± He pulled his shoulders back and stood up respectfully. He bowed to Lin Zi Yan then ran away clumsily.


    Ye Wei was shocked to see Lin Zi Yan¡¯s influence outside Green Moon City.


    Zhou Hou and the rest of the group had many questions in their minds, and they started to wonder what kind of person had just joined their group. They all looked towards Lin Zi Yan now and then, but they didn¡¯t dare talk to her. ¡®What was that? He¡¯s the golden child of the second biggest family in Frozen Sun City, how could a teenage girl scare him away?¡¯


    Now Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan were left in peace. They could finally focus on training in the quiet. The golden sh in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient was surging. It sensed danger within the red mists and this gave him an unsettled feeling that something monstrously fearsome was concealed within the depths of this valley.


    He opened his eyes and looked at the mist. There was a voice in his head that told him he should not enter the BloodMist Valley if he treasured his life. Ye Wei did treasure his life, but he just prioritized Ye Zhong¡¯s life above his own. ¡®Finding Welkin Leaves to save cousin Zhong, that¡¯s my mission.¡¯


    A few hourster, the lingering red mist started vibrating and pulsing rhythmically. It sounded like a colossal monster was breathing.


    The red mist was quickly thinning revealing the vegetation and rocks in the valley.


    ¡°The mist is fading!¡±


    ¡°Get your asses up! The mist is fading!¡± The noise level escted quickly.


    It was logical that the campers were heated up as if they miss this window of opportunity they did not know when the next one would present itself.


    The campers stirred up chaos as they entered the valley, but their speed sorted them into distinguishable groups. At the front were the seven star Warriors, led by Luo Wu Xue, Lu Chao, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao as they flew and glided ahead with their primal energy feathered wings which left swirls of red mist behind.


    And far behind them were the six and five star Warriors kicking up dust and entering the valley in a sh. The rest were whizzing through overgrown trees and rugged rocks towards the valley akin a swarm of ants.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not wait!¡± Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan stopped hesitating and followed therge crowd.


    ¡°This is...¡± Ye Wei noticed through trees and rocks that the red mist was dispersing as he headed towards the bottom of Bloodmist Valley. It was too thin to cover the breathtaking sight that froze him in ce. His eyes were wide open and set on an enormous sculpture. It was a statue of a crouching beast that was almost a kilometer tall.


    The delicately sculpted details of the beast made it feel alive. It was covered in scales from head to tail, and on its forehead were three long horns. This beast¡¯s mouth was open, and there were runes carved on the inside of its mouth which was where the red mist originated from. Its sharp teeth looked bloodied from the reflecting redness around them.


    It was obvious who was entering Bloodmist Valley for the first time. The newbies were all stunned and stood still, scared witless by the statute whereas the others were running straight towards the mouth of the beast. Only the experienced people dared to head right into it because they knew that was real entrance!


    The first-timers saw how everyone else was rushing in and eventually followed once they overcame their fear.


    Lin Zi Yan quietly mumbled to herself, and there was a deep purple sh in her clear eyes. ¡°This is a Selenic spirit beast, are we at...¡± The statue reminded her about one of the old articles in her family¡¯s library.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She said in a cautious tone. Lin Zi Yan was worried, but she did not let that affect their mission because Ye Zhong¡¯s life was at stake. They followed the rest of the group into the statue¡¯s mouth after the little pause.


    Just as they entered, they were already facing an obstacle. There were around forty tunnels in front of them, and the running crowd came to a stop. Everyone was worryingly wondering which path they should take while the braver and experienced quickly disappeared into different tunnels.


    Lou Chao noticed Lin Zi Yan¡¯s presence from a distance, and he quickly picked and entered a tunnel before she saw him.


    Ye Wei¡¯s frustrated gaze was on the tunnels behind the thin mist. The tunnels all looked simr therefore everyone gave up on analyzing them and just entered a random tunnel as they could not tell which was the safe path.


    As Lin Zi Yan was struggling, wondering which way to go, the golden sh appeared in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient, ¡°Zi Yan, the seventh tunnel from the right!¡± Out of all the tunnels, he could feel the strongest runic disturbance from the seventh.


    ¡°Everyone follow me!¡± Zhou Hou shouted at his team signaling them to enter one of the tunnels. He saw that Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan were far behind and wanted to pick their own path, after exchanging a regretful look he decided to move on without the two. ¡®If that¡¯s what they want...¡¯


    ¡°Yea!¡± Lin Zi Yan narrowed her eyes while looking at Ye Wei with a bit of doubt, but she trusted him, and he looked confident and determined, so they proceeded without further discussions.


    The tunnel was lit up by slightly red swirling runic patterns on both sides. Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan were not the only ones who picked this path. People were staring at the runes closely with greedy eyes. The swirls were arranged in a way that resembled the shape of a door.


    Further down the tunnel there were swirls that had been broken open, and there was a stone house behind each of the openings. It was not a strange scene for some; the experienced cultivators just ran through the tunnel stopping now and then to see if they could forcefully break open the swirls. Everyone who managed to break them looked incredibly happy. They ran inside and searched for treasure.


    ¡°Rune Barriers...¡± Lin Zi Yan¡¯s purple eyes looked a bit worried. She slightly frowned and mumbled because she had read about them before and knew how problematic they could be.

 Chapter 64 – Silver Moon

    Chapter 64 ¨C Silver Moon


    ¡®So that¡¯s how it works! The treasures are hidden in the stone houses!¡¯ Ye Wei figured out while observing the people around him. He also realized these rune barriers were the source of the runic disturbance he felt.


    A fight broke out not far ahead of Ye Wei. The sound of Mystic stances exploding echoed through the tunnel, and he could see bodies flying everywhere.


    ¡°I will not show mercy to anyone who stands in my way! Not here!¡± A tall six star Warrior activated a Dark Lightning stance and bolts of ck electricity wrapped around his body. The sound of thunder apanied each step this human thunderstorm took as he charged towards a few men guarding the front of a rune barrier. He reached them quickly knocking quite a few of them out cold.


    Some of the lower star level Warriors and Students around him were lucky enough to dodge the attack and ran away without looking back. They had lost their treasure to the tall Warrior, but they were not going to lose their lives too.


    ¡°Zi Yan, can we only break these barriers by force?¡± A golden sh shone through his eyes as Ye Wei scanned the whirls of runes around him and one of them in particr caught his attention.


    Like all Mystic stances, rune barriers wereposed of sequences of runes. This one was slightly different than the others. The patterns on it were spinning, and the energy seemed to be growing and spreading. Because it was located close to the entrance of the tunnel, many people had tried breaking it open, but it was stillpletely intact!


    The paths of this rune barrier were veryplex, and upon touching it, Ye Wei ¡®s fingers were numbed by the enormous rebounding force. He stepped back and kept observing the barrier. The whirling patterns were making him dizzy, so he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Surprisingly when his eyes closed, he could feel the energy flow more clearly, and he also felt theplex swirl¡¯s multiple pivots.


    ¡°Rune barriers are really just a simple form of runic seals. If you find the breakpoint of them, you don¡¯t need brute force to crack them. A trained Runemasters, for example, would be able to find these breakpoints easily. However, ordinary cultivators like us will have to find the weak spots and break these barriers by force from these spots.¡± Lin Zi Yan answered while observing the spinning rune¡¯s whirls around her, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time looking for the breakpoint, though, just see if you can find smaller thus weaker barriers, and I will break them open, did you forget I am a Warrior?¡± She added as she could see Ye Wei was caught up in looking at that one rune barrier.


    Ye Wei nodded and stood back up. After getting a good footing, he closed his eyes again and ced his hand close to the rune barrier that knocked him down. He attempted to locate its weak spots. ¡®It¡¯s a shame I am not a seven star Student yet!¡¯ Ye Wei was a bit upset about having to rely on Lin Zi Yan again.


    Just as he sighed, his Sentient shed with a golden light and sent a surge of primal energy to his hands. The energy then found its way to the pivot points Ye Wei earlier discovered and took over the rune¡¯s flow movement. The whirls started to spin faster, and the rune barrier began to shine. Seconds after, it cracked open with a bang!


    Lin Zi Yan was looking away, ¡°I told you, you will have to use a stance to break the barri...¡± She heard the noise Ye Wei was making and turned around to see if he was hurt. But she froze in shock when she saw how the rune barrier was opened and a stone house was revealed behind the tunnel wall.


    ¡®He¡¯s just a four star student! What was that? Could this be his rune consonance?¡¯ Lin Zi Yan was not incorrect, Ye Wei¡¯s rune consonance allowed his Qi to adhere onto his body and beyond that more easily than anyone at his level or even higher for that matter.


    Ye Wei pulled his hand back when he heard the bang. He relievingly exhaled and disyed a childish excitement on his smiling face. He never thought he would be able to open it that easily.


    ¡°Zi Yan, let¡¯s go in!¡± Ye Wei was a little forceful as he pulled Lin Zi Yan into the stone house before she could react.


    Once they entered the stone house, the runes on the wall vibrated, and the barrier closed itself again.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time!¡± Lin Zi Yan could sense the energy of a few powerful Warriors approaching, and if they were not quick while searching the house, a fight could break out when the Warriors arrive.


    When Ye Wei opened another door to the stone house, a bright light blinded him. He narrowed his eyes and discovered the floor of the main room was tiled with extremely valuable cold-marrow jade. This caused the temperature to be significantly lower inside the main room, and there was a thin mist of water vapor above the floor.


    Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan looked around them and found out that they were surrounded by shelves and closets full of big and small containers.


    Lin Zi Yan opened bottle after bottle and poured the pills into her palm for further inspection. She noticed that all the bottles contained the same pill. These pills were all glossy, each of them was about the size of a cherry, and they had a refreshing fragrance. There were also a few patterns printed on them that vaguely resembled a silver moon.


    ¡°Are these Silver Moon pills?¡± Lin Zi Yan turned her head to look at all the bottles around her, and she abruptly took in a deep breath of cold air; she waspletely dumbfounded by the sight.


    Regardless of cultivation, from Students to renowned returned prime Warriors, body strength is always the foundation to any type of training. That¡¯s why quencher pills were so sought after.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think these exist anymore!¡¯ Silver Moon pills were around five times as effective as Fiery Sun Quenchers, and its fabled form was lost in time; therefore, the pills were thought to be extinct!


    While the rare Fiery Sun Quenchers were known to be the best quencher pills avable on the market, very, very few powerful families and martial artists were rumoured to have ess to the secret forms for and, stocks of other high-quality pills and potions that were reserved for personal and family use, Silver Moon pills were one such pill.


    These Silver Moon pills can easily fetch ten thousand silver each at auction, and by Lin Zi Yan¡¯s visual estimation there were a few hundred of these pills in the room.


    This room was worth more than a Big Three family¡¯s wealth that had been umted through generations. But their rarity can not really be measured with money as they will ultimately be used for a greater cause than numbers and luxuries.


    Lin Zi Yan was from a wealthy background and she didn¡¯t really care about money, but she couldn¡¯t ignore these pills. ¡°Ye Wei I will guard the entrance; meanwhile, you have to collect all these pills!¡± Not knowing what they were, Ye Wei just stood there shivering in the cold.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ye Wei nodded, and took out the interspatial bag he had acquired earlier while starting to collecting the pills.


    ¡°There are three hundred and eighty pills altogether. I¡¯ll split them up equally.¡± Ye Wei smiled and handed the pills to Zi Yan. ¡°Here is your one hundred and ny pills.¡±


    Ye Wei was not sure what these pills were but judging from Lin Zi Yan¡¯s facial expression he could guess that they were valuable, ¡®If it¡¯s valuable I should share it with her! I wouldn¡¯t be here if she didn¡¯t lead the way.¡¯


    ¡°Little Wei, about the portion you just gave me... Do you know how much these pills are worth? Lin Zi Yan spoke to Ye Wei¡¯s innocent smiling face.


    ¡°How much are they worth? What has that got to do with anything?¡± Ye Wei shrugged and asked casually. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for you, Zi Yan, I wouldn¡¯t have be Master Yi¡¯s apprentice and my family would not even exist today. Whatever they are worth doesn¡¯t really matter...¡¯


    ¡°Okay then! Thank you very much!¡± Lin Zi Yan¡¯s lips curled into a smile, and although with her wealth she could get all the pills she wanted, she was still touched by Ye Wei¡¯s gesture and kind heart.


    After handing over the pills, Ye Wei started collecting the cold-marrow jade on the floor; they were just floor tiles in this house, but they are worth quite a bit outside.


    A few banging noises came from the corridor, and the house was shaken. Someone was attacking the barrier from the outside, just as Lin Zi Yan expected. If she wasn¡¯t there to block the entrance with a stance, they would have already entered the stone house.


    Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan gave each other the same look, both of them could feel that the intruders were strong, and they had to get ready for a fight.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    The stone house was shaken a couple more times, and Lin Zi Yan¡¯s defensive stance was neutralized with a rumbling noise.


    Four silhouettes appeared behind the dusty entrance, and they slowly entered the room then scanned around. They could feel the cold and see the jade tiles. The jade was not just a luxurious decoration, this was a pill room. The temperature was lowered intentionally to keep the bottles of pills in peak condition.


    There was no pills in sight, all they could see was a boy and a girl. Their pupils dted and their greedy re intensified; all eye bloodshot eyes were now on Lin Zi Yan and Ye Wei.


    ¡°Give us the pills, and we will spare your lives!¡± All four of them were wearing light blue robes and blocking the entrance like a blue wall. Seeing that all four of them were Warriors, and knowing that Lin Zi Yan¡¯s defensive stance would take more than one person to neutralize, they knew it would be a tough fight.

 Chapter 65 – Bulwark

    Chapter 65 ¨C Bulwark


    From the surprise of acquiring the valuable pills to facing the four Warriors, Ye Wei¡¯s countenance changed dramatically, and judging by the pressure he could sense, each of them were stronger than himself.


    Handing over the valuable pills was out of the question, and Ye Wei did not reach for the pills in his interspatial bag, he was looking for the Mystic scrolls. His small movements did not escape Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes, she held Ye Wei¡¯s hand in ce and slightly shook her head.


    Lin Zi Yan then turned to look at the four warriors, and a sh of purple appeared in her eyes which helped her read their cultivation level. She could tell their cultivation in one nce. The two of them in the middle were five star Warriors whereas the other two on each side were four star Warriors.


    Without warning, the four star Warriors quickly stepped forward and lifted their hands as strings of glittering light came out of their fingers. ¡°Give us the pills!¡±


    ¡°In your dreams!¡± Lin Zi Yan grunted. Her will-force and Qi rushed out of her body simultaneously towards her finger using this she finished drawing a sequence of runes before the four star Warriors could.


    ¡°You asked for this! Don¡¯t me us if you die!¡± The Warriors shouted, and they flicked their fingers releasing two dark, three-inch rune daggers towards Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan. They prated the cold air in the room and parted the thin mist above the floor into three sections while cracking the jade tiles.


    The daggers were homing in; they got close enough for Ye Wei to feel how sharp the rune daggers¡¯ edges were.


    This was the moment Lin Zi Yan was waiting for. She ced her hand on Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder then injected Qi into the rune sequence. The stance activated and a cloud of light appeared around her.


    ¡°Shadowshift!¡±


    The stance turned Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan into shadows while leaving holograms of the two where they stood. With a burst of speed, they escaped the stone house before any of the four Warriors noticed.


    The piercing rune daggers went through the holograms andnded on the wall behind them. ¡°That stance was not a shield those are holograms!¡± But they realized what happened toote and the four blue robed Warriors¡¯ smiles dissolved. Blinded by rage, they then started to hysterically scream while searching the house for Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan. They hadpletely eliminated the possibility of them escaping the house as they thought the door was well guarded.


    They started arguing and ming each other, and the shouting was shaking the house and echoed into the tunnel. None of them could get over the fact that a girl and a skinny boy got away from them so easily with their treasure, the resentment was maddening.


    ¡°Zi Yan, what stance was that?¡± Ye Wei asked Zi Yan as they blended into the crowd in the tunnel heading deeper into the Bloodmist catbs.


    ¡°Mid-level Spirit stance Shadowshift, it¡¯s not anything fancy really. Would you like to learn it? When you¡¯re a seven star Student, I will teach you it!¡± Lin Zi Yan saidughingly at Ye Wei¡¯s shocked face. He was still trying to figure out the mechanics of the Shadowshift stance.


    ¡°Yea!¡± Ye Wei nodded without the slightest hesitation. The stance was not a powerful one, but its practicality made it a valuable asset for whoever could master it. It was usable both offensively and defensively, and of course for escaping as Zi Yan just demonstrated.


    There are billions of stances, each one of them takes a lot of practice to master, and each one of them was invented for a special niche. Amon cultivator could master around forty stances during his whole life; therefore, it was wise to pick up something he saw a use for.


    ¡°Yea that would be nice, but I need to get to seven star level quickly!¡± Ye Wei took a Silver Moon pill out of his bag, then put it into his mouth. The pill melted in his mouth and entered his body as a warm surge of energy found its way into his meridians then traveled to his Sentient.


    Lin Zi Yan took a Silver Moon pill too. Although it¡¯s amon practice to sit down and cultivate after taking quencher pills to absorb the energy efficiently, they could also use their effects to move around quicker thus increasing the chance of them finding what they needed in the tunnels.


    Ye Wei¡¯s body was still taking in the pill¡¯s effects despite being on the move which strengthening his physique. Ye Wei absorbed only about thirty percent of the Silver Moon pill¡¯s effect, and his dantian and Sentient were rumbling more vigorously than when he took the Fiery Sun Quencher.


    He was overjoyed, but he didn¡¯t show that on his face. ¡®I can be a five star Student in a day with the help of these pills. Although I might not be able to use stances, I can still try to create my own and refine them to improve my Sentient!¡¯


    The three meters wide tunnel was a mess. People were swarming in and out of the stone houses on the sides, and there were brawls everywhere. With such proximity, it was impossible not to know when others had found treasure, and it was unavoidable people would fight over them. Laws and rules don¡¯t really apply in ces like Bloodmist Valley.


    Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan, however, did not need to involve themselves in the madness, for ordinary people it was not an easy thing to crack the rune barriers. The couple worked out a system; Lin Zi Yin was responsible for creating smoke screens with her stances and general security while Ye Wei would crack the barriers and take what was inside the stone houses. Within a few hours, Ye Wei¡¯s Interspatial pouch was filled with treasures and rare goods.


    They came across a wide variety of herbs, pills, medicines, and even found some Qi crystals, but they couldn¡¯t find any Welkin Leaves.


    The tunnel went deep underground. The length of it meant it was impossible to search each and every stone houses, and bearing that in mind Lin Zi Yan was starting to think they should go deeper into the tunnel where the area might be less contested. Then they could take their time searching instead of having to worry about defending themselves all the time.


    But she was not the first nor the only person with such idea. A few hundred more experienced Warriors were already further down the tunnel. Lin Zi Yan and Ye Wei found themselves in a pretty much empty section of the tunnel.


    A rune barrier vibrated then Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan came through the wall finished searching another stone house. ¡°Nothing too special here either!¡± The term special has since lost its meaning because the things they got their hands on were incredibly valuable, but just were not what they were here for.


    The trip would be pretty much meaningless unless they found what Master Yi told them they needed to get ahold of.


    ¡°We should head towards the end of the tunnel and see what¡¯s happening down there, and hope there is still something left for us.¡± Lin Zi Yan said slightly nervously as she realized they might have been toote.


    ¡®It was definitely a statue of a Selenic spirit beast, even a ton of Welkin Leaves cannotpare to the real treasure we could find here if this ce is what I think it is.¡¯ There was a ghostly purple fire in Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes as her mind wandered. ¡®If Ning City sent people here, they would most likely be after those.¡¯ It was getting hard for Ye Wei to catch up as she was running quicker and quicker.


    About an hour passed, and the tunnel was starting to widen the pair had been running at Ye Wei¡¯s full speed this entire time. Their path was getting brighter, and they started to hear noises echoing in the tunnel which indicated they were reaching the end. They looked at each other while slowing down their pace making sure their steps weren¡¯t heard.


    The tunnel led them to a spacious hall. It was at least a few times wider than the Ye family arena. All the tunnels actually led to the same ce like streams and rivers flowing into the sea.


    Lin Zi Yan had a nce at the ce and noticed there were at least three thousand people who made it here.


    Luo Wu Xue, Lu Chao, Hong Jun, and Xue Yao were right on the frontlines. They stood in the middle of the hall right in front of a hundred meter tall round rune shield that protected the temple from any external disturbance.


    The temple was not the only thing under the shiny shield. A lot of weapons, shields, and armors were suspended in mid-air, and a lot of these goods had a shine on them that indicated they weren¡¯t ordinary artifacts.


    The people in the hall were too focused on the shield, so Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan snuck in unnoticed. They were discussing how to break through the rune shield. In their minds, they were clear that as long as the shield stood, they didn¡¯t have a chance toy their hands on those treasures. Now it was the time to work together instead of killing each other.


    The strongest Warriors on the scene including Lou, Lu, Hong, and Xue adjusted their positioning and started drawing runes in the air.


    Fire, ice, wind, Qi swords, and spirit beasts crashed into the shield in a matter of seconds. They all focused their fire on where they estimated the weak spot to be. But the light shield bounced the attacks off instantaneously.


    The arranged attack created some ripples on the shield, but that was all. The rune shield was not damaged in the slightest.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty far off...¡± The purple light in Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes intensified, and she sighed and shook her head.


    The effort was repeated by the group of elite Warriors at the hall, but the situation remained the same. The only difference was now the Warriors looked tired and drained.

 Chapter 66 – Prodigies

    Chapter 66 ¨C Prodigies


    Not only did the light shield kept them from reaching the treasures they could see levitating in the air, but it also blocked the pathways that led towards the depths of this Bloodmist Labyrinth.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t somebody say that the Ning City folks are here with us? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    This was the furthest anyone has been into thebyrinth in decades, and if someone did not disable the shield, then this would be the end of the expedition. People started to specte and try to figure a way to push further into the mysterious depths of the Bloodmist Labyrinth.


    Lin Zi Yan scanned the hall, and she sensed quite a lot of outstanding individual, but she knew that none of them would be strong enough to break the enormous runic barrier, not even Luo Wu Xue, who was the strongest.


    ¡°These attacks mean nothing. The only chance of breaking through is to have multiple people who know how to focus all their power onto the barrier¡¯s weak spot while striking it simultaneously! It would only take a few strong Warriors to get the job done!¡±


    Lin Zi Yan was getting a little bit frustrated because she knew she couldn¡¯t break the shield on her own. She was under the suspicion that Ye Wei could actually open the rune barrier without breaking a sweat by fiddling with the breakpoint like he had on the earlier rune barriers. However, she was not going to let him draw any attention to himself, especially not here at the Bloodmist Valley.


    ¡®Whoever set this rune barrier up must be a very, very strong cultivator...¡¯ Ye Wei was startled by the rune shield. As he observed the rune and energy flow of it, something became clear to him.


    ¡®When the creator of the shield set it up, he didn¡¯t make it hard to break; theplexity of this shield vastly exceeds the strength of it. Had he put more Qi into the shield, it might actually take a Prime to break through!¡¯


    This was an inspiring experience for Ye Wei. He had never seen a rune sequence thisplex before. The shield taught him a thing or two about rune synergies andbinations, but he was still a bit confused as to why the creator did not build the defense system to its fullest potential.


    Just as Ye Wei was deep in his own world, an aqua blue light intensified at the exit of one of the tunnels while a sharp noise of something breaking through the air at a high speed was getting louder.


    Seconds after, a blue sh shot out of the tunnel into the hall which then levitated above the thousands. It silenced the crowd as everyone was in awe and trying to figure out what the blue light was.


    Ye Wei was no exception; he lifted his head to see a fading blue light. As the light died down, a hovering ancient, ice-blue sword appeared in front of his eyes and on the sword stood a teenager wearing a blue robe.


    He didn¡¯t look a day older than sixteen, and he was standing straight with his hands behind his back. His long hair came to rest as he stopped mid-air.


    This blue robed teenager looked down calmly on the crowd below. ¡°That¡¯s Mo Ya from Ning City!¡± Luo Mu Xue¡¯s pupils dted, and his face twitched, he remembered this face.


    ¡®Why is he here? The treasures in the Bloodmist Valley shouldn¡¯t be that attractive to him...¡¯ All of the four strongest group leaders shared the same thought; they were agitated by Mo Ya¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Mo Ya?¡± Ye Wei turned to Lin Zi Yan. He could guess that Mo Ya was a renown person but having lived in Green Moon City his whole life, he had no idea who this teenager was ¨C him who silenced the crowd of thousands without speaking a word. Back in his junior ss at South Star Academy all they talked about was what was happening in their local city.


    ¡°Mo Ya is one of the four strongest teenagers in Ning City; he is only sixteen years old, but he¡¯s already a ten star Warrior. He is famous for beating another well known ten star Warrior with a single sword strike in a dual!


    ¡®Sixteen years old and as strong as my uncles...¡¯ Ye Wei was astonished by how big the world was. He never imagined that talents like this existed.


    ¡°That sword under his feet...¡± Ye Wei was curious about the hovering sword.


    ¡°Medium grade three stars Mystic Arm.¡± Li Zi Yan knew what Ye Wei was going to ask and answered calmly.


    ¡°What?¡± Ye Wei eyes widened. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He could not believe a teenager would carry such a valuable treasure around. ¡°Is he not afraid of getting attacked and mugged?¡± He frowned and whispered in an envious tone. He was afraid that Mo Ya was going to hear him.


    ¡°With that sword, he can fight condensed prime Warriors to a draw anytime, and maybe evene out on top. People who are capable of mugging him don¡¯t really have a reason to. Unless, they feel like dering war against the Mo family; who are one of the four biggest families in Ning City.¡± Lin Zi Yan replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be intimidated little Wei, you¡¯re a talented boy. I believe that you will be able to catch up with them sooner orter!¡± Lin Zi Yan read Ye Wei¡¯s facial expressions like an open book.


    ¡°Ha Ha Ha! Mo Ya, do you enjoy showing off in front of arge group of trash? That¡¯s ssy!¡± A booming voice caught the attention of the crowd as they were admiring Mo Ya¡¯s godly aura.


    This loud voice echoed through the hall, and some of the weaker cultivators in the crowd turned as pale as a sheet and started bleeding from their ears. Ye Wei was affected too. The thunderingugh shook him inside and out. Lin Zi Yan saw that and therefore ced her small hand on his shoulder to strengthen him with a surge of Qi. This lifted the pressure off his body, and his face slowly regained color.


    ¡®I thought you just broke into the Warrior ranks not long ago... Are you hiding from me?¡¯ Ye Wei could see that Lin Zi Yan was not affected by the Qi powered voice at all while the stronger Warriors who were trying to break the shield were struggling to even stand up straight.


    As theugh died down people started to look towards the tunnels where it came from. A golden sh shot out of the tunnel¡¯s exit where everyone was looking, as another overbearing presence entered the hall.


    While Mo Ya¡¯s presence was cold and elegant, this man¡¯s entrance was more violent. The crowd was already afraid of him before he showed his face. The golden light dimmed before everyone¡¯s eyes, and a muscr teenager with rugged hair revealed himself. He was levitating in the air and holding a golden spear.


    He arrogantly nced around, and his gaze itself was like a spear that prated people¡¯s souls. ¡°Jin Yan!¡± Luo Wu Xue knew this gaze, and it caused him to shiver nervously as he tightened his grip. Drops of cold sweat dripped from his hand onto the ground. Being number one in Frozen Sun City caused Luo Wu Xue to be very prideful but standing in front of these two from Ning City he felt worthless. He was breathing heavily while shaking.


    ¡°First, it was the Selenic beast statue... Now these two are here! I think that confirms it. This is probably the Frost King¡¯s tomb!¡± Lin Zi Yan mumbled.


    ¡°The Jin¡¯s let you out of Searing Valley? And you were given Burning Gold, looks like the geezers in your family have great expectations from you!¡± Mo Ya¡¯s eyes stopped on the ten-meter long spear then at Jin Yan as he indifferently chuckled.


    ¡°You have Autumn¡¯s Grace with you too. It looks like we were both sent on the same mission, huh?¡± Jin Yan said in an unfriendly tone as he flexed his firm muscles and stared at the sword under Mo Ya¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Well, I feel kind of lucky that they sent you here. I can¡¯t imagine how much fun I would have, and how long it will take to break this rune shield if I have to work with these people!¡± Mo Ya shrugged and replied sarcastically.


    Jin Yan¡¯s eyes followed Mo Ya¡¯s as they looked at the rune barrier. They had a concerned expression on their face as they felt the energy that it was emitting, and although they were pretty confident about breaking it, they weren¡¯t sure if they were ready to face whoever was powerful enough to set this shield up.

 Chapter 67 – Iron Talisman

    Chapter 67 ¨C Iron Talisman


    ¡°Let¡¯s cut the small talk; we need to break the runic barrier together!¡±


    Jin Yan stared at the light shield, and his eyes lit up with enthusiasm as he thought about the item he was told to retrieve from the depths of Bloodmist Valley. He extended his arms and started swinging his spear in a circle, injecting arge amount of Qi into Burning Gold activating the stance within.


    The runes on the tip of the spear started to shine, and the bright light intensified transforming into a thirty-meter long spectral spear. It then shot out towards the light shield.


    Like Mo Ya¡¯s Autumn¡¯s Grace, Jin Yan¡¯s Burning Gold was a three-star medium-grade Mystic Arm. The stance he just activated was a peak-level Myst stance, and for the Students and Warriors in the hall seeing Jin Yan using a stance as powerful as their own patriarch¡¯s stances was quite shocking. They admired the power, but at the same time were afraid of it.


    The golden spectral spear was giving off a pressure wave that radiated in all directions, and suddenly everyone felt like there was a rock pressing on their head making it hard to breathe.


    The spectral spear gave off a screeching rumble as it broke through the air, even the roof was shaken and pieces of stones rained down.


    ¡°Is it my turn now?¡± Mo Ya, who was still standing on his sword, said as he channeled Qi without moving a muscle. The energy he emitted created a small whirlwind around him, causing his hair to flow with the wind as he transferred his Qi down to his feet thus activating the stance in the sword.


    Upon activation, Autumn¡¯s Grace shone with a bright green light and sequences of runes rushed out of the de forming an enormous cyan-colored spirit sword. The sword then tore through the air towards the shield with unstoppable momentum.


    People had mixed feelings about these two attempting to break the barrier. On the one hand, they wanted it broken so they could progress further into thebyrinth, but on the other they didn¡¯t want their leaders to look like idiots. It will be humiliating if just these two from Ning City could finish a job they had been working on for hours.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were set on the two fearsome stances in the air like everyone else. The screeches from the spear and the sword were the only audible sound in the hall as people were quietly witnessing the stances rushing towards the massive rune barrier.


    The heat emitted by the stances warmed the air creating a ripple effect. It was this moment when the light shield reacted as if it could sense a threat and lit up brighter.


    It didn¡¯t just get brighter, but the runes within started toe alive as they rotated around and strengthened the shield.


    Jin Yan¡¯s golden spirit spearnded first, and its tip crushed onto one small point close to the middle of the shield. Its force was so focused that it pierced a tiny hole into the seemingly unbreakable shield. The impact sent ripples across the shield causing its strength to weaken.


    The shield stood as the spear faded; it was still unbroken, but now its shine was dimmer. Just as the spear disappeared, Mo Ya¡¯s stance struck on the same weak point Ji Yan¡¯s spirit spear just left on the barrier.


    Slowly but sure the sword pierced through the shield. Mo Ya seized the opportunity, and he calmly looked a the spirit sword and grunted. As his grunt echoed in the hall, the spirit sword shattered on hismand. It turned into thousands of little swords that spun like a tornado as they expanded and ate the shield. It wasn¡¯t long before the shield lost its structural strength and shattered into pieces.


    People¡¯s eyes went widened when they saw how easy Mo Ya and Jin Yan broke the shield. But their appreciation was short lived. After a few cheers, they shifted from looking at what¡¯s left of the shield to the treasures behind it.


    Most of the levitating treasures were held in the air by the shield¡¯s energy, and once the barrier broke all the items starting falling to the ground. All except ten of them. These dazzling pieces were floating by their own energy.


    Seven of them glowed ck, and three of them glowed green. ¡°Mystic Arms!¡± The crowd went wild. They were here for treasures, but they didn¡¯t imagine they would see medium grade Mystic Arms.


    Crazed with greed, people were breathing heavily, staring at the Mystic Arms aggressively and seemingly ready to take other¡¯s lives for the treasures.


    Lin Zi Yan was a bit calmer than the others. Her eyes were set on the leftmost medium grade Mystic Arm, a purple-gold chiffon cloak. It had tiny runes flowing on each thread of the garment.


    While everyone else had their eyes on the ten Mystic Arms in the air, Ye Wei couldn¡¯t take his eyes off a rusty little iron talisman that fell to the ground. His Sentient started to glow as it reacted to the sight of it. It filled his body with Qi and will-force.


    The iron talisman looked beat up and old, and it was just quietlyying on the floor. Nobody was paying the piece of junk any mind.


    ¡°What is this iron talisman?¡± Ye Wei widened his eyes in shock. He couldn¡¯t believe his body would react just by looking at this ordinary item. Supposedly, it was more attractive than the Mystic Arms to him.


    ¡°I have to have this!¡± Ye Wei mumbled while he clenched his fist. He couldn¡¯t quite exin the desire, but he was hopelessly drawn to that rusty trinket.


    There were a lot of powerful fighters in the hall, but most of them had their eyes set on the Mystic Arms, almost nobody noticed what Ye Wei saw. That means it was actually possible for him to acquire the item. Furthermore, he was even ready to use his mystic scrolls if that¡¯s what it took.


    The atmosphere in the hall became a little strange. Moments ago they were united by the same cause wanting to break the shield together, but now that the treasures were within everyone¡¯s reach they started to keep a distance from each other as they saw everyone aspetition instead ofrades.


    Without Jin Yan and Mo Ya¡¯s presence, the crowd would have already turned into a brawl. People were afraid of the two from Ning City; thus, they waited for them to make the first move.


    ¡°Ha, you guys are pretty respectful!¡± Mo Ya looked down to find the crowd was anticipating him and Jin Yan¡¯s action.


    ¡°What a shame! If these trash actually dared to go wild, I would have an excuse to crush some skulls!¡± Jin Yan said indifferently. Although he was a bloodthirsty teenager who didn¡¯t really care about anyone in the hall, he restrained himself from unnecessary bloodshed.


    The crowd knew Mo Ya and Jin Yan could easily wipe them out, and as much as they wanted the treasure they valued their lives more. That respect and fear might just have saved their lives.


    ¡°These three medium grade Mystic Arms are off limits! But the rest... you guys can fight for them if you wish!¡± Jin Yan chuckled and shouted to the crowd. ¡°Go!¡±


    As Jin Yan¡¯s words echoed in the hall, the greed-crazed crowd ran towards the treasures, and their bloodshot eyes were set on the seven low-grade Mystic Arms.


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes darted to Ye Wei, ¡° Little Wei, you must follow me be no more than a hundred meters away. I have to get that Mystic Arm; it cannot fall into anyone¡¯s hands but mine!¡± She said calmly as she channeled her energy, and her will-force rushed out of her Sentient to her entire body. Her Qi wrapped tightly around her skin, and she appeared to be covered by ayer of purple me.


    ¡°Zi Yan, don¡¯t worry about me; I have to do something here!¡± Ye Wei didn¡¯t want to burden Lin Zi Yan, and she looked determined. Furthermore, the iron talisman was nowhere close to where Lin Zi Yan was heading.


    Ye Wei knew Lin Zi Yan was hiding her true strength, but he couldn¡¯t imagine she would actually go andpete with Jin Yan and Mo Ya for a medium grade Mystic Arms.


    Lin Zi Yan was in a hurry, and although she cared about Ye Wei like no other, she had to get to Jin Yan and Mo Ya before it was toote. ¡°Please take care of yourself! If you find yourself in any kind of danger, just use the scrolls!¡± She knew if Ye Wei were to use the scrolls, he would be rtively safe if he wasn¡¯t crazy enough to pick a fight with someone as strong as Mo Ya or Jin Yan.


    ¡°I understand! Just do what you have to!¡± Ye Wei answered and leaped towards the iron talisman.


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s body disappeared. She used the Shadowshift stance to get herself close to the medium grade Mystic Arms.


    A brawl broke out as Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan headed separate ways, the hall was filled with the smell of blood. As Ye Wei expected, the whole crowd was heading towards the seven low-grade Mystic Arms, and only a few of them were actually running towards the less desired items on the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this!¡± Ye Wei was relieved that there were no Warriors on the way to contest him. He clenched his fist and transferred some Qi to his feet to speed up.


    Although he had no idea what the rusty talisman was, anything that could excite his Sentient would not be ordinary.

 Chapter 68 – Purple Chiffon

    Chapter 68 ¨C Purple Chiffon


    Ye Wei looked around him, and there were three Students heading in the same direction he was.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± They said furiously in unison aware that they were in no position to contest with the others for the Mystic Arms, so they settled for the idea of getting some ordinary items instead.


    As they approached, Ye Wei threw three consecutive punches towards them in a sh. Although none of them connected, the Students were forced to take a few steps back to dodge the fierce strikes.


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°You are just a Student, and you¡¯re picking a fight with us three?¡± The three-star Students channeled their Qi, which turned their skin green and with their empowered green fists they stuck ruthlessly towards Ye Wei.


    The fists simultaneously flew towards Ye Wei¡¯s back, left shoulder, and right arm from behind him. He felt the approaching threat and bent his body forward to dodge the attacks as heunched himself forward towards the iron talisman.


    Ye Wei just wanted the talisman, and he didn¡¯t want to fight so he threw the punches just to buy himself some extra time.


    Ye Wei¡¯s evasion did not surprise the three Students, but the item that heunched himself towards did. They couldn¡¯t believe he was after a rusty piece of trash.


    They looked at each other andughed, ¡°Just leave him then!¡± The leader of the three shouted as they ran towards the single edged sword lying not far from the iron talisman. ¡®What an idiot, you could have taken this weapon instead.¡¯ He chuckled as he got his hand on the piece of well forged rare metal; it was worth at least a few thousand silver.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine!¡± Ye Wei shouted as his hand was three inches from his target. He felt the cold iron on his fingertips, and he also felt something sharp approaching from behind.


    It was a familiar feeling. Three sharp Qi daggers tore through the air towards his hand at a fearsome speed, and luckily for Ye Wei, he noticed them before it was toote. He swiftly pulled his hand backwards.


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t lose his hand, but the daggers did graze it. He held his bleeding hand and looked towards where the attacks came from. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Ye Wei narrowed his eyes. He recognized those faces, ¡®The people from the first stone house we had entered.¡¯


    He knew he was in for trouble when he saw the four Warriors who were staring at him furiously. This time, Lin Zi Yan was not by his side. He immediately reached for his interspatial bag; if they make another move, Ye Wei would use a scroll without hesitation.


    ¡°You are four Warriors, why aren¡¯t you guys after the Mystic Arms instead of bullying me?¡± He knew how valuable the scrolls were, and although he would use them if the situation requires him to, he was still trying to talk himself out of this mess.


    ¡°Because we can! Now give us the pills you took from the stone house then we will leave you be!¡± The strongest one of them said with a greedy smile on his face.


    They considered fighting for the Mystic Arms, but as they were deciding if it was worth it to risk their lives fighting the stronger Warriors, they spotted Ye Wei. ¡®It¡¯s safer to get the pills off this weakling!¡¯ They all had the same thought, and they were actually still angry that Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan got away from them; therefore, they opted for the less risky course of action.


    ¡°So I guess you aren¡¯t going to back off?¡± Ye Wei grabbed the iron talisman with his right hand and took a green scroll out of the bag with his left.


    ¡°A Myst scroll!¡± One of the Warriors told the rest of the group as his eyes caught the green glow. His friends¡¯ eyes widened, and their smiles disappeared.


    ¡®How did he get a hold of this scroll?¡¯ They were starting to be afraid, ¡®We can¡¯t deal with a Myst stance, and if the scroll was given to him by his family then we really can¡¯t deal with the consequences of hurting him if news of it got out of the valley... That girl from earlier was probably his bodyguard!¡¯


    ¡°Sorry! This is just a misunderstanding! We¡¯ll be on our way.¡± They were smart enough not to start a fight with someone with a powerful background. After a brief apology, they turned away to see if they could find other treasures in the chaos. ¡°We can¡¯t go back empty-handed! Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Phew!¡± Ye Wei was relieved. He was d that the one use Mystic scroll protected him more efficiently than he expected. He then looked at the cold iron talisman and ground his teeth, ¡®I don¡¯t know what you can do, but you¡¯re mine!¡¯ Just as he was about to inspect the item, he remembered that Lin Zi Yan was still out there. He threw the talisman in his bag and started looking for her.


    Not willing to be involved in the crazy brawl, Ye Wei retreated to the edge of the hall.


    ¡®Where are you!¡¯ He was worried for Lin Zi Yan as it looked like she was going for the medium-grade Arms where Jin Yan and Mo Ya were. ¡®I know she is very strong, but both Jin Yan and Mo Ya are ten-star Warriors armed with powerful weapons whereas Zi Yan is unarmed!¡¯ He started to panic because he couldn¡¯t locate her in the chaos.


    As Ye Wei was jumping and struggling to get a glimpse of what was happening at the front, Zi Yan¡¯s Shadowshift stance had already got her through the crowd to the frontlines where Luo Wu Xue, Lu Chao, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao were, but she was not nning to stop there. While those four were after the low-grade Arms, she wanted more.


    In the air, Jin Yan and Mo Ya were staring at each other wondering if the other was going to back off.


    ¡°There are three Mystic Arms and two of us. How do we share them?¡± Jin Yan clenched his fist and broke the silence.


    ¡°Finders keepers!¡± Mo Ya replied calmly; he was not intimidated by Jin Yan¡¯s mboyance.


    Although these items were not what they came to Bloodmist Valley for, they were not going to just give them up.


    ¡°Exactly what I wanted to hear!¡± Jin Yan chuckled and activated the stance in his spear, but this time, he held the spear close to his body letting the runes from the Mystic Arm wrap around him.


    He and the spear merged together momentarily, and then he flew down towards the three medium-grade arms. Meanwhile, Mo Ya on his sword flew swiftly in the same direction. The pressure wave from the two descending Warriors was felt by everyone within a radius of a hundred meters. All but five Warriors were knocked back by the Ning City duo. Unsurprisingly they were Lin Zi Yan, Luo Wu Xue, Lu Chao, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao.


    Lu Chao and Xue Yao were only seven-star Warriors, and their faces went pale as they met the pressure wave. They channeled their Qi to strengthen their bodies and raised their arms hoping to deflect some of the impact. Sadly, their defenses didn¡¯t do much as their feet were pushed deep into the ground. Hong Xun, on the other hand, used a stance just as the impact swept by; the sequence of runes formed a golden bell that shielded him, leaving him rtively unharmed.


    Only Lin Zi Yan and Luo Wu Xue could take the impact without too much effort.


    ¡®I am the best student in my school! And the strongest young man in my city! Looks like the world is much bigger than I thought it was¡¯ Luo Wu Xue thought as his face turned pale. It was now far whiter than it usually was. Despite the pressure, the Qi on his feet kept him stead.


    Lu Wu Xue turned to look at Lin Zi Yan, and she was standing strong as if nothing happened. There was not a drop of sweat on her face nor was there the slightest trace of panic. Her whole body was covered in a purple me, and her eyes shone violet as well.


    ¡®I¡¯ve been overestimating myself this whole time.¡¯ He turned around and didn¡¯t even try to go for the less contested low-grade arms. ¡®I will challenge you two when I be stronger!¡¯ Luo Wu Xue was shamed by Jin Yan and Mo Ya¡¯s power. He swore to train harder and left the hall without looking back.


    ¡°I underestimated you.¡± She whispered as she admired Luo Wu Xue¡¯s judgment. It was a wise move to swallow his pride as he could actually lose his life if he decided topete with her, Jin Yan, and Mo Ya.


    While he turned away, Jin Yan and Mo Ya were already next to the Mystic Arms. Jin Yan picked up thepass on the right while Mo Ya took the feather fan in the middle. Once they each took an item, they simultaneously cast their attention onto the purple chiffon cloak.

 Chapter 69 – Deeper

    Chapter 69 ¨C Deeper


    Mo Ya and Jin Yan reached out for the cloak at the same time but Mo Ya, being slightly stronger of the two, reached it before Jin Yan could.


    Mo Ya¡¯s lips curled into a smug smile, and as he was about to grab the cloak, a cheeky grin appeared on Jin Yan¡¯s face. Suddenly, a green scroll appeared in Jin Yan¡¯s hand.


    He tore the Mystic scroll and released a thousand runes long sequence in the air. The runes shone, spun, and transformed into a ck mink. Its fur was shiny, and there was static electricity on its hair covering its body. This was nothing other than a terrifying Lightning Mink.


    Famed for its speed, the Lightning Mink was a powerful Myst stance that even condensed prime Warriors could not easily deal with due to the runic mink¡¯s agility.


    Just as Mo Ya¡¯s hand touched the purple chiffon cloak, the runic mink appeared in front of him and bit him hard with its razor sharp teeth. The bite together with being shocked by the mink caused him to loosen his grip. But the mink didn¡¯t stop attacking. It quickly climbed up Mo Ya¡¯s sleeve and continued biting and scratching him as he took a step back attempting to rid himself of the mink by shaking his body.


    Mo Ya¡¯s face turned ashen after shaking off the runic creature with great effort. He took a few steps away making sure he was safe from the minks relentless attacks at least momentarily. Although the electric mink was from a scroll and weaker than its true form when used by a condensed prime Warrior, the speedy strikes even weakened were not to be taken casually, not even for Mo Ya.


    ¡°You are not stingy at all! Are you?¡± Mo Ya didn¡¯t expect Jin Yan to use a scroll that cost at least a hundred thousand silver.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a scroll! I¡¯m getting a medium-grade Mystic Arm in return. I think it is definitely worth it!¡± Jin Yan flicked his sleeves whileughed at Mo Ya and slowly reached for the purple-gold cloak.


    Just as Jin Yan fingers touched the cloak, he heard a sweet voice. ¡°This is my cloak!¡± Then a slender hand appeared in front of him, and one of the delicate fingers from this hand curled and flicked forward onto the back of Jin Yan¡¯s hand.


    When Lin Zi Yan¡¯s fingernded on Jin Yan¡¯s hand, he felt like his hand was struck by a bolt of lightning. His whole body shook, and he reflexly pulled his arm backwards.


    The prideful smile on his face instantly disappeared. He looked down at his trembling hand and shouted, ¡°Who are you!?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe someone other than Mo Ya was strong enough to contest for these medium-grade Mystic Arms.


    Jin Yan widened his eyes then cautiously hid his numb hand behind his back while staring at Lin Zi Yan. She was kneeling and folding the cloak up then put it in her bag. He tried to hide the fact that he was surprised, but seeing the person was a small girl he couldn¡¯t ept his defeat.


    All of this did not escape Mo Ya¡¯s eyes as he got rid of the mink. He saw how Jin Yan was stopped by a discrete finger flick, and he too was surprised to see the intrusion of this unknown person. His eyes were fixed on her as she stood up. Just as he was confused trying to guess her identity, Mo Ya made a brief moment of eye contact with Lin Zi Yan.


    When he saw her purple eyes, his face twitched. He gasped and went through shock, euphoria, and fear within seconds.


    Without consulting Jin Yan, Mo Ya said, ¡°Yea, you can take this cloak!¡± He took a deep breath and regained his cool. At this moment, Jin Yan¡¯s opinion didn¡¯t matter to him anymore.


    ¡°Bullshit! I broke the barrier with you Mo Ya! Why are you on her side? She didn¡¯t even help us? Listen girl! You better hand the cloak back before I lose my temper!¡± Jin Yan said in a cold tone as he furiously stared at Lin Zi Yan. He was clearly annoyed by Mo Ya¡¯s reaction.


    ¡®I worked together with Mo Ya to break the shield and even used a medium-grade Mystic scroll to get this cloak, and you¡¯re going to sneak up on me and take my treasure out of nowhere?! Do you have a death wish?¡¯ Jin Yan knew that Lin Zi Yan was strong, but with his spear he was confident. He believed that he could take on anyone in this Bloodmist Labyrinth. ¡®I¡¯m not afraid of anyone; I¡¯ve fought condensed prime Warriors with this spear in my hand! I¡¯m not going to let anyone disrespect me, especially not a girl!¡¯ Lin Zi Yan exposed Jin Yan¡¯s sensitive side.


    ¡°I would have broken the barrier myself, but you two just got to it first. Don¡¯t glorify yourself and make it sound like a harder task than it really was.¡± Lin Zi Yan said coldly. She frowned and turned around to stare at Jin Yan.


    The moment Lin Zi Yan¡¯s purple eyes set on Jin Yan, he felt like he was being strangled. He wanted to speak, but words just would note out. His lips went pale and were shaking in awe when he saw the hue of her pupils.


    ¡°You are...¡± What Mo Ya said suddenly made sense to Jin Yan now that he could see Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes for himself. ¡®Mo Ya... Mo Ya was right. You can have the cloak.¡¯


    Everyone saw how Lin Zi Yan appeared out of nowhere and took on the infamous geniuses from Ning City. To take a medium-grade Mystic Arm off their hands by only using one finger, and then to have the advantage in a standoff with them... ¡®Are Mo Ya and Jin Yan afraid of her?! People don¡¯t just give medium-grade Mystic Arms away!¡¯


    The spectators were shocked and started to wonder where this girl was the whole time whileeveryone had been trying to break the shield. And that if she was strong enough to take things off Jin Yan¡¯s hands, how had she managed to keep such a low profile before.


    ¡°Correct me if I am wrong, but you two are not here for these Mystic Arms?¡± Lin Zi Yan clicked her fingers to interrupt Jin Yan from possibly revealing her identity. Then she shifted her focus to two paths at the back of the hall behind where the shield used to be.


    After hearing what Lin Zi Yan said Jin Yan and Mo Ya went quiet. They looked at each other and narrowed their eyes. To Lin Zi Yan their frowns were good enough answers. Medium-grade Arms were valuable, butparing to what the Ning City duo were after in this Bloodmist Labyrinth, these items were nothing.


    Seeing Mo Ya ce his hand on the hilt of Autumn¡¯s Grace and Jin Yan tightening his grip on the spear, it became apparent to Lin Zi Yan that their generosity only went as far as handing her the cloak. It was obvious that they did not want to share the real treasure they sought.


    The atmosphere became heavy, and all the cultivators who were close stopped fighting over the low-grade Mystic Arms and stepped away from Lin Zi Yan, Mo Ya, and Jin Yan. They could sense that a colossal fight could break out any second and did not want to be coteral damage. As the crowd quieted down, Ye Wei could finally see where Lin Zi Yan was, and he was worried sick seeing the three of them in a standoff.


    Lin Zi Yan could see Ye Wei too. She looked at him then rolled her eyes slowly towards the direction of the exit, signaling that he should leave this ce.


    Then she turned back to Mo Ya and Jin Yan, ¡°Is this what you want? A fight?¡± She asked with a beckoning smile on her face as the purple me in her eyes burned brighter. ¡°Let¡¯s y catch instead!¡± She calmly red at Mo Ya and Jin Yan then turned around and ran towards the rightmost path that led into the depths of thebyrinth.


    Her Shadowshift stance brought her to the path¡¯s entrance in no time, and the only thing that stopped her from proceeding was yet another barrier. She gently exhaled and blew on her right hand, coating it with ayer of purple Qi. The barrier softened at her touch, and she was walked right through it. ¡®Don¡¯t worry little Wei; I will get you what you need! Just get out here safe and remember to use your scrolls if you¡¯re in danger...¡¯


    Just as she went through the barrier, it lit up and became rigid again blocking the passage.


    Ye Wei started to wonder what it was that drew Lin Zi Yan, Mo Ya, and Jin Yan¡¯s interest. He was just here for the Welkin Leaves and did not expect he would be left alone by Lin Zi Yan.


    Mo Ya released his tight grip and lowered his sword while he spoke to Jin Yan. ¡°Interesting, I think us two may have to work together for the time being!¡± They both wanted to chase Lin Zi Yan but couldn¡¯t match her speed.


    ¡°Pfft! I want to see if people from that family are strong as rumored!¡± Jin Yan grunted and said pridefully. He followed Mo Ya towards the path to the right, and they walked through the barrier as effortlessly as Lin Zi Yan had.


    As the three disappeared into the depths of thebyrinth, the cultivators in the hall started fighting again The floor quickly became covered in blood, and if one were to fall to the ground, it would be the end for them.

 Chapter 70 – Effigies

    Chapter 70 ¨C Effigies


    On the far edge of the hall, Ye Wei was at a standstill worrying about Lin Zi Yan¡¯s safety after she disappeared down the path that led into the deeper parts of thebyrinth. He could tell that Mo Ya and Jin Yan could pose a threat to her if they decided to somehow work together against her.


    Ye Wei could not stop thinking about it. Both of the Ning City Warriors possessed a medium-grade Mystic Arm. He wanted to follow her down the path, but he thought about the difference he could actually make and who would be protecting who if he was to join Lin Zi Yan in venturing deeper into thebyrinth.


    ¡®I¡¯ve wasted too much time in the past... I will just burden her if I go in.¡¯ Ye Wei again became bitter as his mind wandered.


    ¡°I have to be a seven-star Student as soon as possible. Maybe there will be something in thisbyrinth, pills or some kind of medicine that could help me get there.¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself. ¡°When I can start creating and refining stances, I¡¯m sure I will be able to catch up!¡± He clenched his fist determinedly.


    ¡®Should I really follow Zi Yan¡¯s advice and leave this ce? She led me all the way here to Bloodmist Valley, and now she¡¯s heading even further in. She signaled me to leave, so I should trust her to find the Welkin Leaves, right? But I can¡¯t always rely on her. I can¡¯t hide behind her back when she takes all the risks!¡¯ The recent incidents with Lin Zi Yan made Ye Wei think of her as more than a friend; he could not help but overthink everything about her in his mind, ¡®I will wait here...¡¯


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    ¡°Those are mine! Drop it or I will end you!¡±


    During the next two hours, yells and screams echoed in the hall as the brawls continued until more and more fighters fell. The floor was now covered with bodies and blood as the noise eventually died down.


    After the chaos ended, the seven low-grade Mystic Arms found their new, exhausted owners. With Luo Mu Xue gone and Lin Zi Yan, Jin Yan, and Mo Ya deeper in thebyrinth, Lu Chao, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao were the strongest left in the hall; therefore, they got the most treasure of all the survivors.


    The group led by Zhao Hou also got a nice cut of the treasure.


    Now that the hall had quieted down, the survivors finally had the time to look around. They started to think back and realized how brutal and barbaric they have been. So much so that some of them were actually scared of themselves as they didn¡¯t know such a blood-thirsty side of themselves existed.


    A lot of cultivators with great potential died that day. Most of the survivors were at least five-star Warriors or above, but it wasn¡¯t only the survivors¡¯ capabilities that kept them alive. In the dog eat dog world luck was more important than strength.


    rity hit some of the survivors, and after experiencing the bloodbath first hand a lot of them were mentally traumatized. They chose to leave thebyrinth just for some peace and quiet. When all of the fighting waspletely over there was only around one thousand people left in the hall.


    Ye Wei watched all the skirmishes at the edge of the hall. He did not enjoy seeing the bloodshed at all, but he was calm as he witnessed everything. ¡®I have to stay here. I am not going to leave thisbyrinth until I get my hands on some Welkin Leaves, or at least, I will wait here until Zi Yan returns safely!¡¯


    The silence was brief as the people who stayed behind prepared for more bloodshed. They wanted more treasures therefore they started talking about the paths at the front of the hall.


    They were under the impression that the path to the right would lead them to more treasures because that was the one Lin Zi Yan, Mo Ya, and Jin Yan choose. People started gathering around the entrance of the rightmost path led by Lu, Hong, and Xue.


    The three unofficial leaders slowly walked towards the semi-transparent barrier that the three earlier easily went through.


    Hong Xun made the first move. He channeled his Qi causing his skin to turn bronze. His short hair stood up akin to a porcupine with steel spikes. He then signaled for Lu Chao and Xue Yao to take a step back. They had an unspoken agreement that Hong Xun should go first as he was the strongest of the three at the eight-star Warrior level while the others were only at the seven-star level.


    He stomped the ground and with his foot as the center a spherical, invisible forcefield spread outwards. Hong Xun threw his arm in the air and started drawing runes with his fingers. The runes then formed a golden Qi bell around his fist as he threw a punch towards the barrier mercilessly.


    The presence of Hong Xun¡¯s punch drew everyone¡¯s attention, and even Ye Wei could feel the Qi disturbance from the edge of the hall. Everyone watched Hong Xun wondering what kind of treasure they would find behind the barrier.


    His fist connected onto the barrier and with a loud rumble, the barrier started osciting and eventually it forced Hong Xun¡¯s strike backwards.


    Hong Xun¡¯s face was ashen as he was forced to take three steps back before he could stand steadily. Each of the steps left a shoe print on the solid ground.


    He then coughed, and a line of blood appeared in the corner of his mouth. He stared at the barrier with shock and confusion, ¡®Am I that much weaker than those three? They entered effortlessly...¡¯ He was not the only one discouraged. Everyone who saw the failed attempt was depressed as well. They were afraid that if the strongest couldn¡¯t get through, none of them would be able to, and that all the treasure behind the barrier would never be recovered.


    After a few deep breaths, Hong Xun¡¯s eyes turned to the path on the left, and he quietly walked towards it seeing that they didn¡¯t really have a chance to get through the rightmost barrier. Lu Chao and Xue Yao both sighed and followed in his footsteps. ¡®I guess we will also have to settle for this path...¡¯


    ¡®This guy was not able to get through with that much power behind his punch? I guess Zi Yan will be fine then as it literally took her less than a second to get in. How strong must she be to aplish that?¡¯ Ye Wei thought as he walked out of his hiding ce. He could see everyone were more or less calm now, so he felt safe enough to get closer. He wanted a closer look at the entrances so he could feel the disturbance of Qi from each direction.


    The path on the left was a tunnel that was not blocked by anything. There was no barriers or doors, Lu, Hong, and Xue walked in with the rest of the survivors following them. ¡®I will just go in and take a look. I might be able to find some Welkin Leaves myself.¡¯ Not willing to go to the rightmost path alone nor wanted to draw any attention onto himself, Ye Wei followed the crowd onto the left path without attempting to break the barrier.


    This tunnel looked simr to the ones that led everyone into the hall, but this tunnel was longer, and there were no barriers or anything on the sides; it was just an ordinary tunnel.


    After a while, they reached the end of the tunnel. The people in front of the group could see a wide, open area covered with small sharp rocks. They seemed sharp enough to cut a person¡¯s feet if he or she were not careful.


    In the middle of the rocks stood one thousand life-like stone effigies. They all had a humanoid shape. Most of them were brown stones and around forty of them were silver-white. Five effigies wererger than the rest, and each of them stood three meters tall and shone with a golden hue.


    The effigies were all a bit different, most of them even had weapons in their hands. Some had swords, some had spears, and some of them had shields.


    Nobody dared to step into the field, not even Lu, Hong, and Xue. Everyone just stood at the end of the tunnel peeking.


    Hong Xun grabbed a five-star Warrior who stood next to him and said: ¡°Why don¡¯t you go in and take a look?¡± As he threw the Warrior into the field out of the blue.


    The Warrior was surprised, but he did not lose bnce. Hended steadily on his feet clearly not pleased with how he was treated, so he started swearing at Hong Xun quietly. Pressured by Hong Xun and others, he had no choice but to investigate the field.


    He unwillingly walked around the whole field carefully and nothing happened. Now relieved, he waved at the crowd and signaled that it was safe. People then started running into the field and inspecting the statues hoping to find hidden treasures somewhere.


    ¡®I have a bad feeling about this...¡¯ An image of a mountain shed inside Ye Wei¡¯s mind, and he started to panic while everyone else¡¯s guards were still down. He felt like he was being watched by something, something alive, something bloodthirsty, something that wanted him dead. He became cautious and started restlessly looking around himself, but nothing was wrong. Everyone was just as they were before, some looking for treasures, some of them were just appreciating how lively the effigies looked.


    Just as Ye Wei thought he was having an unreasonable panic attack, a barrier appeared at the tunnel¡¯s exit, blocking the way out.


    ¡°Careful!¡± Ye Wei shouted to alert everyone and reached inside his bag. He held one of the Mystic scrolls tight. The crowd then turned to see the tunnel was sealed by a barrier that looked like the one Lin Zi Yan, Mo Ya, and Jin Yan opened earlier back in the hall.


    ¡°Who did this?¡±


    ¡°I told you not to touch anything!¡±


    ¡°What? How are we going to get out now?¡± The crowd started panicking when they heard a rumbling sound.


    The brown effigies started moving and opening their stone eyes. Beams of red light shot out of their eyes brightening the dim field. They started lifting their arms and waving them around. The effigies looked massive and clumsy, but they were unexpectedly fast, and their stone fists flew all over the ce. The field suddenly filled with wind from the effigies¡¯ ferocious strikes.


    ¡°Dodge them!¡±


    ¡°Behind you!¡±


    People with better reflex were doing just fine dodging these attacks, but for the ones who were frozen in ce with fear and the ones who were injured in the brawl earlier, the red lights from the effigies¡¯ eyes and the heavy impact of stone fists became theirst memory.


    The seven-star Warriors had it easy as their primal feather wings helped them effortlessly maneuvering between the fists. But it was a struggle to survive for the rest of the crowd.


    Fear spread on the field. The effigies did not feel nor did they care, they were programmed to kill and they would not stop.

 Chapter 71 – Impasse

    Chapter 71 ¨C Impasse


    Ye Wei stood on the edge of the field close to the now sealed exit, and the two effigies next to him raised their arms simultaneously throwing their fists towards him.


    Luckily he wasn¡¯t unprepared. He was already in the air before the fists came close to him. He was able to dodge one of them but the second one connected in a sh despite his efforts.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s left hand was holding the scroll but he didn¡¯t feel the need to tear it. He clenched his right fist and hardened his muscles. His skin glowed with a green tint as he channeled his Qi.


    Although Ye Wei was still a four-star Student, his strength and the amount of will-force and Qi he had was what you would find in a six-star Student. The cosmic energy, Myst-level Falling Star cultivation method, and all the pills were the reason he was bing so exceptional.


    ¡®Let¡¯s try this!¡¯ He thought as he threw his fist towards the brown stone fisting his way. His strength was no match to the effigy¡¯s which caused his whole arm to be numb from the impact, but he was able to use the recoil to push himself away and dodge the rest of the non-stop assault.


    Ye Wei was drenched in sweat just from this brief physical exchange.


    ¡®It¡¯s too dangerous; if I was any slower I would be meat paste by now... I didn¡¯t even have time to tear the scroll!¡¯ He felt lucky that he got away, now that he was a safe distance from these two effigies. He knew how fast they were, and now that he had an idea of what to expect, he started to n how to deal with them.


    ¡®They are not that strong. Their strength isparable to a seven-star Student at most. Furthermore, their attacks are unbelievably fast but their movement in general is slow. It must be due to their weight.¡¯ Ye Wei analyzed the effigies¡¯ every move as he danced around dodging them.


    Many others started fighting the effigies close to them once they realized they looked scarier than they fought. Bolts of fire, ice and Qi weapons flew all over the field. Seeing how weak the effigies actually were, some of the Warriors who ran in fear started to be themselves again; they stopped fleeing and fought instead.


    The effigies were easily stopped and knocked back by the Warriors¡¯ stances.


    ¡°They are not that powerful!¡±


    ¡°God, I was so scared!¡±


    The crowd started to calm down as they gain control of the situation.


    They were weak in general and the strength of the brown effigies varied from that of a three-star Student to a ten-star Student. What made their attacks lethal was the weight behind them.


    As the crowd got used to the effigies¡¯ attack patterns, they became more rxed, and saw the situation as an opportunity to train themselves. Everyone started attacking the brown stone beings instead of solely defending themselves a minute ago.


    Not only did they started attacking the effigies, some of the Warriors actually seeded in smashing them into pieces. Song Gui, driven by rage was one of the first Warriors to shatter an effigy with his bare hands.


    ¡°That is for my friend you killed!¡± Filled with adrenaline and satisfaction of avenging his fallenrade, he spat on the pile of rubble and shouted angrily. But he wasn¡¯t done, he wanted to break as many of these damned effigies as possible to ease his pain.


    Song Gui turned around to fight another effigy that was armed with a stone sword in each of its hands. As he set his eyes on the next target, a scarlet crystal broke out of the rubble pile and flew towards him like a speeding arrow.


    Song Gui could hear a screeching sound and felt an approaching force from behind. The crystal flew too fast for him to react. ¡°Ouch! What was that?!¡± Shocked by the pain in his spine, he screamed.


    Just as the scarlet crystalnded on his spine, it shattered and released a thick cloud of bloodmist.


    The bloodmist stuck onto Song Gui¡¯s back and kept growing until eventually it covered his whole body. The bloodmist was sticky and it quickly sunk into his body through the pores on his skin. People stopped attacking the effigies when they saw the engulfing mist appearing from the remains. Once again they didn¡¯t do more than defend themselves as they were afraid to break any more effigies until they found out what effect the mist had on Song Gui.


    ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡± He mumbled.


    When all of the bloodmist was absorbed into Song Gui¡¯s body, hepletely lost his consciousness and was ovee by bloodlust. His eyes became bloodshot and the veins all over his body bulged. He looked more like a wild beast than a person.


    With their primal feather wings, Hong Xun, Lu Chao, and Xue Yaounched themselves into the air and observed Song Gui¡¯s transformation from what they thought to be a safe distance.


    ¡°What do you two think?¡± Hong Xun¡¯s thick ck eyebrows furrowed as he witnessed the gruesome transformation of the kind-hearted Warrior. ¡°From what I can tell, the scarlet crystal that made him a monster might be the mythical Blood Devourer crystal...¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Xue Yao asked. Neither her nor Lu Chao could remember that name.


    ¡°Blood Devourers are a type of primal stone. The Qi stored within them is purer and thicker than normal primal stones, and its quenching property is superior to most of the pills avable nowadays.¡±


    ¡°But there is a drawback. The primal energy from these stones is too strong. It will make the user aggressive and the weak-minded will be consumed by the bloodlust... That¡¯s where the crystal¡¯s name came from.¡±


    The way Song Gui was screaming and twitching sent shivers down Xue Yao¡¯s spine. ¡°Can we help him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there is a way to help him, it¡¯s all up to his will now if he can survive this. But that¡¯s not the point I¡¯m trying to make! Effigies and Blood Devourer crystals don¡¯t they ring any bells? You guys never heard the stories when you were kids?¡±


    It suddenly all came together for Lu Chao and Xue Yao, ¡°Do you mean thisbyrinth is rted to the cial Emperor?!¡± Lu Chao widened his eyes and eximed.


    ¡°Are these effigies the ¡®Immortal Puppets¡¯?!¡± Xue Yao started to recall the details of the legend. She realized these were the stone guardians made by the cial Emperor to guard his tomb.


    ¡°That¡¯s what the duo from Ning City are here for? To explore the cial Emperor¡¯s tomb?¡±


    ¡°If the legends are true, the brown ones are not what we should be worried about.¡± Hong Xun continued, ¡°The silver puppets are far more dangerous, but we should be able to handle them if we all work together. They should be as strong as five-star Warriors, but the gold ones... I don¡¯t know how we can deal with them if theye.¡±


    When they figured out what thisbyrinth was, they temporarily put their differences aside so they could travel deeper into thebyrinth. The cial Emperor¡¯s treasure was unmeasurable.


    ¡°Get away from him!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s on his own now, we can¡¯t do anything about it!¡± Hong Xun warned the crowd from above as some of Song Gui¡¯s friends were trying to get close and calm him down.


    Not sure how they should deal with the stone puppets, everyone went back to dodging and defending themselves. It was not hard for anyone to dodge at the start, but as more and more of the brown puppets became active, weaker cultivators found themselves surrounded by more than one puppet as fatigue overtook them.


    Ye Wei was now surrounded by three brown puppets. It was getting more and more dangerous and keeping a safe distance from them was starting to be a struggle.


    He heard a rumbling sound behind him and two more puppets behind him activated as he quickly ran through the gap between them. He now found himself standing in front of Song Gui. He was in dire straights now as he was blocked from all directions with nowhere to escape, and on top of that he waspletely alone.

 Chapter 72 – Green veil

    Chapter 72 ¨C Green veil


    There was no way out. Every path of escape was blocked off by the stone puppets and Song Gui.


    ¡°I guess there is no other way...¡± Ye Wei was not pleased. Although he was given five scrolls in total, each of them were worth way more than he wasfortable spending. Using the scroll would not secure Welkin Leaves for his cousin, but desperate times call for desperate measures.


    With attacks approaching from every direction, he didn¡¯t have a choice. Therefore, he tore the green scroll. There was no way he couldst long if he used a defensive scroll. Being able to take a few more hits would not have put him in a better situation.


    As the offensive Myst stance was released, the scroll that was worth more than one hundred thousand silver turned into just a useless scrap of silk.


    ¡°So this is what it feels like to be powerful?¡± Ye Wei felt refreshed to haveplete control over so much energy. He was astonished and slowly started to understand why people would pay so much for these scrolls so much that it hurt his heart.


    The runes written in demon blood came alive and floated in the air. They became a rune sequence and started to intertwine assembling into a ring of me that eventually settled on the ground. The ring of fire brightened and encircled Ye Wei. Some of the people who were close to him could see the bright red light leaking from between the puppets.


    Although not his own power, Ye Wei was in full control of the Singeing Ground stance, and it only took him a gaze to guide the me towards the brown puppets. The me created a mirage as it approached the puppets in a spinning motion as their fists closed in on Yei Wei. With five loud rumbling noises, the force shattered them into rubble, and the heat energy set them ame.


    However, the me did not stop growing. It followed Ye Wei¡¯s point of vision to two hundred other brown puppets reducing them to rubble.


    ¡°How can this be? Who¡¯s Myst stance is that?¡± The crowd was shocked by the ferocious attack and their eyes followed the trail of fire to Ye Wei¡¯s location.


    ¡°Did he just use a medium-grade scroll?¡±


    While the crowd was still surprised and stunned by the powerful stance, they notice a loud rumbling noise. As the me died down the silver and golden puppets opened their eyes, and beams of red light shone brightly from their eyes.


    ¡°Oh no!¡±


    With a speed far superior to the brown puppets, the silver and golden ones immediately rushed towards the cultivators like a pack of rampaging bulls. ¡°I think the Qi disturbance from the kid¡¯s Myst stance just woke them up...¡± Hong Xun¡¯s face turn pale as the three strongest cultivators still had not worked out an answer for these stronger puppets.


    The puppets¡¯ fists fell from high up in the air, akin to a rain of meteors. Although the cultivators have been dodging and dancing through the brown puppets¡¯ attacks, the silver and golden ones¡¯ awakening was unexpected. They didn¡¯t anticipate the stronger puppets¡¯ swiftness to be so different than the brown ones.


    In a panic, more than fifty Warriors lost their lives. Some to the crushing fists while others were stomped to death either by horrifiedrades or the puppets.


    Hong, Luo, and Xue knew that if the panic persisted then all of the cultivators would fall sooner orter, and that would be the end of their expedition. Although they didn¡¯t have full knowledge about what the puppets could do, they couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    ¡°This is it. It¡¯s now or never...¡± Hong Xun took the initiative and glided down. ¡°Everybody listen! Be calm and stick together! Watch each other¡¯s backs if you want to live!¡±


    In the end, the cultivators on the field were Warriors with moderate experience, so they calmed down quickly and started defending themselves methodically in small groups after Hong, Luo, and Xue stepped up and led the retaliation.


    While the others were grouping up, Ye Wei was not so lucky. He was in the corner on his own with Song Gui as people were distracted by the stronger puppets and therefore forgot about him.


    Too distracted by the new threat, nobody noticed that Ye Wei was shot by all the Blood Devourer crystals from the puppets he shattered. Ye Wei was soon surrounded by ayer of thick bloodmist. The vapor wrapped tighter and tighter and within seconds, he turned into a red cocoon.


    The surge of energy from one crystal was enough to make Song Gui, a Warrior, lose his mind. Now Ye Wei was in the same situation, but instead of being struck by one crystal, Ye Wei was struck by two hundred and thirty-eight of them.


    Inside the cocoon, Ye Wei¡¯s body started heating up. The pores on his skin expanded and made it easier for the concentrated bloodmist to sink in. It wasn¡¯t long before the aggressive and pure energy was deep under his skin, inside his muscles, organs, and bones.


    The space in a four-star Student¡¯s dantian and Sentient was very limited, and even a condensed prime Warrior couldn¡¯t fully absorb the amount of energy currently rushing into Ye Wei¡¯s body. Ye Wei¡¯s body was erging, and if the cocoon didn¡¯t constrict it, it could have exploded already.


    Rage and violent intent brought by the crystals¡¯ energy was taking over Ye Wei¡¯s consciousness. His memories of his father, mother, the Ye Patriarch, cousin Zhong, and Lin Zin Yan were shing before him; then his cognition started to fade together with his conscience.


    Although in this state, Ye Wei was aware of what he would be if he just gave up his sanity, so he bit lips in desperation. In the hope that doing so would stop himself from losing his mind; however, it was not very effective.


    Just as he was about to be ovee by rage, the image of the Mystic Mountain appeared in his sentient. It then started to absorb the energy of the crystals. Not only did the Mystic Mountain absorb the energy, but it also purified the surge of evil red energy into soothing yet intense primal energy.


    The rage he felt disappeared, and Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient and dantian started to grow under the nourishment. Their sizes were now simr to cultivators at the Warrior rank. His cultivation would increase rapidly if he could get out of the cocoon and take the time to train. This near-death experience would actuallypensate for how slow his Sentient usually absorbed primal energy from the surroundings.


    Although the energy was purified, the sheer amount of it was still a problem. Ye Wei¡¯s body was not processing it quick enough, his skin was starting to crack, and his bones were grinding against each other.


    In this critical moment, the iron talisman in Ye Wei¡¯s interspatial bag started vibrating. It started moving on of its own will and appeared outside of the bag. The talisman then broke through the cocoon and started spinning on top of Ye Wei¡¯s head. The eighty-one grooves on the talisman started shining as it started spinning so quickly that the rust on it was thrown off.


    A ck texture started to seep out of the grooves and expanded like a dark vortex. As it continually sped up, the vortex started to create a strong suction that extracted and then consumed the primal energy surging inside Ye Wei¡¯s body.


    This caused the cocoon to quickly shrink and Ye Wei¡¯s body to return to its normal size. The talisman worked a miracle, it only consumed the excessive energy, and the remaining energy started repairing his cracked skin and fractured bones.


    Ye Wei could not believe the iron talisman would be so useful even he did not know what it was for. After a few cracking sound were heard more and more green webs started appearing under his skin.


    Ten green webs under Ye Wei¡¯s skin ovepped and formed a green screen which caused his body to glow mildly. He could tell his muscles were now as hard as solid wood and his bones were as strong as metal which signified a breakthrough.


    Ye Wei was now a five-star Student, but his dantian and Sentient were stronger than what an ordinary six-star Student possessed, and his body did not stop storing the energy.


    The green screen under his skin grew thicker as the purified energy circted throughout his body. The rest of the purified energy saturated his meridian widening them. After absorbing even more of the purified energy, he became a six-star Student!

 Chapter 73 – Golden Puppets

    Chapter 73 ¨C Golden Puppets


    For any Students, five-star and seven-star breakthroughs are the most challenging. Whereas the breakthrough to the six-star level is much simpler. When one¡¯s Qi reserve reaches a certain level their meridians will expand and widen. This is the definition of a six-star Student.


    Now though neither of those are a big problem for Ye Wei. He could not imagine that the iron talisman would help his cultivation, especially not this significantly.


    Ye Wei now possessed the body strength of a seven-star Student, and he could probably take on any seven-star Student in a fight as they usually don¡¯t know any powerful stances.


    ¡®Just one more breakthrough then I can try learning mystic stances!¡¯ Ye Wei was ecstatic. Any stance, even just a low-level Spirit stance is more powerful than an ordinary physical attack. As the saying goes, ¡®You¡¯re not a cultivator until you¡¯ve mastered your first mystic stance.¡¯


    After absorbing the rush of energy that was inside Ye Wei¡¯s body, the iron talisman stop spinning. It was now just floated quietly in front of him and twelve out of the eighty-one grooves on it lit up with a silver glow.


    ¡°Stop its attack!¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t work together we will all die!¡±


    As the energy within Ye Wei stabilized, his head stopped humming. He could hear the shouting and rumbling through the thick red cocoon. Eager to try out his strength, he threw a punch and broke the cocoon open effortlessly.


    He walked out gracefully and retrieved the talisman floating in front of him. He could feel that the talisman was filled with primal energy. Realizing it saved his life by neutralizing the Blood Devourer crystals¡¯ energy and helped him breakthrough, he started to wonder and narrowed his eyes. ¡®What are you? I am pretty sure you¡¯re not a Mystic Arm...¡¯


    Ye Wei then looked up to evaluate the situation. All he could see was brown rubble on the ground and fallen fighters. There were only about five hundred people left standing from the thousand who entered.


    There were a few hundred puppets that were shattered at this point, and half of them were destroyed by Hong Xun, Lu Chao, and Xue Yao.


    With broken puppets came rage crazed fighters. The crowd didn¡¯t show any mercy to them after seeing Song Gui lose his mind and realizing they were not able to save the fighters who were affected by the crystals. In the end it was their lives at stake so they didn¡¯t try to help. With the sacrifice of the fallen, all the silver puppets were finally shattered.


    ¡®These golden puppets are on a different level!¡¯ As Ye Wei was shaking the kes of the bloodmist cocoon off his clothes, Lu, Hong, and Xue lead everyone else to attack the golden puppets. Despise the organised attack the puppets showed no sign of slowing down, their attacks were as strong as when they were just activated.


    From what Hong Xun could see four of the golden puppets were as strong as a seven-star Warrior while the biggest and strongest one had the strength of an eight-star Warrior. Even Hong Xun, strong as he was, couldn¡¯t deal with it alone. Lu, Xue and him were handling the biggest one while theymanded the rest what they could.


    The survivors organised themselves into four groups of around one hundred by Hong Xun¡¯s order. Each group kept one golden puppet under control. They couldn¡¯t really harm the puppets, but handling them with a big group was the only way to survive. They were just waiting for the three temporary leaders to finish the strongest puppet so they couldbine their forces and deal with the rest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not y the long game; we can¡¯t just tire it out. The crystals inside them can keep them running for days. We have to give it our all and finish them. Our bodies will never oust theirs.¡± Hong Xun said as he strengthened his body with the Golden Bell stance. His body was covered by ayer of golden Qi and his empowered fist knocked the strongest puppet off bnce.


    ¡°Nice!¡± Lu Chao and Xue Yao could also feel that the prolonged fight has taken its toll on their bodies. They all came to the same conclusion, that they would not have any will-force or Qi left if the fightsted much longer.


    Lu Chao grunted and quickly drew a rune sequence. It wrapped around his legs forming his strongest stance, Tempest Kick. Behind the bright green light of the runes, a tornado was brewing. Then he unleashed his spinning kick mercilessly towards the golden puppet.


    Meanwhile Xue Yao was also not holding back. She finished drawing thest rune of her sequence and activated the Lotus Sword Dance. A green spectral lotus appeared and the six petals detached themselves from the flower transforming into six swords that flew towards the puppet at different angles.


    ¡°Golden Drill!¡± Hong Xun shouted then drew some runes around his body. The runes started spinning around him and the bell shaped Qi armor around him also started rotating and vibrating. With a humming sound the golden bell tore through air and flew directly towards theirmon enemy.


    Although Hong Xun was thest person to attack, he was the strongest among the three. His stance was not only the most powerful, it was also the quickest therefore the Golden Drill was the first stance to hit the puppet.


    The Golden Drill shattered upon connecting with the puppet. The sharp debris of the drill carried on attacking the puppet chipping off little golden pieces of stone. Hundred of cracks and cuts were forming on the puppet but it felt no pain, nor was it worn down any. It continued waving its fists around and charging towards Hong Xun.


    Seeing that Hong Zun¡¯s stance left cracks on the puppet, Lu and Xue redirected their stances toward the weaker inche deep cracks on the puppet¡¯s surface.


    The green tornado and the six spectral swordsnded on the puppet¡¯s left shoulder and right arm respectively. While the impact of Lu Chao¡¯s kick not only expanded the cracks rapidly, but with the help of Xue Yao¡¯s swords they sessfully stopped the puppet¡¯s attacks and also broke its arms off.


    Hong Xun could not rx just yet, ¡°Don¡¯t let your guards down!¡± Although it¡¯s armless, the puppet was still charging towards him and approaching with a spinning kick.


    Now that the puppet¡¯s attacks slowed down Hong, Lu, and Xue took the chance to take a deep breath and regained a bit of energy. Energy they put towards their final strike.


    ¡°Hold on guys! The strongest puppet is about to go down, we just have to keep these weaker ones under control for a bit longer!¡± Encouraged by the sight of the armless puppet, the morale surged.


    Ye Wei couldn¡¯t really contribute at this point. He was just observing from the side and thinking about Ye Zhong. ¡®Compared to Green Moon City these youngsters from Frozen Sun City are very strong. I think cousin Zhong is talented enough, with my help he should be able to catch up with Hong Xun maybe even Luo Wu Xue!¡¯


    ¡®I need to go deeper into thisbyrinth to find some Welkin Leaves! But we won¡¯t be able to search for the path ahead until we neutralize these statues!¡¯ With that in mind, he jumped into one of the groups and tried to make himself useful. He was kind of d that everything seemed to be under control, or else he might have to use yet another scroll to help defeat these puppets.


    After a brief moment of rest, Lu, Xue, and Hong used their best stances again and this time they targeted the puppet¡¯s legs, which turned into rubble as the stances connected. The trio was exhausted, but their effort paid off. The puppet was now no longer a threat.


    Having used high-level Spirit stance multiple times in such quick session, Lu Chao and Xue Yao pretty much drained their will-force and QI. Their faces were pale and their breathing was a bit heavy.


    It was not much better for Hong Xun, although he was an eight-star Warrior, he was mentally and physically worn out as he had to pay attention to the other four puppets and tell the groups of cultivators how to deal with the stone fists. He did this all while leading Lu and Xue to defeat the strongest puppet.


    ¡°Guys! Just hold on for a couple more minutes!¡± Hong Xun shouted as he took a pill out of his bag. He used the pill then sat down to regain some Qi and body strength.


    Lu Chao and Xue Yao too took their time to recuperate hoping there would not be more casualties before they could eradicate the rest of the puppets.

 Chapter 74 – Last Resort

    Chapter 74 ¨C Last Resort


    ¡°Fight safe! We won¡¯t get any help before they¡¯ve recovered!¡± One of the stronger Warriors stepped up and tried to motivated the exhausted groups, but his effort was pretty redundant as everyone could almost taste victory.


    As for Ye Wei, his hand was never further than an inch away from his interspatial bag. If anything happened, the scrolls would be the thing he would rely on while the three who are capable of neutralizing the puppets were still recovering from exhaustion.


    Time passed slowly while the groups struggled to defend themselves against the puppets. But before long, Hong Xun opened his eye and stood up with an unstoppable momentum, his face was no longer pale. Lu Chao and Xue Yao also stood up shortly after Hong Xun did.


    Interpreting the trio¡¯s recovery as the end of the battle, the groups were starting to feel relieved.


    Ye Wei, took his hand away from his interspatial bag as Hong Xun approached. ¡®If they can beat the fastest, strongest, and biggest one of them the rest should not be a problem!¡¯


    However just as Lu Chao was channeling his Qi, all of the golden puppets, including the limbless one on the ground opened their mouths and started roaring.


    All five puppets widened their eyes and casted beams of red light into the air. They met in the air and the runes climbed up the small pirs of red light towards the center of the field. The runes on their bodies started moving and glowing red forming the frame of an irregr five sided pyramid.


    The thousands of runes filling the space akin swarms of butterflies. Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound echoed throughout the space as the runes linked together. An intense wave of energy shortly followed leaving the crowd in shock.


    Their rxed faces turned ashen as they shivered, even Hong, Lu, and Xue were afraid, ¡®This is definitely not good...¡¯ They thought. The pressure they felt exceeded what they experienced when Jin Yan and Mo Ya channeled their Myst stances to break the gigantic rune barrier.


    ¡®What is going on here?¡¯ Ye Wei could feel the energy from each of the puppets merging with one another. There was a synergistic reaction between the five sets of runes. ¡®Is there a way to stop this? I don¡¯t think this will end well for anyone if the energy keeps growing...¡¯


    As the crowd were shaking in fear, the golden puppets suddenly shattered and from the rubble fiverge Blood Devourer crystals rose.


    They quickly flew up, and each of them soaked up the runes on a red rune pir to form five rune clusters. Then the ground started shaking and nobody could stand straight. People either fell or were on their hands and knees. As the earthquake intensified, the rubble on the field started rattling and levitating.


    The field was spacious, and there were no less than a hundred thousand pieces of sharp rubble on the field. This moment all of them flew into the air. It looked like a violent sandstorm from a distance. The rubble was drawn towards the rune clusters. Two of them started taking the shape of arms and two others formed legs, while thest cluster was forming a head shape.


    After the limbs and head took shape, the rubble starting filling the space between the stone limbs. By the time this thirty meters tall stone puppet came together everyone were shaking; they were overwhelmed by fear.


    Not only did therger structure appeared sturdier than its previous smaller incarnations, it was clear to everyone that none of the cultivators present possesses power to defeat this stone giant and their fear turned into despair.


    Jin Yan and Mo Ya were peak level ten-star Warriors which means they are about ten times stronger than a ten-star who just broke through and the stone giant was the former kind of existence.


    ¡°Someone here has to have a medium-grade scroll right!?¡± Inspiration struck Hong Xun as he remembered a boy used a Mystic Scroll to destroyed more than two hundred puppets in less than ten seconds. ¡°Where is what¡¯s his face? Did he survive? Does he have any more scrolls!?¡± Hong Xun was panicked. He shouted as he ran through the crowd looking for Ye Wei.


    ¡°Guys find that kid!¡± Hong Xun was not the only person who saw Ye Wei dealing with the puppets, and it wasn¡¯t long until one of them spotted Ye Wei.


    ¡°Here he is!¡± One of the Warriors signaled the others when he identified Ye Wei, and everyone started running towards where he was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to him!¡±


    ¡°Guys he¡¯s there!¡±


    Shouting continued as fear was in the air and the levitating stone giant slowly descended. With a loud rumble itnded and, although thending was gentle, the stone giant¡¯s feet left two deep potholes due to its weight. Its red beams of light shone from its eyes were now pointed in the cultivators¡¯ direction.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    After a deafening roar, the stone giant started chasing after the crowd. Each step it took shook the ground, and the red projection on the crowds¡¯ back intensified as the stone giant got closer.


    It¡¯s not very often one sees hundreds of cultivators running for their lives. Although Ye Wei was the only person who could see this scene from the side, he was not amused by it, but rather worried about letting everyone down.


    ¡®Please tell us you have another scroll!¡¯ Was everyone¡¯s thought at that moment but none of them had the time to ask Ye Wei if he had another one as they were too busy running for their lives.


    There was no other way. No one present could fight this stone giant, Ye Wei was now theirst hope; theirst resort.


    Lots of the people who were at the field including Hong, Lu, and Xue actually considered escaping when Jin Yan and Mo Ya showed up because of the threat they felt, but this stone puppet startled them on apletely different level. If worse came to worst, there would be no chance to negotiate or beg for mercy and there was nowhere left to run.


    The stone giant showed no signs of stopping. It was striking its chest creating a drumming sound while chasing the crowd. While everyone was running away from it, Ye Wei had his head down and slowly walked towards what the others feared.


    ¡®I can¡¯t promise anything... But I guess this is our only chance.¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s shaking hand tightly grasped onto one of the offensive Mystic Scrolls.


    The closer the stone giant got, the harder it was for him to breathe. While the giant¡¯s pace remained the same, Ye Wei¡¯s heart was beating faster and faster.


    Thirty meters...


    Twenty meters...


    Ten meters...


    Ye Wei meant to tear the scroll way sooner but it took time for him to gather his strength as he was in shock. He finally managed to tear it when the giant was only one step away from crushing him.


    The moment the scroll was torn, the demon blood runes flew out and the sequence rapidly transformed into a ten meter long hammer. A weapon that belonged to an old god.


    Although the gigantic phantom hammer gave off an intense Qi disturbance, due to the runic link, Ye Wei could move it around fluidly as if it was a weightless extension of his arm.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Ye Wei loosened his shoulders and took a heavy step forward. After quickly establishing a steady point of bnce he grunted then swung the phantom hammer with lightning-like speed towards the approaching stone giant.


    ¡°He really has one! It¡¯s a Myst stance!¡± Hong Xun eximed. ¡®It was apparent that this kid was just a Student so what kind of powerful family would invest so much resources in a weakling like him? I bet even Jin Yan had to earn his scrolls by contributing to his family, and he had one of the most prestigiousst names in Ning City!¡¯


    At first the crowd was surprised and somewhat jealous of how Ye Wei was carrying more than two hundred thousand worth of scrolls with him. But after the initial amusement, they were just rooting for him. They were hoping that this ¡®rich kid¡¯ could help them avoid their impending doom.

 Chapter 75 – Functions

    Chapter 75 ¨C Functions


    Medium-grade mystic scrolls are anything butmon, and it was the stances within that made them known as a symbol of power. This reputation was the reason why everyone was almost smiling when they saw the Myst stance summoned from Ye Wei¡¯s scroll. They were more than certain that the phantom hammer would turn the stone giant back into rubble.


    However, Hong, Lu, and Xue were a bit more realistic. There was an optimistic shine in their eyes but also a frown. All three of them knew how powerful the puppet was, and an iplete Myst stance might not be enough to take down thebined power of sixrge Blood Devourer crystals.


    The three temporary leaders were doubtful, but they kept their cool and were ready to strike the giant together with Ye Wei. Not that they were sure their joined attack would be sufficient, but they would have to try because if they didn¡¯t then nobody would get out of this field alive.


    Ye Wei was under immense pressure as he was the focus of everyone¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t let the stress get to him. He was in his own world and determined to give it his all.


    It was hard to miss such arge target, and a deafening bang sounded when the hammernded right on the puppet¡¯s shoulder. The collision created a violent spray of sparks and a rippling pressure wave that shook the ground.


    The giant was forced to take a step back, and that was the moment when Ye Wei seized the opportunity to aim the hammer at its head.


    Contrary to its clumsy appearance, the giant¡¯s reflexes were actually phenomenal. It quickly crossed its arms over its head to block Ye Wei¡¯s strike.


    Seeing that the giant was defending itself efficiently against the Myst stance, the crowd started to show worrying expressions as they watched the mighty hammer that was held in the air.


    A cracking sound caught the attention of the crowd. It was not from the point of impact but the sound of the ground breaking underneath the giant as his feet sank about a meter into the surface.


    Ye Wei¡¯s face waspletely red. He grunted and put all his strength behind the third strike thatnded on the giant¡¯s head this time. Its legspletely sunk in the ground to its knees.


    After immobilizing the giant, Ye Wei could feel that the phantom hammer was going to disappear soon as its energy was quickly running out. Thus, he took onest chance to hammer the puppet.


    This time, the hammernded heavily on the puppet¡¯s shoulder. After the final hammer strike, the giant¡¯s waist was submerged below solid ground. Its right shoulder and arm were cracked and chipped from the repeated strikes. As the red light in the giant¡¯s eyes was dimming the phantom hammer started to fade.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°He did it!¡±


    The crowd cheered as the stone giant powered down. Hong, Lu, and Xue were relieved by the result, and their lips curled into rxing smiles.


    Ye Wei too was rxed, and there was a childish smile on his face. Although he had to use two very valuable medium-grade scrolls, he was satisfied that he managed to save hundreds of lives. He was also happy that he would be able to search for a path that led deeper into thebyrinth.


    Weed by friendly smiles, Ye Wei turned and walked towards the others, but as he took the fifth step, a sharp cracking noise came from behind him. ¡°What?¡± The unexpected sound sent a shiver down his spine, and he immediately turned around to check on the stone giant.


    The crisp cracking sound echoed in the field and was heard by everyone. Suddenly everything went silent as everyone quickly looked towards the source of the sound, it caused their smiles to disappear.


    ¡°How... Howe...¡± Hong, Lu, and Xue emotionlessly stared at the stone giant and their faces became ashened.


    The giant started moving again as its fists fiercely pounded the ground cracking and breaking the surface.


    With every punch, the cracks spread and the ground around the giant turned into loose rubble in no time. The giant then roared and mmed his palms to the ground onest time,unching its gigantic body into the air.


    The red light in its eye relit and this time, they looked like two massive fireballs. The giant¡¯s killing intent and presence had intensified considerably.


    ¡°But that was a medium-grade mystic scroll! How else can we stop it if a Myst stance failed the job?¡±


    ¡°How can this be?!¡±


    ¡°Does anyone here have other ways to deal with this stone giant?!¡±


    ¡°No! No! I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    The stone giantnded on the ground, and no hopeful faces could be found on the field. Some were crying and while others were screaming as it approached.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just die here!¡± Ye Wei bite his lips in a panic. ¡®That was all I had, what else can I do?¡¯


    Just as Ye Wei wasing to the conclusion that there was nothing at all he could do, the silhouette of his cousin appeared in his mind. ¡®It¡¯s true I don¡¯t have answers at this moment, but cousin Zhong fought till he dropped to save my life and I shall do the same!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s fighting spirit was relit, and his tired eyes were brightened.


    Ye Wei took out his interspatial bag and began searching.


    There were Qi stones, herbs, pills, and some rare metals in the bag but all of the items he found in the stone houses with Lin Zi Yan were useless.


    The most valuable things in his bag would be the Sliver Moon pills and then the scrolls he was given. Taking the pills won¡¯t help in such an urgent situation. There were one offensive and two defensive scrolls remaining, but they had proven to be insufficient...


    ¡°No, not this!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s bloodshot eyes looked hysterical as the stone giant was closing in but after going through his whole interspatial bag, he could not find anything that would help him.


    The giant¡¯s fist was in front of him now, and he had no time, ¡®Screw it!¡¯ Ye Wei grit his teeth, he was ready to take out all three remaining scrolls


    ¡°Ouch, that burns!¡± Just as he pulled the scrolls out, his hand came in contact with something hot.


    ¡°It¡¯s the iron talisman?!¡± Ye Wei took the talisman out together with the scrolls. Thest time heid his hands on the talisman it was as cold as ice, but now it left a mild burn mark on his skin. He was confused, but there was no time for him to think about it.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± As Ye Wei was distracted by the burn, the stone fist was only a meter away from him. Everyone gasped as it did not look like he had enough time to dodge.


    A second ago he was wondering why the talisman was so hot and the next second all he knew was that an enormous stone fist was in front of him.


    At this critical time, he made a split decision to tear the offensive scroll. Hundreds of glittering runes appeared, and the temperature around him dropped. The runes then turned into small icicles, and the icicles merged together forming a sword. It was the low-level Myst stance, ck Icicle Sword.


    As Ye Wei was ready to strike the giant with the icicle sword, the talisman in his hand heated up and started vibrating causing it to slip out of his hand. Immediately the talisman flew above the stone giant and created a ck vortex.


    Having absorbed the energy of over two hundred puppets, twelve of the eighty-one grooves were lit up. Now more and more of those groves were lighting up as it absorbed energy from the stone giant.


    ¡®The talisman is... absorbing the giant¡¯s power?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s draining the giant!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes widened, he could hardly believe how slow the giant¡¯s punch had suddenly be due to the talisman. It took no effort for him to jump to the side and dodge the attack.


    Observing the talisman¡¯s mysterious abilities, Ye Wei was just as confused as he was happy to stop these puppets.

 Chapter 76 – Blood Cocoon

    Chapter 76 ¨C Blood Cocoon


    Judging from the stone giant¡¯s original power, even if Ye Wei were to tear another medium-grade scroll and activate the Myst stance within, it would not really be effective, but now he saw a chance with the iron talisman¡¯s aid.


    ¡°ck Ice Sword, cut!¡±


    It was a golden opportunity, and Ye Wei naturally took the chance. He screamed and mercilessly drove the ancient ice-cold sword into the puppet¡¯s neck.


    Although Ye Wei was the owner of the iron talisman, he didn¡¯t really know why or how it could crush the puppet, but everyone who was looking from the behind thought he did. They assumed the talisman was a powerful item given to him by his mysterious family.


    While Ye Wei was driving the ck Ice Sword toward the puppet¡¯s neck, everyone watched the highly anticipated strike; the hundreds of Warriors and also Ye Wei could not take their eyes off the sword.


    How this sword struck would determine everyone¡¯s destiny.


    ¡°Booom!¡±


    Under the watchful eyes, the chillingly sharp ancient de cut across the stone giant¡¯s neck, its head rolled off from its neck immediately.


    ¡°ck Ice Sword, cut it! Cut!¡± Ye Wei had no other thought in his head; he just wanted to get in as many strikes as he could before the sword disappeared. He used everyst bit of strength in his body to repeatedly strike the giant.


    The puppet was almost invulnerable, but under the iron talisman¡¯s suppression, it was no different than ordinary stone!


    ¡®How could ordinary stone withstand a Myst stance?¡¯


    The sword kept striking down.


    Within the frame of a few breathes, Ye Wei took full advantage of the situation and used the ck Ice Sword to attack the puppet multiple times. When the sword finally disappeared, the stone giant waspletely demolished; he was turned into countless pieces of gravel.


    Just as the monster crumbled, the five Blood Devourer crystals that powered the giant no longer had a host, and they shot towards Ye Wei.


    These five crystals were superior to the two hundred and thirty-eight Blood Devourer crystals from before; the Qi and the violent intent were also stronger!


    ¡°No!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face changed massively. Subconsciously he wanted to dodge the crystals, but their speed was just too fast, in the blink of an eye they had alreadynded on Ye Wei¡¯s body.


    Five crystals violently exploded when they touched Ye Wei¡¯s skin and dispersed into a screen of thick blood mist. Just as it was about to wrap around Ye Wei, the iron talisman flew three inches above Ye Wei¡¯s head. At this moment, the dense blood mist had already be a three meters tall human shaped blood cocoon.


    Everything happened in mere seconds, so quick that nobody could even react.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°We have to save him!¡±


    A couple of Warriors realized what happened and hurried to Ye Wei¡¯s side. They anxiously looked at the three meters tall human shaped cocoon. Ye Wei has saved their lives, and to beat this stone puppet he used a total of three medium-grade mystic scrolls. This favor was as big as Mt. Tai.


    Although they were here at Bloodmist Valley for treasures, Ye Wei had saved them and a lot of people were grateful! That¡¯s why, even when the passage that led deeper into thebyrinth had appeared on the ground where the golden puppets were located after the stone giant has shattered, they were still guarding the giant human shaped blood cocoon with faces full of concern.


    Hong Xun frowned while looking at the blood cocoon. Aware of how dangerous the Blood Devourer crystals were, he scanned the crowd and asked in a calm tone, ¡°Is there a solution?¡±


    Even one Blood Devourer crystal contained enough energy and rage to strip a Warrior¡¯s conscience and drive the victim insane, and now Ye Wei had the energy of fiverge, superior-grade Blood Devourer crystal consuming him, a mere Student.


    Students were not as strong willed as Warriors. As warriors already had the experience of defeating their inner demons at least once and because of this their minds were much stronger.


    For cultivators, breaking through star levels meant just a minor breakthroughs, and to achieve those, one only needs to strengthen their Sentient and body, which is rtively easy.


    But if one wants to advance to the next rank, from Student to Warrior, for example, one must experience a major breakthrough. During which the cultivator will have to face their inner demons. From Student to Warrior, Warrior to condensed prime Warrior, condensed prime Warrior to returned prime Warrior, during all these stages a cultivator will have to face and conquer his personal fears; otherwise, he will remain a ten-star Student or ten-star Warrior forever. Someone never strong enough to deal with their inner demons.


    ¡°He is just a Student, so his will is weaker than Warriors. These Blood Devourer crystals are stronger than the ones that powered the weaker puppets... I¡¯m afraid...¡±


    ¡°So what should we do? Are you saying that we should just watch?¡± Zhou Hou was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat.


    When he saw that Ye Wei was with Lin Zi Yan, he already had the idea that they had powerful people behind them, but he would have never guessed that they would have given him as many as three medium-grade scrolls.


    ¡°There is no way we can save him!¡±


    Lu Chao gazed upon the blood cocoon that contained Ye Wei then looked at the passage that led deeper into thebyrinth, and a sense of greed shed through his eyes. But he was also worried. The stone creatures here were very strong and deeper in thebyrinth there was bound to be something even more dangerous lurking. If he were alone, he wouldn¡¯t dare enter.


    ¡°Now... Now what? Do we just wait?¡± Lu Chao asked with fake concern. He said trying to convince everyone that he cared about Ye Wei.


    ¡°Keep waiting?¡± There were a lot of people in the crowd who started to look down with uncertainty in their eyes. They had lived through many dangerous moments, and had many near death experiences, and as such they weren¡¯t sure if it was worth their time when they could be exploring thebyrinth instead.


    ¡°I, Hong Xue, owe him my life! No matter the oue, I have to know if he lives or dies!¡± Hong Xun straightened his face and stared at Lu Chao.


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°And me!¡±


    In the end, there were a lot of people who truly appreciated Ye Wei¡¯s effort and were genuinely concerned about his well-being.


    ¡°Count me in too!¡± Zhou Hou was an opportunist, but an honorable man. His life was saved by Ye Wei, and if he were to leave Ye Wei behind for his own personal gain he would be no different to an animal that has no concept of honor. No matter what, he had to know Ye Wei¡¯s fate.


    Among these Warriors, many of them knew how to be respectful and honorable; if they were not, theirrades would abandon them without hesitation.


    However, some of them, like Lu Chao, wanted to go deeper into thebyrinth, but as nobody was going to take the lead they were too scared to make a move.


    Everyone started to sit down and cultivate. Time passed slowly as they waited. After five hours had passed uneventfully, Lu Chao and some of the others started getting restless and annoyed. They could not repress their greed.


    ¡°It was not easy getting this far, do we really need to waste our time and wait for one person?¡± Lu Chao rose up and asked.


    ¡°That youngster saved my life, and I will remember his kindness for the rest of my life, but we can¡¯t just sit here and wait. I, Lu Chao, will share half of the treasures I find here in thisbyrinth with this boy in the cocoon. This I swear!¡± Lu Chao sounded convincing. ¡®If he lives.¡¯ He finished in his head.


    ¡°We have been through many challenges that could have easily cost us our lives to get to where we are now. My family is currently going through a crisis, and I have to get more treasure from this trip to help them through this tough time!¡± Lu Chao said as he excused himself and headed towards the passage.


    ¡°Is it really necessary to wait and see if the boy lives or dies?¡±


    Lu Chao scornfully looked at the blood cocoon. In his eyes, there was no way this Student could ovee the rage intent of five superior-grade Blood Devourer crystals and therefore no point in waiting.


    Other Warriors eventually stood up as well, ¡°My mother is very ill! I am an only child, and if I don¡¯t obtain any treasures and sell them to pay for my mother¡¯s treatment, then I won¡¯t be able to face my ancestors!¡±


    ¡°My father is ill!¡±


    ¡°My fiance is waiting for me!¡±


    ¡°My child...¡±


    Followed by Lu Chao¡¯s fake speech, people who cared more about the treasures hidden ahead eventually stood up one by one and gave all sorts of excuses to ease their conscience.


    ¡°If you all don¡¯t want to stay, then leave! Nobody is stopping you! Save your stupid excuses for people who care!¡± Hong Xun said while opening his eyes and staring at Lu Chao and the cowards behind him.


    The Warriors who were patiently waiting also opened their eyes and spitefully stared at the ungrateful.


    ¡°Ha, ha! Lu Chao, today I finally get to see your true colors!¡± Xue Yaoughed sarcastically, ¡°To have you known as one of the four strongest youngsters of Frozen Sun City is a disgrace.¡±


    ¡°Pfft! I don¡¯t care what you lot think of me. I have no regrets, and I am definitely not ungrateful!¡± Lu Chao felt shameful as his greed was exposed; he could feel the spiteful stares as he walked away.


    Led by Lu Chao half of the Warriors left to explore the depths of thebyrinth.


    ¡°What is happening inside the cocoon...¡± Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the cultivators who stayed couldn¡¯t take their eyes off it; they continued to wait patiently. How Ye Wei made it out of thest cocoon gave them hope that he would get out of this one safely too.

 Chapter 77 – Seven-Star

    Chapter 77 ¨C Seven-Star


    Inside the blood cocoon, the iron talisman was flying around Ye Wei¡¯s body whilst giving off a red glow. This time, Ye Wei was very much conscious despite the rage of the souls sacrificed to make the crystals that were rushing through his body, as the Mystic Mountain was suppressing the aggressive energy of the crystals inside Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient. The rage intent and aggressive energy were once again purified, nourishing and strengthening Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient instead of harming it.


    Ye Wei opened his eyes thinking, ¡®There is good and evil within everyone. It¡¯s so hard to judge if a person really cares about you unless you see how they deal with a situation like this...¡¯ The people outside could not see Ye Wei, but Ye Wei could hear their conversations clearly.


    The fact that some of the Warriors left while the others willingly stayed showed Ye Wei what being honorable truly meant.


    ¡®My Sentient is almost as strong as a Warrior¡¯s now, and now that I have enough pills I think I can try to breakthrough to seven-star level!¡¯


    ¡®However this is not the time. My dantian has not fully expanded yet! I should make it asrge as I can before I attempt to breakthrough.¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fist as he thought this. Although the Ye family is not considered big, they did teach their kidsmon sense. Ye Wei was taught a great deal about training since a young age.


    ¡®The seven-star Student breakthrough is the most important for a Student; I have to do it properly. Rushing it will do me more harm than good.¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s radiant eyes shone brightly.


    ¡®The body will evolve when one bes a five-star Student, and the green screen of Qi will help improve one¡¯s speed, strength, and defense multiple timespared to a four-star Student! And when I be a seven-star Student, my dantian will evolve!¡¯


    ¡®Base on the dantian size during the breakthrough, seven-star Student¡¯s dantian can potentially hold many times the Qi as a six-star Student can, that¡¯s why six-star Students should establish a good foundation and strengthen their dantian as hard as possible!¡¯


    ¡®While breaking through to the six-star level, my dantian was widened, when I be a seven-star Student its space will multiply. I need to take advantage of my time now as the more I expand it, the greater the effects will be when I breakthrough.¡¯


    ¡®A frightening amount of Qi is needed to expand it, and the better the pills are therger my dantian will get. It seems that the Qi inside each superior-grade Blood Devourer crystal is purer and stronger than the Qi within a Silver Moon pill, and it¡¯s only a tiny bit weaker than cosmic energy. Although the talisman absorbed the majority of the Qi from the Blood Devourer crystals, the remaining energy should be sufficient for my needs!¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ve never heard of these strange red crystals. I don¡¯t think they are something I can buy anywhere. If they were for sale, I imagine they would cost far more than a Silver Moon pill. The feeling I get after refining these crystals is as if I had taken quite a few high-quality pills.¡¯


    Ye Wei thought all this as he controlled the energy from the Blood Devourer crystals. He diverted all of it from around his body into his dantian to expand it as much as possible.


    The iron talisman had now returned to its original position, three inches above Ye Wei¡¯s head, after flying around his body absorbing most of the energy. While Ye Wei was focused on cultivating, the talisman had been replenishing its energy. Now eighty out of the eighty-one grooves on the talisman were shining silver, and thest groove was half filled.


    The people who sat around the blood cocoon did not know that Ye Wei was currently cultivating, and five more hours passed without anyone noticing anything odd about the cocoon. After hours of channeling the energy into his dantian, Ye Wei vigorously opened his eyes.


    ¡®It¡¯s at its limit!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s face showed joy and his eyes were shining. After cultivating for so long, he finally fully expanded his dantian as much as was physically possible.


    Ye Wei also knew that once he became a seven-star Student, his will-force would evolve as well. His Sentient should then be asrge as a Warrior¡¯s, and his dantain would be able to store as much as a nine-star Student could!


    When he sessfully breaks through and reaches the seven-star level, his body strength wouldn¡¯t be necessary forbat. He would be as strong as a nine-star Student due to his Sentient and dantian! His body strength would be the only thingcking.


    Strength is strength but against mystic stances it can only do so much!


    ¡®Now is the time to breakthrough!¡¯ Ye Wei thought excitedly in his heart. He was looking forward to this for a long time now. Once he bes a seven-star Student, he can verify if he is able to use mystic stances; even if he can¡¯t use them he could still attempt to create and refine stances!


    For now, Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient was still red, but so what? If he could use mystic stances, he can easily refine stances with his phenomenal Soul Sensibility. With all the cosmic energy he would acquire he could then easily upgrade his Sentient quickly.


    After Ye Wei slowly exhaled and calmed down from his excitement, struggled to move his arm inside the tight cocoon but he managed to take a Silver Moon pill out of his bag and swallowed it, thus started attempting a breakthrough.


    The Silver Moon pill melted as it entered Ye Wei¡¯s mouth and the dense Qi within the pill was released immediately. It rushed into his system, and he was overwhelmed by a refreshing feeling as if he had dived into a cool river on a midsummer¡¯s day. His muscles were shaking, and his bones emitted a cracking sound. His organs were vibrating and it felt like every cell of his body was cheering and celebrating. Ye Wei narrowed his eyes and let himself dwell in thisfortable feeling.


    ¡®These Silver Moon pills are definitely better and more valuable than Fiery Sun Quenchers, and their effects are astounding. The Qi within them is so clean, and there are no impurity in the energy at all!¡± Feeling the intense, refreshing primal energy in his body, Ye Wei¡¯s lips curled upward forming an excited smile.


    ¡®The transformation has begun!¡¯ Ye Wei thought as he took a deep breath and could feel the changes in his body. He closed his eyes and held his breath as he started to focus on breaking through.


    Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation was at the limit of a six-star Student¡¯s. His Sentient and his body strength were strong enough now, and with the help of the Silver Moon pills breaking through was not a difficult task at all.


    Bang! Boom! Boom!


    As the Silver Moon pill¡¯s effect spread throughout Ye Wei¡¯s body, his strength slowly started to improve. The green energyyer under his skin thickened, and his Sentient too was gradually expanding however his dantian transformed at an even faster speed.


    The quiet dantian was filled with dense primal energy, and it was vibrating at a mysterious frequency. With this vibration, Ye Wei¡¯s dantian was expanding at a pace.


    In a matter of moment, Ye Wei¡¯s dantian was twice as big as it was before he had been trapped in the cocoon.


    To expand one¡¯s dantian takes an rming amount of primal energy, and in a matter of seconds, Ye Wei had swallowed three whole Silver Moon pills.


    Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient was red, so it absorbs Qi at a very slow rate. If it wasn¡¯t supported by pills or external energy, just from normal training Ye Wei would not be able to gather enough Qi without two to three years¡¯ time.


    Luckily Ye Wei had enough pills on him. A total of one hundred and eighty-nine Silver Moon pills, and that was way more than enough for his seven-star breakthrough.


    Feeling the pills¡¯ effect fading, Ye Wei took one Silver Moon pill after another as if they were candy.


    Time passed slowly while Ye Wei took pill after pill. Under this enormous influx of Qi, Ye Wei¡¯s dantian kept expanding.


    Two times, three times, four times, five times!


    When Ye Wei¡¯s dantian has erged five times its original size, his expansion speed started to slow down. Four more hours passed until his dantian was finally seven times as big as its original size, and when his growth stopped he was a seven-star Student!


    Seven times!


    Ye Wei¡¯s dantian expanded seven times its original size. Now his dantian was multiple timesrger than an ordinary seven-star Student¡¯s it is evenparable to a nine-star Student¡¯s dantian.


    Before attempting his breakthrough, Ye Wei used the energy from the crystals to expand his dantian to its maximum size. After using them, he had a good foundation to build on which is what let his dantian grow so much more than an ordinary six-star Student¡¯s usually would.


    Suffice it to say it¡¯s impossible to widen one¡¯s dantian to its limit without an unimaginable amount of energy.


    ¡°Pff!¡± Ye Wei who sat in a lotus position in the cocoon, opened his eyes and slowly exhaled. Immediately after he clenched his fist and felt the vast energy in his body. His face showed a happy smile.


    ¡®My cultivation is just a seven-star Student, but when ites to my Sentient size and my dantian, I am as good as an ordinary nine-star student!¡¯


    ¡®Stances! I can finally try to use mystic stances!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were glittering. He had been waiting for this day for too long, far too long.


    ¡®I still don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t use mystic stances!¡¯ Ye Wei thought about how he failed Master Yi rune consonant test. About how he scored zero which meant that he could never use stances, and he bit his lips. The happiness in his heart and the excitement from his breakthrough was reced by nervousness.


    ¡®No matter the result, I will ovee my fate!¡¯ Ye Wei kept biting his lip as his eyes shone with determination. He was ready to try and use a mystic stance.


    ¡®The White Tiger¡¯s Assault is a low-level Myst stance, Triple Plunder Sword is a high-level Spirit stance, and Windrift Steps is also a high-level Spirit stance with my current cultivation I would not have enough will-force or Qi to use any of these high-level stances. The stance I refined with Zi Yan though, Triple Tidal Palm is a mid-level Spirit stance; I can try that instead.¡¯ Ye Wei thought, and started to picture the way Triple Tidal Palm was formed and the rune sequence that was used.


    At the seven-star Student level, the will-force in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient and the Qi in his dantian could only support a low-level Spirit stance. There was hope, but Ye Wei was not sure if he could sessfully perform the mid-level Spirit stance, Triple Tidal Palm.


    ¡®Mid-level Spirit stance, Triple Tidal Palm!¡¯ Inside the three meters tall cocoon, Ye Wei stood up and held his breath so he could focus better. He slowly raised his finger as strands of will-force were forming on it. At the same time Qi rushed out of his dantian.


    With will-force as a quill and Qi as ink, Ye Wei started drawing mystic runes!


    In the air, rune after rune was drawn by Ye Wei stroke after stroke.


    ¡°Eh?¡± While drawing the runes, Ye Wei was startled. He widened his eyes and stared at the runes. They were disappearing before he could even finish drawing them.


    ¡®I¡¯m too careless!¡¯ Ye Wei pped his forehead and shook his head while smiling embarrassingly.


    Ye Wei had underestimated how difficult it was to perform a mystic stance; understanding how the runes are drawn and where they should be in the sequence is not enough.


    To sessfullyplete a mystic stance one has to draw the runes quickly and perfectly coordinate their Qi flow. Only when both criteria were met will one see sess.


    It takes a lot of time to train if one wants to master a stance because determination and will are limited; therefore, no cultivator would be obsessed with how many mystic stances they learned but instead they would spend their time on perfecting the few they knew.

 Chapter 78 – Jade Crystal Wall

    Chapter 78 ¨C Jade Crystal Wall


    ¡°It has been fifteen hours since the boy was trapped in the cocoon, I wonder what is happening to him in there...¡± Everyone looked worryingly at the three meters tall blood cocoon then at the passage that led deeper into thebyrinth. Their eyes showed a bit of resentment and anxiousness.


    Luckily Ye Wei¡¯s life signs had not disappeared, and there was still a Qi disturbanceing from the cocoon.


    ¡°Guys, you have recovered pretty well. You might as well head down the passageway. I will guard the cocoon, and everyone else can go search for more treasures. We can¡¯t let those greedy b*stards take everything!¡± His sight then quickly returned to the cocoon. In his eyes, they were honorable for waiting so long.


    ¡°Hong Xun has a point, the treasures in thisbyrinth are limited, and we can¡¯t let those loathsome people get everything!¡± Xue Yao said angrily, her beautiful eyes scanned across everyone present as she stood up.


    The passage was right in front of them. It was quite a feat that everyone could stay seated and guard the cocoon for fifteen hours just because of honor despite the depth of thebyrinth tempting them!


    The group of cultivators opened their eyes simultaneously as they heard what Hong Xun said, and they nced at each other to see if anyone else had the same hesitant look in their eyes. Of course, they wanted to leave, but their savior¡¯s fate was still uncertain; if they were to leave now, their conscience would surely haunt them.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Just as everyone was pondering and wondering if they should leave, a deafening noise came from the blood cocoon as it started rattling vigorously.


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!¡± The same banging noise could be heard from the cocoon. ¡°Crack!¡± With a loud cracking sound fissures started to appear on its surface, and they quickly grow and covered the whole cocoon.


    Just as everyone was staring at the cocoon, it cracked open, and they heard a sharp voice. ¡°Thanks everyone for guarding me this long!¡± A handsome boy with a childish face slowly walked out with the iron talisman that suppressed the stone giant hanging on his waist.


    ¡°The boy survived the rage intent of the Blood Devourer crystals?! And he tamed the energy within them?¡± Seeing that Ye Wei had not lost his mind and that his presence was stronger than before, everyone was shocked and filled with joy.


    Ye Wei was fine! They could finally continue the expedition with a clear conscience.


    ¡°Where is this boy from? He has so many tricks up his sleeves! Three medium-grade scrolls, and a talisman that could suppress the stone giant...¡± People¡¯s eyes stopped on Ye Wei¡¯s belt where the talisman was hung, looked at it with admiration while praising its power.


    ¡®Just the three medium-grade scrolls would cost five hundred thousand silvers, and the talisman that suppressed the stone giant has got to be worth more than that! He is just a Student, yet he is carrying more than a million silver worth of goods on him!?¡¯ This thought lingered in everyone¡¯s minds. They were under the impression that Ye Wei had more valuable and powerful items in his possession as well.


    Seeing that everyone was drooling over his talisman, Ye Wei felt slightly uneasy. He knew the talisman was a rare find, and it had unmeasurable value. Even though he was young, he knew that one should not put something valuable on disy. Before Ye Wei stepped out of the cocoon he tried to put the talisman in his bag, but it just kept flying back out, so there was no other way!


    With no other solutions, Ye Wei decided to hang the talisman on his belt. Although he did not feel safe, all the people outside the cocoon saw the talisman in action and knew he was not one to be messed with. Also, the ones that didn¡¯t see it defeat the stone giant would not really pay it any attention, so Ye Wei was rtively safe contrary to his fears.


    Hong Xun red at Ye Wei to check if he really was feeling well. Afterwards, he turned to the crowd and reported, ¡°He is okay! We can rx now and enter the passage!¡±


    ¡°Yea!¡± Xue Yao nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let the treasures of thisbyrinth fall into the hands of Lu Chao and his greedy followers!¡± Everyone was excited to get up and start moving. They had been waiting for this moment for fifteen hours.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The hundreds of cultivators entered the passage behind Hong Xun and Xue Yao.


    Ye Wei was also following the crowd closely, feeling very touched and grateful. He could still not quite believe these people wasted their time in thebyrinth guarding him when they could have been hunting for treasures. Ye Wei was a cautious person, but he couldn¡¯t help but taking a liking to the people who waited behind for him. He couldn¡¯t fathom that strangers could be so honorable.


    ¡®I don¡¯t regret helping you guys at all! If I had the same choice again, I would fight for everyone!¡¯ Ye Wei had been teased since he was a young boy because of his red Sentient, but he learned to trust people who gave him gratitude.


    ¡°This passage...¡± The moment they entered the passage, they were shocked. This passage was nothing like the two passages they had gone through before.


    The first passage was a narrow tunnel with rune barriers and stone houses on each side. The second passage had nothing on its side walls, and it was no wider than fifteen meters. This passage, however, was over three hundred meters wide, and its walls were made of crystal. They were cool to the touch and glittered in the darkness. The surface was so smooth they could see their reflections!


    ¡°There are no signs of any fights here; we should be safe. Lu Chao and the rest entered this passage fifteen hours ago, so we have to speed up if we want to catch up with them!¡± Hong Xun frowned as he could not see an end to the crystal passageway, so he signaled for everyone to speed up.


    ¡°We have to hurry!¡±


    ¡°This passage is very long; I can¡¯t even see the end of it!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry!¡±


    Everyone nodded and started running at full speed as they empowered their body with Qi and stances.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Seeing everyone elerating, Ye Wei who was watching from behind started smiling reluctantly.


    Everyone was a Warriors while Ye Wei was only a Student, and on top of that Ye Wei had not learned any mystic stances. Despite having his Sentient and dantian the size of a nine-star Student, he could not even closely match the Warriors¡¯ speed by a long stretch.


    Just as Ye Wei was getting discouraged, one of the shes ahead turned back towards him. He saw a blur and smelled an appealing fragrance.


    ¡°Hey little boy, do you want me to carry you?¡± Xue Yao¡¯s charming face wore a mischievous smile, looking kindly at Ye Wei.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ye Wei was distracted by her refreshing scent, and after a second, he raised his head to see a youthful, slender figure.


    ¡°N-no... No thanks! I can just run at my own pace!¡± Ye Wei answered with a blush on his face.


    ¡°Ha ha ha! Little boy, are you scared of me? I am not a monster, I don¡¯t bite!¡± Xue Yao was amused by how shy Ye Wei was, and she couldn¡¯t help herself fromughing flirtatiously.


    Xue Yao was a beautiful girl on top of being one of the four strongest youngsters Frozen Sun City had ever seen, both of these made her a popr person with countless admirers. It was rare for her to meet someone so shy and modest, and she couldn¡¯t help herself not to y with him.


    ¡°Uum... You¡¯re a girl, and I¡¯m a boy... It¡¯s not really appropriate for you to carry me...¡± Lin Zi Yan¡¯s face suddenly appeared in Ye Wei¡¯s mind as he spoke.


    ¡°What are you thinking about!?¡± Xue Yao tried to contain herself but couldn¡¯t stopughing over Ye Wei¡¯s overreaction. She quickly drew a sequence of runes in the air and it turned into a stance in no time.


    ¡°Is that Shadow Breeze? The Spirit stance?¡± Ye Wei was surprised.


    ¡°You know your stances!¡± Xue Yao was impressed by Ye Wei¡¯s knowledge.


    A powerful breeze formed behind Ye Wei and Xue Yao. Suddenly, Ye Wei felt ashamed that he had misunderstood Xue Yao, but it was kind of expected because he didn¡¯t have much experience talking with girls, especially ones as pretty as Xue Yao.


    ¡°Follow me, if we are too slow, we won¡¯t get anything. You¡¯ve used five hundred thousand silvers worth of scrolls if you leave here empty handed it will be unfortunate!¡± Xue Yao smiled as sshes of green light from the stance shone on her face. The breeze materialized, and turned into two clouds. The breeze carried Xue Yao and Ye Wei causing them to catch up with the rest of the group at an incredible speed.


    ¡°We are going so fast!¡± With the cold breeze on his face, Ye Wei¡¯s clothes were blown around and pped in the air; he felt exhration riding the Qi clouds.


    ¡®I have to learn a speed enhancing stance like this, or maybe one like the Shadowshift stance!¡¯ Ye Wei wasgging behind in speedpared to others, and he clenched his fists as his will to learn stances grew even stronger.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!¡± Xue Yao was indeed powerful. Although she was carrying the both of them, they caught up with Hong Xun and the rest of the Warriors in minutes.


    Everyone used stances to boost their speed, but despite the fact that they were running as fast as they could, the end of the crystal passage could not be seen at all. They had been on the move for more than an hour which with the Warriors¡¯ speed enhancing stances meant they had already covered over forty kilometers.


    The magnificence and sheer size of thebyrinth made them wonder how and why it was built. The creator certainly had something tremendous in mind while building such aplex structure with so many security measures and attention to detail...


    Everyone ground their teeth and ran in the hopes that they could catch up with that greedy bunch of ungrateful people. It wasn¡¯t long before they finally saw light at the end of the passageway.


    At the end of the crystal passage was a jade crystal wall covered with countless runes. It looked hazy from a distance and gave the cultivators the feeling that they were in a crystal empire. In front of the tall crystal wall stood Lu Chao and the people who had left the field earlier. They looked annoyed and unpleased due to the wall blocking their path.


    Although Lu Chao and his followers arrived at the end of the passage before Ye Wei¡¯s group caught up, they still couldn¡¯t find a way through after more than ten hours of struggling.


    Through the transparent jade crystal wall everyone could clearly see levitating mystic scrolls, jade scripts, pills, and mystic arms! The treasures were so close but yet so far!


    Lu Chao and his men were desperate. They have been staring at this fortune guarded by the wall for more than half a day. Their souls felt entranced, their eyes were bloodshot, and their aggressive faces spoke for themselves.


    ¡°Oh, I remember you guys! Why are you all standing around? Were you waiting for us?¡± Somebody who was standing behind Hong Xun was amused by the swift karma and couldn¡¯t help but mock them.


    ¡°A jade crystal wall?¡± Hong Xun nced at Lu Chao with disdain and quickly shifted his focus to the wall behind him. When he saw what was on the other side of the wall, his pupils dted.


    Xue Yao let go of Ye Wei¡¯s wrist and slowly walked towards the wall. Her yful face froze in shock as she saw what was behind the wall.


    ¡°What¡¯s that!?¡± Everyone else who just arrived also started to notice what was behind the jade crystal wall.

 Chapter 79 – Crazed Scramble

    Chapter 79 ¨C Crazed Scramble


    ¡°Another rune barrier?!¡± Ye Wei said as he stood next to Xue Yao. He was also looking at the jade crystal wall, though his focus was not on the treasures, but on the runes that flowed within the wall.


    Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensibility was now as strong as a Runemaster¡¯s after his remarkable dream a while ago, but upon reaching the seven-star Student stage it had improved even further. It only took him one nce to identify the wall as an advance rune barrier!


    The runes that flowed slowly within the jade crystal wall were projected into Ye Wei¡¯s eyes. Feeling fascinated, he just stood there as he observed and quickly learned the various changes and energy movements of this barrier. It wasrger and a hundred times moreplicated than the ones located in the other tunnels, and although Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensibility had slightly matured, it was still impossible to make sense of the flow patterns within the barrier in such a short time.


    ¡°The boy is still alive?!¡± As Ye Wei stepped forward to get a better view of the barrier, Lu Chao and his followers¡¯ eyes were stuck on the boy they were too greedy to care about. They found it hard to believe that he had survived. Lu Chao unconsciously clenched his fists, and although his life was saved by Ye Wei, he didn¡¯t feel thankful at all.


    He was aware of how aggressive the Qi in a Blood Devourer crystal was, not to mention Ye Wei was only a Student who had never faced his vicious inner demons before. Even Warriors couldn¡¯t defend their minds against such a powerful energy contained within the crystals!


    ¡°How is this possible?!¡±


    ¡°Even if this boy had a way to deal with the mental pressure that the Blood Devourer crystals imposed, how can a Student¡¯s body process the immense surge of dense primal energy!?¡± A perplexed look shed across Lu Chao¡¯s face. There was a glint of shock and disbelieve in his eyes and also a trace of fear.


    ¡®He is just a mere Student, and he not only used three medium-grade scrolls, but also had a way to deal with that aggressive Qi!?¡¯ ¡®Neither medium-grade scroll or Qi suppressing items weremonly found in a Student¡¯s possession. It was apparent that this kid was nomoner!¡¯


    ¡°Lu Chao, where are you hiding the treasures you found? I believe you promised to give half to this boy?¡± Xue Yao stood next to Ye Wei, and her cold gazended on Lu Chao as she inquired.


    ¡°Treasures?¡± Lu Chao¡¯s face immediately straightened as he stared at the dazzling variety of treasures behind the jade crystal wall, and his eyes started twitching.


    He had been standing in front of the jade wall for more than ten hours now. He had tried everything he could think of, used every stance he knew of, but failed to get through the barrier. All he could do now was stare at his treasures; it was not hard to imagine how frustrated he was.


    He was already feeling reckless and now that Xue Yao mentioned treasure, Lu Chao felt so angry he could almost spit fire!


    ¡°The treasures are right here in front of you, feel free to help yourself to them!¡± Lu Chao knew Xue Yao was trying to spite him, and he coldly stared at her as he pointed to the jade crystal wall.


    Lu Chao and hundreds of Warriors had tried and failed!


    Looking at the stern-faced Lu Chao, both Hong Xun and Xue Yao were concerned, ¡®He had half a day, but he could not get through the wall?¡¯ Not only were they concerned about breaking through the barrier, but they were also tempted by the treasures behind it.


    ¡°Is there no way to get through?¡±


    Everyone started looking to Hong Xun, the eight-star Warrior, who was the strongest among them. The fact that Lu Chao could not break the barrier open was not the end of the world.


    ¡°Breaking the jade crystal wall?¡± Hong Xun was not confident, but at this time he could only give it everything he had!


    Everyone was focused on Hong Xun and nobody was paying attention to Ye Wei, who was standing still like a statue. Nobody would have ever imagined that he was actually analyzing the changes and the flow of these runes that none of them understood.


    ¡°Mystic stance ¨C Golden Bell!¡±


    Hong Xun aggressively took a step forward as a loud scream came out of his throat. Runes came from his fingers, and an immense bell appeared.


    ¡°Break!¡± Hong Xun¡¯s fist ferociously smashed towards the jade crystal wall, and the golden bell on his fist started spinning rapidly. Rays of golden light reflected from the wall as the bell¡¯s sharp edges got closer and closer looking like a dazzling drill from the distance.


    ¡°Boooom!!¡±


    The tremendous golden bell violently crashed into the barrier. The drill started spinning on the smooth surface creating a rippling pressure wave, and this caused the flowing runes on the wall to elerate. Shortly after contact, an enormous recoil struck the golden bell.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    A million fractures spread across the golden bell, and the next moment with a thunderous sound it shattered. Hong Xun¡¯s face turned ashen white, and he took seven steps backwards as blood slowly flowed down the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Failure!¡±


    ¡°Hong Xun failed to break the jade crystal wall!¡±


    ¡°A few hundred Warriors together had been stopped by the barrier and the strongest Hong Xun failed as well. Who can breakthrough this jade crystal wall?¡±


    The tunnel behind them was blocked, and in front of them was an imprable jade crystal wall blocking their path and the treasures.


    ¡°No! This is unfair, too unfair! Will we die here?¡±


    ¡°Break! Break! Break for me!¡± Seeing that Hong Xun had been knocked back, a lot of the Warriors became hopeless. They growled and charged towards the jade crystal wall, punching it in desperation.


    ¡°I stepped into Bloodmist Valley and experienced this many dangers only to obtain a low-grade mystic arm! Now I am trapped and will probably die here...¡± Hong Xun stared at the barrier as he wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth. A self-deprecating smile was present on his modest face.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Xue Yao who stood next to Ye Wei shook her head disappointedly, she needed to start thinking about alternative solutions.


    While everyone was afraid, not knowing what else they could do, the runes were starting to make sense to Ye Wei. He twisted and cracked his stiff neck then his lips slightly curled up, forming a confident smile while staring at the jade crystal wall, he slowly walked up to it.


    ¡°Little bro?¡± Xue Yao who stood next to Ye Wei could see that he had started walking towards the wall, and she was confused. She grabbed his wrist to stop him, and there was a sense of worry in her clear eyes, ¡°Hong Xun is an eight-star Warrior and even he got injured by this jade crystal wall, you shouldn¡¯t try just let others figure it out!¡±


    Xue Yao was afraid Ye Wei would get hurt.


    ¡°But there is no other choice. We¡¯re stuck here anyway, and if I don¡¯t at least give it a try I will never forgive myself for not contributing. Maybe... maybe I can break the jade crystal wall?¡± Ye Wei turned his head to look at the caring Xue Yao, he blinked and smile as he spoke.


    ¡°You think so?¡± Xue Yao said as she looked at Ye Wei¡¯s confident smile. She was startled.This mysterious boy who stood in front of her was shrouded in secrets, and she couldn¡¯t figure him out.


    She then thought about how Ye Wei had used three medium-grade scrolls, and how this ordinary looking but powerful talisman had suppressed even the best quality Blood Devourer crystals so she decided to let him try and let go of his wrist.


    ¡°Look quickly! That boy is walking towards the jade crystal wall!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that boy again, is he going to make a move?¡±


    ¡°He is fourteen at most but there are so many secrets hidden on him...¡±


    ¡°Maybe he, really can break the jade crystal wall!¡± Someone from the crowd said as everyone¡¯s eyes focused on Ye Wei. Their depressed mood was lifted and now they were nervous and excited waiting to see what happened.


    While everyone was spectating, Ye Wei walked up to the wall and slowly extended his hand, gently cing it on the barrier.


    Ye Wei did not use any Qi, and therefore when he ced his hand on the barrier there was no recoil. Ye Wei slowly exhaled, and his eyebrows twitched slightly as strands of will-force leaked out of his palm and rushed into the jade crystal barrier in front of him


    Ye Wei used his own will-force to move the runes in the jade crystal wall!


    Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!


    Controlled by Ye Wei¡¯s will-force the flow of runes inside the wall was slightly altered. There were more than ten thousand runes flowing within and with the strength of Ye Wei¡¯s will-force, he could not make any big alterations.


    Ye Wei¡¯s hand rested on the wall with his eyes closed. Just like that he stood still. It looked like he was not doing anything, but in reality Ye Wei was doing everything he could forcing his will-force to change the flow of the runes.


    Will-force was draining at a fearful speed, and Ye Wei¡¯s face was slowly turning white. Drops of sweat appeared on his forehead and the glittering drops ran down his face.


    ¡°Open!¡± After an hour, Ye Wei¡¯s closed eyes violently opened. He opened his mouth and grunted.


    Boooom!!


    With Ye Wei¡¯s grunt, the huge jade crystal wall suddenly shook violently. At this moment everyone¡¯s eyes went wide with shock as if they saw some something unbelievable.


    While everyone was shocked, the jade crystal wall slowly opened to the left and right side. There was nothing but empty space between them and the superb collection of treasures!


    Hum! Hum! Hum!


    Everyone stared at therge amount of treasures that were as numerous as stars in the sky, and their eyes suddenly became bloodshot. Their breathing became heavy and the way they looked at the mountain of treasures was how a perverted old man looks at a naked women, lustfully, greedily, crazed!


    Looking at the treasures in front of him, Lu Chao¡¯s eyes became blood red, he was shaking from ecstasy.


    Hong Xun and Xue Yao both inhaled the cold air as their eyes became fiery.


    Ye Wei, who opened the jade crystal wall, spotted something strange while looking at the mountain of treasures. He was confused and puzzled, unlike others there was no greed or crazed expression on his face!


    ¡°How can this be?¡± Ye Wei could not believe that his Runemaster¡¯s level of soul sensibility was telling him that this collection of treasures was actually a hologram!


    These holograms were too realistic, even Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and Lu Chao did not notice.


    ¡°Take ¡®em!¡±


    ¡°Go, take everything!¡± After a brief moment of silence, everyone became crazy. Being in front of this much treasure even the most humble person wouldn¡¯t be able to control their greed.


    The scene became chaotic in a matter of seconds. People started fighting each other before they even went through the jade crystal wall.


    Tsss! Tss!


    ¡°Careful!¡± In the chaos there were at least three to four swords that shot Qi towards Ye Wei. Seeing this, Xue Yao and Hong Xun¡¯s faces straightened; they arrived in front on Ye Wei almost at the same time guarding him.


    Now that the wall was opened, nobody could control themselves, and nobody could take control not even Xue Yao or Hong Xun. Everyone was just running around fighting, they didn¡¯t even care who the other people were.


    Unless it was an existence like Jin Yan or Mo Ya who had the power to crush everyone at once, nobody else could keep the crazy crowd¡¯s attention, let alone try to keep them under control.


    ¡°Everything is mine! All mine!¡± Nobody move!¡± In the chaos, Lu Chao used his strength to get himself to the front. Nobody knew when, but suddenly there were scrolls in his hands. They were low-grade scrolls, and there was a total of five.


    ¡°Rip!¡±


    There was a grim smile on Lu Chao¡¯s face, and without hesitation he directly tore one of the scrolls.

 Chapter 80 – Mirages

    Chapter 80 ¨C Mirages


    The moment the scroll was torn, hundreds of runes rained down, and the light it generated was blinding. The stance summoned a spectral bull in front of everyone.


    This bull was ten meters tall, and its green skin had a metallic texture. It was surrounded by furious mes that came off it like stars shooting in the sky, an immense and fearsome pressure spread as the bull appeared.


    Forbidden Spirit stance, Starry Bull!


    ¡°These treasures are all mine! don¡¯t you dare move an inch!¡± There was a bloodthirsty smile on Lu Chao¡¯s grim face. His crazed eyes stared at the swarm of Warriors.


    ¡°Kill!¡± With Lu Chao¡¯s scream, the enormous bull howled and warmed up his muscr legs then charged mercilessly at the crowd.


    ¡°Roar!¡± The Starry Bull rushed out crashing into the crowd. It sent fifteen Warriors who stood at the front directly into the air. The Starry Bull¡¯s fearsome power immediately shattered their bones to pieces, and some of the Warrior¡¯s even had their organs torn apart.


    ¡°Lu Chao, I will haunt you!¡± Sorrowful cries echoed throughout the passageway.


    The fifteen Warriors who took the impact were all on the floor, and their bodies were paralyzed and shaking. Everyone could hear their horrifying cries as pieces of their organs were spit up as they coughed and tried to clear their airways. It was obvious they didn¡¯t have long to live!


    With one charge the Starry Bull took more than ten lives!


    Seeing this bloody scene, everyone was stunned and started shivering with fear. They widened their eyes, and their pupils dted as if someone emptied a bucket of icy cold water over their heads. A cold sweat ran down their backs and within moments they were drenched in sweat.


    Moments ago these fifteen Warriors were lively and collided with the rest of the crowd, but now they were lying on the ground lifelessly; this bone-chilling scene woke everyone up from their crazed state.


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    ¡°Retreat, retreat!¡± There was horror in everyone¡¯s eyes while they watched the rampaging Starry Bull. They turned around and retreated together; nobody dared to take one step forward.


    ¡°Lu Chao!¡±


    ¡°Have you lost your bloody mind?¡± The crowd backed off twenty meters to make sure they were not in the range of the Starry Bull. They stared angrily at the bloodthirsty Lu Chao who was standing behind the Bull.


    ¡°Forbidden Spirit stance!¡± Hong Xun and Xue Yao who were guarding Ye Wei red at the Starry Bull cautiously.


    Nobody expected Lu Chao would have this kind of scrolls on him!


    While everyone had been putting their lives on the line to fight the stone giants, Lu Chao did not make a move. Who would have thought he was hiding this kind of trump card?


    Now that he had a chance to get his hands on the treasures he finally showed his true colors.


    Although Lu Chao was controlling a forbidden level Spirit stance, he was looking at Ye Wei with fear in his eyes. He was ready to use all the other scrolls if Ye Wei joined the fight.


    ording to his n, if he could stop Ye Wei, he would have a chance to get all these treasures. He could then use some of the weapons in this mountain of treasures to fight the crowd.


    ¡°Lu Chao, do you not n on sharing?¡± Hong Xun¡¯s face went ck, his cold re prated the semi-transparent bull andnded on Lu Chao.


    ¡°Lu Chao, there are a lot of treasures here, can you take them all? You will choke on them!¡± Xue Yao¡¯s pretty face was ice cold, and her slender hands were clenched. She started to channel her Qi and was ready for a fight.


    When they fought the stone puppets, Lu Chao was hiding in the back, and now he turned against everyone when there were rare treasures to be obtained. He even dared to use a mystic scroll and kill fifteen Warriors; this kind of selfish, uncaring behavior enraged the crowd, everyone was fired up!


    ¡®Idiot!¡¯ Ye Wei shouted in his mind. His face was also ashened as he never thought the friendly man who had weed him could be so vicious.


    ¡®All these scrolls, mystic arms, pills, rare metals, and herbs are all mirages, and you were stupid enough to enrage everyone and even kill for what¡¯s not real. I would like to see how you get yourself out of this mess!¡¯


    ¡°Well, Lu Chao even if you can collect all the treasures here, do you think you can get out of thisbyrinth?¡± Hong Xun angrily shouted with a voice as clear as a church bell while he stared straight at Lu Chao.


    ¡°Lu Chao, you should think twice before making any more stupid decisions!¡±


    ¡°Are you really this selfish? Even Jin Yan and Mo Ya, strong as they are, had the courtesy to leave seven mystic arms for us to contest over. Who do you think you are?¡± Everyone¡¯s cold gaze was pointed at Lu Chao through the fading Starry Bull.


    ¡°I, Lu Chao, do whatever I want, and you have no grounds to boss me around! If you think you can stop me then step forward. If you don¡¯t have the guts to actually do something about it, shut up!¡± Lu Chao held the four shiny scrolls tight and sneered at the crowd as he shouted disdainfully.


    ¡°You!¡± Everyone angrily pointed their fingers at Lu Chao as their bodies shivered in anger, but although they were extremely crossed, nobody dared to move an inch.


    Medium-grade scrolls contained Myst stances; that was a known fact. There was a medium-grade scroll in Lu Chao¡¯s hand, and the fifteen bodies on the floor was a horrifying example of how they might end up if they decided to fight Lu Chao. Even though they were angry, nobody wanted to end up losing their lives so horribly.


    The treasures were alluring, but they won¡¯t be able to enjoy any wealth or power if they were dead!


    Although everyone was aware that the forbidden stance Lu Chao was in control of could only kill thirty of them at most before its power faded and that if they were to attack together, they would be able to take him down, nobody was willing to take that risk it. Especially when Lu Chao had four more scrolls in his hand.


    ¡°You!¡± Xue Yao¡¯s knuckles were cracking from her fury, feeling furious and driven by her impulses, she started drawing a rune sequence in the air., She was ready to attack in despite the odds being stacked up against her.


    Right as Xue Yao was about tounch herself towards Lu Chao, Ye Wei raised his arm and blocked her way.


    ¡°If he likes the treasure so much, we should just let him take all he wants!¡± Ye Wei casually red at Lu Chao with a sarcastic smile on his face.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Xue Yao held her step, and she looked at Ye Wei confused. Ye Wei had used three medium-grade scrolls in total just to defeat the puppets, how could he be so calm? Isn¡¯t he mad about possibilities of returning empty handed?


    If Lu Chao gets ahold of the treasure, he will be even stronger and harder to deal with.


    ¡°Just leave him be. Just because you can see something doesn¡¯t mean that it exists!¡± Ye Wei whispered to Xue Yao, who just looked even more confused after his exnation.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t exist?¡¯ Xue Yao¡¯s clear eyes widened as she pointed at the levitating treasures and looked back at the indifferent Ye Wei. She hesitated and then stepped back to where Ye Wei stood.


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Lu Chao said dwelling incency he stared at the crowd and turned around to look at the mountain of treasures that waited for him. He licked his lips and couldn¡¯t take his greedy eyes off what was his.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine. It¡¯s all mine! Hahaha!¡± Lu Chaoughed in his mind. He knew nobody here would be a threat if he was to use the scrolls he had been hiding from everyone¡¯s sight this whole time!


    When Lu Chao obtained these treasures, his strength would increase tenfold; he would be safe inside thebyrinth. When he stepped back into the outside world, he would be in even safer hands, his granddad. A condensed prime Warrior, who went by the name Lu Zhong Tian, was waiting for him to return.


    Lu Zhong Tian was a four-star condensed prime Warrior, and being protected by granddad, even Jin Yan and Mo Ya would not be able to stop Lu Chao.


    Lu Chao felt no fear as he enthusiastically looked a mystic arm close to himself. With a proud smile on his face, he reached out for the levitating axe.


    The moment he extended his arm his proud smile disappeared and the fire in his eyes vanished only to be reced by shock.


    ¡°How can this be?!¡± Lu Chao was startled by how his hand went right through the axe. He felt humiliated and screamed in disbelief.


    A mirage!


    The mystic arm was a mirage?


    ¡°No! No, No way, No way!¡± Lu Chao had wasted the Starry Bull scroll he treasured for years. He had offended and terrorized everyone, including Hong Xun and Xue Yao, who were his friends. Never did he imagine that everything was a mirage. He could not ept this ending, and he would not ept it.


    Lu Chao started acting even crazier. He leaped around and tried to snatch all the scrolls, pills, and weapons in the air only to find out that they were all fakes.


    Mirage, mirages, they are all mirages!


    Everyone was at first shocked, and moments after gloating smiles appeared on their faces. Words could not describe the joy in their hearts. If the treasures were real and they fell into Lu Chao¡¯s hands, the consequences would be disastrous!


    In the end, Lu Chao got nothing but humiliation.


    Even Hong Xun, who had an extremely dry sense of humor was wearing a sneer on his otherwise serious face. He enjoyed himself while watching Lu Chao frantic behavior.


    ¡°Little bro, how... how did you know that they were not real?¡± Xue Yao widened her adorable puppy eyes and asked Ye Wei in a surprised tone. She really couldn¡¯t tell that the treasures were mirages before Lu Chao tried to grab them. They looked too realistic!


    Her gorgeous eyes stared at Ye Wei, and she started to rey the scenes when Ye Wei defeated the stone giant. How he survived the blood cocoon without a scratch. She was getting increasingly curious about Ye Wei¡¯s background and wanted exnations.


    ¡°About that... I will tell youter. We should get our hands on the real treasure for now; it is right in front of us!¡± Ye Wei smiled, and as he said that there was a golden sh in his eyes. He then looked beyond Lu Chao onto the four crystal pirs at the back of the chamber.


    ¡°Follow me, and keep your eyes on Lu Chao¡¯s scrolls!¡± Ye Wei could not be bothered to exin everything at once as he whispered to Xue Yao and Hong Xun while leading them towards the back of the chamber.


    ¡°The real treasure?¡± Hong Xun, Xue Yao¡¯s eyes brightened. They looked at each other and then turned their focus onto the four pirs Ye Wei was talking about.

 Chapter 81 – Interspatial Runes

    Chapter 81 ¨C Interspatial Runes


    Everyone saw Ye Wei was leading Hong Xun and Xue Yao over to the four enormous crystal pirs, so they followed; nobody was paying attention to Lu Chao as he was still shocked and glued to the floor.


    Although everyone hated Lu Chao, nobody wanted to pick a fight with him now because he still had four scrolls in his hand.


    Ye Wei quietly stood before the four massive pirs. He raised his head and frowned as he inspected the crystal pir. Xue Yao and Hong Xun were acting like his bodyguards standing close to him on his left and right respectively.


    With a lot of unanswered questions regarding the treasures, everyone else stood a bit further away and looked curiously at the three.


    ¡®What¡¯s with these crystal pirs? Are they booby trapped?¡¯


    While the cultivators were confused and theorizing, Ye Wei slowly extended his arm in from of the crystal pir and ced his hand on it. After a murmur, he took his hand back and walked up to another pir to repeat the process.


    After inspecting all four crystal pirs, Ye Wei gently took a deep breath and nodded thoughtfully as he turned towards the crowd.


    ¡°These are spatial runes repository that contain treasures hidden in each of the pirs. The treasure you saw were a projection of what is inside these spatial runes. The person who set this up made it so the treasures stored the runes were projected into the chamber. Considering everyone¡¯s strength, you should be able to break the pir at the front easily.¡± Then he pointed to the two pirs further in the back and said, ¡°These two pirs will be a bit harder to break, but Hong Xun and Xue Yao should be able to handle them. As for thest pir...¡± Ye Wei paused and sincerely looked over the crowd. ¡°The fourth one here is tougher than the jade crystal wall; it cannot be opened by force!¡±


    ¡°You guys can break these three pirs open and then share whatever treasures are inside of the interspatial runes as for thest pir, I will deal with it. If I am lucky enough to break it open, I will take everything that¡¯s inside, any opinions?¡± Ye Wei said in a modest tone.


    Ye Wei could feel the four sources causing a great Qi disturbance even before entering the chamber. After having inspected the pirs where the energy wasing from he could tell that it was because of four interspatial runes and the vast amount of treasures stored within them.


    ¡®The fourth pir, the one at the back, feels like a high-grade interspatial rune.¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s words shook them, and everyone suddenly was surprised. Their eyes lit up, and they stepped forward a few steps for a closer look.


    ¡°There are what in the pirs?¡±


    Spatial rune repositories were very rare. Only Runemasters, who had mastered theplex interspatial rune system, were capable of inscribing these magical symbols. It was said in legends that the highest grade interspatial runes could even hold a whole city!


    Ye Wei used three medium-grade scrolls to get the cultivators out of a deadly situation, and now he had opened the jade crystal wall that was imprable to everyone else. Without him, all the cultivators wouldn¡¯t even know where the real treasures were hidden.


    If it weren¡¯t for Ye Wei, there wouldn¡¯t be treasures to share or lives to live. Asking for a quarter of the treasures seemed reasonable to everyone.


    ¡°I do not want any more bloodshed. Ever since I stepped into thisbyrinth, all I¡¯ve seen was fighting and conflicts. So many lives were lost for stupid and selfish reasons. I only have one requirement. No matter what is stored in those repositories, you guys can not fight each other for them; instead, you are to distribute them ording to your cultivation levels. It¡¯s not exactly fair, but it is as close as it gets!¡±


    Everyone looked at each other and realized it was the fear of death that made them kill each other!


    ¡°If you agree then swear to the cosmos; make a heavenly oath not to fight each other! Only after will teach you how to crack open these pirs!¡± Ye Wei exhaled gently and requested with a friendly smile on his face.


    Hearing Ye Wei¡¯s touching speech, everyone was looking down thinking back to how excessively aggressive and ruthless they have been. The fire was no longer in their eyes; instead, it was reced by a gentle solemness.


    Ye Wei was the only person here who knew the repositories existed. He could have very well waited until everyone left the chamber and then took all the treasure for himself, but he decided against it. The cultivators recognized his generosity. They could not imagine what kind of family he was from, and how well he was brought up!


    A few of the Warriors raised their heads and made an effort to memorize Ye Wei¡¯s face and swore to themselves that if the opportunities arises to repay him in the future, they would do so no matter the cost.


    ¡°I swear on the heavens.¡±


    ¡°I also swear on the heavens!¡± After a brief moment of silence, everyone raised their heads and looked at Ye Wei with the utmost respect.


    Soon all the cultivators followed. If they were to break the oath then the wrath of the heavens, the will of the cosmos, would strike down and render them asunder. Throughout the history of time, there wasn¡¯t one soul that challenged this powerful oath to the heavens and survived.


    Seeing that everyone made a vow, Ye Wei felt relieved. After all, there really were a great many treasures stored within these four repositories. After having used up all three offensive scrolls he was given, he was not confident in surviving if another brawl were to break out.


    Treasures in the three lower-ranked repositories were to be shared between a few hundred, and Ye Wei had one repository all for himself. He was very satisfied with the arrangement.


    Greed was not a respectable trait in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes, and he wouldn¡¯t be greedy. If he were to act greedy who knew what the other cultivators would do?


    After telling others where the pirs¡¯ weak spots were, Ye Wei walked over to the pir at the back.


    Hong Xun and Xue Yao watched Ye Wei¡¯s silhouette. Their eyes were bright, and they were amused by how Ye Wei, this fourteen year old, had handled the situation even better and fairer than they, themselves, could have.


    ¡°Let¡¯s break the first pir!¡±


    Hong Xun led everyone to the first crystal pir. They had all made a heavenly oath and therefore were very rxed as they knew no one would dare break it.


    The crowd started to work on the first pir, while at the back of the chamber Ye Wei ced his hands on the fourth pir. He closed his eyes, and his eyebrows twitched slightly as strands of will-force leaked into the pir from his Sentient. His will-force interacted with the runes flowing inside the pir.


    At this moment, nobody was looking at Lu Chao. He was no longer seen as a threat to anybody because they were bound by a heavenly oath. They would now have to act as a group and defend each other. Even if Lu Chao had ten scrolls, he would never be able to take down a few hundred Warriors by himself.


    ¡°Damn it... Damn it! Why did it turn out like this? Why are they all mirages?!¡± Surrounded and guarded by a few five and six star Warriors Lu Chao¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He ground his teeth and growled, hatefully ring at the crowd.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of him!¡±


    Lu Chao¡¯s hateful eyes darted to the other side of the chambernding on Ye Wei, ¡®If it weren¡¯t for Ye Wei, these guys would never have united; they would still fear me!¡¯


    If everyone were not bound by the oath, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for Lu Chao to take at least one of the repositories. He might not even have had to use all four of his scrolls due to the fear in the hearts of everyone present.


    However, the tables had turned, and now Lu Chao had to be alert. The group of Warriors could turn against him and eradicate him if he showed any signs of resistance.


    ¡®I will never forgive you, never!¡¯ Lu Chao¡¯s bloodthirsty eyes stared at nothing but Ye Wei. If a gaze could kill, Ye Wei would have died a thousand times.


    BANG! BOOM! BANG!


    Led by Hong Xun and Xue Yao, the few hundred Warriors relentlessly attacked the crystal pir. Every single one of them used their best stances in the hopes it would get the job done.


    Qi swords, mes, ice, spectral beasts, and all different kinds of stances focused onto the first pir, and under the immense wave of attacks, a small crack finally appeared.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    The cultivators started to smile enthusiastically when they saw the crack and doubled their efforts.


    As for Ye Wei, he was still standing quietly in front of the fourth pir. He was frowning from time to time, and smiling asionally when he understood more and more about the runic lock on the fourth pir.


    Ye Wei being able to break the rune barriers on the tunnel and the jade crystal wall was no ident. He had been relying on his soul sensibility without understanding how it really worked. The rune barrier on this pir was even moreplex than the one in the jade crystal wall, and his slow progress was the result of itsplexity.


    An hour had passed without anyone noticing, then suddenly a deafening noise echoed throughout the chamber. The first pir was finally cracked open by brute force!


    A sh of bright light blinded everyone in the chamber as strands of runes leaked out of the crack on the pir, ¡°A Rune repository!¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on the interspatial runes as they regained vision; they were breathing heavily as their treasures were now within reach.


    The repository shrank on Hong Xun¡¯s touch, and he grabbed ahold of it tight throwing it in his interspatial bag.


    ¡°Keep up the good work! To the second pir!¡± Hong Xun shouted while looking at everyone. ¡°We will share them when we have broken all three pirs open. Let¡¯s not get distracted!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! That sounds reasonable! Keep it up guys!¡± Everyone was feeling light-hearted, they weren¡¯t worried that Hong Xun was going to cheat them at all. Everyone was smiling brightly as they approached the second pir.


    ¡°Is that a storage rune?!¡±


    Lu Chao saw the rune in Hong Xun¡¯s hand from the other side of the chamber as jealousy was eating him up. He was on the edge of losing his sanity. He clenched his fist and punched the crystal floor violently to release his anger; his venomous stare roamed around.


    ¡°They got the repository... So what? I doubt they can actually open them...¡± Lu Chao clenched his scrolls tight as he nned hiseback.


    After two more hours, the second pir broke open, and the group got their hands on the second repository.


    After hours of using stances, every was exhausted. They all took some pills and rested briefly before they moved on to the third pir.


    The third pir was tougher than the second one. Even though Hong Xun and Xue Yao led the cultivators to attack the weak spots, it still took them almost five hours to crack the pir.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Hong Xun shouted as he grabbed the third runic repository. Everyone was so eager to see what was in the runes they forgot how tired they were.


    ¡°Not yet!¡± Just as Hong Xun was going to try to open the runic repositories, Xue Yao stepped forward and stopped him. She then pointed to Ye Wei, who was still standing in front of the fourth pir.


    ¡°Wait for him!¡± Xue Yao scanned the eager crowd and said.


    ¡°These three pirs... They were harder to crack the deeper into the chamber we moved. Obviously, the one furthest back must be the hardest of them all to crack. If that boy fails to open the fourth pir, we shall share what we¡¯ve acquired with him!¡± Xue Yao said with a determined tone.


    ¡°Yes, I agree!¡± Hong Xun nodded and looked at everyone, ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone here objects, right?¡±

 Chapter 82 – Rewards

    Chapter 82 ¨C Rewards


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. If that boy can¡¯t open the fourth pir, he can get a share of the treasures from our three repositories. He has contributed way more than any of us here. Hell, I would be fine if he gets arger share than myself!¡±


    ¡°My life was saved by this boy! He generously used three scrolls altogether; three medium-grade scrolls to save us! He can take more off my share if you guys are stingy!¡±


    Everyone expressed their views as they looked at Ye Wei only to see how pale his face had be after hours of effort. His forehead was shiny with sweat, and it was apparent that Ye Wei was tired. It was obvious that cracking the fourth pir was no easy task.


    Nobody disagreed. Everyone was more than happy to share their treasure although some of the cultivators weren¡¯t as vocal. They all knew the reason they were able toe this far.


    The runic repositories were now in their possession, and with the oath in ce, there was no way that anyone would betray the rest of the group. Because they were in no hurry, everyone sat back down to cultivate, recovering their Qi and will-force while they waited for Ye Wei.


    After an hour, everyone could see that Ye Wei waspletely exhausted from the way he was standing and trembling. A few of them stood up ready to catch him when he fell.


    ¡°If there is no way, you should give up!¡±


    ¡°Little brother, just forget about it... You¡¯ve tried your best; we can see it, and you know it. We will give you double from our treasure! Please don¡¯t hurt yourself!¡± People were walking up to Ye Wei to show their concern. They couldn¡¯t take their eyes off his shaky body.


    ¡°Open!!¡± People were about to help Ye Wei down and force him to rest, but he suddenly opened his eyes and howled.


    Crack, crack, crack!


    As Ye Wei¡¯s howl echoed in the chamber, the fourth crystal pir vibrated vigorously. Suddenly a small crack appeared on it. Through the crack on the pir, Ye Wei could see something shiny. He slowly exhaled with a mild smile on his face. He then put his trembling hand through the crack and grabbed the runic repository.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve made you guys wait again!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face was ashen as he looked at everyone¡¯s caring expression and apologized sincerely.


    ¡°Let¡¯s split them!¡± Hong Xun announced. He and everyone else was happy that Ye Wei managed to crack the fourth pir open. They were relieved that he was okay. Nobody cared if that meant they would have arger share.


    ¡°Wohoo! Let¡¯s share the treasures!¡±


    ¡°This trip was worth the risk and the wait!¡±


    With everyone¡¯s eyes on him, Hong Xun grunted and channeled his Qi. One by one he opened all three runic repositories, and all of a sudden the small runes expanded rapidly and opened up. They shone blindingly across the whole chamber, pieces of treasures appeared before them, and after a brief look, he estimated there were at least hundred pieces of treasures in each repository! That included manuscripts on different stances, cultivating forms, mystic scrolls that glowed ck, valuable metals, and rare pills.


    The impressive collection of treasures shocked everyone deeply. They couldn¡¯t speak or move their eyes away from the massive pile of treasure.


    Just when Hong Xun was about to start dividing up the treasures, Lu Chao slowly walked towards the other cultivators.


    ¡°I will take my share! I don¡¯t want much, just one piece!¡± Lu Chao¡¯s greedy eyes moved towards the sparkling treasures.


    ¡°Count you in? Why?!¡± Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the rest started chuckling as if they just heard the most ridiculous joke.


    ¡°Lu Chao, what is your skin made of? It¡¯s so thick I almost find it impressive! You should consider yourself lucky that we did not kill you! Why on earth would you expect a share?¡±


    ¡°Back off! Or we will attack!¡±


    ¡°How dare you even think about getting anything? How have you contributed? By trying to kill us?¡±


    ¡°Take your hands off the treasures, otherwise...¡± Lu Chao¡¯s eyes werepletely red because of the few hundred pieces of treasure right in front of him. The temptation was driving him crazy, he just wanted something, even if it was just one item.


    When Ye Wei opened this chamber, Lu Chao tore a scroll. It was not a medium-grade scroll, but the stance within was a rare forbidden stance worth a ridiculous amount. Having used a Mystic scroll, he was determined to get something back for what he invested. If he ended up not even getting one item, he wouldn¡¯t be able to live with himself.


    ¡°I know you guys took an oath, but I, Lu Chao, would like to see if you really have the balls to fight me. I have four scrolls here; I can kill at least fifty of you. If nothing else I can at least say I tried to obtain some treasure!¡±


    ¡°Whoever I attack will surely die!¡± Lu Chao¡¯s face was twisted, and his crazy red eyes swept across the chamber. He wanted a part of the treasure so much he was ready to die trying!


    Hearing what Lu Chao said, everyone¡¯s face darkened. They stared at him and the four scrolls in his hand. Even if they work together to bring him down casualties are unavoidable!


    ¡°Shameless!¡±


    Xue Yao was furious. Her face was pale with anger, and she wanted nothing more than to turn Lu Chao into dust.


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s better to have one less thing to worry about. I¡¯d rather have him keep quiet instead of constantly threatening us! Even if he does get a share, someone would probably kill him on the way out, and we can just take it back then.¡± Someone in the crowd sighed and said loudly in a reluctant tone.


    Just as they were about to give Lu Chao an item under the pressure, Ye Wei slowly stepped forward.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re worthy? Ye Wei looked straight into Lu Chao¡¯s eyes as he spoke in a cold tone.


    Everyone paused and looked at Ye Wei.


    Hong Xun also looked at Ye Wei, and he shook his head signaling him to stand down. If Lu Chao wanted something, he could have it. There were plenty of treasures to go around, and even if everyone took an item, there would still be plenty more. Just one item was not a heavy price to pay if that meant everyone would be able to leave safely. They could find another chance to get rid of Lu Chao in the future and avenge the innocent lives he took.


    ¡°Little bro, just leave it be. No matter what he obtains today, his reputation is ruined regardless. I will personally make his life hell in Frozen Sun City from now on!¡± Xue Yao added, her cold re never leaving Lu Chao.


    Ye Wei slightly frowned. He shook his head determinedly; he did not believe Lu Chao would use the four scrolls, ¡®He¡¯s just trying to bluff himself into getting some treasure, he doesn¡¯t have the guts to put his life at stake; he is a coward.¡¯


    ¡°You have four low-grade scrolls. I would like to see you kill someone while I¡¯m here!¡± Ye Wei swiftly took out his green glowing scrolls from his bag.


    ¡°I can always test these two medium-grade scrolls. They are both defensive scrolls. It will be interesting to see if my scroll can nullify yours.¡± Ye Wei stared right into Lu Chao¡¯s eyes and said loudly.


    ¡°Defensive medium-grade scrolls? Two of them!?¡± As Lu Chao looked at the two green scrolls in Ye Wei¡¯s hand, his face turned ashen and his pupils dted.


    ¡°You... are you crazy!? Two medium-grade scrolls! They are worth at least three hundred thousand silver. I just wanted one item, an item that¡¯s far less valuable than what you will spend fighting me!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem!? Why would you waste your medium-grade scrolls like this? We¡¯re not even talking about your share of treasure! Can¡¯t you just mind your own business?¡± Lu Chao¡¯s eyes twitched as he angrily tried to confront Ye Wei. His voice broke, and his eyes widened as he stared at Ye Wei.


    Seeing that Ye Wei had two more medium-grade scrolls in his possession, everyone gasped. ¡®This kid... How rich is he?¡¯


    Counting the three medium-grade scrolls he used while fighting the stone puppets, Ye Wei had shown five medium-grade scrolls to the cultivators in total. They were under the impression that he had more in his bag as well, and that was why he was using them like they were worth nothing.


    ¡®Where is this boy from? Isn¡¯t he too privileged? He¡¯s just a mere Student, but he can use five scrolls so casually? That¡¯s five medium-grade scrolls!!¡¯


    Five medium-grade scrolls that shocked everyone present. Back in Green Moon City, even a Warrior from the prominent families like the Du¡¯s could not use five scrolls like Ye Wei had.


    In all of Green Moon City, apart from Master Yi, the City Lord, and the principle of South Star Academy nobody would be able to use five scrolls like this without second thoughts!


    Something that would be considered priceless treasures by some martial families, was now being used so casually by this Student, there was no way they could keep their cool.


    ¡°Why? Me and you, we¡¯ve had no disagreements and a decent rtionship! Why are you now picking on me?!¡± Lu Chao felt intimidated by Ye Wei.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you do things!¡± Ye Wei shrugged and said casually, ¡°You are going to put your life at stake for a share of the treasure, right? Why don¡¯t you just tear your scrolls? Come on, don¡¯t waste everyone¡¯s time!¡±


    ¡°These are just medium-grade scrolls, only worth a few hundred thousand silver. I could care less!¡± Ye Wei casually looked at the scrolls in his hand and spoke indifferently.


    Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan had got their hands on a lot of valuable items including the Silver Moon pills and the repository he just acquired. With that in mind, these two medium-grade scrolls really were dispensable for him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like how I do things? Just because of that you are going to use two medium-grade scrolls?¡± Lu Chao¡¯s jaws dropped. His mind went nk as he stared at Ye Wei, ¡°I refuse to believe you really will use them just to fight me!¡± Lu Chao looked even more aggressive than before. He didn¡¯t want to just back down.


    ¡°You can try. Try and see! I will lose my scrolls yes, but do you really dare fight me? If you do your life ends here!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s beckoning re was set on Lu Chao as he spit out threatening words.


    With two medium-grade scrolls for safety, the Warriors around Lu Chao started to channel their Qi and slowly walked towards where he stood.


    If Ye Wei did use these medium-grade scrolls, then suffice to say Lu Chao did not stand a chance!


    ¡°Okay, okay you got me!¡± Lu Chao aggressively stared back at Ye Wei. He put his scrolls back into his bag. He stomped the ground and with a speed boosting stance he turned into a sh, a sh that disappeared into the passage at the back of the chamber.


    Gamble with his life? Lu Chao was just bluffing. He was banking on everyone getting scared if he tried to stand his ground, but he never expected Ye Wei would be generous enough to use two medium-grade scrolls to call his bluff.


    Now there was no point to stay here any longer. There was no way he would stay and watch them split the treasures. Lu Chao wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the envy and jealousy. Although he was crazy, he knew when to let it go. He was sure he would be able to find more items in the passageway ahead, even deeper into thebyrinth.


    ¡°You guys are safe now! Split the treasures!¡± Ye Wei put the scrolls back into his bag when he could no longer feel Lu Chao¡¯s Qi. Nobody really knew, but Ye Wei was actually just bluffing too. Like Lu Chao, he wouldn¡¯t really waste his scrolls to fight one person.


    There were no signs of Welkin Leaves in the pile of treasures. There were eight trimmings of other rare herbs, but none of them matched Master Yi¡¯s description.


    ¡®The fourth pir was the toughest one to break, and the repository was made with a much more advanced interspatial runes. I wonder what kind of treasures it holds...¡¯ While Hong Xun and Xue Yao started distributing the treasure, Ye Wei looked at the repository in his hand and thought.


    ¡®I hope there are Welkin Leaves!¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fist tightly. Ever since he had entered Bloodmist Valley, he obtained a lot of things and had vastly improved his cultivation level exponentially. Although he was happy for everything he had achieved, none of this was what he came here for.


    ¡®I came here because it was the only hope to wake cousin Zhong up!¡¯


    As the others slowly were given their share, Ye Wei sat down in a lotus position and sent will-force to his hands to open the repository.


    ¡®Medium-grade mystic arm! Medium-grade scrolls!¡¯ Ye Wei could feel the Qi disturbance clearly the moment he put his hand in the alternative dimension, and he quickly identified the items within.


    ¡®Three medium-grade mystic arms! Thirty six medium-grade scrolls!¡¯ Ye Wei was shocked. It seemed like there were more treasures in his repository than the other threebined...


    Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the rest were sharing a few hundred pieces from all three repositories, but there were no signs of medium-grade mystic arms, nor was there medium-grade scrolls. There were no Myst stances, and no Myst form manuscripts, but all of these things were present in Ye Wei¡¯s repository! Its rtive dimension was much more spacious that all of the other three put together!


    ¡®Let¡¯s do a recount... three medium-grade mystic arms, thirty six medium-grade scrolls, three hundred low-grade mystic arms, one thousand two hundred low-grade scrolls, three hundred Spirit forms, more than three thousand kinds of pills, and eighteen kinds of herbs and it is there!¡±


    ¡°There are more than five thousand items here!¡± Ye Wei whispered. His heart was beating rapidly, and his face was flustered. His hand that held the repository was shaking from excitement! ¡®Cousin Zhong! I¡¯ve finally found it!¡¯

 Chapter 83 – Secret Realm

    Chapter 83 ¨C Secret Realm


    Ye Wei could not estimate the value of his treasures. There were now more items in his repository than in some City Lords¡¯ vaults!


    With this many resources, the Ye family will easily be the strongest family in Green Moon City! Apart from the City Lord, Master Yi, and South Star Academy, nobody would be able to challenge their position.


    Even if the other two Runemaster of Green Moon City wanted to make a move on the Ye family, they would have to join force to do so.


    Most importantly there was Welkin Leaves in the repository with which Ye Zhong could be woken up. Due to this Ye Wei could not help but to be extremely emotional.


    If Ye Wei didn¡¯t have astounding self-control, he would have screamed out of excitement. You should never put your wealth on disy; Ye Wei understood that very well. The amount of treasures in this repository was shockingly enormous, and if anyone was to learn of it before arge secure vault had been built then the Ye family would be in a crisis.


    Although everyone took an oath words can spread, and that¡¯s why Ye Wei would not let anybody know just how much treasure was in the repository he took.


    As Ye Wei looked around, he saw Hong Xun and Xue Yao still distributing the goods. Sharing hundreds of treasures between hundreds of people was an extremely troublesome task.


    First, they had to estimate how much was each piece worth. Then they had to rank every person in the group based on cultivation level and strength. ¡®The stronger one was, the more valuable treasure one could acquire¡¯ was the principle they went by, and it was very difficult to bepletely fair and just. This made Hong Xun and Xue Yao¡¯s job very hard.


    ¡®There were two passageways that led into the depths of thisbyrinth. Zi Yan, Jin Yan, and Mo Ya went through the other one. If I am correct, these two passageways should ultimately lead to the same ce!¡¯


    ¡®Jin Yan and Mo Ya were really strong by the looks of it; I wonder if Zi Yan will be fine following them...¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fist worrying for Lin Zi Yan¡¯s safety.


    ¡®My cultivation advanced to the seven-star level now, butpared to Jin Yan and Mo Ya I am still weak! Most likely I will not be able to help Zi Yan, and I will probably only be a burden if I get involved. However... with all the treasure... Even if I have to face them, I should be able to hold my own!¡¯ Ye Wei thought about what he could do with the thirty six medium-grade scrolls, and his lips curled up into a confident smile.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure they will distribute the items fairly. It is a tedious and time-consuming task, I can¡¯t just sit here and wait. I have to find Zi Yan and make sure she is safe!¡± Ye Wei nced at the busy crowd and slowly stood up.


    ¡°Everyone, take your time and please share the treasures fairly. I can¡¯t stay because there is something I must do deeper in thebyrinth!¡± Ye Wei waved at them and said.


    ¡°Sure, little bro! Stay safe!¡±


    ¡°Take care of yourself!¡±


    Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the other cultivators nodded at Ye Wei bidding farewell.


    Although Ye Wei was just a Student nobody was really worried about him. Not taking into ount the repository he just got, everyone knew he had medium-grade scrolls with him, and therefore nobody could do much harm to him.


    Lu Chao had also gone deeper into thebyrinth, but after the standoff earlier it became apparent that he was not a threat to Ye Wei.


    ¡°Farewell!¡±


    Ye Wei nodded back and waved again. He then turned around and followed the crystal passageway that continued at the back of the chamber. The crystal passageway seemed endless. Therge jade crystal wall was only a gate through which the wide tunnel continued onward.


    ¡°Run!¡± Although Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation was at just the seven-star Student level, his Sentient was asrge as a Warrior¡¯s and his dantian was as spacious as a nine-star Student¡¯s.


    While running, Ye Wei transferred everything in the repository into his interspatial bag and the spatial runes slowly disappeared after it had been emptied.


    Although, whenpared to a Warrior with speed boosted stances, Ye Wei¡¯s normal speed was still considered slow, but at his full speed he wouldn¡¯t be looked down upon by any Warrior. After four hours of running nine dots of purple light appeared on the edge of the vanishing point in the passageway. As Ye Wei got closer, he discovered that they were nine huge amethyst pirs that were engraved with mystic runes.


    ¡°Amethyst pirs?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ye Wei came to a stop and took a look at the massive purple crystal pirs. He couldn¡¯t feel any runic repositories within pirs, and the Qi disturbance that spatial runes usually gave off was absent.


    Surrounded by the nine pirs of purple light stood an ancient octangr bluestone tform. Carved into its surface was a sequence ofplicated runes which formed the part of a bigger mysterious pattern.


    ¡°These runes are incrediblyplex.¡± Ye Wei mumbled as his eyes scanned the amethyst pirs. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the runes...


    ¡® I don¡¯t understand any of them!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensitivity was stronger than ordinary Runemasters, and his Sentient was spiritually linked to the Mystic Mount. Every time he saw unfamiliar runes, his Sentient provided him with rted knowledge and helped him understand its energy flow, but this time, there was nothing.


    Ye Wei understood nothing about these runes!


    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®Who is the creator of thisbyrinth? He has to be unimaginably powerful!¡¯


    ¡®This is strange. Where did Lu Chao go?¡¯ Ye Wei scanned the area and saw no signs of anyone; he frowned in confusion.


    Ye Wei was sure Lu Chao entered this very path, and now that he had reached the end of the passageway there was nowhere to hide.


    ¡®Could it be...¡¯


    A thought came to Ye Wei¡¯s mind causing his eyes to widened, and he cast them onto the bluestone tform.


    ¡®Can these runes on this bluestone tform be the legendary dimensional runes? If so these pirs together with the tform could be a teleportation device!¡¯ Ye Wei was utterly shocked by the idea.


    Dimensional runes are something only Grand Runemasters are able to create and manipte. Even Master Yi, the most powerful man in Green Moon City, was only a ten-star Runemaster. Grand Runemasters are a rare group of Runemasters, very few would dare to ever offend them, even noblemen would have to bow their heads to them!


    ¡®This is outrageous. It must be a runic teleportation array! The person who built this is at the very least a returned prime Warrior, possibly even a god¡¯s prime Warrior!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t blink, and his mouth went dry. It was hard for him to imagine someone with this kind of power, and that now he was standing in a ce left behind by such a person.


    Ye Wei was familiar with the concept of teleportation. Everyone who lived in the Zhou dynasty knew of it. It had been almost a millennium since the Zhou dynasty was established. During this period of time, the governing body dedicated vast sums of money and human resources to build a runic teleportation array in every major city within the sovereignty¡¯s borders.


    Cities like Green Moon City and Frozen Sun City were just minor cities. They were nothing inparison to major Ning City, and at its heart there was a teleport array that was directly linked to the imperial capital.


    Because of such a system, the forces of the dynasty were able to be dispatched to anywhere within the borders quickly and effectively, and that is the main reason why demons and wild beasts had been purged and kept out of the dynasty¡¯s borders and also how they kept the peace.


    Ye Wei was pretty certain he was looking at such a device, hidden in the depths of the Bloodmist Labyrinth. As such it was no surprise that he was deeply shocked.


    ¡®It¡¯s easy to verify; I can just try it!¡± Ye Wei couldn¡¯t believe he was looking at something so extraordinary. He couldn¡¯t feel any evil aura around the device; therefore, he was wondering if he should leap into the unknown.


    ¡®Could this really be a teleport? But it takes so much money and manpower to build just one. If it truly is, I assume thisbyrinth is a private facility because it¡¯s not on any official map... How could someone build this without everyone knowing about it! But if this is not a teleport array then where could Lu Chao be?¡¯


    With suspicion, Ye Wei started to move his feet, and the moment he ced his foot onto the bluestone tform, something unusual happened.


    ¡°Warp! Warp!¡±


    The nine amethyst pirs and the tform shone a deep purple hue. Theplex runes started to oscite, and the runic pattern started to spin rapidly.


    When the spinning pattern reached its maximum speed, it became blurry and arge octangr pir of light appeared on the tform.


    Ye Wei was standing in the middle of the tform as he felt a little dizzy. Suddenly, he lost his vision, and he couldn¡¯t see or sense anything as he was consumed by endless darkness. He was swallowed by nothingness, by this tiny yetrge portion of the space-time continuum.


    After that, he felt as if his body turned weightless, lighter than a feather. He felt as if he was still, but somehow, at the same time, traveling an infinite distance at an astonishing speed.


    Ye Wei couldn¡¯t feel time nor could he sense his own body. The next thing he knew he was conscious again, and when he opened his eyes, he was on top of a small piece of drynd in the middle of a swamp.


    The water in the swamp was ck and bubbling, and there was a lingering, sickening odor. Ye Wei looked up to try and figure out where he was, but he saw that the swamp waspletely surrounded by mountains. He could see that within the mountains grew many strange looking trees, and he could hear the asional shrill chirping sounding from the woods enveloping him. The ce he found himself in was very strange, as if it was another world, or more urately, a secret realm.A thought came to Ye Wei¡¯s mind causing his eyes to widen and he cast them onto the bluestone tform.

 Chapter 84 – Scrolls

    Chapter 84 ¨C Scrolls


    Although there was a lingering odor in the air, the breeze brought over clouds of white mist. A mist filled with refreshing primal energy. This contrast confused Ye Wei, and he really couldn¡¯t tell whether or not he disliked this strange environment.


    As Ye Wei was cautiously scanning his surroundings, something growing on top of a jet ck rock caught his attention, ¡°ck cloud shaped leaves with a green stem!¡± He said to himself as he saw its ck leaves gently flowing in the breeze.


    ¡°There is no mistake; this herb is a ck Billow!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes widened, and there was an undisguised excitement on his face, ¡®This is an exquisite quenching herb and it¡¯s a key ingredient of the Fiery Sun Quencher pills!¡±


    Ye Wei raised his head and looked further. He saw that there were more ck Billows growing in the swamp!


    Ye Wei had never imagined he would be lucky enough to see such a rarity in in sight out in the world, but it seemed this was the case in this realm. He scanned around and spotted eight ck billows. Who knew how many more there were shrouded by the mist.


    ¡°High-grade herbs are everywhere. What kind of ce is this?!¡± Ye Wei eximed. He did not hesitate to run around and put all the herbs he saw in his bag.


    ¡®What is this stone monument?¡¯ As Ye Wei collected thest ck billow he saw, a stone that was hidden behind some thick bush sparked his interest.


    .


    Half of the stone was buried under ck mud. Three rusty weapons were scattered around it: a ck stick, an ancient sword, and a long scarlet de.


    ¡°Mystic arms!¡± Ye Wei eyes brightened. Although these weapons appeared beaten up and rusty, they were shining with an unmistakeable green glow, a glow that represented their value.


    Medium-grade mystic arms could be bought, but their price reflected their rarity, not how much the material was actually worth. They often fetched prices over millions of silver at auctions.


    Ye Wei was overjoyed, he literally just got himself three medium-grade arms from the repository, and now he was looking at three more. His body was trembling from excitement.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ye Wei took a few quick step towards the weapons, but just as he was about to pull the ck stick out of the mud, he noticed there was a little hole next to it and became wary.


    ¡°Someone was here before me?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face paled. He quickly put his hand into his bag and took out a scroll. While the hole was small, it did not look natural. It was entirely possible that it was left after another small mystic arm was dug up.


    ¡®You have great awareness!¡¯ Not far away on a bushy tree, Lu Chao watched Ye Wei¡¯s every move between the thick branches. He resembled a python stalking its prey, waiting for the right moment to deliver the fatal strike.


    ¡®Ha, you have a few medium-grade scrolls with you, so what? I don¡¯t think Student scum like you can defend yourself against me now that I have these two-star medium-grade mystic arms in hand.¡¯ He thought as he nced at the three-inch dagger in his palm with a bloodthirsty sneer on his face.


    All medium-grade mystic arms contain Myst stances, and they are further graded into a ten-star ranking system ording to how strong the stances in them were. Although Lu Chao¡¯s mystic arm was just at the two-star grade, the threat imposed by a Myst stance was not something a normal Student could deal with.


    Not long ago when he was digging up the mystic arms next to the stone monument, he felt someone approaching and thought it was an army of cultivators arriving, so he quickly hid somewhere safe and inconspicuous while taking out his dagger.


    Clenching the medium-grade mystic arm tightly, Lu Chao was more confident than he ever had been before. He knew very well that Ye Wei had two medium-grade scrolls in his possession, but he was no longer scared. ¡®I don¡¯t care about your mystic scrolls when I have something better!¡¯


    ¡®There were four repositories in total, and three of them were shared between Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and those Warriors, and this boy took a whole one for himself!¡¯ Thinking about therge amount of treasures that were possibly in the repository, Lu Chao licked his dry lips while he narrowed his greedy eyes at Ye Wei.


    ¡®Hong Xun and the rest did not follow him. Fate is on my side!¡¯ Lu Chao chuckled wickedly. Under the impression that Ye Wei might not be alone, he was hesitant to attack immediately. If a few hundred Warriors were to fight him together, even having ten mystic arms with him wouldn¡¯t make a difference.


    ¡®You know I¡¯m here, and you think you have time to defend yourself and collect mystic arms?!¡¯ Lu Chaoughed and said as Ye Wei grabbed the end of the ck stick. He took a heavy step on the branch andunched himself towards Ye Wei. Primal wings appeared on his back as he dived down ferociously like a falcon.


    ¡®Ha, you can¡¯t bear to wait any longer?¡¯ Ye Wei intentionally exposed his back to Lu Chao, but never actually let his guard down. While one of his hands was on the ck stick, his other hand held the low-grade scroll. He could sense an approaching presence, but he remained calm.


    ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ There was no way Lu Chao could hide when Ye Wei had such impable soul sensitivity, and Ye Wei knew exactly how far Lu Chao¡¯s reach was and where he was attacking from. The ambush bore no element of surprise for Ye Wei and because of that, he was able to remain calm. When Lu Chao was just a few meters away, he heard the sound of fabric tearing.


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    This scroll was not one of the ones that were given to him by Lin Zi Yan; it was a low-grade offensive scroll he found in the repository!


    The scroll held the forbidden high-level Spirit stance ¨C Triple Sword Sky Splitter.


    ¡°Forbidden Spirit stance!¡± Lu Chao saw the three Qi swords as they prated the air at a fearsome velocity. He channeled his Qi to his wings and flew backwards, away from the course of Ye Wei¡¯s Qi swords.


    ¡°Whiz!¡±


    One of the Qi swords grazed Lu Chao¡¯s cheek leaving a gash on his otherwise wless skin.


    Lu Chao¡¯s n was to approach undetected and finish Ye Wei before he could react; he could not believe that not only did his n fail, but that he was so close to being gravely injured by a counter attack to his head.


    Forbidden high-level Spirit stances posed a threat to even ten-star Warriors! The seven-star Warrior, Lu Chao had no way to defend himself against it, especially when he did not even expect Ye Wei to react at all.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Lu Chao narrowly dodged the attack. His face turned ashen, feeling cheated as he thought Ye Wei only had defensive scrolls on him.


    ¡°Ha, dodge this!¡± Ye Wei looked at the Lu Chao¡¯s clumsy figure knowing that Lu Chao barely got away from the first wave of Qi swords. Ye Wei channeled his Qi to speed up the swords and then swung them towards Lu Chao again.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The Qi swords elerated, and despite Lu Chao¡¯s efforts, he only dodged two of the three swords. Thest one flew straight to his face.


    Lu Chao¡¯s pupil dted as he looked at the approaching Qi sword. The veins on his face bulged as he filled his body with Qi. He managed to move his head just an inch to the left a second before the sword connected.


    ¡°I will kill you!¡±


    The sharp edge of the sword left a shockingly long wound on Lu Chao¡¯s neck. Blood was gushing out as he was overwhelmed by pain. His facial expression turned from surprised to hateful. He stared at Ye Wei with the intention to kill him, and then aggressively injected his Qi into the dagger in his hand.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Lu Chao¡¯s Qi activated the stance within his two-star medium-grade mystic arm. The three-inch dagger immediately shone bright, and a small hurricane of Qi started brewing around it.


    The Qi dagger flew towards Ye Wei in a sh. They were quick, hardly visible, and wrapped with dangerous Qi. They flew very low over the ground, so low that all the grass, mud, and rubble under its path were flung up into the air.


    The three-inch dagger was advancing on Ye Wei like a bloodthirsty predator.


    This was bad for Ye Wei. He expected Lu Chao¡¯s ambush, but he did not anticipate that he would have a medium-grade mystic arm. His pupils dted as he figured out why, ¡®The shape of this dagger matches the hole by the stone monument!¡¯


    ¡°Cut!¡± Ye Wei redirected the three Qi swords to Lu Chao¡¯s dagger, and at the same time, he took another scroll out of his bag.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    The Qi sword was rendered into loose strands of energy and vanished before it could get close to the dagger as it was dissipated by the hurricane of Qi around it. Unmoved by the Qi sword, the dagger kept approaching Ye Wei with unstoppable momentum.


    ¡°Just a Spirit stance, there is no way you can guard my Myst stance with that sh*t! Say goodbye to your pathetic life!¡± Behind the hurricane, Lu Chao was recklesslyughing. He could already see Ye Wei¡¯s head falling from his body sliced by his vicious attack.


    ¡°Forbidden high-level Spirit stance ¨C Cyan Windguard!¡± Ye Wei slowly exhaled as he refocused his mind back to a calm state and tore one of his scrolls.


    ¡®It¡¯s just a medium-grade mystic arm; I have plenty of scrolls to deal with it; no need to panic.¡¯


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    More than a hundred glittering runes appeared and spread out forming a screen which then transformed into a curved green wind wall in front of Ye Wei.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Moments after the wind wall appeared, it was struck by the dagger together with the Qi hurricane, mud, and rubble. The wind wall shook vigorously as every point of impact rippled; it was starting to show signs of fracturing.


    ¡°Scrolls? Ha, I would like to see how many scrolls you have!¡± Lu Chao was levitating and watching Ye Wei from midair with an evil grin on his face.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    Under the pressure of the Qi hurricane, the green wind wall was started to crack and bend. A spider web like fracture started to appear and grow on Ye Wei¡¯s defensive stance.


    ¡°Scrolls? I have plenty of them!¡± Standing behind the wind wall, Ye Wei put his hand into his bag and calmly took out another scroll.


    After a loud bang, the wind wall shattered, but at the same moment, Ye Wei tore the second scroll releasing another forbidden Spirit stance.


    A Qi screen with a metallic glow appeared where the wind wall just dissipated!


    Low-grade scrolls were much cheaper than medium-grade ones as they were pretty much mass produced. The supply of low-grade scrolls never ran low. If a person had enough money, he would never run out of them, and because of that, Ye Wei was more than willing to use those scrolls. He would much rather spend more time using them before actually deciding to use a medium-grade scroll as thetter were rare toe by.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The dagger and the Qi hurricane broke through Ye Wei¡¯s defense again and again. Ye Wei took a few steps back and tore one scroll after another activating shield after shield in front of him.


    Although the dagger was breaking the shields consistently, it was also weakened by a fraction every time it broke through a defensive stance.


    The Myst stance was impressive, but it just couldn¡¯t connect to Ye Wei because he was protected by so many defensive stances. By this time Ye Wei had torn the eighth scroll calmly, the Qi hurricane around the dagger died down, and Lu Chao waspletely shocked.


    ¡°How... How many scrolls do you have!?¡± Lu Chao could feel and see how the dagger was getting weaker and weaker as he shouted at Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei had already torn eight scrolls, and he was calm as usual. One of his hands was in his bag ready to take out another scroll if needed.


    ¡°You want to know how many scrolls I have? Just keep wasting your Qi on activating the stance in your dagger, I am as curious about how long your dantian willst if you keep pumping Qi into your cute little toy!¡± Ye Wei said while staring at Lu Chao with a cold re.

 Chapter 85 – Primate

    Chapter 85 ¨C Primate


    Ye Wei was still young. He didn¡¯t have the aggression nor the will to kill a person, but Lu Chao had provoked him again and again, challenging his values over and over. Ye Wei had finally run out of patience. This time he was angry! He was thinking about killing Lu Chao and putting an end to all the troubles created by this greedy, loathsome seven-star Warrior.


    Lu Chao started to doubt himself as the smile on Ye Wei¡¯s face grew bigger. He had almost drained his dantian from activating the stance just now, and he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it again.


    This Myst stance was his first andst attack he could use against Ye Wei who didn¡¯t seem to be worried about running out of scrolls any time soon. Lu Chao would definitely be defeated if the situation did not change.


    ¡°Hey kid, this misunderstanding between us is stupid! I will give up those three mystic arms, so what do you say, truce?¡± Lu Chao rolled his eyes while pointing at the weapons next to the stone monument as he made the dagger fly back to his hand.


    Ye Wei nced at Lu Chao¡¯s eyes, and he could see fear and trickery in them. ¡°Yea I can stop, but you have to drop that mystic arm of yours on the ground before you leave!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck kid! You are just a Student. I am a seven-star Warrior! My family, the Lu¡¯s, are one of the four biggest families in Frozen Sun City! We even have a condensed prime Warrior waiting outside thebyrinth right now for me as we speak! You will regret not respecting your seniors!¡±


    ¡°I am willing to give up three medium-grade mystic arms, what the hell are you thinking? Can¡¯t you just appreciate a good offer when you see it?¡± Lu Chao nced at the mystic arms by the stone monument, his aggression could be seen in his bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°Looks like you really don¡¯t have much Qi left in your dantian after activating that stance, do you think I don¡¯t know you¡¯re just trying to buy time?¡± Ye Wei looked at Lu Chao calmly and took a step towards him while taking out another scroll.


    This was not a defensive low-grade scroll, it was a scroll that contained an offensive forbidden high-level Spirit stance!


    ¡°The world will be a better ce without a maniptive, selfish person like you!¡± Ye Wei tore the scroll as he spoke.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    Immediately, hundreds of ice cicadas rushed out of the torn scroll. The temperature dropped sharply as the swarm pped their wings, stirring up waves of icy whirlwind.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s mind was made up so he directed all the cicadas to where Lu Chao stood.


    ¡°Forbidden high-level Spirit stance ¨C Ice Cicada Dance!¡± It was literally a chilling sight. Lu Chao¡¯s face drain of color, and the blood around his wound started to crystalize. His joints felt stiff along with his eyebrows and hair starting to freeze before the cicadas were even close to him.


    ¡°You forced me to do this! If I am going to die, you areing with me!¡± Lu Chao clenched his fist. There was a hint of madness on his angry face as he squeezed thest bit of Qi out of his dantian, then heunched himself towards the ck rod behind Ye Wei.


    Lu Chao did not attempt to dodge the cicadas; instead, he dove straight into the swarm. Ye Wei was suspicious about Lu Chao¡¯s intentions therefore he took a defensive scroll out of his bag just in case things went south.


    ¡®If hees even remotely close to me, I will use this scroll and will be safe behind a shield.¡¯


    However, Lu Chao did not try to attack as Ye Wei expected, but instead, went towards the mystic arm next to the stone monument.


    An ice cicada exploded on Lu Chao¡¯s body and shards of frozen Qi prated his skin.


    The intense impact made Lu Chao vomit blood.


    Ye Wei slightly frowned in confusion. Because of Lu Chao¡¯s actions he clenched his scroll tightly while gazing upon Lu Chao. ¡®You have no Qi left! What are you going to do with the rod?¡¯


    ¡°You want to kill me, I will not make it easy for you! We can be buddies in hell!¡±


    Lu Chao ced both his hands on the ck rod and wrapped them around it tightly. Then he pulled it out with all of his strength.


    The moment the rod was pulled out, a jet of ck me shot out from the hole in the mud, torching the grass and trees around it.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    The ice cicadas that were flying towards Lu Chao melted and evaporated when they flew close to the ck me!


    It seemed Lu Chao knew the ck me would be there to save him, and for some reason, he threw the ck rod towards Ye Wei right after he pulled it out. At the same time, Lu Chao tore a scroll and was carried out of the area engulfed by the ck me by the air current his scroll created.


    ¡°Hahaha! Enjoy dancing in the fire ...¡± Every piece of clothing on Lu Chao¡¯s body was soaked in sweat but it was quickly dried by the heat around him. If he was any slower he would have been torched.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Before Lu Chao could finish his sentence, a deafening roar sounded from within the ck fire. Behind the burning runes, a ten-meter tall giant silverback ape that was covered in thick ck hair emerged.


    Strands of ck me were circling around the ape but the heat did not seem to bother it in the slightest. From a distance the ape looked almost demonic, like it was climbing out of hellfire.


    ¡°Admiral level beast, Ragefire Ape!¡± Ye Wei stared at the spectral beast that was walking out of the ck me as he started to worry for his life. His shaking hand clenched tightly onto the scroll.


    Admiral level beasts¡¯ strength areparable to condensed prime Warriors!


    ¡°Boy, this ape is no weaker than a two-star condensed prime Warrior. Even with your medium-grade scrolls you won¡¯t be able to handle his powerful strikes. You won¡¯t be able to get away from him even if you had wings!¡± Lu Chao was stepping on the air current mid-air while looking down on Ye Wei andughing hysterically.


    Lu Chao learned it the hard way. Out of the four mystic arms that were buried next to the stone monument, the dagger was the weakest. But even so, it took Lu Chao two low-grade scrolls and a long struggle before he finally beat the spectral beast that was guarding the dagger.


    The three-inch dagger was a two-star medium-grade mystic arm while the ck rod was three-star medium-grade. Lu Chao felt that the scarlet de and the meter long ancient sword were even more powerful, possibly at the three star level or above. He was not ready to fight their guardian beasts yet.


    Three-star medium-grade mystic arms are a different kind of rarity. Jin Yan and Mo Ya were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Both of them were the strongest youngsters in their families and even they had to earn their three-star medium-grade mystic arms from the family vault by passing a series of tough tests.


    The three medium-grade mystic arms Ye Wei acquired from the repository were only one-star level weapons, rare but notparable to these four.


    Although Lu Chao got out of its way as quick as he could, he was still struck by the Ragefire Ape¡¯s Qi. Now that he was a safe distance away, he rubbed his stomach as he looked forward to seeing Ye Wei suffer and eventually die from the raging beast. ¡®Humm... I wonder how many medium-grade scrolls he has left. Let¡¯s hope he dies right after finishing off the beast!¡¯


    ¡®That way I will be able to take the treasures he has acquired and the ck rod!¡± Lu Chao licked his lips anticipating the moment when he could jump in and be the sole benefactor.


    This Ragefire Ape weighed more than a ton, and with each step it took the ground trembled.


    ¡®The stone giant¡¯s presence was nothingparing to this ape¡¯s... I don¡¯t think the low-grade scrolls would do anything to block him, do I really have to use my medium-grade scrolls?¡¯ Ye Wei was feeling the pressure and the overwhelming heat causing his sweaty face to look concerned.


    Lin Zi Yan gave two defensive medium-grade scrolls to Ye Wei, together with the thirty-six scrolls he got from the repository, he had thirty-eight. Ye Wei was positive they were sufficient to defeat the ape, but he would still like to preserve as much resources as he could before meeting back up with Lin Zi Yan.


    Ye Wei did not have enough Qi to use any mystic arms in his possession yet, otherwise he¡¯d be more rxed right now. Without mystic arms in his arsenal, the scrolls were his only option regardless of how much he wanted to preserve them.


    Looking at the ape and the mesmerising me around it, Ye Wei ground his teeth and put the low-grade scroll back into his bag. He then took out another scroll, one that glowed green.


    ¡°Lu Chao, do you really think this ape can save your life?¡± Ye Wei fearlessly red at Lu Chao who was levitating behind the Ragefire Ape. He was determined and ready to tear the scroll at any moment.


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    Just when Ye Wei opened the scroll, the iron talisman hung on his belt started vibrating.

 Chapter 86 – Frozen in Time

    Chapter 86 ¨C Frozen in Time


    Tides of ck me were rushing out of the rod, heating up everything around and distorting the air. In just a moment Ye Wei waspletely swallowed by the fire wave.


    ¡°Are you actually hesitant to use medium-grade scroll this time, Ye Wei? Do you want to get yourself killed?¡± Lu Chao asked as he watched the me consume his enemy whileughing with disdain.


    ¡®I assumed this kid would at least use one scroll and hopefully die together with the Ape. Will I really have to deal with it myself?¡¯ The thought crossed Lu Chao¡¯s mind as he realized how powerful and terrifying the ck mes were. Not to mention Ye Wei was merely a student. Even ten-star Warriors, like Jin Yan and Mo Ya, wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat it.


    The Ragefire Ape did not obey hismands, so if Ye Wei fell now, Lu Chao would be the next target of the ck mes.


    Suddenly, the mes around Ye Wei started to slowly vanish. There he stood in the center of the charred earthpletely intact and staring coldly at Lu Chao.


    ¡®Unharmed? How is that possible?! I didn¡¯t see him using any of his medium-grade scrolls at all!¡¯ An Incredulous look passed over his face. It wasn¡¯t possible for Ye Wei to survive this congration of ck mes; however, what he saw was that not a single hair on his head was burnt.


    The moment the ck me surrounded Ye Wei, he felt a tremendous amount of Qiing from the iron talisman. The power that came from the it enveloped him in a giant cocoon made of dark and light rays of Qi protecting him thoroughly from the engulfing mes.


    The ck silken cocoonpletely blocked Ye Wei from the fire, and to his surprise, he didn¡¯t even feel the heat of the me that was only a few inches away.


    ¡®This iron talisman definitely contains an astonishing amount of energy!¡¯ He thought bewildered. As he looked back at the raging ck me, he felt a mighty force surging from the talisman.


    ¡®It didn¡¯t just suppress the energy from the stone puppets, but it is also repelling the Ragefire Ape¡¯s ck mes!¡¯


    Ye Wei studied the iron talisman cautiously. It looked very ordinary, and nothing in its appearance stood out, unlike the beauty and shine of mystic arms. However, if it were just a decorative talisman, it could never hinder the giant¡¯s or the ape¡¯s monstrous power.


    ¡®What is this talisman after all?¡¯ Ye Wei thought as he stared at the talisman in front of him, his eyes were glittering with curiosity.


    ¡°Hong! Hong!¡±


    The Ragefire Ape¡¯s muffled voice came from the other side of the cocoon. He clenched his fist and pounded his chest threatening and challenging everyone around. His eyes burned with an intense ck me as he trod towards Ye Wei, bringing along a sweltering heat wave.


    Ye Wei¡¯s whole body tightened. His hand firmly grasped the medium-grade scroll looking for the opportunity to defend himself. He was calling on his soul sensitivity to try and anticipate the Ragefire Ape¡¯s attack. There would be no hesitation from him when using the scroll if the ape came any closer.


    A buzzing noise sounded as the huge wave of ck me rushed towards the silken cocoon.


    This time, the iron talisman that was circling Ye Wei¡¯s body started to shake. Its movement became erratic as it continuously flew up and down.


    All eighty-one grooves on the iron talisman were shining brightly. After engulfing the energy from the blood devourer crystals on the field, eighty grooves werepletely filled, and thest groove was half full.


    Now that the talisman absorbed the Qi within the ck me, the eighty-first groove was about to be filled up. Judging by the speed the talisman was absorbing the me¡¯s energy, the iron talisman would be fully charged within three breaths!


    ¡®The talisman can actually absorb the Ape¡¯s power too? That¡¯s absurd!¡¯


    Ye Wei could feel the talisman¡¯s power increasing exponentially as it consumed the ape¡¯s energy.


    ¡°Hong!¡± The Ragefire Ape roared as he leaped out from the ck mes. His bloodshot eyes were gazing aggressively at Ye Wei, who was terrified by the enormous figure advancing upon him looking as big as a mountain.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Ye Wei took a step back with his eyes fixed on the ape. While he was watching the ape¡¯s raised arming in his direction, his grip tightened around the medium-grade scroll. There was no trace of fear on his face.


    Just a second before ape¡¯s fistnded, Ye Wei narrowed his eyes and tore the medium-grade scroll.


    ¡°Myst stance ¨C Scarlet Gold-ted Armor!¡±


    Hundreds of glowing golden grains emerged from the torn scroll which covered his body in a goldenyer of armor from head to toe in mere seconds. The armor was glowing from afar, showing off its dazzling luster.


    The ape¡¯s fists drove through the ck silken cocoon formed by the iron talisman crushing vigorously onto the golden armor. It created a deafening noise and bursts of thousands of bright sparks.


    The violent shock wave from the strike headed directly at Ye Wei and also impacted everything within a ten meters radius helping to suppress the mes.


    The shockwave suppressed the sea of ck mes. It expelled every bit of fire creating arge dead zone with the ape and Ye Wei in the center.


    ¡°Too strong to resist... ¡° Ye Wei grunted as the sweet taste of blood filled his mouth. A strand of eye-catching red appeared on the corner of his lips.


    ¡®The golden armor is intact but, he still can hurt me.¡¯ Ye Wei looked at the Ragefire Ape¡¯s ck eyes. ¡®I cannot resist the shock wave and the heat any longer.¡¯


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t think the ape could be so terrifyingly strong. ¡®The medium-grade scroll I just used contained a defensive Myst stance, and even that could not take a mere physical hit from the ape. The mystic arm he¡¯s guarding must be something incredible...¡¯


    The figure of the Ragefire Ape filled the space blocking the sky from Ye Wei¡¯s sight. He growled and the next moment he raised his gigantic fiery ck fist again, ready to smash it onto Ye Wei¡¯s body. Falling from above the ape¡¯s fist had the outrageous momentum of a meteorite.


    ¡°You are just the ghost of a real beast! I have more medium-grade scrolls with me. It¡¯s only a matter of time before you will be on your knees!¡± Ye Wei wiped the blood from his mouth as a sh of determination appeared in his eyes. He walked forward and injected his Qi into the scarlet armor. With his arms crossed above his head, he continued to defend himself against the rain of the ape¡¯s fists.


    Although the Ragefire Ape¡¯s punches did hurt Ye Wei, it was in no sense a heavy injury. In hopes that the armor could take a few more hits, Ye Wei was in no hurry to use another medium-grade scroll.


    With every punch, the spectral ape was draining the very energy he was made of. Ye Wei only had to defend himself, and soon the ape would run out of energy and dissipate.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Suddenly, one of the ape¡¯s punchesnded on Ye Wei¡¯s arm. The tremendous force behind the punch caused Ye Wei to sink deep into the ground. The earth Ye Wei stood on started cracking in a spider web motion, fractured around him and away spreading all over the ground.


    ¡°He is too strong!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s mouth was full of blood again. His scarlet golden armor had finally broken, and small chinks appeared here and there.


    The Ragefire Ape was certainly a terrifying beast. Although it was only a ghost created by runes, it¡¯s strength could match a condensed prime Warrior. The scroll Ye Wei used was only giving him fractions of a low-level Myst stance. It was actually pretty lucky he could neutralize multiple punches with just one scroll.


    If the Ragefire Ape were to throw another punch, the armor would surely shatter.


    ¡®How many medium-grade scrolls do I need to use before this ape runs out of energy?!¡¯ Ye Wei had his hand in his bag again, ready to pull out another one.


    ¡°Hong!¡± The ape growled then swung his fists towards Ye Wei once more. He was a spectral beast that did not understand the concept of pain and exhaustion.


    ¡®He won¡¯t stop until the energy runs out it seems...¡¯


    Ye Wei stared at the fists flying in his direction. His heart ached as he unrolled yet another scroll to open. Just before he had a chance to tear it, the iron talisman came to life bursting forth a blinding silver light around his body.


    All eighty-one grooves of the talisman were filled as it swallowed down thest spark of ck me. As the burst of silver light expanded, everything the light shone onto froze in ce including the ape¡¯s fists that were now hanging mid-air.


    An invisible forcefield with the talisman in its center suddenly covered a hundred meter wide hemisphere. This enveloped both Ye Wei and the ape, and even the ck mes that were still weakly flickering in the distance.

 Chapter 87 – Woods

    Chapter 87 ¨C Woods


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s body only froze for a brief moment, but it would be a moment that he would never forget.


    When the iron talisman shone the silver light and created a forcefield, Ye Wei felt as if he was stuck in a sea of quicksand. Even simple actions like wiggling his fingers became an impossible task.


    He looked at the levitating talisman, and a picture was slowlying together.


    ¡°The silver light created by the iron talisman had a mysterious way to cover the area around it in an invisible force field!¡± Ye Wei looked shocked. There was no doubt now how precious this simple iron amulet was.


    The spectral ape which was as strong as a condensed prime Warrior was immobilized by the force field. Just from this one could tell how valuable this piece of metal was.


    Shortly after the force field was created by the talisman, Ye Wei realized he could now slowly move his hands and legs even though the ape remainedpletely motionless.


    ¡°Phew!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s excitement subsided, and he then switched his focus to the Ragefire Ape in front of him.


    ¡°What happened?!¡± Lu Chao was shocked by the scene. Even though the whole time he was a bit far away to be able to see everything in detail, he knew what had caused this force field, ¡®Ye Wei¡¯s talisman was able to handle the ck me and it can hold the ape still?¡¯


    ¡®Legends say that there are few people who could survive the rage of a Ragefire Ape and those who meet one perish!¡¯ Lu Chao remembered what he had been told as he nced at the old bones scattered around the stone monument. He felt disappointed and upset for not having the same sort of the defensive medium-grade scroll that Ye Wei used previously to block Lu Chao¡¯s dagger before fighting the ape. He definitely could use something like that right now to protect his body from the heat of the mes and then he could retrieve the mystic arms.


    ¡®There is no way to find out how long this force field is going tost. I have to finish off this ape while I can!¡¯ Ye Wei put the defensive scroll back into his bag and took out an offensive medium-grade scroll.


    ¡®The strength of the Ragefire Ape could bepared to the condensed prime Warrior, and even a forbidden Spirit stance from these low-grade scrolls wouldn¡¯t leave a scratch on him!¡®


    Without hesitation Ye Wei unrolled the offensive scroll and with a sound of tearing fabric, the scroll was ripped.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    Several hundred fluorescent runes appeared above the sea of ck mes, shining like stars in the dark night sky. Instantly, they transformed into a turquoise spectral bow


    ¡°Low-level Myst stance ¨C Arrowstorm!¡±


    Ye Wei could feel the raw power of the stance inscribed in the scroll by its master. Even though the power was not his own, he was still able to control it.


    ¡°Kill!¡± Ye Wei said while staring coldly at the spectral Ragefire Ape. The moment he thought about attacking the beast, the turquoise bow¡¯s bowstring vibrated violently.


    ¡°Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!¡±


    Round after round, hundreds of arrows flew in the ck ape¡¯s direction like a shower of rain pouring down over him. They easily prated the spectral beast leaving a ton of ck holes where the arrows went through.


    In the end, this ape in front of Ye Wei was only a ghost summoned to protect these weapons. Its defensive abilities werecklusterpared to the real thing.


    Suppressed by the talisman, the Ragefire Ape was still not able to move an inch. It was not able to defend itself against this Myst stance. Moments after the arrows connected to the target, the semi-transparent body started to rapidly fade.


    As the ape started to fade, the ck me also began to disappear. Both the ape and the me were made from Qi, and the moment Ye Wei broke the stance, the beast and the fire were destined to disperse.


    ¡°Three-star medium-grade mystic arm!¡± After the ck me disappeared, Ye Wei slowly walked towards the ck rod Lu Chao threw at him. He extended his arm and grabbed the rod.


    Holding the ck rod, Ye Wei¡¯s eyes widened. There was undisguised shock and excitement on his childish face.


    Of course, Ye Wei knew that the rod was a mystic arm, but he could never imagine that it was actually a three-star medium-grade mystic arm!


    He had already gotten medium-grade mystic arms earlier from the repository, but they were just one-star mystic arms; they were nothingpared to the ck rod!.


    A three-star medium-grade mystic arm was worth more than three one-star medium-grade armsbined, and its power too was more than the three lesser quality medium-grade arms put together. There was an immense sense of excitement in Ye Wei¡¯s heart. He was very much aware of the value of what he was holding.


    One-star medium-grade mystic arms stored simple low-level Myst stances, while three-star medium-grade mystic arms stored advanced low-level Myst stances. Some of the better quality three-star medium-grade mystic arms could even store peak low-level Myst stances!


    Simple level Myst stances are a whole level less powerful than advanced level Myst stances!


    This three-star medium-grade mystic arm in Ye Wei¡¯s hand was unmistakably a high quality mystic arm, and the stance within ¨C Ragefire Ape was a peak low-level Myst stance!


    Mystic arms can be activated as long as the user¡¯s Qists, unlike mystic scrolls which are one-time use.


    ¡®No wonder why the Ragefire Ape was so strong!¡¯ Ye Wei finally understood why the scroll he tore could hardly withstand the ape¡¯s fists.


    ¡°Lu Chao, this date will be engraved on your tomb; I will not let you go!¡± Ye Wei realized Lu Chao threw the rod at him so the ape would fight him. He was angered by Lu¡¯s cowardly actions. Ye Wei¡¯s face was turning pale as he was walking on thest of the fading me towards where Lu Chao was.


    Seeing that Ye Wei defeated the ck ape, Lu Chao was both shocked and angry. He didn¡¯t expect Ye Wei to have so many trump cards up his sleeves. Looking at Ye Wei slowly collecting the three mystic arms and putting them in his bag, Lu Chao¡¯s heart was quickly overflowing with jealous.


    Lu Chao stood on a bluestone, observing the mesmerizing fading mes from a distance. The fresh wound on his face made him look that much more aggressive.


    ¡°You must have sustained some injuries! I refuse to believe you arepletely fine after all those crushing blows from the ape, and everything else I have used against you!¡± Lu Chao could not stop thinking about how Ye Wei was bleeding out of his mouth. He desperately wanted revenge.


    Lu Chao stepped heavily on the bluestone andunched himself towards the stone monument. His target was the two remaining mystic arms buried in the ground.


    ¡°What? You want more? Do you have a death wish?¡± The fire of anger in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes was now burning brighter than the fading ck mes, seeing that Lu Chao was aggressively leaping in his direction. Ye Wei couldn¡¯t help himself from taking action.


    In the end, Lu Chao was a seven-star Warrior; he was stronger than Ye Wei in every possible way, and if Lu Chao wanted to escape, Ye Wei would need to use another scroll to catch up. But greed was one of Lu Chao¡¯s dominant traits, ¡®If I run now, this kid will have two more mystic arms in his pockets! Hasn¡¯t he taken enough from me already?¡¯ Lu Chao¡¯s mind was filled with envy. If there were a chance to deny Ye Wei from getting his hands on more treasures, he would not miss it.


    Lu Chao and Ye Wei were on the course to collide with each other.


    When the distance between Ye Wei and Lu Chao had reduced to merely ten meters, the ck mepletely vanished. Lu Chao channeled all his Qi into the three-inch dagger he clenched firmly onto. It once again created a Qi hurricane which Lu Chao directed towards Ye Wei. He was trying to keep Ye Wei busy as he went for the mystic arms.


    ¡°Do you think I will give you a second chance?¡± Ye Wei asked as he tore a medium-grade scroll.


    Because Lu Chao was a seven-star Warrior despite him wasting quite a bit of Qi fighting Ye Wei, he took the chance to recover his strength while Ye Wei was fighting the Ragefire Ape. With that bit of Qi he recovered, he activated the stance within his dagger again.


    ¡°Myst stance ¨C Green Breeze de!¡± There was a cold glint in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes as he attacked the approaching Lu Chao.


    The fearsome Myst stance dug a groove into the ground while flying low and closing in on its target.


    The wind de smashed onto the three-inch dagger knocking it off its course then continued to fly at Lu Chao.


    ¡®It¡¯s within arm¡¯s reach!¡¯ Lu Chao thought as he extended his arm towards the scarlet de. When his fingertips touched the rough cold hilt of the weapon the wind de of Ye Wei¡¯s got ufortably close.


    ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Lu Chao pulled back and activated a defensive Spirit stance for protection. It would be useless toy his arm onto the weapon if he only had one hand to hold it with.


    Ye Wei caught Lu Chao in an awkward position and because of this Lu Chao lost his bnce while trying to dodge the wind de. Ye Wei seized the chance and after a grunt flung the wind de back towards Lu Chao¡¯s body.


    It only took a split second for Ye Wei to change the de¡¯s direction and moments after, it connected with Lu Chao torso!


    The defensive Spirit stance immediately shattered, and Lu Chao was sent flying while spitting blood out of his mouth.


    Ye Wei¡¯s wind de did notnd on a weak spot of Lu Chao¡¯s body, though if it had, there was no doubt Lu Chao would be in pieces now.


    Looking at the heavily injured Lu Chao, Ye Wei was still hesitant while walking towards the weakened foe. Lu Chao was exactly the kind of person who would y dead and strike with a sucker punch when his opponent least expected.


    ¡°Please forgive me! Let me live! If you don¡¯t kill me, I will give you everything valuable I have on me... And I... I am the strongest youngster of my family. You can probably fetch a hundred thousand, no more like two hundred thousand silver if you return me to them safely!¡± Lu Chao saw that Ye Wei was unrolling a scroll, so he crawled backwards as he murmured and begged for mercy.


    ¡°If you kill me, my family will find you and avenge my death!¡±


    ¡°You really think I will let you live?¡± Ye Wei said in a cold voice. If he were not cautious while he was dealing with Lu Chao, he would have died because of Lu Chao¡¯s vicious schemes. Even if killing was the veryst thing Ye Wei would do, when dealing with scumbags like Lu Chao it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. In some situations to end someone¡¯s life is the only way to survive.


    ¡°Die!¡± Lu Chao widened his bloodshot eyes. His facial expression was twisted as he squeezed thest of his strength and threw hundreds of ck, poisonous needles at Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei was prepared for a dirty trick all along, and when he saw the slightest arm movement from Lu Chao he had already leaped to the side and therefore dodged the needles.


    Using the window of opportunity while Ye Wei was dodging, Lu Chao stood up and threw himself into the woods next to the swamp.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Just as Ye Wei was about to activate a scroll to catch Lu Chao the loud cry of a beast echoed throughout the woods shaking every leaf in sight.


    Ye Wei¡¯s face went pale, and he dismissed the idea of pursuing him. ¡®What kind of beast could have a fearsome presence like this...¡¯


    Soon after the beast¡¯s roar, a chilling scream was heard from behind the trees; it was unmistakably Lu Chao¡¯s voice. The scream quickly died down, and it was followed by the sound of bones cracking and a beast ripping flesh.


    Ye Wei gasped in fear, ¡®I think Lu Chao walked into a wild beast¡¯s territory...¡¯

 Chapter 88 – Eighty-One

    Chapter 88 ¨C Eighty-One


    As Lu Chao¡¯s screams died down, the wild beast¡¯s presence eventually faded. It was a mystery to Ye Wei as to why it didn¡¯t leave the woods to attack him. He was grateful it didn¡¯t, but he was still curious.


    Moments after everything returned to its previous calm state. Apart from the sound of leaves rattling in the breeze, there were no detectable movements of any sort. It was only now that Ye Wei finally let his guard down and looked a bit more rxed, his grip on the scroll slightly loosened.


    Although the wild beast did not show itself from its presence, Ye Wei could tell it was no ordinary beast; therefore not only was he rtively rxed, he was also cautious,ncing often towards the woods.


    ¡®Humm, did something happen to the talisman? It feels like a more powerful artifact than it was just moments before. Now it¡¯s giving off slightly more energy!¡¯ Ye Wei held the iron talisman in his hand and could feel the energy flow within while he looked at the mystic arms buried next to the stone monument.


    ¡®The ck rod is a three-star medium-grade mystic arm. The aura it gives off is impressive, but the scarlet de and the meter long ancient sword give off even stronger energy... They could be four or even five-star mystic arms!¡¯


    ¡°If I can make the talisman release a force field again, I might have a shot at obtaining all of the mystic arms.¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself.


    Throughout the history of Green Moon City there were only few three-star medium-grade mystic arms seen by the public in auction houses, but of course, there were families that were hiding mystic arms and scrolls in their vaults for emergencies. For example, the Ye family. Due to it¡¯s age and heritage they had a three-star medium-grade mystic arm that was passed down from one patriarch to the next. Knowing that most of the citizens had not seen any medium-grade arms above three-stars, Ye Wei was startled by the fact that he was standing in front of two of them.


    ¡°These grooves...¡± Ye Wei ced the talisman in the middle of his palm and carefully inspected it. He gently touched the grooves and slowly ran his finger along all eighty-one of them.


    ¡®So this talisman can absorb energy from the blood devourer crystals¡¯ and the Qi in the spectral ck mes... These grooves seem to shine a little brighter every time the talisman absorbs energy and when it is released it generates a force field. All eighty-one grooves were lit when that happens if I remember correctly...¡¯ Ye Wei theorized while he stroked the talisman.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to try something!¡± Ye Wei said while staring at the eighty-one grooves. He grunted quietly as he channeled Qi from his hand into the talisman.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The talisman shone with a ghostly glow and suddenly Ye Wei¡¯s Qi waspletely absorbed into the mysterious device. Meanwhile, the grooves started to light up with a brilliant silver glow.


    The first groove was filled up, so was the second.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Ye Wei widened his eyes as the silver light excited him. ¡®Take everything I have!¡¯ He channeled more Qi to his finger as he stroked the talisman.


    As Ye Wei¡¯s Qi rushed into the talisman, more and more of the grooves were lit up. After a while, when Ye Wei¡¯s dantian was nearly empty, eleven out of eighty-one were shining silver.


    ¡®I guess all eighty-one grooves need to be filled before I can activate the force field again! That is a lot of Qi. I emptied my dantian and only one-eighth of the grooves were filled...¡¯ Ye Wei stared at the dark grooves and thought.


    ¡®Wait, if it¡¯s Qi this talisman wants, I might have a solution!¡¯ Ye Wei felt inspired, he took out his interspatial bag and dug through it. After a while pieces of Qi stones rolled onto the ground.


    Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan had acquired many treasures including a hefty sum of Qi stones.


    The primal energy within Qi stones was pure and dense; therefore, they were not suitable for cultivational use, but they are crucial for the production of mystic arms and pills.


    Ye Wei assumed if his talisman could be fueled by the energy of the ck me and blood devourer crystals, then it was entirely possible that Qi stones would be able to fill the grooves.


    As expected, when the Qi stones came out of his bag, the talisman started to react. It rattled and flew out of Ye Wei¡¯s hand to where the stones were.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    The iron talisman circled above the stones and emitted strands of ck light creating a vortex that started absorbing the primal energy inside the Qi stones.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The Qi stones started shattering and turning into dust as the energy within them was drained. The energy formed a silver stream and was quickly absorbed by the dark vortex. While absorbing the energy, the grooves started to gleam, and the gleam eventually grew into a blinding silver light.


    Twelve, thirteen... Twenty-five... Eighty-one!


    When all the stones turned to dust, all eight-one grooves on the talisman lit up. The amulet once again glowed brightly!


    ¡®That was more than a hundred thousand silver worth of Qi stones...¡¯ There was recognizable sadness in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes. His original n was to present these stones to the patriarch.


    Moments after the grooves were filled, the talisman¡¯s bright glow dimmed, and the rust patches on it cleared up slightly, but its Qi presence grew stronger.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Ye Wei grabbed the talisman to feel the energy within it. He could sense that energy from the stones transformed into the presence he felt when the force field was deployed!


    ¡®But why did it get dimmer?¡¯


    Ye Wei pondered. ¡®It feels more powerful than before. I think filling the grooves charges it up and that it will get stronger after every time it¡¯s fully charged. The next force field should be more powerful... I think.¡¯


    It was the second time the talisman was fully charged after fallen into Ye Wei¡¯s possession, and now it looked less beaten up than when he found it behind the rune barrier.


    ¡®I did waste a lot of Qi stones, but I guess it¡¯s worth it!¡¯ Ye Wei was excited to have discovered some of the talisman¡¯s secrets. His childish face made him look like a kid who just found a new toy. ¡®So if I want to make it more powerful, I will have to feed it Qi and any kind of energy I find!¡¯


    There was no switch on the talisman but Ye Wei could feel a spiritual link to it, and therefore, he assumed he could activate the force field that way.


    ¡®Now I have to get myself the scarlet de and the ancient sword!¡¯ Ye Wei red at the mystic arms buried in the ground. With the talisman in his hand, he slowly walked towards the stone monument.


    ¡®I will take the sword out first!¡¯


    Ye Wei carefully wrapped his hand around the hilt, and after a low grunt, he pulled the sword out with all his strength.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Immediately when it was pulled out, the stance within activated. Ye Wei could see hundred meters long silver light flying towards him with the momentum of a flooding river. The energy shook the whole swamp.


    The stream of silvery energy transformed into seven spectral swords which formed a circr array. The wheel of swords gave off a blinding aura like the midday sun.


    The sword wheel spun and flew towards Ye Wei leaving a charred trail and a fissure in its path; a path that was heading towards him at a fearsome speed.


    ¡®Forbidden low-level Myst stance ¨C ring Sword Wheel!¡¯


    Staring at the sword wheel, Ye Wei¡¯s pupils dted. He knew he was staring at a life-threatening stance and as such he activated the talisman without any hesitation.


    Strictly speaking, forbidden low-level Myst stances were threatening even to seven-star condensed prime warriors, not to mention medium-grade mystic scrolls. Ye Wei was not even sure if the talisman could stop the sword wheel.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The talisman reacted to Ye Wei¡¯s inner voice, and a mysterious silver light burst forth creating a hundred meters wide force field that covered part of the swamp.


    As the force field emerged, Ye Wei felt his body sink. It was as if a mountain fell on his shoulders along with his blood which froze and stopped flowing.


    The force field¡¯s pressure was much greater than thest time. Although Ye Wei was only immobilized by the force for a brief moment, the tremendous force still impacted him enough for a line of blood to flow out of his mouth.


    Ye Wei, being the talisman¡¯s owner, soon became immune to the force field¡¯s energy.


    The moment Ye Wei was free to move again, he took a scroll out of his bag and unrolled it, just in case the force field could not suppress the sword wheel on its own. If the sword wheel could break free, he would immediately tear the scroll.


    Holding tightly onto the scroll, Ye Wei raised his head to look at the sword wheel. Not only did the wheel stopped spinning, but the flickering light around it also froze in the air.


    ¡®Even forbidden low-level Myst stances are no match for the force field?!¡¯


    Ye Wei was relieved to see this scene, but just as he loosened his shoulders, the sword wheel started to rattle. Its presence was greatly dampened, but it seemed to be slowly building momentum again.


    ¡®I should have known...¡¯


    ¡°Hold it!¡± Ye Wei did not take his eyes off the sword wheel that was rattling and trying to rush towards him. He wasted no more time and tore the scroll.


    ¡°Swooosh!¡± Hundreds of runes burst forth, forming a thick ck vine. It flew towards and wrapped around the rattling sword wheel.


    As the vine tightened its hold on the sword wheel, Ye Wei tore yet another scroll.


    ¡®Low-level Myst stance ¨C Howling Wolf!¡¯


    With a burst of light, a three meters tall spectral silver wolf appeared in the sky. It opened its mouth and exposed sharp metallic teeth, then let out a long, deafening howl while a silver ball of energy grew on its tongue.


    ¡°Tzzzz!¡±


    The wolf spat out the ball of energy expelling air out of its path. The ball left behind a vacuum trail as it made its way to the sword wheel.


    Constricted by the force field and the ck vine, the sword wheel was held still in the air. It was not a surprise that the silver ball of energy found its target.


    After the first energy ballnded, the silver wolf kept spitting more of them out, and one by one they crashed onto the sword wheel. After eighteen ballsnded the spectral wolf faded. The sword wheel also started to disintegrate into seven swords which scattered over the ground.


    Ye Wei exhaled with relief. His heart was in his throat, but slowly he calmed down.

 Chapter 89 – Abyss

    Chapter 89 ¨C Abyss


    Held by both, the force field and the ck vine python, the sword wheel was finally defeated after being struck by the Howling Wolf stance over eighteen times.


    ¡®The ring Sword Wheel was not controlled by anyone but still packed immense power, if someone was holding that ancient sword, I know I wouldn¡¯t be able to suppress it this easily... Forbidden low-level Myst stances are just ridiculously strong!¡¯


    ¡®Before the force field fades, I should deal with the scarlet de!¡¯ Ye Wei quickly leaped back to the stone monument and pulled the mystic arm out of the mud.


    ¡®Peak low-level Myst stance ¨C Blood Riverde!¡¯


    ¡®This is much weaker than the sword!¡¯


    As soon as the lengthy blood-colored Qi de appeared, created by the mystic arm, it was frozen in ce by the force field.


    Right when Ye Wei thought he had everything under control, he felt an approaching presence from the woods. It seemed the wild beast was curious, apparently drawn forth to the swamp by the Qi disturbance.


    A loud roar sounded out, deafening like thunder. The whole swamp shook, the ground rattled and a fearsome presence greater than a condensed prime Warrior was approaching. Ye Wei felt like he was in trouble.


    Up till now, Master Yi was the strongest cultivator Ye Wei had ever met. In normal cultivation terms, Master Yi was a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, but the presence hidden behind the trees was much greater than what he felt in the Ye¡¯s family arena.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face turned pale and drops of sweat started pouring down his forehead; he could feel that a pair of cold eyes was focusing on him!


    Ye Wei held his breath and kept still. He was afraid that if he moved, the beast would feel like his territory was being challenged. After a few moments ofplete quietness, Ye Wei could feel that the beast was no longer looking at him, and the fearsome presence quickly backed off like a falling tide.


    A cold breeze sent a shiver down Ye Wei¡¯s spine.¡°Phew!¡± After making sure the beast was far away, Ye Wei finally felt safe enough to breathe again. He kept staring at the woods, afraid that the beast might return. Ye Wei could not believe his luck if the beast were to pursuit him no scrolls or items could save his life, but he still needed to deliver all the treasures back home and save his cousin¡¯s life, so he did not want to just die here.


    ¡®This is not a safe ce to stay!¡¯ Ye Wei turned his head back to the blood colored Qi de. ¡®I don¡¯t have any time to waste!¡¯ He then tore yet another medium-grade scroll.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    Hundreds of runes burst forth. The sequences intertwined in the air and transformed into a purple spear. Ye Wei quickly drove the spectral weapon towards the red Qi stripe created by the scarlet de.


    ¡°Pop!¡±


    The purple spear prated and shredded the blood coloured Qi de. It only took seconds before both the spectral spear and the de disappeared. Calmness once again was restored in the swamp as the talisman fell to the ground.


    Ye Wei grabbed the talisman and then went forth to collect the mystic arms.


    ¡°Four-star medium-grade!?¡± There was an undisguised smile on Ye Wei ¡®s face. He held the scarlet de and was extremely euphoric as he recognized the incredible energy that flowed within it.


    ¡®If I give this to grandpa he would be able to fight a seven-star, maybe even an eight-star condensed prime Warrior although he is just a three-star condensed prime Warrior himself!¡¯ The Ye family was Ye Wei¡¯s root; he couldn¡¯t help but imagine how these weapons could benefit his family back home.


    Back when the Du family was trying to plot against them, if the Du Patriarch didn¡¯t have those medium-grade scrolls with him then the Ye Patriarch would have been able to fight the whole Du camp alone with his powerful three-star medium-grade bracelet.


    ¡°This ancient sword...¡± Ye Wei put the scarlet de into his bag, and then he turned his attention to the sword. He was certain, the sword¡¯s wheel stance, that he fought, was a forbidden low-level Myst stance which meant the sword was a five-star medium-grade mystic arm!


    ¡°Five-star medium-grade!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes glittered with joy as he ced his hand on the sword, its de engraved with star constetions.


    ¡°It was a forbidden stance; therefore, it must take a lot of Qi to activate this sword... Even grandpa might have trouble using it!¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself as he put the sword inside his bag.


    ¡®It shouldn¡¯t matter much if anyone learned that the Ye family had acquired three, four-star medium-grade mystic arms, but this five-star one should not see the sun just yet. I think even the City Lord himself might be envious of such a valuable treasure.¡¯


    After putting the two mystic arms in his bag, Ye Wei smiled satisfyingly. He had never possessed so many valuable things in his life. This trip to Bloodmist Valley had so far been a lot more rewarding than he expected. Not only did he acquire what he came here for, but he also got his hands on what could make the Ye family great again.


    ¡®I have to find Zi Yan as soon as possible.¡¯ Ye Wei cautiously looked at the woods again, haunted by the fear he just experienced. He bent his knees andunched himself towards the other side of the swamp.


    For a seven-star Student who has the Qi capacity of a nine-star Student walking on water was not such a hard task.


    upied by the sword wheel, Ye Wei did not notice that the stone monument actually rattled when he pulled out the mystic arms and that the backside of the stone tablet was starting to glow. Now that he was close to the edge of the swamp, the tablet was covered in runes.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The stone tablet was now rattling more and more, and the runes on it came alive.


    ¡°Brummm!¡±


    A loud rumble caused Ye Wei to turn his head, curious to find out the source of this deafening noise. Ye Wei scanned the swamp behind him and saw a shining object.


    ¡®What is that stone tablet doing?¡¯


    The rattling intensified and the whole realm shook as the stone tablet flew up into the air. The sky darkened, and thend quaked. The mountains were shaking so much it looked as if they were trembling in fear.


    ¡®This can¡¯t be good...¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s heart dropped. His heart was beating so fast he could see his chest moving.


    ¡°Boom! Boom!¡±


    The swamp suddenly sank into a crack. The ck water evaporated and created an unpleasant smell in the air.


    Thend split into two parts before Ye Wei¡¯s eyes. The swamp disappeared into a twenty-kilometer long abyss that reached to the heavens and extended deep down into the center of the realm.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    A shrill scream, followed by the sound of rattling metal chains, reached Ye Wei¡¯s ears from the depths of the abyss. It was the sound of the chained demons fighting for their freedom!


    The scream and the rattling grew stronger as if the monsters were reaching up to the surface. The louder the sound got, the paler Ye Wei¡¯s face turned.


    ¡°Tzzzzzz!¡±


    A mist of ck smoke started oozing out of the cracked earth, and Ye Wei could see the silhouettes of arge demon horde.


    The fearsome presence overwhelmed Ye Wei and sent a shiver down his spine. He shook and fell to the ground after taking a few steps back and despite his best efforts, he was having trouble breathing normally and moving his body.


    ¡®What is this...¡¯


    Just as Ye Wei thought the demons were going to escape the abyss, an explosion of bright runic light erupted from the stone tablet. Millions of runes materialized and formed a pir of golden energy. The runes then started to react with each other and released an astounding wave of energy.


    The pir shone down into the abyss, brightened up the darkness and disintegrated the ck smoke. After a series of loud cries, the demons quieted down and the abyss returned to its previous calmness.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes widened, and he stared at the stone tablet. He could not feel any strength in his body; he was just sitting on the ground gasping for air. ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ The shivering didn¡¯t stop, although the demons¡¯ cries did.


    But after the brief moment of peace, Ye Wei sensed a greater evil presence within the depths of the abyss. An even thicker screen of ck mist exploded out of the huge rift in the ground. This presence was more than a hundred times stronger than the others!


    ¡°Boom! Boom!¡±


    Within the ck mist, a red glow shone through. A three-headed serpent appeared in the mist, and parts of its kilometers long body came out of the ck shroud revealing its blood red scales.


    The serpent then squeezed a loud cry out of its elongated lungs shattering the bright runic pir, emerging out of the ck mist. Its mouth was wide open as it flew towards the stone tablet trying to swallow the artifact.


    The serpent¡¯s cry shook the entire realm. Ye Wei was already far far away, but the impact struck him hard. He could taste rust in his mouth and the next thing he knew, he was vomiting blood.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The stone tablet rattled violently as if it was trying to match the serpent¡¯s intensity, and more runes burst forth. Numerous runic energy pirs burnt through the ck smoke and thennded on the serpent¡¯s muscr body where they left a fewrge holes.


    Struck by the stone tablet¡¯s counter strike, the serpent rolled around in pain, but it was not giving up. Instead, it flew up viciously as a dark ball of energy grew inside its mouth.


    The dark energy sphere was glowing red and filled with electricity. After a while, when the ball of energy was fully charged the serpent spat it out towards the stone tablet. Its colossal momentum had the power to shatter the earth.


    As the dark sphere was about to connect with the stone tablet, the realm¡¯s natural primal energy resonated within the tablet and strands of billion rune sequences burst out of the tablet in every direction!

 Chapter 90 – Glacial Temple

    Chapter 90 ¨C cial Temple


    The blue and green lights of the stone monument melted together as the runes fused. These billions of light strands formed the outline of a magnificent temple-like structure in mid-air right above the abyss.


    The stone monument disappeared into a sh of blinding light and became the cornerstone of the temple. Seconds after it was in ce, the temple started to materialize.


    Immediately after the temple appeared, its supreme presence was felt throughout the realm ¨C from the edge of the skies to the very depths of the abyss. An array of runes grew and burst forth from the temple¡¯s peak; it shone down a thick blue pir of light.


    The pir bored a hole through the sea of thick ck smoke andnded directly on the serpent¡¯s head. Hit by a force greater than the weight of a mountain, the serpent was dragged back down to the bottom of the abyss before it could even cry or struggle free.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    Floating on top of the abyss, the temple emitted a majestic aura. Its energy quickly patched and repaired the rift in the ground; the abyss that so suddenly appeared and split the ground turned into a narrow gap and eventually disappeared. Just secondster there was no trace that the abyss had ever been there.


    The beast in the woods, the abyss that suddenly appeared, and the levitating temple which swiftly closed the abyss, suppressing the serpent and demons inside, all happened too quickly one after another. Ye Wei¡¯s mind was numb; it was as if he had been stuck by a sledge hammer so many times that now he could feel nothing.


    ¡°Phew...¡±


    Ye Wei exhaled slowly and raised his head to look at the grand temple. His face disyed utter fascination. He couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of technique was used to build this majestic runic structure.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    While Ye Wei was still in shock, the sky suddenly distorted and a surge of mysterious energy prated the dimension. This caused a wormhole to appear as, Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and a few hundred Warriors fell from the sky.


    ¡°Bang! Boom!¡±


    All of them looked very confused as they clumsily fell to the ground one by one. While everyone was screaming and sobbing in pain, Hong Xun and Xue Yao were able to summon two pairs of primal wings on their backs, stabilizing their bodies just after few ps.


    ¡°Little bro!¡±


    ¡°Boy!¡± Hong Xun and Xue Yao were happy to see Ye Wei; they wondered why he looked so sluggish at a closer nce.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ye Wei was not really responsive, even though Hong Xun and Xue Yao flew closer to greet him, his eyes were still set on the sky.


    They followed Ye Wei¡¯s sight to see what he was looking at. Their eyes widen as they saw the floating temple, neither of them could contain their excitement and shock.


    ¡°This is... Is this the legendary cial Temple? So thisbyrinth is left behind by that man!¡± Hong Xun and Xue Yao looked at each other and shared a surprised nce.


    ¡°What temple?¡± Ye Wei knew that he just heard an important name but he knew nothing about it. Ye Wei, curious to find out what the two words meant, he looked confusedly at Hong Xun and Xue Yao as it was apparent that they knew something about this ce.


    ¡°That is...¡±


    ¡°What a magnificent temple!¡±


    ¡°Oh god! Where the hell are we?!¡± Amused by the sight, the Warriors began to stand up.


    ¡°There is no mistake. We are at the cial Emperor¡¯s tomb!¡± Hong Xun clenched his fist as he stared at the temple with fiery eyes.


    ¡°Definitely!¡±


    There was a slight redness on Xue Yao¡¯s face, her heart beating faster; she was nodding excitedly.


    ¡°cial temple? Emperor¡¯s tomb?¡± Ye Wei slightly frowned and with a questioning gaze he asked Xue Yao who seemed to be overly excited.


    Xue Yao¡¯s eyes lingered on the temple. After making an effort to turn her head, she finally switch her attention elsewhere. ¡°Little boy, you are here for the cial Emperor¡¯s tomb right?¡± She asked with a gentle smile on her face.


    ¡°Who is the cial Emp...¡± Frustrated and feeling like secrets had been kept from him, Ye Wei frowned again. But as he was about to ask a question, a loud angry voice from a distance was heard in his ears.


    ¡°Lin Zi Yan, give me that Condensing Primal pill!¡± Jin Yan was pointing his golden spear right at Lin Zi Yan; his bloodshot eyes were staring at the levitating, purple-haired girl.


    ¡°Lin Zi Yan, you are going too far! There are ten Condensing Primal pills and you want to take them all?!¡± Mo Ya shouted as he stood on his sword. His long hair was gracefully flowing in the wind, and his cold gaze pierced Lin Zi Yan.


    Her eyes shed purple, as always when she was angry or mad, but her face showed indifference while staring Mo Ya and Jin Yan down. Lin Zi Yan did not speak a word, she just put the pills into her bag, answering with action instead.


    ¡°I only want three pills, Lin Zi Yan! Don¡¯t push me any further because I will fight you!¡± Seeing that she had put the pills away, Jin Yan¡¯s face darkened. With anger glowing in his eyes he was ready to thrust his spear through her.


    ¡°Three!¡± Mo Ya looked at Lin Zi Yan from a distance. He indifferently held up three fingers. A swirl of powerful Qi started to form around him, energizing the air, his robe was flowing in the windless sky. He was definitely a fierceful enemy any cultivator would be scared of.


    ¡°It¡¯s Jin Yan, Mo Ya, and the girl from that family!¡± The shouting caught everyone¡¯s attention. They turned their eyes from the temple to the three strongest Warriors present, looking at them with great respect.


    ¡°Condensing Primal pill?! How lucky are they to have found such a rarity?!¡± Hong Xun nced at the trio, his face slightly changing color while his eyes shown with undisguised envy.


    ¡°People from that family really can¡¯t be measured by a normal scale. She is not even at the same cultivation level as her opponents and still she was able to make them dance on her palm, getting everything she wants?!¡±


    ¡°With just one of the pills, surely one of their family members could easily break through to the level of condensed prime Warrior! No wonder Jin Yan and Mo Ya are so angry!¡± Xue Yao heard that Condensing Primal pills were mentioned in their conversation, and desire was apparent on her pretty face.


    The barrier between a Warrior and a condensed prime Warrior was incredibly vast, in the history of cultivation there were countless ten-star Warriors who were stopped by this wall and died without ever bing condensed prime Warriors.


    When ten-star Warriors attempt to breakthrough, they would have to fight their own evil desires. The ones who couldn¡¯t defeat their inner demons during the process would never progress any further.


    In Green Moon City, for example, resided several thousand ten-star Warriors; however, there were only a handful of condensed prime Warriors. This gap clearly reflected the difficulty of breaking through the Warrior realm.


    On the other hand, it was apletely different story for someone in the possession of a Condensing Primal pill. Taking just one pill grants a Warrior at least a ny percent probability to fight off their demons and advance to the condensed prime level.


    Both Jin Yan and Mo Ya were peak ten-star Warriors, they were qualified and physically prepared to attempt a breakthrough, the only thing holding them back was that they were uncertain about how they would deal with their inner demons.


    Therefore, Jin Yan¡¯s and Mo Ya¡¯s desire for a Condensing Primal pills could easily be imagined.


    After being teleported to this realm, Jin Yan and Mo Ya were extremely thrilled to have found these pills, and thinking that breaking through was now a certainty, they started to imagine all the possibilities their future would hold. All that just to have their dreamse crashing down because of some girl who happened to be faster than they had thought.


    There was no way Jin Yan and Mo Ya would let Lin Zi Yan take all the pills! If it was any other treasure maybe they could let it go because they were born with golden chopsticks in their mouths, but for these pills, they would fight Lin Zi Yan even if they had to face the consequences of angering that family. Both of them were determined to use all it took to obtain the pills!


    ¡°There are ten pills in total, what do you say to Jin Yan taking three, I can take three, and you can have four. I really do respect your family, please don¡¯t force us to fight you. Like Jin Yan said, there is nothing more valuable to us than these pills!¡± Mo Ya politely said to her, but his tone of voice was harsh in contrast.


    ¡°These are the first Condensing Primal pills I¡¯ve ever gotten. Why should I share them with you? I got my hands on them before either of you did.¡± Lin Zi Yan arched her brow in surprise as she spoke keeping her beautiful voice clear, steady, and emotionless. ¡°One pill is more than enough for you to reach Condensed Prime level. Both of you are just being greedy.¡±


    ¡°One Condensing Primal pill might not be enough to guarantee a breakthrough!¡± Jin Yan grunted.


    ¡°I have been a ten-star Warrior for more than a year, and Mo Ya couldn¡¯t be more correct. There is nothing I want more than these pills! And I, Jin Yan, get what I want!¡± Jin Yan held his golden spear even tighter while floating in the air. Jin Yan thirsted for blood. He stared coldly at Lin Zi Yan and said with a prideful tone, ¡°Even if you are from that family, I can see that your cultivation level is close to ours. That means if nothing else you are just their distant rtive! You should behave and learn to respect others!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ten Condensing Primal pills we are talking about. I am sure I can use them for something else, instead of just giving them away.¡± Lin ZIn Yan shook her head and nced towards the ground. Her eyes shone with joy and confusion when she spotted Ye Wei; she didn¡¯t expect him to get this far.


    In the future, both herself and Ye Wei will have to face the ten-star Warrior breakthrough, and that was why she was not willing to give in.


    ¡°Just giving them away... Is it so? Now I feel offended.¡± A shadow of bitterness flickered over Mo Ya¡¯s handsome face. He slowly stretched out his fingers and quickly drew hundreds of runes forming a unique pattern.


    Mo Ya¡¯s silvery Qi flowed through the pattern linking all the runes together and forming a three meter long green spectral sword that pointed right at Lin Zi Yan¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    Jin Yan grunted, and he stomped his foot while waving his golden spear around as he sped towards Lin Zi Yan


    ¡°Jin Yan! You will have to go through me!¡± Suddenly, Ye Wei tore one of the medium-grade scrolls he had left. Runes written in the blood of demons poured out of it creating a pair of translucent wings on Ye Wei¡¯s back.


    Ye Wei wings shook gently causing him to travel so quick that he became a sh of light and reappeared between Jin Yan and Lin Zi Yan.


    Even though Lin Zi Yan had extraordinary strength, it was still a challenge for her to deal with two ten-star warriors all by herself. She could only bank on using her Shadowshift stance to buy herself some time and avoid serious injury.


    Seeing that Lin Zi Yan was in a bit of trouble, Ye Wei couldn¡¯t just stand there and watch. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to entertain Jin Yan for a while, or even defeat him, with as many medium-grade scrolls as he had.

 Chapter 91 – Close Combat

    Chapter 91 ¨C Close Combat


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jin Yan frowned as he watched Ye Wei fly towards him wondering why a Student would dare challenge himself.


    ¡°Piss off!¡±


    Jin Yan red at Ye Wei with a disdainful gaze. Without the slightest concern for Ye Wei¡¯s feelings, he spat out the insult. He stomped his foot in Ye Wei¡¯s direction, and the moment his foot went down an invisible force wave spread in the sky. The rippling wave gathered and shot towards Ye Wei.


    Jin Yan¡¯s Qi distorted the air around him, and his overbearing presence made Ye Wei feel and look tiny.


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡± Lin Zi Yan was distracted while confronting Mo Ya and concern was evident on her face. She didn¡¯t expect to run into Ye Wei here, and never would she expect Ye Wei to stand up against Jin Yan to protect her. She did give Ye Wei a few medium-grade scrolls, but she did not expect him to use them this way, nor did she think he stood a chance against Jin Yan.


    ¡°Lin Zi Yan, I strongly advise you to focus on your opponent, especially when that opponent is me!¡± Just when Lin Zi Yan was ready tounch herself to Ye Wei¡¯s side, Mo Ya made a move. In just a sh he appeared in her path. He flung his Qi sword at her with a flick of his wrist.


    The Green Qi sword tore through the air and approached Lin Zi Yan leaving a shrilling whistle behind it; it was right in front of her in mere seconds.


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s face changed, and sparks of purple me appeared on her fingertips as she lifted her hand. The fire soon turned into a sequence of runes as her finger danced in the air.


    Mo Ya was, in the end, a ten-star Warrior at his peak, and Lin Zi Yan could not take the threat he imposed lightly.


    After cing runes and sparks of fire in the air each of them grew into a little flying serpent. Feeling the pressure on him, Mo Ya wiggled his finger, tried to rid the Qi serpents by striking them with his Qi sword.


    Lin Zi Yan was not trying to fight Mo Ya, she just wished to distract him so she could be by Ye Wei¡¯s side, but Mo Ya answered each of these attempts to escape with a devastating sword strike blocking her path.


    ¡°Zi Yan, don¡¯t worry about me. I will be fine!¡± Ye Wei said while he calmly stared at Jin Yan who clearly did not understand his confidence. Jin Yan then chuckled as he spun his spear over his head sending a sharp, invisible force wave at Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei sped up dramatically as the translucent wings on his back pped forcefully. His agile movements made it easy to dodge Jin Yan¡¯s powerful strike, but knowing that it was only the beginning of the fight, Ye Wei reached into his bag and took out a low-level scroll.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Jin Yanughed insolently when he saw the ck glow in Ye Wei¡¯s hand, ¡°You are hrious! Please don¡¯t hit me with that low-grade trash. I am very ticklish! Scrolls or arms just take them out now; you¡¯re are gonna need a lot more to stay alive! I will show you what it means to be truly powerful without all these pathetic items!¡±


    Jin Yan roared, and all of a sudden his body was wrapped in a golden light and flickering runes. Without moving a muscle, a stance was forming in front of him. It was a three-meter tall spirit bear with golden fur which appeared. It raised its muscr arm, and the next thing Ye Wei saw was a gigantic paw rushing at his face.


    ¡°Forbidden high-level Spirit stance ¨C Golden Bear!¡± Down on the ground, Hong Xun and Xue Yao were staring at the spirit bear. Every single Warrior, who fought alongside Ye Wei, was bing wary.


    Normally, users of forbidden stances would be struck by a recoil force, but Jin Yan just casually used a forbidden Spirit stance as if he did not care about the after effects!


    The power of forbidden stances varies, and the recoil force would also vary ordingly. If a fighter was strong enough or his or her Sentient was exceptional, the recoil force won¡¯t have as much effect on them as it would on normal cultivators.


    Jin Yan was a ten-star Warrior, and actually one of the strongest ten-star Warrior ever. With the three-star medium-grade mystic arm in hand, he could even take on a condensed prime Warrior. His body and Sentient were tough enough for him to pretty much ignore the recoil.


    ¡°Hey! Watch out!¡±


    ¡°That kid won¡¯t make it!¡±


    ¡°He saved our lives. Guys do something!¡±


    ¡°Jin Yan you shameless excuse of a cultivator! You¡¯re a peak ten-star Warrior, and you¡¯re actually using a forbidden stance against a mere Student? You bloodthirsty bastard!¡±


    ¡°Help him!¡±


    Everyone was on Ye Wei¡¯s side. The oath they made meant they had to help each other, but they knew Ye Wei had saved their lives and even if they didn¡¯t make a vow they would still have helped him here and now just out of appreciation to what he did for them.


    Jin Yan might be one of the strongest people in thebyrinth, but he was also alone, with the treasures they acquired it was entirely possible for them to defeat Jin Yan!


    ¡°Screw his mother!¡± With the sound of cursing and swearing, hundreds of Warriors fired their stances in the air towards Jin Yan. The ones who were seven-stars and above spread their primal wings and flew next to Ye Wei to fight by his side.


    ¡°Mid-level Spirit stance ¨C Hailstorm Sword!¡±


    ¡°Mid-level Spirit stance ¨C Rolling Stone Punch!¡±


    ¡°High-level Spirit stance ¨C Firewolf Strike!¡± The sky was filled with runes. Hundreds of spectral weapons and beasts came crushing towards the golden bear.


    ¡°Bang! Boom!¡±


    None of these stances would have left a scratch on Jin Yan, but the sheer amount of them were making it impossible for the Golden Bear stance to gain an advantage. It only took moments before the Golden Bear crumbled into blinding runic lights.


    Staring at the stances flying towards him, Jin Yan could not be rash. Surprise was evident on his face as he flew backwards and deflected stance after stance that rushed towards him; he couldn¡¯t understand why he was suddenly themon enemy of this many Warriors.


    ¡°Little bro, are you okay?¡± Hong Xun went in front of Ye Wei and patted his shoulders then he turned back around to Jin Yan. There was a determined glow in both Ye Wei¡¯s and Hong Xun¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ye Wei eximed gratefully. If Hong Xun and the others didn¡¯t step in, he wouldn¡¯t even have the time to talk while fighting Jin Yan.


    ¡°Hahaha! Little bro, did you forget we made an oath? We can¡¯t just stand back and watch even if we feelzy!¡± Hong Xun said jokingly.


    Jin Yan¡¯s face darkened as he pointed his spear at Ye Wei and the Warriors then said, ¡°All of you, piss off! Consider yourselves warned. From this moment I will not hold back!¡± Although he was facing this many Warriors, he didn¡¯t seem to be scared.


    The Warriors down on the ground rose up.


    ¡°Humm... He¡¯s a ten-star Warrior right. I¡¯ve never used a scroll before, and I really want to try it, to be honest. Now is as good a time as any!¡±


    ¡°This low-grade arm, I just got it back in the chamber and I don¡¯t really know what stance is in it! I want to try my new stuff too!¡± Confidencees with numbers and armed with scrolls and weapons the Warriors were not as scared as they were when they first met Jin Yan at the rune barrier. They were actually prepared to fight if Jin Yan wanted to do anything to Ye Wei.


    Jin Yan stared at the Warrior who flew between him and Ye Wei then turned his focus to the Warriors on the ground. ¡®They are all holding mystic arms or scrolls...¡¯


    Undoubtedly Jin Yan was one of the strongest cultivators here. He could easily take on ten Warriors by himself on a typical day, but when there were hundreds of armed Warriors in front of him, he could not just ignore them.


    Unless he was a condensed prime Warrior, and even then he would need a miracle to defeat thisrge armed group of Warriors ande out unharmed.


    Every single one of these Warriors were armed with some kind of powerful item, and furthermore, they were bonded together by the heavenly oath. If he wanted to fight one of them he needed to be prepared to fight all of them.


    Facing so many people even Jin Yan, confident and powerful as he was, knew better than to take this group of Warriors lightly.


    Lin Zi Yan leaped backwards and stared at the Warriors who were shielding Ye Wei then nced towards the rest of the group. ¡®All these weaklings are from different powers and families, why would all of them help Ye Wei as if he was one of their own people. Even I wouldn¡¯t want to fight someone like Jin Yan!¡¯


    ¡®What happened after I separated with these guys? I guess I¡¯m d they found these weapons and scrolls and somehow are now fond of little Wei. Jin Yan shouldn¡¯t be dumb enough to make a move now.¡¯ She was relieved as she could see Ye Wei was in safe hands.


    While Lin Zi Yan was distracted by Ye Wei, Mo Ya spotted this moment of opportunity. He wiggled his fingers and flung his Qi sword at Lin Zi Yan¡¯s blind spot when she was looking away!


    ¡°I told you I do not want to fight, but I guess there are no other ways to shut you up!¡± Lin Zi Yan leaped into the air, and her dress flowing in the wind made her look like a mythical goddess descending from the heavens. Her eyes were burning with a purple me while her hands formed manyplex hand seals.


    Lin Zi Yan was suddenly surrounded by a blinding purple light, and her presence exploded. Just when the green Qi sword was inches away from her body, she lifted up two fingers then they mped onto each side of the sharp Qi sword!


    Her slender fingers were packed with power and with a crisp cracking sound, the enormous green sword shattered like ss. Lin Zi Yan then quickly wrapped her purple Qi around the shattered pieces and flung them right back at Mo Ya.


    It took less than a second for Lin Zi Yan to react to Mo Ya¡¯s strike. The Qi sword was sent back to him before he even registered what had just happened. In a panic, Mo Ya pulled his sword in front of his chest to defend himself.


    shes of purplended on the sword, and a burst of violent force exploded at the point of impact.


    The enormous recoil force knocked Mo Ya back. He flew backwards like a kite without a string; he couldn¡¯t stabilize his bnce until he was fifty meters behind where he got hit.


    ¡°What strength!¡± Mo Ya looked down at his bleeding hand; he had never been this concerned all his life. He raised his head to look at Lin Zi Yan, and this was the moment of his life he wouldter recall as ¡®The first time I tasted genuine fear.¡¯


    Lin Zi Yan was way stronger than he expected!


    Mo Ya did not pursue her. It was clear that even with his three-star medium-grade sword, there was no point to carry on their fighting as Lin Zi Yan possessed power that can not bepared to any fighting techniques he was taught.


    Mo Ya flew back to Jin Yan¡¯s side, and Lin Zi Yan retreated to Ye Wei¡¯s side.


    Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan, and the Warriors were on one side with Jin Yan and Mo Ya on another. The atmosphere became heavy as nobody said anything.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Jin Yan looked at Ye Wei cautiously as he consulted Mo Ya in a whisper.


    ¡®Mo Ya can¡¯t do anything to Lin Zi Yan, and I got myself stuck... I can¡¯t fight all of them on my own!¡¯ Jin Yan was extremely frustrated as he did not want to give the pills to Lin Zi Yan.


    ¡°Lin Zi Yan, I can¡¯t just let you have the pills like this! Let¡¯s hear a deal from your side; let¡¯s be civil and we can negotiate like adults!¡± Mo Ya looked up and said with a slight stutter. He was not used to asking for favors at all.

 Chapter 92 – Enter the Temple

    Chapter 92 ¨C Enter the Temple


    ¡®If we can¡¯t fight her we will have to talk it out!¡¯


    Jin Yan shared a look with Mo Ya, ground his teeth as he was getting mentally ready topromise.


    Lin Zi Yan was more selfish than she was considerate but being a Warrior herself she could rte to their frustration.


    ¡®There are only ten pills. I have these seals on my body, and it will be harder for me to breakthrough to the condensed prime Warrior level than everyone else. I will need around five pills for myself to be safe, and I need to save some for Ye Wei...¡¯


    ¡°Zi Yan, if we really want to we can just fight them. I don¡¯t think they can take all of us!¡± Ye Wei thought as he could see that Lin Zi Yan was frustrated. He briefly looked at Jin Yan and Mo Ya, ¡®Finders keepers! That has always been the rule in these kinds of situations. Why do they think they can just ask for the pills when Zi Yan was the one who got her hands on them first?¡¯


    Thinking about the thirty odd scrolls in his bag and how he was backed up by hundreds of strong cultivators, Ye Wei was actually feeling pretty confident.


    ¡°Mo Ya, Jin Yan, both of you know how rare these pills are. You couldn¡¯t buy them even if you had the money for them! I need them as much as you two do!¡±


    ¡°I can give one pill away!¡± Lin Zi Yanid one pill on her palm and said calmly.


    ¡°One pill?¡± Jin Yan¡¯s face darkened. It was obvious that Lin Zi Yan was trying to turn Mo Ya against him; therefore, he shook his head and made a counter offer that involved an even number. ¡°Four pills at least! Name your price!¡±


    Mo Ya also saw through Lin Zi Yan¡¯s cheeky n. He frowned and said, ¡°Yeah, four pills. That¡¯s the bottom line.¡±


    ¡°Only one. I have a use for the rest of them.¡± Lin Zi Yan determinedly shook her head. There was no way she would let Mo Ya and Jin Yan take four pills from her.


    ¡°No? How about two then?¡± Mo Ya and Jin Yan were desperate, and they were too stressed to hide it.


    ¡°One pill and I will trade it for no less than eight hundred thousand silver, or something of the same value. Final offer. If you don¡¯t want it all the better!¡± Lin Zi Yan sounded determined.


    ¡°Eight hundred, what? Why don¡¯t you go rob the City Lord?¡± Jin Yan¡¯s face darkened further, and his eyes twitched as he spoke, ¡®Even I can¡¯te up with that much money.¡¯


    Mo Ya frowned. He was deep in thought and didn¡¯t talk, ¡®If I were her, I wouldn¡¯t give the pills up easily either... If Jin Yan and I were in a better position then fine, but now they really do have the advantage. There is no real reason for her to give us any pills. As ridiculous as her offer sounds, I think this is actually decent.¡¯ Mo Ya acquired a lot of treasures from thisbyrinth, so much so that it would make up for the price Lin Zi Yan proposed.


    ¡°No? Fine then.¡± Lin Zi Yan said and put the pill back inside her bag.


    ¡°Wait! Eight hundred thousand correct? I will take your offer!¡± Mo Ya stepped forward and threw his interspatial bag to Lin Zi Yan, ¡°This is everything I have with me. I¡¯ve acquired quite a bit since I stepped in thisbyrinth. I¡¯m sure this is worth eight hundred thousand silver if not more!¡±


    ¡°Mo Ya... What are you doing?¡±


    Jin Yan¡¯s eyes widened, and he stared at Mo Ya¡¯s silhouette. He was furious and surprised. Until this moment Mo Ya and him were on the same side.


    ¡°If I fail my condensing breakthrough then I will need to train for two or even three years to regain my Qi. Only after that could I attempt a breakthrough again. I am not a gambling man, use yourmon sense, Jin Yan. Outside of thisbyrinth, even if you have eight hundred thousand silver, you won¡¯t be able to get yourself half of this pill! And that¡¯s if you¡¯re lucky enough to find a seller! If you¡¯re not taking the offer, you can¡¯t me anyone who does!¡± Mo Ya said calmly. It was true that Jin Yan has be a person he could trust, but in the end, they were not that close. They only fought alongside each other because they didn¡¯t stand a chance against Lin Zi Yan on their own.


    ¡°Sure, here¡¯s your pill!¡± Lin Zi Yan caught the bag and after sensing its contents and confirming their value, she threw one of the ten pills to Mo Ya.


    ¡°Farewell!¡±


    Mo Ya carefully put away the pill and immediately headed back.


    ¡°Good. Excellent!¡± Jin Yan stared at Mo Ya until he eventually disappeared into the woods. He ground his teeth so hard the grinding noise was audible from where the many Warriors stood. The bulging veins on his head didn¡¯t fade for quite a while after Mo Ya was out of sight. After many deep breaths, he looked at Lin Zi Yan and said, ¡°Fine then I will pay you the same amount. Give me a pill!¡± Jin Yan ground his teeth as he spoke. He looked like he was going to bite someone.


    ¡°No. I told both of you, I will only give away one pill!¡± Lin Zi Yan directed rejected Jin Yan¡¯s request. She had already nned to save five for her personal use and four for Ye Wei; there was no room for negotiations.


    Mo Ya and Jin Yan as a duo were threatening, but on his own against hundreds of armed Warriors, Jin Yan was nothing.


    ¡°Hmpft!¡± Jin Yan grunted reluctantly. He then turned and quickly flew towards the cial Temple.


    Seeing that Mo Ya and Jin Yan left, Lin Zi Yan looked at Ye Wei with a friendly nce and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I want to see the cial Temple!¡± She dragged Ye Wei using the Shadowshift stance.


    ¡®There is no doubt, the most valuable thing in thisbyrinth is hidden here. And if the rumors are true The emperor also left something else here before he passed.¡¯


    ¡°Go!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡± Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the Warriors were motivated by the possibility of inheriting the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy. They could hardly contain themselves.


    Everyone flew towards the cial Temple.


    ***


    ¡°Damn it... Damn it!¡±


    ¡°Lin Zi Yan, Mo Ya, and that annoying Student brat! I will remember this! Just wait! I will make sure you all pay!¡± Jin Yan suppressed his rage, ¡°If I inherit the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy, none of you will leave here alive!¡± Looking at the grand structure that was mysteriously floating in the air, Jin Yan stood on his spear and injected Qi into it making the three-star mystic arm levitate. The spear turned into a sh of golden light and brought Jin Yan to the green and blue runic cloud tform outside the temple¡¯s gate before anyone could even see the temple¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Ha, you guys want the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy, that is a bit of a reach for you!¡± Mo Ya was watching on a mountain top as the cultivators flew up to the temple.


    ***


    ¡°This Jin Yan is an idiot. He doesn¡¯t get it. Does he really think it is a good idea topete with them? It would take a condensed prime Warrior to take them out...¡±


    ¡°Now that I have this pill, I can surely breakthrough right here! When I be a condensed prime Warrior, I will join you in the temple and then I will kill everyone and take everything!¡±


    Mo Ya closed his eyes as he sat down in a lotus position. He swallowed the Condensing Primal pill. He then started cultivating and building up his Qi to attempt a breakthrough.


    ***


    Eventually, everyone arrived on the cloud tform, ¡°It looks even bigger when you¡¯re up close.¡± The temple was over two kilometers tall and decorated with countless precious stones and metals. Beside the tform was twenty stone pirs. Each pir was so thick that twenty people couldn¡¯t wrap their arms around it; they were like giants¡¯ legs.


    In front of this temple, the group of cultivators looked like a small group of ants.


    Behind the pirs were thousands of beast fossils. Thergest was more than fifty meters tall, and all of these fossilized bones were engraved with runes. They were glittering like wild jade and even still emitted a fierce aura that pressured the nearby cultivators even though these beasts were long dead.


    ¡®Why did the master of this temple ce these fossils here?¡¯


    Thinking back to the stone giant and the puppets everyone started to shiver. They held their breath afraid that any movement might wake these beasts up.


    These fossils were on both sides of the entrance arranged like they were guardians of the temple gate. Following the line of bones to the far side of the tform was the three hundred meter tall tightly shut gate. The gate¡¯s dark metallic shine was dispersing a cold presence.


    The tranquility and quietness did not make any of the Warriors feel rxed; they were all feeling very tense at the moment. They felt as if they were standing in front of heaven¡¯s gate while they wondered what they should do next.


    The cial Emperor was very much a mythical figure. His name was often heard from bards and storytellers, but nobody was really sure whether to take these stories of his unrivaled powers seriously or not.


    As the stories went, the cial Emperor was a master of mystic runes. He single-handedly created the cier rune set and invented most of the popr ice rted stances. There were tales about how he traveled to the ends of the world and acquired the essence of ice. There were also rumors about how he could turn his body into solid ice at will.


    Now seeing this grand structure right before their eyes, it was clear to everyone that the cial Emperor did indeed exist, and he might have been even stronger than they had heard judging by thisbyrinth and the treasures he left behind.


    It was a surprise to many when he disappeared off the face of the. Nobody knew where he went and as the centuries passed, every once in awhile one of the emperor¡¯s stances would appear, and whoever obtained the ice king¡¯s legacy would be a legend themselves.


    All the Warriors were now standing in front of the gate, staring at it and wondering how they were to get to the other side.


    Everyone there understood that if they could learn even one stance from the cial Emperor¡¯s collection they could be someone. But at the same time, they were aware the cial Emperor did not intend for just anyone to inherit his legacy and the traps and tests inside this temple might just end their lives.


    Just when nobody quite knew what to do, Lin Zi Yan stepped forward. Her light steps made her seem more rxed than she was, and the clueless crowd could not take their eyes off her.


    ¡°Zi Yan!¡± Worried about Lin Zi Yan, Ye Wei held her wrist and pulled her back. He didn¡¯t know who the cial Emperor was, but he was sure everyone there had a valid reason to be so nervous.


    ¡°Rx, it¡¯s going to be fine!¡± Lin Zi Yan turned to Ye Wei and ruffled his hair.


    ¡°I¡¯lle with you!¡± After a brief moment of hesitation, Ye Wei stepped forward alongside her.


    Under everyone¡¯s attention, they walked the path made of green and blue clouds towards the gate.


    All of a sudden the fossils started to rattle and the path lit red from a blood colored glow that came from these skeletons¡¯ eye sockets.


    Everyone gasped. These skeletons had a presence simr to, but stronger, than the stone puppets.


    Ye Wei too was petrified, digging his hand into his bag and clenching onto a defensive scroll. But unexpectedly, the skeletons did not leave their positions and only then was he relieved.


    Lin Zi Yan, on the other hand, was never worried. She walked right in front of the gate and ced her pale, slender hand on the cold metal.


    When Lin Zi Yan¡¯s small hand touched the gate, a green and blue light burst forth, and before Ye Wei could react, she was sucked into the temple by a mysterious force.


    The gate was still sealed shut, but there was no trace of Lin Zi Yan in sight.


    ¡°Zi Yan!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s pupils dted. He ran to the gate without hesitation.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    An energy engulfed Ye Wei¡¯s body as he touched the gate. His body was pulled right through the gate as if it was nonexistent.


    ¡°They went in?!¡±


    ¡°The girl knows what she¡¯s doing; they will be fine.¡±


    Startled by how Lin Zi Yan and Ye Wei vanished, everyone felt speechless.

 Chapter 93 – Understanding

    Chapter 93 ¨C Understanding


    Hong Xun was fascinated by the ck glow of the gate. He pondered for a bit then grunted, deciding to step forward. He slowly walked to the metal door and ced his hand exactly where Lin Zi Yan ced hers.


    A green light rained down from above and enveloped Hong Xun. He then also went through the gate without any problems.


    Upon seeing this, the Warriors entered the temple one after another, while some of the less trusting ones remained outside on the cloud-like tform.


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Jin Yan shoved the people around him and rushed towards the gate after seeing so many people going through.


    ***


    When Ye Wei opened his eyes again, he found himself inside a spacious hall. ¡®Am I inside!?¡¯


    He could see thirty-six engraved pirs supporting the roof of the temple, and each of their diameters was over a hundred meters. While the engravings on the pirs looked to be only decorative, there were arrays of glowing and flowing runes on the ceiling. Ye Wei tried to focus on the pattern to figure out what they were, but it was giving him a headache. His eyes were dragged into the pattern and couldn¡¯t help but spin around.


    In the middle of these pirs was a levitating jade disc. It was half a kilometer tall and wide. Lin Zi Yan, who was the first to enter the temple, stood in front of the jade disc pondering. It was glowing green and was as smooth as a mirror. Apart from its size and the fact that it was levitating, it actually looked rather normal.


    The Warriors started to appear inside the hall, looking around curiously. While the hall was a grand and beautiful sight, they were cautious to not touch anything they didn¡¯t understand.


    When everyone was curious, confused, and in their own worlds, all the pirs suddenly illuminated. Thirty-six beams of bright blue light crossed over the jade disc revealing runes and writings on it.


    ¡°Everyone! Wee to the cial Temple!¡± Everyone¡¯s widened eyes were set on the mysterious jade disc when a low, hoarse voice sounded.


    Just as the voice was dying down, a blurry hundred meter tall figure appeared in the air by the jade disc where the beams of light converged.


    This figure was like a phantom. Nobody could quite figure out what it was at first nce as it looked like flower gazing in the mist. They didn¡¯t know if they were looking at the distorted, shapeless mist of an actual petal. The figure lowered its head and looked at the terrified crowd.


    ¡°Whh... who are you?¡± A few of the Warriors asked with shaking voices. The figure was floating in the air like a ghost. From its posture and features, the crowd started to guess that it was the ghost of an old man, and not just any old man judging from his presence which filled the hall.


    Ye Wei slowly walked to Lin Zi Yan¡¯s side as he cautiously looked at therge ghostly figure above.


    Lin Zi Yan lifted her beautiful face looking at the figure. She tried to memorize all the cial Emperor¡¯s tales she had been told since she was a toddler, and now her amusement with him slightly changed that she knew she could easily lose her life to the protagonist of the stories she once fell asleep to.


    ¡°Hahaha! Who am I? I can hardly remember, to be honest. You know, time flies when you¡¯re dead. I haven¡¯t needed to use my name for a long time!¡± The ghostly figureughed with a bit of bitterness in his voice.


    ¡°Your excellency. Are you, perhaps, the cial Emperor?¡± Lin Zi Yan¡¯s crisp, sweet voice echoed in the hall.


    ¡°cial Emperor? Haha, no. I am not him, but one of his servants... Oh, Yea! Pu Yuan, that was how he called me three hundred something years ago; that¡¯s my name, Pu Yuan!¡± He seemed happy to remember his name again. After a few chuckles, he calmly looked at the group of cultivators who stood under him.


    ¡®The cial Emperor¡¯s servant?¡¯ Everyone was shocked. They were cultivators, and cultivators know when they are in the presence of powerful individuals. This old man¡¯s figure, his ghost to be more urate, was the strongest Qi disturbance they had ever felt, and he imed to be a mere servant?! They couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of power his master had.


    ¡°The cial Emperor left his legacy here in the cial Temple, and he set it up so nobody above the condensed prime Warrior level could enter. The aim is to have young talents enter thisbyrinth in the hopes that one of the youths are worthy enough to inherit his wisdom and wealth.¡± Pu Yuan rose his hoarse voice to make sure the message was clear, ¡°My spirit can be freed once I find someone worthy to inherit his legacy; therefore, I am pretty excited to see you lot actually, Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°The cial Emperor¡¯s legacy...¡±


    Hearing what Pu Yuan said, everyone became emotional and ecstatic. ¡®If the cial Emperor¡¯s servant are this strong even after his death, what kind of powerful treasures and martial secrets could the Emperor himself have left behind?¡¯ Lin Zi Yan was trying to keep her cool while Jin Yan was shaking in euphoria.


    ¡°However! I am not just going to hand it over to you. All of you will be tested! My master¡¯s legacy is to be earned, not given.¡± Pu Yuan¡¯s voice reflected his old age, but it was also apparent that he was in a good mood. ¡°Pay attention to this jade disc in front of you. Do you see the writings on its surface? It¡¯s one of the twelve chapters of ¡®Seventy-two Interster Secrets¡¯... Back then the Emperor was obsessed with the writing on this very disc, and although it is not aplete chapter, he was able to create an incredible mystic stance from the sparks of inspiration he got from reading these cultivating forms.¡±


    ¡°And from there he developed his fighting style, an arsenal of powerful stances. This was how he undisputedly became the strongest cultivator of his era...¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been in the outside world for a while now, but I¡¯d imagine all of you have heard stories about him...¡±


    ¡®This has to be just the tip of the iceberg...¡¯ Lin Zi Yan was shocked by what she was looking at. All the stories she had heard did not justify the scale of even a fraction of what the cial Emperor left behind.


    Pu Yuan continued, ¡°If the cial Emperor wanted worldly power, the Zhou dynasty would have ended long ago.¡±


    Everyone in the hall was a citizen of the Zhou dynasty. From history lessons and stories they had learned how many forces worked together, and how many armies had to fight to establish the dynasty¡¯s solid foundation. On one hand, they were shocked to hear that this legendary figure could have challenged the authority they had grown up respecting. On the other, they were convinced that just being in thisbyrinth was an eye opening experience. An experience that nted many new ideas and concepts about power, wealth, and runic stances.


    To everyone in the temple, who had been close to losing their lives while exploring the Bloodmistbyrinth, the Emperor¡¯s power and craftiness were too great to bepared to anything or anyone they knew. Therefore, they were in awe of this artifact in front of them which gave him power great enough to challenge the supreme authority of their time.


    ¡°Whether or not you can inherit the Emperor¡¯s legacy is up to you now!¡± Pu Yuan said calmly. ¡°You are looking at the test! If you can see what the Emperor saw between these lines and figure out just what kind of stance he acquired from this jade disc, you pass!¡±


    ¡°To figure out what the cial Emperor did back in the days?¡± After Pu Yuan revealed the subject of the test, everyone¡¯s burning hearts were swiftly frozen. To figure out some runic secrets, dreamed up by a person who was strong enough to challenge a whole nation, was definitely an impossible task.


    ¡°I know what you are thinking, but when the Emperor gained enlightenment on his stances from these texts, he was just a Warrior. At first, he only learned a Spirit stance from it, but this stance was refinable and after years of reinventing and perfecting, the stance became no weaker than a Sky stance.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t expect you to show me a Sky stance. If you can show me you¡¯ve figured out the basic structure of the Emperor¡¯s stance he invented from reading this disc, I will let you through to the next round!¡± Pu Yuan added as he squeezed out a gentle smile on his face in hopes that it would help to calm the crowd down.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Sky stance!?¡± Pu Yuan¡¯s words shook the crowd causing everyone¡¯s eyes to get even bigger.


    Sky stances were something only mentioned in legends. They were not mentioned even once in the history records of Zhou dynasty¡¯s thousand years reign.


    Legends about Sky stances are like the stories about the three sages, conceptional and unproven. While some say they don¡¯t exist, some cultivators firmly believe the Holy Conservatory existed and that people who reached that mythical realm do in fact have a chance to learn Sky stances.


    ¡°Go! What are you waiting for?¡± Pu Yuan waved his arm and the green and blue light pirs shone down and became numerous runic seats.


    ¡°You will only be able to clearly see the text on this jade disc while sitting on these, and keep in mind you only have three days. If I am not satisfied with your results, I will send you out of this realm.¡± After leaving this message, Pu Yuan disappeared into the light pir on top of the jade disc.


    After a brief moment of silence, the crowd blew up.


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t see anything meaningful on this jade disc at all! I don¡¯t believe anything that geezer said, Sky stances are something made up in stories, and in these stories, the stances are taught by sages in rainbow colored robes.¡±


    ¡°I have to admit, this cial Emperor character is very powerful, but really? A Sky stance? Come on, What¡¯s next? We¡¯re all actually in a dream right now?¡±


    ¡°Zi Yan, do you believe him?¡± Ye Wei heard the crowd¡¯s spection, but he needed help to digest all the information he had just been given.


    Ye Wei was not a believer, but then he thought about the Mystic Mount presence in his Sentient, and he started to realize that the stories he heard might actually be true. The sages, the mountain, at this point he felt like he was too opened minded to judge anything correctly.


    ¡°There is no harm in trying. If we can¡¯t get a Sky stance out of this then no harm, but if we get lucky, and all this is true, we might get a share of what the cial Emperor left behind!¡± Lin Zi Yan too didn¡¯t quite know what to believe; her frown was slowly disappearing as she tried to calm Ye Wei down and figured out herself that she should not be frustrated over a great chance to maybe strengthen herself.


    ¡°We only need to show him a part of what the disc says. The test might be easier than we all assume it to be.¡± She added.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right!¡± Ye Wei smiled and walked to one of the seats.


    After long heated conversations, most of the cultivators decided to give it a try. But three days is too short of a time for someone to learn a stance out of nowhere; realizing that there was so little time, they sat down as Pu Yuan instructed and started trying to decipher the disc in front of them.

 Chapter 94 – Supernova

    Chapter 94 ¨C Supernova


    The vast majority of cultivators weren¡¯t able to easilyprehend stances from texts; and the ideas, in this particr chapter of the ¡°Seventy-two Interster Secrets,¡± were intricate enough to inspire the cial Emperor to create an evolvable stance that could be upgraded to the Sky level. Thisplexity was the reason why a lot of these Warriors were positive that such a stance did not exist.


    Having said that,prehending stances was a much easier process than refining or creating a stance. However, for ordinary people understanding stances was still very difficult, but not for Runemasters ¨C for the people who specialized in runes it was obviously easier.


    Although Ye Wei was not yet a Runemaster, his soul sensitivity was very muchparable to one. With his knowledge and rune resonance on top of that, he could decipher things as well as a Runemaster could.


    While everyone was seated, hopelessly struggling, Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensitivity let him decipher at the speed of a trained Runemaster.


    ¡®Seventy-two interster secrets ¨C Dark Sky Chapter...¡¯ The moment Ye Wei deciphered some of the text a message from the jade disc resonated in his mind. The message exploded in his head, and numerous words and letters appeared before his eyes.


    This text was written in an extinctnguage, and Ye Wei did not recognize the shapes, but somehow he was able to understand what the message meant.


    ¡®Above the heavens, the stars rotate. The magnificence of the gxies nourish everything. The heavens can cover it but not contain it; the earth can contain it but not cover it. The universe can amodate it but not refute it knowing that everything has its ce and limitation... Heaven and earth turn and rotate as everything returns to the universe.¡¯


    As Ye Wei¡¯s mind was bombarded by ideas the ancient text bore, his face twitched. Despite this, he sat motionless on the seat seemingly calm, but there was a vague look of shock on his childish face.


    ¡®Heaven and earth turn and rotate... everything returns to the universe... This means no matter how many times the stars reassembled themselves, the universe is constantly evolving while the suns and stars never really change...¡¯


    ¡®If Pu Yuan was indeed not lying about how these lines inspired a stance, I can totally see how that stance would be repeatedly refinable and could transform into a Sky stance, or an even stronger stance¡¯ The concept wasplex to the extreme. From the telepathic message he was able to glean some insight into the text, and bit by bit, Ye Wei could slowly understand it.


    ¡®What does this name even mean? Supernova stance? By the looks of it, this stance¡¯s first incarnation is, as Pu Yuan said, a Spirit stance. Judging by the Qi flow described in the text, anyone below the condensed prime Warrior level could make the best use of this stance, and it makes the user¡¯s body three times stronger than normal for an hour!¡¯


    ¡®The second evolution of this stance seems to be the Myst level. The second stage works best on returned prime Warriors. It causes the user¡¯s body to be six times stronger than normal, but it will onlyst half as long as the first evolution.¡¯


    ¡®The third evolution of the Supernova stance is an Earth stance that strengthens the user¡¯s body nine times! Itsts for a good half hour, but god prime Warriors would not benefit from it. That¡¯s the end of the written examples, but it looks to me like this stance can get even stronger through training and refinement!¡¯ The text continued, but for now, Ye Wei was a bit too shocked to read anymore.


    Amplifying stances were rumored to only be avable to the Zhou dynasty¡¯s royal family, but he was pretty sure he was reading the form for one right now.


    Now a seven-star Student, Ye Wei finally could learn stances, and if he were able to master the Supernova stance then even just its first form would make him three times stronger. That was enough to challenge ten-star Students!


    When he does eventually be a ten-star Student, he would be able to challenge Warriors using this stance!


    With triple power amplification any cultivator would easily dominate others in their own cultivation level and maybe even beat people levels above within the hour of the stance¡¯s effect.


    Although the second and third evolution doesn¡¯tst as long, their six and nine times of amplification only made the stance¡¯s next stages even more terrifying.


    ¡®This is an iplete entry level of Supernova stance. If I could somehow evolve it into a Sky stance...¡¯


    Just thinking about the stance¡¯s possibilities, Ye Wei¡¯s heartbeat quickened. ¡®It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t exin what I¡¯ve understood, or else I would surely share this powerful stance with my family.¡¯


    ¡®If this one of twelve chapters then I can¡¯t imagine what kind of power the author of these volumes possessed! Nevermind that for now... the first incarnation should work well before I be a god¡¯s prime Warrior, which can take me decades to reach. For now, I should just worry about the task I¡¯ve been given.¡¯


    ¡®From what I can see, this Spirit stance is made up of one hundred and thirty-six runes. If I can figure out how to draw these runes, performing this stance should not be too hard.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s only a hundred and thirty-six runes, it seems easy enough!¡¯ Ye Wei was pretty confident in himself. When it came to almost everything he was modest, but when it came to runes, he was starting to befortable with the idea that he had quite goodprehension towards them.


    ¡®The first rune should be drawn like this. Okay, now the second...¡¯ After pondering, Ye Wei started to write the runes.


    ¡®That¡¯s number eighty-one!¡¯ In just moments, he depicted and memorized eight-one runes every single twist and turn.


    ¡®Humm... Number eighty-two is a bit moreplex!¡¯ He could feel the difficulty ramping up as he hit the eighty-first rune in the sequence.


    ¡®Okay, this is it. Now number eighty-three...¡¯Ye Wei¡¯s speed significantly slowed down, and the flow he had when he started deciphering them was also diminishing.


    ¡®Hundred and eight!¡¯ After six hours of hard work, he reached that number from the time he figured out the eighty-second rune. Ye Wei was far from satisfied with his speed.


    When he was refining Triple Tidal Palm, White Tiger¡¯s Assault, Triple Plunder Sword, and Driftwind steps he only needed to see the stance once before memorizing all the runes used, but this time he had to actually learn a lot of the runes. After six hours he felt like he understood less than when he started.


    In fact, learning one hundred and eight amplification runes was a monumental feat to begin with. If any Runemaster heard that Ye Wei was not satisfied with his speed, they would be coughing blood in anger.


    Like spatial runes and dimensional runes, amplification runes are also specialized runes. Ye Wei had yet to start learning about runes types with Master Yi. He had no way to know how hard deciphering texts such as this one was to others, not to mention the type of runes he was dealing with were extremely tricky.


    The Mystic Mount¡¯s presence in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient didn¡¯t just improve Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensitivity, but his cognitive abilities were also enhanced without him knowing. He should be thest person toin about a pace others could only dream of having.


    ¡®Twenty-eight more to go!¡¯ Although Ye Wei was talented, six hours of non-stop deciphering took its toll on his body. He felt a little dizzy, so he opened his eyes and took a few deep breaths before switching his attention back tost twenty-eightplex runes.


    ¡®Zi Yan, Jin Yan, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao are all talented individuals in their own right, I wonder how far they¡¯ve reached.¡¯ Sitting on the seat, Ye Wei tilted his head and nced at the others as he rubbed his temple to relieve the slight headache that was bothering him.


    ¡®Thesest runes are way moreplex than all the runes before them.¡¯ Ye Wei thought. After a small break, Ye Wei clenched his fist and became more determine, ¡®I¡¯vee this far, it¡¯s do or die now!¡¯


    Ye Wei closed his eyes again, and the text and runes reappeared in his mind.


    Thest straw indeed proved to be the hardest part; theplexity of the runes made deciphering quite time-consuming and exhausting. Eighteen hours flew past, and when Ye Wei opened his eyes again, there was a subtle grin on his pale face.


    ¡®That¡¯s it! All one hundred and thirty-six runes of the Supernova stance¡¯s first evolution are now in my head!¡¯ Ye Wei didn¡¯t expect that solving thest twenty-eight runes would take three times as long as solving the first hundred and eight!


    After understanding the Supernova stance, Ye Wei started to look into why the stance onlysted for an hour. He wanted to know why upgrading the stance would shorten its effects.


    ¡®Only one day has passed. What am I going to do with the two days remaining?¡¯ Ye Wei wondered as he looked around.


    ¡®Zi Yan is still deciphering, and I honestly have no idea when she will finish. I don¡¯t want to waste two days doing nothing... I might as well try to refine the stance.¡¯ Ye Wei pondered with his hand rubbing his chin. Seeing that Zi Yan was not done yet and how he had nobody to talk to, he turned back to the disc to read more about this interesting stance.


    When everyone else was still trying to finish deciphering the disc, Ye Wei had already started to refine it! He enjoyed the process of refining stances more than deciphering them. He found thetter nd and boring which was the exact opposite of what he thought of the refining process; improving and perfecting were extremely satisfying and interesting for him.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    As Ye Wei was about to start refining, the jade disc shot out a beam of blue light that enveloped himpletely. A human figure appeared at the other end of the beam.


    The figure was illuminated by ayer of one hundred and thirty-six green runes covering its body! The Supernova stance was apletely different kind of mystic stance, and therefore to perform them required a different technique!

 Chapter 95 – Results

    Chapter 95 ¨C Results


    In normal circumstances, cultivators charge their fingers with will-force, and use that as a pen, their Qi as ink to write runes in the air. After they finished writing the rune sequences, they would inject Qi into it, activating the stance.


    But with amplification stances, it¡¯s slightly different. The canvas would be the user¡¯s body instead of the air.


    ¡®If I want to refine this stance, I need to know its weaknesses!¡¯ Ye Wei thought as he focused on the human figure in the beam of light. He, deep in a thought, was mesmerized by the one hundred and thirty-six glowing green runes.


    The few hundred Warriors sat on their seats in the spacious hall. They were all so focused on the task at hand that they did not feel three days worth of time pass.


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    All the pirs in the hall illuminated once again. Beams of light crossed over therge jade disc, and Pu Yuan reappeared on top of the dazzling artifact.


    ¡°Time¡¯s up!¡± Pu Yuan looked down on everyone as his thick, hoarse voice sounded in their ears, shaking and waking them up.


    ¡°What! That¡¯s all?¡± Everyone opened their eyes. Some looked sad and disappointed, some felt insecure, and only very few of them looked confident.


    ¡°This Supernova stance... out of the hundred and thirty-six runes, I¡¯ve deciphered twelve in the three days. Thankfully Pu Yuan said we only needed to figure out the basics; I wonder if I did enough.¡±


    ¡°I deciphered fifteen!¡±


    ¡°What a shame... I only figured eighteen runes out...¡±


    The Warriors who had deciphered less than twenty runes knew their chances were slim, and their eyes were a little teary after they heard that their time was up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only understood four runes, I have a feeling that isn¡¯t good enough...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect myself to pass this test; these runes are just tooplicated. I couldn¡¯t decipher even one rune...¡±


    As for the people who couldn¡¯t decipher more than ten runes, their heads were down but they were a bit less frustrated as they knew not passing the test was more or less a certainty.


    Surrounded by low-spirited Warriors and not knowing how they were going to be assessed, Hong Xun and Xue Yao were also a little anxious. Both of them thought they did pretty well, but neither of them deciphered the whole stance.


    ¡°Hahaha! You guys think that was hard? It wasn¡¯t that bad!¡± Jin Yan looked around him only to see that everyone seemed down and frustrated which only fueled his confidence by miles. ¡®These untalentedmoners are wearing their ipetence all over their faces!¡¯


    ¡°Pfft, what are you so proud of? Maybe we did not do as well as you, but it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re going to pass the test either! Have you figured out the whole stance? Thought not! So shut up!¡± One of the morepetitive Warriors spoke up.


    Hong Xun didn¡¯t want to engage in a pointless argument, but he agreed with the point that the Warrior was trying to make. ¡®Jin Yan is really mouthy, isn¡¯t he? None of these hundred and thirty-six runes were normal ones, and even Runemasters might not be able to decipher the whole stance in three days... Even if he did decipher more runes than us, as Pu Yuan said, we only needed to figure out the basics to pass this test. I think he should still be on course to fail the final test.¡¯


    ¡°Ha! No, I haven¡¯t figured out the whole stance, but you are looking at a genius who deciphered eighty-one runes! If I fail then, none of you stand a chance!¡± Jin Yan said proudly and loudly as he was sure that he was first.


    ¡°Jin Yan deciphered how many runes!?¡± All the cultivators gasped for air as they learned of Jin Yan¡¯s achievement.


    Although nobody really got along with Jin Yan due to his pride and arrogance, they couldn¡¯t deny his strength and talent when it came to cultivation, his fame and his ranking in a major city.


    Lin Zi Yan was sitting next to Ye Wei, and her sculpted eyebrows twitched. She opened her beautiful purple eyes, and there was a sh of disappointment present.


    ¡°Argh, I can¡¯t finish this stance in the end.¡± Lin Zi Yan quivered disappointed in herself because she hated not achieving her goal.


    Unlike Jin Yan, Lin Zi Yan preferred keeping a low profile, and even if she did pretty well herself, she was far from satisfied as she did not finish learning such a rare stance. ¡®It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t understand all of it. I thought I would be able to get more out of this trip.¡¯


    ¡®Eh? Is Little Wei still trying?¡¯ Lin Zi Yan could see Ye Wei was still sitting peacefully by her side with his eyes closed.


    ¡®Little Wei¡¯s soul sensitivity is ridiculously strong. I still can¡¯t believe he achieved the best score possible in the tests Master Yi gave him! If there is anyone here who can figure out this stance, it is surely him!¡¯ Lin Zi Yan red straight at Ye Wei with a purple glitter in her eyes. While she was apetitive person, she wished Ye Wei would be able to learn this exquisite technique.


    Jin Yan¡¯s eyes fell on Lin Zi Yan. Not that he was ready to lose against anyone, but in his mind she was his onlypetition in this test and it actually wouldn¡¯t surprise him if she won.


    ¡°Present your results!¡± Pu Yuan looked around emotionlessly. Their emotions seemed to be fascinating for him.


    Pu Yuan then waved his arm to summon a runic light pir. ¡°Zoom!¡± A human figure appeared in the middle of the light beam, and on the figure¡¯s body there were one hundred and thirty-six dimly lit runes.


    ¡°ce your palm on this figure, the runes that you¡¯ve deciphered will light up on this figure¡¯s body.¡± Pu Yuan pointed towards the light pir and said.


    ¡°Mister, how many runes have to light up for us to pass?¡± Everyone was staring at the runic figure. One of the cultivators sighed and looked up at Pu Yuan to ask the question everyone wanted an answer for.


    ¡°If you pass, I will let you know!¡± The tone of Pu Yuan¡¯s hoarse voice revealed his excitement and expectation. He subconsciously looked at Ye Wei, partially interested as he didn¡¯t expect a Student to make it so far in thisbyrinth, but mainly attracted by Ye Wei¡¯s mysterious aura.


    ¡®I wonder there is anyone worthy in this group. Three hundred years of being alone was not as enjoyable as I told myself it would be...¡¯ Pu Yuan looked out over the cultivators as he thought. His eyes turned watery as the sense of being abandoned overwhelmed him.


    ¡°I will go first!¡± Jin Yan could not wait to show off as he rushed towards the pir of light. He carefully raised his hand then ced his palm on the figure.


    ¡°Buzz! Buzz!¡±


    As Jin Yan¡¯s palm touched the figure, a mysterious surge of energy entered his body and went into his Sentient. Moments after eighty-one of the runes on the figure¡¯s body lit up. Those were the eighty-one runes he had deciphered.


    ¡°Eighty-one? That¡®s not bad. Next!¡± Impressed by the result, Pu Yuan nodded radiating satisfaction. ¡®Eighty-one runes in three days? Give him enough time, and he can surely learn this stance.¡¯


    ¡°Three!? Next!¡±


    ¡°Next!¡±


    ¡°Next!¡± One by one, all the Warriors joined the queue and got their results. Jin Yan was leading by eighty-one while Hong Xun and Xue Yao made seventy-two and seventy-five runes light up respectively.


    By now, only Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan were the only two unassessed cultivators, and because they were both not too eager, they waited at the end of the line.


    ¡°Well... The eighty-first rune is a block. If you can decipher eighty-one runes in three days, then you have a chance to learn the whole stance. But for anyone who learned less, if you can¡¯t understand the Qi flow in the eighty-first runes in this amount of time, I¡¯m afraid you probably don¡¯t have minds bright enough to master this stance even if you tried for your whole life.¡± Pu Yuan said solemnly.


    Hearing Pu Yuan¡¯s words, Jin Yan¡¯s eyes shed, but on the contrary, Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the rest looked depressed by his words.


    Knowing that he needed to go up and get assessed soon, Ye Wei opened his eyes from trying to refine the stance.


    Seeing one after another scoring so low, Ye Wei was surprised. He didn¡¯t really find the process that difficult. He did find theter runes harder and moreplicated, but he was able to use the earlier easier runes as a temte to decipher the harder ones. ¡®Why is everyone doing so bad? We had three days!¡¯


    If Jin Yan knew what Ye Wei was thinking right now, he would probably be coughing blood. He gave his best efforts just to get stuck a bit more than halfway through.


    Pu Yuan smiled and spoke, ¡°Considering the level of talent, you lot actually did pretty well. Back in the days when the cial Emperor was deciphering this stance, he figured out one hundred and eight runes in three days with his extraordinary talents in understanding cultivation and runes. It was half a year after that when he mastered the Supernova stance!¡±


    ¡°This mystic stance was the Emperor¡¯s foundation. He built his arsenal of stances from it, and if it wasn¡¯t for this stance he wouldn¡¯t have been half as strong as he was!¡± Pu Yuan was not even looking at the cultivators at this point; he was feeling nostalgic therefore he unconsciously closed his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, even the Emperor himself only deciphered one hundred and eight runes in three days!¡± Jin Yan was feeling even more confident after hearing what Pu Yuan told everyone about the past.


    ¡°Like the eighty-first rune, rune one hundred and eight is also a block, and if you can understand the tricky Qi flow in these two runes quickly, you will have a much greater chance of sessfully learning this stance¡± Pu Yuan continued.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    Pu Yuan¡¯s eyes fell on Lin Zi Yan and Ye Wei and thought, ¡®It¡¯s that Student kid! Oh wait, we only have two cultivators left? I don¡¯t really like the cocky boy who deciphered eight-one runes, but I guess he is the best chance for my spirit to be set free.¡¯

 Chapter 96 – Second

    Chapter 96 ¨C Second


    ¡°The next best results were Hong Xun¡¯s seventy-two and Xue Yao¡¯s seventy-five. As confirmed by Pu Yuan, the eighty-first rune was a key-point. It did take me a day to get past it, but the fact that I did proved that I am on another level. If anyone should pass the test, it¡¯s definitely going to be me!¡± Jin Yan pulled his shoulders back and stood tall; it was very hard for him to stay calm in this situation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what family you¡¯re from my result speaks for itself!¡± Jin Yan¡¯s gaze made it obvious his message was directed to Lin Zi Yan. ¡®The reason why I can decipher eighty-one runes in three days is because I have the talent to be a Runemaster. My master told me in a year or two I should be able to take the Runemaster entry exam!¡¯


    The fact that Jin Yan had the talent to be a Runemaster was a secret between him and his mysterious master. Even the Jin family was kept in the dark this whole time.


    ¡°Little Wei, how do you think you did?¡± Lin Zi Yan whispered in Ye Wei¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Heh, not bad, butdies first!¡± Ye Wei smiled confidently and shrugged.


    ¡°Ok!¡± Lin Zi Yan nodded and walked into the beam of light gracefully towards the figure.


    ¡®It¡¯s that girl!¡¯ The cultivators¡¯ eyes started to gather on Lin Zi Yan. Both her desirable strength and beauty caught quite a lot of attention earlier, and everyone was curious about how she did.


    ¡°Even Mo Ya couldn¡¯t keep this girl under control! I think she¡¯s actually stronger than Jin Yan!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d much rather this girl inherit the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy than Jin Yan.¡± Nobody really liked Jin Yan, and seeing that no one else could match Jin Yan¡¯s astonishing results, they all started to root for the girl with purple hair.


    Jin Yan too, couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Lin Zi Yan. She was the only person in the hall who he felt threatened by. He didn¡¯t see Ye Wei as anything more than an annoying Student who got lucky in this treasure filledbyrinth.


    Lin Zi Yan remained calm, and she didn¡¯t lose her cool even though everyone was looking and talking about her. She took a few light steps and raised her slender arm as she arrived in front of the figure.


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    After a brief moment of silence, the runes on the figure started lighting up one by one at her touch.


    ¡°One hundred and eight!¡±


    Everyone was staring at the green lights on the figure feeling startled.


    ¡°One hundred and eight runes! That¡¯s ridiculous! That¡¯s way better than what Jin Yan did!¡± The news was hard to swallow and after the initial shock, everyone turned their heads to Jin Yan whose face ashened. They thought what Jin Yan disyed was pretty hard to match, but apparently not so if you were Lin Zi Yan.


    ¡°Oh my god... one hundred and eight? Back in the day, the cial Emperor did the same in three days!¡±


    ¡°Could this girl be as talented as the cial Emperor was?¡±


    The way each of the cultivators looked at Lin Zi Yan was slightly different; there was envy, jealousy, fear, but there was a sense of reverence in everyone¡¯s eyes. They couldn¡¯t help but ask themselves, ¡®Will I live to see the rise of a legend?¡¯.


    ¡°How is this possible?!¡± Stunned with disbelief, Jin Yan widened his eyes. He couldn¡¯t take them off the runic figure bathed in bright light.


    ¡®I have the talent to be a Runemaster, and I only deciphered eighty-one runes!¡¯


    Jin Yan, out of all the cultivators in the hall, was one of the people who knew how theplexity of the runes in Supernova stance only gets worse past the eighty-first rune. He struggled to believe that Lin Zi Yan could decipher as many as one hundred and eight runes.


    Pu Yuan¡¯s gaze fell upon Lin Zi Yan. He was excited at her talent that matched histe master¡¯s. His cloudy eyes cleared up and shone brightly.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad. You¡¯ve passed the test!¡± Pu Yuan announced full of praise. He didn¡¯t think that after just three hundred years he would meet someone with so much potential.


    The assessment was not yet over, but Pu Yuan was too excited to contain himself. Jin Yan took that as an insult because the remark Pu Yuan gave him was not as good.


    ¡°Next!¡± Pu Yuan looked at Ye Wei and said.


    Ye Wei was thest in line!


    ¡°It¡¯s that boy¡¯s turn!¡± As Pu Yuan¡¯s voice sounded, all eyes were set on Ye Wei.


    All of the cultivators saw what Ye Wei could do with runes, but they did not expect his result to exceed Lin Zi Yan¡¯s hundred and eight runes. Despite this, they certainly hoped he would do better than Jin Yan.


    Ye Wei slowly got up and calmly walked towards the testing dummy under everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Pfft, what can a mere Student do apart from making a fool of himself!¡± Jin Yan grunted coldly. Although Ye Wei was able to fight him a while back, he had been relying on scrolls, ¡®You need real strength and talent to decipher these runes!¡¯


    Ye Wei was the only Student in this group of Warriors, and in Jin Yan¡¯s eyes, he was just a rich brat who was showing off his scrolls, not a person worthy to be considered aspetition.


    While everyone was caught in their own desires and thoughts about the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy, Ye Wei was already standing in front of the figure rolling up his sleeves. He slowly extended his arm and ced his hand on it.


    The second Ye Wei ced his hand on the figure, a surge of energy rushed through his body into his Sentient.


    ¡°Buzz! Buzz!¡±


    An outburst of rich blue runic light emptied everyone¡¯s mind. Their eyes immediately narrowed, and although they were curious to see how Ye Wei did, it was impossible for them to tell how many runes lit up while they were half blind.


    When everyone blinked hysterically and tried to clear their vision, a loud rumble sounded and echoed in the hall. The disturbance died down, and the blinding light shrunk forming a halo on top of the figure¡¯s head.


    ¡°They are all lit up!¡± The bright light finally weakened, and everyone could see clearly that every single one of the hundred and thirty-six runes on the figure¡¯s body was lit. All the cultivators minds stopped, they couldn¡¯t think. After a few moments, they rubbed their eyes in disbelief and counted the runes again.


    ¡°There is no mistake... One hundred and thirty-six runes?!!¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s not possible. Something is not right. How can all of them be lit? Even a qualified Runemaster could not be able to decipher this many special runes in just three days!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a student, howe he can do what even I failed to do...¡± Jin Yan widened his eyes while staring at the figure. Agitated by the blue light, his eyes were stuck on these runes while his face turned bright red and his veins started bulging.


    Everyone wondered if they were dreaming.


    Seeing the scene, Lin Zi Yan¡¯s expressive eyes lit up, ¡®His soul sensitivity can match Runemasters, and he has a supreme level of rune consonance in the end. Why did I even doubt him! Haha!¡¯


    ¡®One day you will stand on the top of the world...¡¯ She looked at Ye Wei and gave him her best wishes.


    ¡°This boy has learned the Supernova stance...¡± Pu Yuan have met many powerful characters throughout his life and even after his life, but even he was moved. ¡®It only took him three days... Master, it¡¯s a shame you¡¯re not alive to see this boy.¡¯


    ¡°Kid, what¡¯s your nam...¡± When he was about to asked Ye Wei, something caught his attention and caused him to narrow his eyes.


    Everyone followed Pu Yuan¡¯s eyes. They could see that Ye Wei¡¯s hand remained on the figure even though he had already shown he deciphered all one hundred and thirty-six runes.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were tightly shut, and his eyes twitched as he injected his will-force into the figure. His energy was like arge hand inside it, twisting and adjusting the runic array within!


    The Qi flow in the figure was being altered as Ye Wei swapped the runes around, and the halo on top of its head brightened again. This time, it was a turquoise hue, and the bright light kept intensifying until it eventually enveloped both Ye Wei and the figure.


    Another rumbling noise sounded, and the space above the figure darkened. Sparks of primal energy arranged themselves like star constetions and a couple of those sparks whizzed through the air like shooting stars.


    The awe-inspiring micro universe captured the cultivators¡¯ attention. They felt naked as they were confronted by the mysterious cosmos.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Everyone raised their heads in shock.


    Ye Wei slowly opened his eyes and pulled his hand away from the figure. ¡°Finally!¡± Ye Wei was satisfied by the constetions and the two halos now floating over the figure.


    Nobody could imagine that it only took Ye Wei one day to decipher the whole stance and that during the second and third day he was actually refining the Supernova stance. He had been stuck, but that was no longer the case after he was inspired by the residual Qi and will-force of the cultivators inside the figure.

 Chapter 97 – First Round Elimination

    Chapter 97 ¨C First Round Elimination


    In the evening of the third day, with a little help from the other cultivators, Ye Wei was able to refine and transform the Supernova stance into its evolved state.


    After Ye Wei¡¯s alteration, the number of runes in the figure reached three hundred and fifteen. Ye Wei was able to add one hundred and seventy-nine runes to the Supernova stance. The extra runes were recycled from the original one hundred and thirty-six, otherwise, it would have taken much longer for Ye Wei to figure out the second evolution of the cial Emperor¡¯s pride and joy.


    After refining the stance, Ye Wei gained a great understanding of the runic system. He realized that if he wished to continue refining Supernova stance, he would need to create new runes from scratch.


    Creating runes was conventionally only done by Grand Runemasters and was something Ye Wei or even Master Yi were not capable of doing yet.


    ¡°Three hundred and fifteen runes!?! This is unmistakably the second evolution of Supernova stance!¡± Pu Yuan¡¯s eyes widened, and he stared right at Ye Wei¡¯s childish face.


    Centuries ago the cial Emperor spent three days deciphering one hundred and eight runes then hit a wall. He then took a break and spent time reading countless books and manuals before he could finish deciphering the Supernova stance. After that, it took him three years of using the stance inbat and testing it before he gained enough understanding to refine the stance to its second evolution.


    ¡®Three days... It took him three days...¡¯ Pu Yuan was struggling to find words to describe how he felt from the sea of expressions he had learned throughout centuries of his existence.


    Apanied by a thundering noise, a while pir of light descended from the sky and enveloped Ye Wei.


    A massive influx of energy surged into Ye Wei¡¯s body through his pores filling his body and rushing towards his dantian. His body shook from the heavenly energy he was receiving. Ye Wei felt a sacred presence from the other end of the white pir of energy.


    Ye Wei looked up, and he was able to see a dazzling structure far up in the sky. ¡®Where does the cosmic energy reallye from?¡¯ He wondered.


    Restored by the cosmic energy, Ye Wei¡¯s skin became crystal clear as all his impure energy was expelled from his body. His muscles were strengthened and his skin became tougher while his bones became denser.


    He felt his soul being purified which gave him a transcendent sensation. It was rumored that cosmic energy increased a cultivators chance of defeating their inner demons when they cultivate and eventually hit their ten-star barrier.


    Ye Wei hurried and guided the energy into his meridians, purifying it and guiding it to his dantian. The cosmic energy was then diluted and stored as Qi. Its purity was beyondpare with any other kind of energy.


    There were only a few Students who were capable of refining stances in the history of cultivation and Ye Wei was one of the youngest on that list.


    For a Student, the after effects of being purified by cosmic energy was as much as taking hundreds of Silver Moon pills. The energy surge was seemingly never ending, and it pushed Ye Wei¡¯s dantian and meridians to their limits.


    As his body strengthened and his Sentient and dantian erged, the cosmic energy transformed Ye Wei into an eight-star Student.


    But even the diluted energy was quickly stored inside his dantian. Energy from the heavens did not stop flooding into his body, and he was continuously bing stronger even after the breakthrough.


    ¡®Nine-star!¡¯ Ye Wei could feel that he broke through again. But even after that, cosmic energy just kept pouring down. Not all the energy was taken in by Ye Wei, as he was not strong enough to absorb it efficiently, some of it spread out onto Lin Zi Yan, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao who stood close by.


    ¡®This amount of cosmic energy is incredible. It can¡¯t bepared with the time when he refined the Triple Tidal Palm with me.¡¯ Lin Zi Yan was shocked as her body was bombarded by the energy overflowing from Ye Wei.


    ¡®This stance was created and refined before little Wei was even born. How could he trigger the cosmic energy if that was the case?¡¯ Lin Zi Yan started to consider the possibilities but couldn¡¯t quite nail down what caused this phenomenon to ur. ¡®Could this be...¡¯


    At this moment, Ye Wei was absorbing the cosmic energy like a whale swallowing water. He continuously took in the energy and filtered it until it was pure enough to be stored in his body. Eventually, all his meridians were filled to the brim with Qi, and his dantian was not able to take in any more so instead his meridians widened to contain this vast surge of energy. The expansion of his meridians pushed his body to breakthrough again.


    His body kept bing stronger and stronger until finally, the surge started to slow down right before his body was on the verge of bing a Warrior. In the end, Ye Wei hadn¡¯t trained much after his recent breakthroughs, and he was too weak. He wasted too much of the cosmic energy to breakthrough again.


    The immense energy shook Ye Wei¡¯s footing and knocked him down to the floor. He climbed back up and sat in the lotus position. He could feel his body was changed and that now he was very close to bing a Warrior. Surprisingly, he couldn¡¯t feel any side effects from breaking through so quickly; he didn¡¯t feel fatigued nor did he feel nauseous.


    Thinking back, Ye Wei remembered he could vaguely see a bit of movement towards the other end of the light pir. ¡®What is on the other side? What is the source of this energy...¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but pause and question what he saw.


    But knowing that he had more important things to deal with, Ye Wei quickly dismissed his thought and continued focusing on consolidating what he just gained to avoid wasting the energy further. In the end, it was a rare urrence for one to be purified by cosmic energy.


    If Ye Wei were to receive cosmic energy again, it would be very possible for him to breakthrough to the Warrior rank! He clenched his fist tightly. For him learning the Supernova stance purged his fear of not being able to use stances. ¡®Looks like I will be able to cultivate quicker than others now that I can use and refine stances!¡¯


    ¡®But to be able to refine a stance first I will have to understand it fully just like I did with the Supernova stance.¡¯


    Seeing that Ye Wei was able to refine the stance and received cosmic energy, Pu Yuanughed while saying, ¡°The Supernova stance is a very special stance; not only is it evolvable, it¡¯s also customizable so to speak. The evolved stages of this stance are different for each user, and strictly speaking, you are actually creating a new stance every time you refine it. Therefore it is entirely possible that you will receive cosmic energy every time the stance is refined.¡± Pu Yuan exined.


    ¡®I wonder if this boy¡¯s Supernova stance will be as strong as master¡¯s... Either way, I guess I can say that I did not waste three hundred years now that I met this kid!!¡¯ Pu Yuan stared at Ye Wei as his eyes were heating up. ¡®He is definitely the most qualified person here to be master¡¯s sessor. I am d someone this talented showed up after all these unworthy people came and failed...¡¯


    ¡®However...¡¯ Pu Yuan exhaled slowly and calmed his excitement. He frowned as he remembered what was written on his master¡¯s will.


    ¡°Master said whoever deciphered eighty-one runes would be qualified to take the next test!¡± Pu Yuan looked at Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan, and Jin Yan. But he frowned and felt uneasy, if he did not swear to follow his master¡¯s will, he would have directly chosen Ye Wei as the only candidate to inherit the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy.


    ¡°As stated from his will, whoever deciphers more than eighty-one runes of the Supernova stance shall inherit everything, and in the case where there is more than one person who meets the requirement, a second test shall be held...¡± Pu Yuan announced.


    ¡°What are your names?¡± He pointed at the cultivators who qualified and asked.


    ¡°Jin Yan!¡±


    ¡°Mister Pu Yuan, my name is Lin Zi Yan.¡±


    ¡°I am Ye Wei.¡±


    ¡®All three of them passed the test, but this Ye Wei is by far the best suited to be the temple¡¯s next master.¡¯ Pu Yuan sighed. In his opinion, although Lin Zi Yan and Jin Yan did pretty well on the test they were not even close to Ye Wei¡¯s level.


    ¡®But I have to follow master¡¯s will to the letter!¡¯


    ¡°The test is over. All three of you have passed.¡± Pu Yuan waved his hand, and three pirs of blue light fell onto Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan, and Jin Yan.


    ¡°What, that¡¯s it? Only three of us passed?¡± Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the others felt deted as they looked at the chosen three, but on the other hand, they understood the distance between them and the trio was quite vast.


    The cial Emperor was a legend. Literally, everyone in the room wanted to inherit his legacy. This was a once in a lifetime chance, and most of the cultivators were feeling pretty down because they had failed.


    ¡°Congrats!¡± After a few sighs and sobs, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao overcame the negative emotions. They were d that at least there was still a chance that Jin Yan would be eliminated, so they walked up to Ye Wei and Lin Zi Yan and shook their hands.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ye Wei answered smilingly.


    Just after Ye Wei showed his gratitude, some of the Warriors were starting to disappear. They were teleported out of thebyrinth by Pu Yuan.


    In mere moments, there were only about thirty Warriors left in the temple. Xue Yao and Hong Xun were confused, so they looked at each other, ¡®Huh? Why haven¡¯t we been teleported out?¡¯


    ¡°Little ones!¡± Pu Yuan¡¯s hoarse voice sounded.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Hearing his voice, everyone raised their heads and looked towards him.


    ¡°Although the rest of you did not pass the test, suffice it to say, you guys are talented enough to have deciphered a respectable portion of the Supernova stance!¡± Pu Yuan smiled as he ryed the good news. ¡°Back in the day, master had eight close servants including myself. We are his disciples, and all seven of myrades made their names famous in different corners of the continent while I was left behind to guard this temple!¡±


    ¡°I can not let you inherit the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy, but to reward your efforts I would like you to meet his other disciples and see if you can learn something from my old friends¡¯ descendants!¡± Pu Yuan waved his arm and seven jade amulets appeared out of thin air as they quietly levitated above the Warriors¡¯ heads.


    ¡°There is a runic teleport array inside each of these amulets. Activating them will transfer you to the owners of the other halves of these amulets.


    ¡°The legacy of the Emperor¡¯s disciples!?¡± The Warriors looked at the amulets and the fire in their eyes was relit.


    ¡®Of course, it would be nice to inherit what the emperor left for the world, but from what I can see the emperor¡¯s servants are stronger than their titles sound. I can definitely learn something that will make me someone strong!¡¯

 Chapter 98 – Breakthrough

    Chapter 98 ¨C Breakthrough


    While everyone¡¯s eyes were set on the levitating amulets, there was a dimensional disturbance in the temple and a human figure appeared in the middle of the hall.


    The intruder wore a blue robe and carried an ancient sword behind his back. He exuded avish vibe, and he brought with him a great Qi disturbance.


    As he appeared in the hall, everyone could feel his fearsome presence that quickened the Warriors¡¯ heartbeats and made their bodies shiver.


    It was none but Mo Ya!


    The pressure he gave off now was a few times stronger than when he fought Lin Zi Yan!


    ¡°Condensed prime Warrior!¡± Everyone was shocked by Mo Ya¡¯s unexpected appearance. They gasped for air, and their eyes were filled with respect. They all thought Mo Ya had left thebyrinth. Not only did they not expect to see Mo Ya, but they also couldn¡¯t believe that he had broken through to be a condensed prime Warrior.


    Lin Zi Yan frowned slightly. She knew for a fact that Mo Ya would soon breakthrough with the help of the pill, but it was quite surprising that he did it in just three days.


    ¡°Mo Ya!¡±


    Jin Yan¡¯s face changed when he looked at Mo Ya whose presence was now a few times stronger than himself.


    ¡°This guy broke through and became a condensed prime Warrior!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s frown tightened. Before Mo Ya broke through he could stand fearlessly in front of Mo Ya while relying on his scrolls but now...


    Facing a condensed prime Warrior who was carrying a three-star medium-grade mystic arm, Ye Wei no longer stood a chance even with all the scrolls in his possession.


    In the end, the stances in his scrolls only contained low-level Myst stances!


    ¡°Mister, would you be the cial Emperor or perhaps the guardian of this temple? I would like to know about the Emperor¡¯s legacy.¡± Mo Ya stood up straight ignoring everyone¡¯s stares and res. He greeted Pu Yuan and asked politely.


    Mo Ya kind of regretted his decision. He felt like he had missed out on something as he could feel that everyone in the hall had grown a little stronger, especially Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao.


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s direct, what a shame that master said only cultivators below the condensed prime level could be a candidate topete for what he left behind.¡± Pu Yuan red at Mo Ya and shook his head.


    ¡®Humm... the Bloodmist stance should have kept anyone above the condensed prime level out of thebyrinth, this kid must have advanced to the condensed prime level inside the premises!¡¯


    ¡°How about his eight disciples? Did they leave something behind too? Correct me if I am wrong... Or seven shall I say?¡± Mo Ya¡¯s cunning eyes were set on Pu Yuan for a moment and then he switched his focus to the seven floating amulets.


    ¡°You are looking at them.¡± Pu Yuan answered lightly.


    ¡°Thank you mister!¡±


    Mo Ya bowed to Pu Yuan. ¡®If I can¡¯t get what the emperor left behind, I will at least be able to inherit his disciples¡¯ skills and treasures!¡¯


    Mo Ya threw his sleeve out and created an invisible Qi cyclone that flew right towards the amulets. He wanted all seven of them!


    ¡°Stop!¡± A few of the cultivators shouted angrily, ¡®You didn¡¯t even take part in the test! I don¡¯t care how strong you are; you can¡¯t just shamelessly walk in and do whatever you want!¡¯


    ¡°Mister, these are not a part of what the emperor left behind, right?¡± Mo Ya stared at the Warriors who stood between him and the amulets. ¡°Are there rules about fighting in this temple?¡± He asked politely then switched his attention to Lin Zi Yan, Ye Wei, and Jin Yan who were shrouded in blue pirs of light.


    ¡°No, they are not, and no master did not make any rules about fighting...¡± Pu Yuan gasped. ¡®Maybe I¡¯ve said too much.¡¯ He frowned and looked down at Mo Ya. ¡®This cheeky kid...¡¯


    ¡°No rules against fighting, huh?¡¯ Mo Ya¡¯s lips curled to a wicked angle as he slowly walked towards Jin Yan.


    ¡°I alway thought highly of Burning Gold!¡± Mo Ya stood right in front of Jin Yan asked with a smile on his face as he stared at the spear.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Jin Yan looked at Mo Ya with fear in his eyes while he clenched tightly onto the spear in his hand.


    ¡°Do you like your spear or life more?¡± Mo Ya smiled cruelly again and asked in a yful tone.


    Mo Ya¡¯s action stunned everyone. They couldn¡¯t believe Mo Ya was after Jin Yan¡¯s medium-grade mystic arm.


    ¡°Funny, I n on keeping both!¡± Jin Yan¡¯s pupil dted and he chuckled, ¡°Do you have the guts to do it Mo Ya? Just because you¡¯re a condensed prime Warrior doesn¡¯t mean you can just do whatever you want!¡±


    Jin Yan didn¡¯t think Mo Ya would actually fight him. The Jin family was as powerful as the Mo¡¯s. If Mo Ya started a fight, it really would trigger a war between the families that had good rtionship for decades.


    Mo Ya would very possibly get punished by breaking the peace!


    ¡°Haha, if we were outside then no; you are your daddy¡¯s boy! He would do anything to kill me if he knew I did something to you, but you are aware where we are now, right? What is going to happen here will forever be a secret if I want it to be!¡± Mo Ya couldn¡¯t stopughing. Everyone could tell he thirsted for blood from his tone and how he nced around.


    ¡°I obviously couldn¡¯t leave any witnesses behind!¡± Mo Ya stared at Lin Zi Yan, Ye Wei, and then at the rest of the Warriors. His cold voice sounded again, ¡°So I¡¯m afraid none of you can get out of here alive. If I don¡¯t get what the emperor left behind, no one will! There are plenty other Mo¡¯s I can send here after I go home with all your treasures!¡±


    As Mo Ya¡¯s voice echoed through the temple everyone¡¯s faces became pale, and their bodies tightened. All eyes were looking at him cautiously.


    ¡°Ha! Mo Ya, stop being so reckless. I¡¯ve passed the test to be the emperor¡¯s sessor! I don¡¯t think Pu Yuan will let you touch a hair on our heads!¡± Jin Yan¡¯s eyes twitched as he looked towards the spectral guardian.


    Nobody in the temple wanted to fight because they were no match for Mo Ya, not together and certainly not alone. Theirst hope was that Pu Yuan would intervene!


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s your problem, not mine.¡± Pu Yuan shook his head and said coldly.


    After hearing what Pu Yuan¡¯s words, Jin Yan¡¯s face darkened.


    ¡°Hahaha! That is some wishful thinking!¡± Mo Yaughed hysterically and said, ¡°Where is your dad now?!¡±


    Mo Ya raised his head and looked at Pu Yuan. With the sensitivity of a condensed prime Warrior he was the only one who noticed the absence of Pu Yuan¡¯s own Qi. Which made it safe for him to assume that this enormous spectral guardian could only act ording to the cial Emperor¡¯s orders. This meant that if he didn¡¯t break any rules, there was absolutely nothing Pu Yuan could do to him.


    Pu Yuan sighed, showing deep resentment in his eyes.


    ¡°Then we will just have to rely on ourselves!¡± Ye Wei quickly took out his medium-grade scrolls and tried toe up with a countermeasure.


    ¡°Mo Ya, you have just broken through! I don¡¯t think you should be this cocky!¡± Jin Yan shouted then pointed his spear at Mo Ya.


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes turned bright purple, and her body flooded with power that was hidden in her blood. In mere moments, she became as powerful as a peak ten-star Warrior.


    She then took a step forward to stand beside Ye Wei.


    Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the other Warriors stared at Mo Ya with determination in their eyes then unwillingly stepped closer to Jin Yan. They knew what they had to do to survive.


    ¡°Tzzze!¡±


    The sound of a torn scroll and the glow of mystic arms filled the temple. It wasn¡¯t long before runes and stances were flying towards Mo Ya.


    Nobody held anything back; they wanted to finish the fight before anyone got hurt by Mo Ya.


    The stances created strong currents in the sealed hall. Robes were flowing in the air and hair became messy as the air inside the temple raged intensely.


    ¡°Get him!¡± Jin Yan grunted as his dense Qi went from his dantian into his spear thus activating the stance inside.


    ¡°Septet Incinerating Strikes!¡± His spear shone brightly as the low-level Myst stance burst forth.


    Jin Yan thrust his spear forward and seven golden Qi spears closely followed, each aimed at the spots of Mo Ya¡¯s body.


    ¡®Purple Lotus Finger Strike!¡¯ Lin Zi Yan groaned and put all her strength into her right hand. Her purple hair flowed in the air as she approached Mo Ya. A violet runic me appeared around her hand and turned into a lotus shape.


    The runic flower carried a fearsome presence!


    Lin ZI Yan then flicked her finger, and the runic lotus became a sh, quickly flowing towards Mo Ya.


    ¡°Green Lotus Sword Dance!¡±


    ¡°Golden Bell!¡±


    Xue Yao and Hong Xun used their best stances and the petal des and spinning runic bell followed Lin Zi Yan¡¯s lotus¡¯ path towards the newly broken through condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡°Darkmoon Tiger Strike!¡±


    ¡°Raging Bull Palm!¡±


    ¡°Raining Swords!¡±


    Over thirty Warriors used their scrolls and arms in hopes that it would neutralize Mo Ya.


    ¡°Do you really think this child¡¯s y can stop me? Who do you think I am? Let me show you what I can do now.¡± Mo Yaughed hysterically. His vision was blocked by bright runic light, but he just looked at the stances with a disdainful gaze; his eyes twitched then his body absorbed the surrounding primal energy.


    The roar of a dragon sounded in the temple as Mo Ya¡¯s sword was no longer on his back but in his hand. He did not need to move much to activate his stance. A mountain-like enormous green sword appeared in the air and crashed down towards the Warriors.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The green sword destroyed everything in its path. All the stances it touched turned to dust, and although there were more than thirty Warriors, Mo Ya proved to be stronger than anyone imagined.


    Although Mo Ya had just broke through, his foundation was stronger than most Warriors, so even without much training and learning how to handle his newfound power, he was able to take full advantage of it. With a three-star medium-grade mystic arm in his hand, his sword strike was no weaker than a mid-level Myst stance!

 Chapter 99 – Stars

    Chapter 99 ¨C Stars


    It didn¡¯t take long before most of the Warriors¡¯ stances were destroyed and turned into a small mist of scattered primal energy.


    Only Xue Yao¡¯s lotus swords, Hong Xun¡¯s golden bell, Jin Yan¡¯s spear, and Lin Zi Yan¡¯s purple lotus were still intact to contend with the enormous green sword. ¡°What a joke!¡± Mo Ya sneered disdainfully while looking at what was left of the coordinated attack as heughed arrogantly behind his Qi sword.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    Mo Ya grunted, and the Qi sword started vibrating. Beams of green light burst out as their pressure wave spread to fill the hall.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    First, the green ripples connected to Xue Yao¡¯s stance, and all of the petal swords shook then shattered with an intense cracking noise.


    Shorty after, Mo Ya¡¯s stance crashed onto the spinning bell and Jin Yan¡¯s spear simultaneously. Both shattered immediately upon contact. Only moments after, Mo Ya struck Lin Zi Yan¡¯s stance; the only thing between the Warriors and a violent death.


    If Lin Zi Yan¡¯s lotus broke now, the Qi sword would be on course to slice every cultivator in the temple.


    ¡°D*mn it!¡± Ye Wei ground his teeth as he tore two medium-grade scrolls in a row, but the weakened, ordinary low-level Myst stances did nothing to Mo Ya¡¯s fierce sword.


    Lin Zi Yan¡¯s front teeth tightly clenched into her lip as she channeled more of her Qi to sustain the purple lotus which was showing signs of fracturing under the impact of Mo Ya¡¯s incredibly powerful strike.


    The force of Mo Ya¡¯s sword seemed never ending. The pulsating pressure waves repeatedly impacted Lin Zi Yan¡¯s lotus stance, and the recoil force was making her paler by the second as a thin trail of blood flowed down her mouth.


    Although Lin Zi Yan¡¯s bloodline meant her Qi was as dense and powerful as if she were a ten-star Warrior, her two-star Warrior body had no way to keep up with Mo Ya¡¯s newfound power. In a prolonged fight, her body couldn¡¯t hold up to the body strength of a condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡°Little Wei, run!¡± Lin Zi Yan used her voice transmission technique to warn Ye Wei in the noisy hall.


    Ye Wei shook his head. When everyone used their scrolls and arms, he already took out the iron talisman as his backup n. It had been absorbing a lot of residual Qi as all the stances were shattered by the might of Mo Ya¡¯s attack; unfortunately, only thirty-seven grooves on the talisman were currently lit up. It was not even halfway ready to be used again.


    ¡®Hang in there; it shouldn¡¯t take much longer!¡¯


    It was none of Mo Ya¡¯s concern that everyone wanted more time; that they wanted to live longer. They were only souls to be crushed in his eyes, and his Qi sword kept crashing down mercilessly.


    ¡®Hey, kid!¡¯


    A hoarse voice echoed inside Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    ¡®Mister is that you?! Can you help us?¡¯ Ye Wei raised his head to see Pu Yuan was winking at him in the blue light, so he replied.


    ¡®I am just a spectral guardian,¡¯ Pu Yuan shook his head reluctantly at Ye Wei and directly sent the message into Ye Wei¡¯s mind. ¡®I can only act upon someone who has broken the rules my masterid down when he put the seal on my soul...¡¯


    ¡®However,¡¯ Pu Yuan paused for a second. ¡®I can¡¯t do much to him but you can!¡¯¡¯ His calm voice sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s mind again.


    ¡®Me?¡¯ Ye Wei looked back and frowned.


    ¡®Little man, I want you to remember the power you felt from the revolving cosmos!¡¯ Pu Yuan¡¯s words echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    Ye Wei was puzzled. ¡®Huh? I only just deciphered the Supernova stance, and I am just a ten-star Student right now. Even if I managed to use it perfectly, it would be no stronger than a low-level Myst stance... That¡¯s not going to do much to Mo Ya!¡¯


    While Ye Wei was still confused by Pu Yuan¡¯s cryptic message, the illuminating figure moved. It turned into a sh and flew towards Ye Wei so quick that it couldn¡¯t be seen by the human eye.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Before Ye Wei even noticed, the shining figure invaded his body.


    ¡®What is this feeling...¡¯ All he felt was a dense surge of energy throughout his entire body.


    Ye Wei lowered his head and looked at his clenched fists in disbelief. He could tell that the energy inside him was slowly evolving, and there was shock and excitement in his widened eyes.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    Lin Zi Yan was exhausted. Her Qi was quickly draining, and she could no longer hold her stance together. With a loud rumble, the purple flower was split into two by the green sword¡¯s sharp edge.


    ¡°Brumm!¡±


    As the purple lotus was torn, there was nothing now between the Warriors and the sword but empty space, as the unstoppable crushing force approached them mercilessly.


    Lin Zi Yan stood in front of everyone else to push her stance forwards towards Mo Ya, and now she would be the first to be hit by Autumn Grace¡¯s power because of her positioning.


    Mo Ya¡¯s Qi sword brought with it a whirlwind causing Lin Zi Yan¡¯s robe to flutter and her hair to scatter in the breeze. She sighed as her life shed before her eyes.


    Her parents, her family, her childhood... She could remember all the tiny details of her life. Of how her mother used to braid her hair... Ye Wei also appeared in her mind. How the shy boy brainlessly entered her training room, how they held hands and took a walk towards the setting sun at South Star Academy. She was happy that he was one of thest things she thought about.


    ¡°Get behind me! I will not let him touch a hair on your head while I am still breathing.¡± A familiar voice sounded in her ears as she gently turned her head to see that Ye Wei¡¯s determined eyes were only a few inches away from hers.


    Ye Wei grabbed Lin Yan¡¯s waist and dragged her behind him right before the sword was going tond on her head.


    ¡®Power of the cosmos...¡¯


    Primal energy condensed into neb shapes around Ye Wei¡¯s body, and the Qi within him was arranging into constetion patterns as the surge of energy began to rotate and flow. His meridians continuouslypressed then expanded his Qi forming it into a raw explosive energy only found from the birth of stars.


    After merging with the figure, Ye Wei¡¯s body was strengthened, and the power of his Supernova stance overflowed as he threw his fist towards therge Qi sword.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The moment Ye Wei¡¯s fist hit the sword a thundering rumble filled the hall and two visible, conical waves of recoiling force exploded from the point of impact.


    Everyone raised their heads and turned from Lin Zi Yan to the source of the explosion. They were shocked to see Ye Wei¡¯s silhouette blocking what they thought would end their lives.


    The Qi sword was over thirty meters long, yet Ye Wei, with his average build, was standing under it, somehow holding it firmly. It seemed that the sharp edge was not able to cut through.


    ¡°How, How is this possible?!¡± Jin Yan couldn¡¯t quite figure out how a mere Student could hold Mo Ya¡¯s sword in ce. He knew he couldn¡¯t take on Mo Ya alone even before the breakthrough.


    ¡°This is...¡± Hong Xun, Xue You, and the rest of the Warriors widened their eyes and looked at Ye Wei with shock.


    None of them could understand how Ye Wei overcame the cultivation deficit between them to go against this green sword everyone feared.


    ¡°Little Wei!¡± Lin Zi Yan was stunned. She noticed Ye Wei was fighting without a scroll in his hand, which even if he did would take more than a medium-grade scroll to fight Mo Ya.


    ¡°What is this madness?¡± Mo Ya frowned. He never thought Ye Wei, the boy who he didn¡¯t even notice before today could so easily make his first fight as a condensed prime Warrior difficult.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    The green de suddenly emitted a cracking sound seemingly caused by Ye Wei¡¯s fist, as the cloud of Qi around it thickened and formed a shape of neb-like clouds.


    Under the pressure the green sword started breaking, and from the middle of Ye Wei¡¯s fist numerous fractures ran along the de to the pommel and to the sword tip, then suddenly it shattered with a deafening sound.


    Seeing the Qi sword shattered, Ye We quickly rushed towards Mo Ya leaving a blur in the air after disappearing.


    ¡°How is this possible?!¡± Mo Ya¡¯sughing face froze with unconcealed shock. He thought Ye Wei had used a scroll or a mystic arm to temporarily stop his stance but was not so sure now.


    ¡°You deserve death!¡±


    Ye Wei reappeared in front of Mo Ya in a sh. ¡®You disgusting, treacherous waste of a human life!¡¯ Ye Wei said while coldly staring into Mo Ya¡¯s shocked eyes.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Mo Ya stared at Ye Wei in disbelief. Before he could finish his sentence, a blinding blue light in the shape of a fist appeared in front of him. He immediately lifted his sword to his chest with the reflex and speed of a condensed prime Warrior; he attempted to defend himself against the fist¡¯s deadly momentum.


    Ye Wei¡¯s fist left a trail in the air like a shooting star, and it created a bell-like sound as itnded on the sword. The fearsome force crashed right through Mo Ya sending him flying like a stringless kite towards the jade disc.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    A rusty sweet taste filled Mo Ya¡¯s mouth as he realized it with his own blood.


    ¡°That is an incredibly powerful stance...¡± Mo Ya thought while looking at Ye Wei with iprehensible surprise and horror. ¡®How can a Student possess such power?!¡¯


    ¡®Is this the power of Supernova stance¡¯s amplifying effect!?¡± Ye Wei looked down at his hands in shock; he could not believe how heavy his tiny fist hit.


    After Ye Wei was granted the figure¡¯s energy from Pu Yuan, his strength could match a peak ten-star Warrior, and with the Supernova stance his strength tripled!


    With that kind of power, it was not a surprise that he could knock Mo Ya down even through his sword!


    ¡®I had the strength to strike down a condensed prime Warrior from just the basic form of the Supernova stance...¡¯ Ye Wei started to understand what Pu Yuan meant.


    ¡®So this is the power of the cosmos... Now let me try the second evolution of this stance.¡¯ Ye Wei narrowed his eyes and redistributed his will-force to three hundred and fifteen different ces around his body. He was enjoying the feeling of powerful energy slowly flowing through his veins..


    As Ye Wei changed the runic array in his body, the constetion patterns rotated, expanded, and brightened and two halos appeared over the top of his head emitting a fierce pressure wave.

 Chapter 100 – Karma Tower

    Chapter 100 ¨C Karma Tower


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The moment the halos appeared, Ye Wei¡¯s robe fluttered and a heart-stopping energy wave burst forth from of his body.


    Impacted by his energy the air around Ye Wei rippled. Green and blue rings of pressure waves appeared and expanded outwards. He calmly stood at the center, seeming unfazed by the changes. From a distance Ye Wei looked like a godly figure; he looked as if there was no one in the world who could stop him.


    The temple was suddenly filled with a soulshaking sense of terror. The aggressive Qi was not directed to anyone specific, but still all the cultivators, including Jin Yan who was a peak level ten-star Warrior, began to shiver as their faces turned as pale as the moon.


    ¡°How can this kid be so powerful...¡± Jin Yan mumbled as he looked at Ye Wei with fear. Thest time he had felt this kind of power was when his grandfather got mad and killed a group of thieves who tried to empty their family vault in the dark of the night.


    Jin Yan¡¯s grandfather was one of the three elders of the Jin family, a six-star condensed prime Warrior!


    ¡°I think I understand...¡± Lin Zi Yan mumbled while looking at the halos on Ye Wei¡¯s head. She could sense the Qi flow inside Ye Wei, which caused her to raise her head and look at Pu Yuan who was shrouded in a pir of light.


    ¡®Pu Yuan knew little Wei had refined the Supernova stance so he gave him the power of a Warrior! With such amplification effect it was not really a surprise that little Wei was able to fight against Mo Ya.¡¯


    Lin Zi Yan then thought about how Ye Wei selflessly jumped in front of her and the words he said still lingered in her heart.


    ¡°No, this is not possible!¡± Mo Ya never imagined that the power of a six-star condensed prime Warrior woulde out of a Student¡¯s body. He panicked and quickly sketched the rune sequence in the air of his best stance hoping to finish off Ye Wei once and for all.


    Ye Wei moved, and before Mo Ya could react, his fists alreadynded. With the force of the stars and suns Ye Wei¡¯s punches rained down on Mo Ya.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    A blood-chilling noise of shattering echoed in the temple. In mere seconds over three hundred punches broke every bone in Mo Ya¡¯s body and tore through his organs.


    Ye Wei delivered another strike, and this time his punchnded on Mo Ya¡¯s dantian shattering it.


    Mo Ya¡¯s body was shot out and heavily smacked against the jade disc. Silence descended on the hall when Ye Wei pulled back his fist which pinned Mo Ya against the disc, and his body slid down slowly leaving a long trail of blood on the artifact¡¯s surface.


    Everyone in the hall was staring at Mo Ya who wasying on the floor like a dead dog, and they all held their breath. None of them could believe just how strong Ye Wei had be all of a sudden!


    ¡®What did he use now?!¡¯


    Mo Ya was in need of immediate medical attention without which he would surely die, but nobody in the temple sympathized with him. After all if it wasn¡¯t for Ye Wei, Mo Ya would have killed them all. Having been hit by attacks like that, Mo Ya cultivation waspletely destroyed, and there was little chance that he could rebuild the strength of his body even if he did survive.


    ¡°You can let him die, but not in here. This is a sacred ce, and there has already been enough bloodshed.¡± Pu Yuan started ordering the cultivators to move Mo Ya¡¯s body out of the temple. He then turned to look at Ye Wei. ¡®That was a close one; it was disrespectful to master that this boy with the sword tried to kill others in here. Can we call it karma that he fell to master¡¯s stance? Haha...¡¯


    Moments after the fight, Pu Yuan retrieved the illuminating figure from Ye Wei, and the Supernova stance¡¯s effect fell off while the cultivators were cleaning up the temple.


    After experiencing the amplifying effects, Ye Wei gained a great understanding of the Supernova stance, and he couldn¡¯t wait to train again. ¡®Once I be a Warrior I will be as strong as cousin Zhong when I use this stance!¡¯


    ¡°As I stated earlier, you three have deciphered eighty-one runes or more, I will decide who is going to inherit master¡¯s legacy after you¡¯ve taken the second test!¡± Pu Yuan pointed at Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan, and Jin Yan.


    Lin Zi Yan nced at Ye Wei. She was not really concerned with whether or not she would pass the test. Once she reached the condensed prime Warrior level her family had many forms and stances ready for her. Although they might not be as powerful as what the emperor left behind she would be able to choose a cultivating path that suited her the best with consultation from the elders of her family. On the other hand, Ye Wei didn¡¯t have ess to powerful cultivating paths so this was a very good opportunity.


    The main reason Lin Zi Yan wanted to continue with the test was to help Ye Wei ovee the challenges and at the least be there to support him mentally.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the other side!¡± Pu Yuan waved his arm causing all three participants of the second test to disappeared from the temple hall.


    ¡°As for you lot,¡± He spoke while looking at Hong Xun, Xue Yao, and the other Warriors. ¡°I wish you the best of luck with the seven disciples¡¯ legacy. Sadly, I can not do much more at this point.¡±


    Pu Yuan¡¯s voice echoed throughout the hall. He then red at the amulets before his figure faded.


    ¡°What is this ce?¡±


    Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan, and Jin Yan reappeared in a formless empty realm. They were surrounded by darkness and none of them could see a thing.


    ¡°Soul Prison!¡± Pu Yuan answered as his figure appeared in the darkness and slowly walked towards the trio. The green and blue hue around him brightened the realm and starlight burst forth under his feet with every step he took.


    By the time Pu Yuan reached them the dark realm was already lit by starlight. All three of them felt like they were floating in a miniature star system.


    ¡®Soul Prison?¡¯ Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan, and Jin Yan all frowned staring at Pu Yuan, visibly confused.


    ¡°And there is where the next test will be held!¡±


    Pu Yuan pointed at one of the bright stars far away. The twinkling stars in the void suddenly brightened up and there was an invisible force pulling them close to each other. The conglomerations merged together and formed an ancient tower right before the confused trio¡¯s eyes.


    The tower was three stories tall. It¡¯s facade was covered with glittering stars that were held together by billions of flowing runes.


    ¡®This is the Karma Tower,¡¯ Pu Yuan gazed upon the starry tower from a distance as his voice sounded in the trio¡¯s heads.


    ¡°There are inner demons locked in this tower. There are three stories in total. Master sealed demons in each story whose power increases each time you advance higher and higher. Their levels are respectively low-level, mid-level, and high-level demons.¡±


    ¡°How does one trap inner demons?¡± Ye Wei, Lin Zi Yan, and Jin Yan were shocked to hear Pu Yuan¡¯s introduction, and they all stared at the tower with awe.


    It¡¯s was a known fact that the minds of cultivators would be invaded by inner demons. More precisely, low-level inner demons when Students breakthrough to be Warriors; mid-level inner demons when Warriors breakthrough to be condensed prime Warriors, andstly high-level inner demons when condensed prime Warriors breakthrough to be returned-prime Warriors.


    If a cultivator can¡¯t deal with their inner demons, they will never sessfully ovee a major breakthrough.


    Inner demons are something one cannot touch or see. None of the three knew these illusive demons could be captured.


    ¡°In this world, nothing is impossible. If one is strong enough, one can achieve anything. Although master did not exactly seal them there with his strength, but...¡±


    ¡°Building this tower was not without its cost. Master had to sacrifice something he held dear, but I guess he thought the possibility to nurture the younger generation meant more to him.¡± Pu Yuan said while gazing sadly past the trio seemingly looking into the past.


    After a moment, he regained his senses and said, ¡°You all know that if one falls to their inner demons during a major breakthrough, it will take more than two years for their bodies to recover?¡± Pu Yuan continued. ¡°But if you¡¯re in the Karma tower, the runic array will teleport you out if it can sense that your meridians are under extreme stress.¡±


    ¡°Wha...¡±


    Jin Yan gasped as Pu Yuan¡¯s words made him realize the value of this tower; his eyes burned intensely as he stared at it. He had been a peak ten-star Warrior for more than six months now and his body was ready to breakthrough but his mind wasn¡¯t. He was afraid that he would be crushed by his inner demons.


    If that happened, Jin Yan wouldn¡¯t be a condensed prime Warrior for at least two years.


    But inside this tower he could fight his demons without any fear of hurting his cultivation base if he failed. With this experience, It would make the actual breakthrough much easier.


    ¡°You two. Since you are both Warriors and you have fought low-level inner demons in the past, you will be ced in the second story!¡±


    ¡°All I can tell you is that, the longer youst in the tower, the more likely I will pick you to be the sessor. There is no downside to this, and this experience you gain will make your next major breakthrough easier!¡± Pu Yuan looked the two Warriors in the eye and said sincerely.


    ¡°As for him. he is just a Student. His test will take ce on the first story.¡± Pu Yuan said while looking at Ye Wei.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it! Do your best! Ah, and good luck!¡± Pu Yuan smiled at all three of them and his eyes stopped on Ye Wei¡¯s tiny body, ¡®He only used three days to evolve the Supernova stance. I certainly hope his mind is as strong as it is smart.¡¯


    ¡®This boy might even be stronger than master when he learns master¡¯s secrets.¡¯ Although Pu Yuan had high hopes for Ye Wei and actually wanted him to be cial Emperor¡¯s sessor, he would still follow the rules and let the test¡¯s result decide the inheritor.


    ¡®Little Wei, this will be a rough ride, but it will all be fine if you don¡¯t lose yourself.¡¯ Lin Zi Yan used the voice transmission technique to advise Ye Wei.


    ¡®Yeah!¡¯ Ye Wei nodded and looked up, time froze as their sights crossed


    ¡°I hope you are ready!¡± Pu Yuan smiled to the trio and waved his arm. Three pirs of light covered them and they simultaneously teleported into the tower.


    Ye Wei appeared on the first story of the tower as countless runes in the chamber came alive and flowed around him.

 Chapter 101 – Second Chamber

    Chapter 101 ¨C Second Chamber


    ¡°Wooosh!¡±


    A cold wind tickled Ye Wei¡¯s cheek as he carefully looked around but it was useless as inner demons couldn¡¯t be seen, touched, or even sensed.


    But Ye Wei knew that it was close by.


    Ye Wei was not yet a Warrior; therefore, he had note across inner demons before. He had absolutely no idea how to defeat them or how to defend against them. He had no experience at all.


    Ye Wei could only cautiously stay on guard.


    ¡°Argghhhh!¡±


    While Ye Wei was carefully waiting for something to happen, an unbearable, soul shaking pain struck him.


    This pain was not physical; this was a wound to the soul! There was a limit to physical pain. It stopped worsening when one¡¯s body turned numb. But this kind of pain of one¡¯s soul was far worse. It seemed as if there would be no end!


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyeballs seemed to almost pop out, and blood vessels around his face were almost bursting. His face waspletely red, and the muscles unconsciously twisted and twitched; his handsome face became a hideous mask.


    The veins on his forehead and neck were strained, and some of his capiries had already burst causing his forehead and face to be covered in blood. He looked as scary as a devil.


    ¡°No! Hold on. I have to hold on!¡± Ye Wei tightly ground his teeth as his consciousness started to be blurry.


    At this moment what Lin Zi Yan said earlier echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s mind. ¡®Little Wei, this will be a rough ride, but it will all be fine if you don¡¯t lose yourself!¡¯


    ¡®Yeah, I can¡¯t lose myself!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes shone with determination and stubbornness. He was aware that if he gave in he would spiral out of control and would never get out of this abyss of pain.


    Ye Wei guessed that inner demons would be scary, but never could he have imagined them to be this fearsome. They struck without warning. There was no way to defend against it, and there was no escape. One could only take it as ites.


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!!¡±


    The fearsome, agonizing pain was like a tide hitting Ye Wei¡¯s consciousness over and over again. A tide that sought to drown Ye Wei¡¯s consciousness, but Ye Wei ground his teeth not losing himself.


    Two hours, four hours, six hours!


    These six hours felt much longer than three years for Ye Wei.


    ¡®No matter how much pain my body and soul is feeling, I just can¡¯t give up! With my heart, I shall master the way of the universe; with my heart, I will calm my mind. I will cultivate my mind and control my heart with my mind!¡¯ Everything he learned continuously flowed into Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient, and in the Sentient a golden light twinkled like starlight.


    The distractions his mind generated from the pain faded, and now Ye Wei felt euphoric; he felt how his soul was purified, refined.


    In the end, Ye Wei was still young, and he hadn¡¯t experienced too much; therefore, his mind was rtively purepared to adults. This made it easier for Ye Wei to defend against his inner demons.


    The pain weakened and eventually faded into nothingness.


    ¡°It¡¯s finally over!¡± When the pain disappeared, Ye Wei¡¯s soul shook. He felt utterly exhausted, and he fell to the floor sitting down.


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    Right as he sat down an explosive noise sounded through the entire realm he was in, and a white pir of light suddenly fell from the sky onto Ye Wei.


    A surge of thick, dense energy with an awe-inspiring presence rushed into his body. The energy flowed around him nourishing everything. Ye Wei¡¯s muscles, bones, and organs strengthened at an extremely fearsome speed as his body transformed!


    Seated on the ground, Ye Wei lookedpletely dumbfounded, and shortly after a glint of surprise shed through his eyes.


    Before stepping into the first floor of the Karma Tower, Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation was already at the peak ten-star Student level, and he was qualified to attempt a breakthrough in every way.


    Now that Ye Wei had sessfully defended himself against the inner demons¡¯ invasion, and because his cultivation level was sufficient, his body started transforming.


    When the strength of Ye Wei¡¯s body was at its limit, the vast cosmic energy rushed into his dantian crazily expanding its space.


    ¡°Warrior level!¡± Ye Wei could feel his cultivational breakthrough, and the power of the next level brought him delight.


    When Ye Wei became a seven-star Student, his dantian was as big as nine-star students¡¯ dantian. After he refined the Supernova stance and brought it to the second evolution, cosmic energy descended and Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation shot up to the ten-star Student level making his dantian even bigger than it had been.


    At this point, Ye Wei¡¯s dantian was already at a Student¡¯s limit almost as big as a Warrior¡¯s.


    And now that Ye Wei had reached the Warrior level, after being purified by cosmic energy, the size of his dantian multiplied again.


    After just moments, Ye Wei¡¯s dantian doubled in size.


    When cultivators breakthrough to the Warrior level their dantians would double in size. Because Ye Wei¡¯s foundation was too good, his dantian was now three times bigger than a normal one-star Warrior¡¯s; it was almost as big as three-star Warrior¡¯s dantian.


    The bigger a cultivator¡¯s dantian was, the more Qi it could hold and the more powerful their stances would be.


    Zoom, zoom, zoom!


    Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient started expanding after his dantian erged. His Sentient was as strong as a Warrior¡¯s after absorbing the Blood Devourer crystals¡¯ energy, and after the breakthrough, his Sentient had the strength of a three-star Warrior!


    Ye Wei now had the ability to fight a three-star Warrior, if it was only a short fight! Sadly, the strength of his body was not enough to contest a three-star Warrior, and apart from the amplification Supernova stance, Ye Wei did not know any other stances, and the one stance he knew he used it with help from Pu Yuan.


    Body strength was not enough to decide the winner when the cultivators reached the Warrior level. A fight between two of the same level would be about how skillfully they used their stances.


    ¡°So this is the Warrior level?¡± Ye Wei slowly stood up. His eyes were shining brightly, and he slightly clenched his fist. He could feel how much his body had grown. He could feel arge amount of Qi rushing through his body. He knew that he was now multiple times stronger than he had ever been before.


    ¡®After I stepped inside this Bloodmist Labyrinth, I¡¯ve been very lucky. All of these experiences improved my cultivation by miles. When I get out of here, I have to learn and study all the stances I can get my hands on.¡¯ Ye Wei thought as he looked forward to sharing the good news with his friends and family.


    Not long after his breakthrough, a greenish blue light enveloped Ye Wei, and he could feel the dimension he was in distorting. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing on the second story of the Karma Tower.


    The first story of the Karma Tower was build for Students, and now that he had be a Warrior the runes in the tower teleported him to the second story.


    Ye Wei stayed on the first level of the tower for more than six hours, and when he was teleported to the second story Jin Yan and Lin Zi Yan were long gone. They had been teleported out of the tower while Ye Wei was breaking through.


    Jin Yan stayed on the second story for four hours until he couldn¡¯t hold out any longer.


    Lin Zi Yansted a bit longer than Jin Yan, but she had also stayed there for four hours. In the end, she was only a two-star Warrior, and it was a bit of a reach to ovee mid-level inner demons with her cultivation level; however, although she did not ovee the challenge she learned a valuable lesson. With this experience, she should not have as much trouble while breaking through like other cultivators would.


    ***


    ¡®It¡¯s been six hours...¡¯ In the darkness, Jin Yan was gazing straight at the twinkling tower and frowned.


    He had been the first to be teleported out of the tower. There was no way he would obtain the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy, and he felt lost after getting so close. It was understandable how down and angry he felt, but with this experience, he was confident he would be a condensed prime Warrior on his next attempt to breakthrough.


    Lin Zi Yan was the second person to be teleported out of the tower. As of now, Ye Wei was the only person left in the tower, and there was no doubt that he would be the cial Emperor¡¯s sessor!


    During the first test, not only did Ye Wei deciphered the basic Supernova stance, but he was also able to refine it into its second evolution!


    And in the second test, he was the contestant whosted the longest.


    ¡®That kid was sent to the first story of the tower to fight low-level inner demons, in what way is that impressive? He just has to endure some pain! When I was a Student, I defended myself against low-level demons without any problem!¡¯ Even though Ye Wei had stayed in the tower for longer than he did, Jin Yan was still not able to admit defeat.


    ¡®Before entering the tower little Wei¡¯s cultivation was already at the ten-star Student level, he should be ready to breakthrough to be a Warrior. Now that six hours have passed, he should have already defeated his inner demons to be a Warrior...¡¯ Lin Zi Yan thought while looking at the tower from a distance. Her eyes were soft, and she felt happy for Ye Wei from the bottom of her heart.


    ¡°The boy has just entered the second story!¡± Pu Yuan certainly did not expect this development causing him to narrow his eyes while he stared at the middle of the tower.


    ¡°What? That kid is on the second level?!¡± Jin Yan¡¯s voice broke, ¡°He is just a Student, how is it possible for him to enter the second floor?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, if he defended himself against the low-level inner demons, he can of course advance to the second floor!¡± Pu Yuan stated calmly while watching the tower from afar. Ye Wei had surprised him greatly.


    ¡®There is a lot of luck and help involved, but little Wei is getting stronger very quickly. He is now a Warrior, and if he keeps advancing like this he should be able to catch up with those people...¡¯ Lin Zi Yan pondered in her heart as she looked in the tower¡¯s direction but her focus was far beyond.


    ¡°Mid-level inner demons are nothing to be joked about. The more experience little Wei can obtain now, the easier he will breakthrough to the condense prime Warrior level when that dayes. I wonder how long he canst.¡± Lin Zi Yan mumbled as she nervously paced around.


    ¡°A mere Student won¡¯t be able to do much on the second floor; he will be kicked out in no time!¡± Jin Yan grunted angrily. His eyes were narrowed as he spoke to himself with an envious tone. ¡®I came so bloody close!¡¯


    ¡®He used three days to decipher the Supernova stance and refined it in the process; now he went through a major breakthrough in the Karma Tower... Master, I wish you were here to see this!¡¯ Thought Pu Yuan.


    Pu Yuan, Lin Zi Yan, and Jin Yan stared into the darkness. All were slightly anxious to see how Ye Wei would do for different reasons.


    Ye Wei appeared right in the middle of arge chamber on the tower¡¯s second story. The runes in this chamber were far moreplex than the ones below it, and they came alive the second Ye Wei¡¯s feet touched the floor.


    ¡®The mid-level demons on the second story ispletely different to what¡¯s on the first floor,¡¯ Pu Yuan chuckled, he was happy that he could hand Ye Wei what his master left behind and was excited to see what kind of future this young genius would forge.

 Chapter 102 – Temptation

    Chapter 102 ¨C Temptation


    ¡®Bring it on!¡¯ Ye Wei stood steadily in the hall, determination shone in his eyes. Having experienced it once, Ye Wei was not as nervous as when he first encountered his inner demons six hours ago.


    Ye Wei learned that they had no shape, no shadow, can¡¯t be touched, and can¡¯t be felt. ¡®Rather than being submissive and anxious, I should just be open to it!¡¯


    ¡°Bang!¡± A gust of cold wind howled through the chamber rushing in like a rising tide. Ye Wei¡¯s body shook, and his vision faded as his consciousness blurred.


    A beautiful girl¡¯s face appeared in front of Ye Wei. She was wearing a semi-transparent chiffon robe, and her big watery eyes were looking straight at him, ¡°Mister!¡± The beautiful voice of this sensual figure woke him.


    The stunning youngdy looked at Ye Wei with an alluring, soul capturing gaze as she gracefully walked towards him. She brushed her corbone with her slender hand, and her chiffon robe started to slide down her shoulder. She had her arms across her chest covering the bottom half of her perky breasts. Her radiant skin made her sultry disy that much more alluring.


    ¡°Mister, I feel really hot!¡± The youngdy said while not taking her charming eyes off Ye Wei. She lifted her hand and ced a finger on her lip. She chuckled and licked her fingertip with her perfect tongue, then she ran her wet finger down her neck and flicked the robe off her other shoulder.


    Her seductive body was now bare in front of Ye Wei, and her look was as if she was gazing right through his soul.


    She wrapped her hand around his neck, moved her head closer, ¡°Mister do you not like me?¡± She panted through her cherry lips.


    The youngdy¡¯s facial features were exquisite, and her appearance greatly resembled Lin Zi Yan in quite a lot of ways.


    However, she was more forward and seductive. No man could resist her charm. At his age, Ye Wei was currently going through puberty, and it was nearly impossible for him to think straight because of what he was seeing.


    Feeling the touch of her soft, wet fingertips on his neck, Ye Wei slowly lost control of himself and his eyes quickly started roaming around.


    All of a sudden something shed through Ye Wei¡¯s mind which caused his body to shake and cleared his mind a little.


    ¡®With my heart, I shall master the way of the universe; with my heart, I will calm my mind. I will cultivate my mind and control my heart with my mind!¡¯ Ye Wei repeated the ancient teachings in his head. What small bit of sanity told him that everything was just an illusion; that the girl in front of him was a demon.


    Inner demons were not actually from within one¡¯s body, but they had the ability to weaken their preys¡¯ minds by manipting their thoughts. The one he was facing now was able to identify Lin Zi Yan as Ye Wei¡¯s weak spot when it invaded his mind.


    Ye Wei clearly understood that if he were to lose his mind here, the test would be over.


    He ground his teeth and channeled his Qi to protect himself.


    Of course, when Ye Wei¡¯s tried to push the girl away, he was surprised to notice his Qi was absorbed when she touched him.


    Inner demons are formless!


    ¡°Mister, I really like you!¡± The girl¡¯s arm softened and locked down on Ye Wei¡¯s upper body like a snake, and with him held firmly she drew closer. She put her soft body against Ye Wei¡¯s chest, and his breathing turned heavy. He could smell the girl¡¯s heavenly fragrance.


    No attack was going to work; Ye Wei could not fight back. He only had a small bit of reason left in his mind to hold on to, a small voice in his head that constantly told him that everything was not real. That everything he was seeing and feeling was illusory.


    Even though Ye Wei knew she was the inner demon, he couldn¡¯t control himself. His breathing became heavy as he felt the girl¡¯s hand grabbing him tighter and tighter.


    If this went on, Ye Wei¡¯s mind would overload. Even though he was in the Karma Tower, and if he did lose hisst shred of rationality and gave in then the runic arrays would save him. But Ye Wei was stubborn and did not want to give up. ¡®This experience will be very valuable in the long run. It is an excellent opportunity to train my mind for when I have to go through a major breakthrough again. Then it will be much easier...¡¯


    ¡®Control my heart with my mind...¡¯


    Ye Wei ground his teeth and tried to keep conscious the best he could to suppress his impulses and many impure thoughts. Chances to train one¡¯s mind like this were too rare, he had to take advantage of it now.


    But as stubborn as Ye Wei was, his eyes were bing cloudier. He was on the verge of breaking down.


    ¡®The most fearsome enemy in this world... is myself!¡¯


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    Inside Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient runes shone golden as the Mystic Mount¡¯s presence appeared. Needless to say, inner demons are fundamentally evil; therefore, the girl was stunned by the unexpected surge of energy.


    ¡®She is sugar coated poison and is not real!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s mind cleared up, and he opened his eyes. There was a golden glow in his pupils which helped rece the feelings of intoxication in his mind.


    ¡®Evil is born from one¡¯s heart. It is just a concept; if one¡¯s mind is calm as a mirror, evil will cease to exist!¡¯ Teachings of the monks echoed and shielded Ye Wei¡¯s mind from the inner demon¡¯s seduction. He pushed the girl away and sat down in the lotus position like a meditating monk as he radiated a golden aura.


    The sacred words kept ringing in Ye Wei¡¯s head, and the demon¡¯s voice quieted down when his mind became calm, but when he was distracted it would turn as loud as thunder.


    ¡°Am I not good enough for you mister? I have a few sisters if you insist I will bring them here so we can please you...¡± The youngdy was leaning over Ye Wei while she bit his earlobe and whispered alluringly in his ear.


    ¡°Mister!¡±


    ¡°Mister!¡±


    Hot bodied, pure and graceful, petite... Seven other girls appeared out of nowhere, and they called out to Ye Wei in moaning voices as they ran over to him.


    The kind of beauty these eight girls possessed was extremely rare. A man would be hard pressed to find just one, but now there were seven more in front of Ye Wei.


    They surrounded Ye Wei, and engaged themselves in an intimate merrymaking session, but Ye Wei was not moved. The presence in his mind shielded him from any distractions.


    Two hours, four hours... Seven hours had passed! The eight girls tortured Ye Wei incessantly with their appearance, but he was protected by a grand presence, and the girls could not make him give in to his desires.


    ¡®I see! All of us are descendants of the sages in one way or another. We all have the potential to ovee the evil intents in our minds, and that¡¯s the mindset each of us needs before we can make mankind great again...¡¯ Ye Wei thought as he slowly opened his eyes. Seven hours of mental torture had pushed him deeper into his own mind and caused him to think more than he ever had before. Now his soul was as clear as a diamond, and his eyes were no longer cloudy.


    There was nothing for the demon to take hold of and use, Ye Wei¡¯s mind at that moment was imprable.


    ¡°Pop! Pop! Pop!¡±


    All eight girls disappeared like exploding bubbles.


    Ye Wei saw and was positively surprised that he had defeated the inner demon, but he stayed cautious in case there were any challenges left.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The runes on the chamber walls flowed and rotated, and a beam of blue light was cast upon Ye Wei. The tower¡¯s teleportation array activated once again, moving Ye Wei to the tower¡¯s top story.


    ***


    ¡®On the third story was the high-level demon master captured when he was breaking through to be a condensed prime Warrior.¡¯ Pu Yuan was just curious, but Jin Yan and Lin Zi Yan were getting restless. They couldn¡¯t stop pacing around and looking towards the tower.


    ¡°Are you certain that he will be teleported out if it bes too dangerous?¡± Lin Zi Yan frowned and asked full of worry wondering why Ye Wei had been in the tower for so long.


    It¡¯s been seven hours since she heard Pu Yuan report Ye Wei¡¯s progress, and she was aware what mid-level inner demons could do to a cultivator¡¯s mind. ¡®Maybe he just became a Warrior, but it takes much more than strength to deal with inner demons...¡¯


    ¡°It has been over three hundred years since the cial Emperor built this tower, are you sure its runic arrays are working correctly?¡± Jin Yan narrowed his eyes while he looked at Pu Yuan.


    ¡®I am a peak ten-star Warrior, and I was only able to stay on the second floor for two hours, Ye Wei just broke through to be a Warrior, there is no way his mind is stronger than mine!¡¯


    ¡®Seven hours... really? If the runic array isn¡¯t working, he would definitely be trapped in the illusions created by the demons. That¡¯s the only thing I can think of!¡¯


    ¡°This tower will stay standing long after you have died and your name has been forgotten. Three centuries? Master¡¯s work canst for at least three millennia! Hahaha!¡± Pu Yuan answered. ¡°If Ye Wei¡¯s body falls to the inner demons, the tower will send him back out. Do not worry.¡±


    All of a sudden Pu Yuan narrowed his eyes, ¡°He is on the third story!¡± it was getting hard to believe, but it was a fact. He could feel that Ye Wei had advanced.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Both Lin Zi Yan and Jin Yan gazed upon Pu Yuan in disbelief, wondering if they heard correctly.


    ¡®I wonder how he managed it. This boy is extraordinary!¡¯ Being the cial Emperor¡¯s disciple meant that Pu Yuan himself was something of a powerful cultivator and that he had met countless talents in his time, but none of those encounters brought him the shock he got from this boy Ye Wei.


    ¡®If Ye Wei bes as strong as master was, he might even be able to revive me in twenty or thirty years...¡¯ Pu Yuan thought and decided to nurture Ye Wei anyway he could.


    ***


    Ye Wei appeared on the third story, and he was immediately surrounded by a gust of cold wind. His vision blurred and a ck mist swallowed him whole.


    ¡°What is this? This feels different.¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face turned pale as he saw a figure approaching. He could feel its cold hand reaching for his throat.


    The killing intent and the bloodthirsty presence was drowning Ye Wei; he could barely breathe because of the thick, bloody aura emanating from the inner demon.


    Images started appearing in Ye Wei¡¯s head of various demons, monster, and wild beasts fighting savagely against the human race. The boundless fear consumed Ye Wei, and his consciousness faded quickly...

 Chapter 103 – Four Chambers

    Chapter 103 ¨C Four Chambers


    The runic array in the tower was activated, and a bright blue light dispersed the ck mist and then engulfed Ye Wei causing him to be directly teleported out of the tower.


    When a cultivator attempts a breakthrough they are entirely focused on their body, therefore, their mind be weak. When a condensed prime Warrior attempts to breakthrough, it takes one¡¯splete focus to control the Qi flow in the specific cirction pattern that is required. This is the perfect time for demons that feast on fear and resentment to attack and as such inner demons came to thrive on cultivators¡¯ negative emotions.


    It is a condensed prime Warriors¡¯ duty to fight demons, beasts, and other threats to mankind. Having to face fear day in and day out forges their minds, and even then these fearless cultivators would struggle when facing high-level inner demons. It was already a miracle that Ye Wei could defend himself against mid-level inner demons, but Ye Wei trying to deal with what was on the third floor, now that was simply not going to happen.


    ¡®That was terrifying...¡¯ The moment Ye Wei exited the tower, he regained consciousness but was still shivering from the fear he felt.


    ¡°Little Wei!¡± Lin Zi Yan immediately leaped to his side once he appeared. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Don¡¯t worry about me, Zi Yan.¡± Ye Wei smiled and shook his head as a warm feeling filled his heart.


    For Ye Wei, oveing pain and desire proved to be an easier task than conquering physical fear. He would have easily lost his life if he encountered it anywhere other than the Karma Tower.


    ¡°This kid...¡± Seeing that Ye Wei was fine from a distance, Jin Yan¡¯s eyes shone jealousy. His feelings wereplicated as his felt both respect and fear for Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei was moments from being dered the victor, and Jin Yan was overwhelmed by envy and reluctance, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. ¡®Even if I use everything I have and fight him, I will not be able to aplish anything, just look at Mo Ya...¡¯


    ¡°Master would be d to have a sessor like you!¡± Pu Yuan said while looking at Ye Wei. Pu Yuan looked content and even his wrinkles looked like they were smiling he was so happy. ¡®He lived a glorified and happy life, but I know his only regret was not having a sessor he deemed worthy; he was just too nice to tell us that.¡¯


    ¡®But none of that matters now!¡¯ Pu Yuan looked solemnly at the three. ¡°The second test is over. I guess I don¡¯t need to tell you the results?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Zi Yan nodded joyfully. She expected Ye Wei to finish first in the deciphering test; however, she was very worried when she learned that they would face their inner demons for the second assessment.


    ¡°Yes...¡± Jin Yan had an ungrateful look on his face while he red at Ye Wei. He grunted and nodded. ¡®I deserved to win! But he just deserved it more, I guess...¡¯


    ¡°Despite not being first, you two havee far. Master did say that I should honor whoever could pass the first test with a handsome reward!¡± Pu Yuan smiled and said, ¡°You can choose from a high-level Myst stance, six-star medium-grade mystic arm, or ten Frozen Heaven pills.¡±


    Pu Yuan waved his arm as three globes of blue light appeared in the air.


    ¡°Reward? But I didn¡¯t pass the test...¡± Jin Yan mumbled. The bitterness in his eyes cleared up as he stared at the rewards floating in front of him.


    All three treasures Pu Yuan casually took out were peerless, but to the cial Emperor, it was more important to strengthen the younger generations. They weren¡¯t much considering the countless amount of treasure the cial Emperor had. Being the strongest cultivator of his era naturally meant he had rare and priceless treasures.


    ¡®Humm... Lin Zi Yansted longer in the tower, and she has more potential than Jin Yan...¡¯ Pu Yuan looked to the side at Lin Zi Yan. ¡°You there, little girl. You get to pick first.¡±


    Jin Yan tightly clenched his fists. He looked at Lin Zi Yan nervously as he was afraid that she would take the Myst stance from him. If he were able to add a high-level Myst stance to the Jin family¡¯s collection then the elders would view high favorably.


    ¡®A stance, a mystic arm, and pills...¡¯ Lin Zi Yan¡¯s eyes lingered on the rewards as she frowned and hesitated.


    In the whole of Green Moon City, only the City Lord, Master Yi, and South Star Academy had ess to high-level Myst stances. Their rarity and value were undeniable, but that was not the case for Lin Zi Yan given her background. The high-level Myst stances and mystic arm were an attractive choice, but also because Lin Zi Yan¡¯s Sentient was strong, she would be able to trante just one Frozen Heaven pill into two or even three minor breakthroughs. Knowing that all her choices were good it took her time to decide.


    ¡®What would benefit me the most?¡¯ She asked herself. ¡°May I have the pills, please?¡± She made the decision after a brief moment of pondering.


    Pu Yuan nodded and pointed to at one of the blue globes causing the ball of light to fly towards her.


    ¡°Thank you mister Pu!¡± Lin Zi Yan grabbed the bottle and happily put it in her bag.


    ¡°I would like the Myst stance form please!¡± Jin Yan was happy that Lin Zi Yan made that decision, and after a brief consideration he unwillingly took his eyes off the mystic arm and turned his focus to the jade inscription.


    ¡®This weapon is very powerful, but it will not directly contribute to my cultivation and my strength as a Warrior... With the experience I gained I will shortly be a condensed prime Warrior then I can learn the stance myself before offering it to the Patriarch...¡¯


    ¡°Sure.¡± Pu Yuan nodded, and he sent the jade inscription Jin Yan¡¯s way then took back the weapon.


    ¡°This next part does not concern the two of you so... ¡± He said while looking at Lin Zi Yan and Jin Yan. He slowly pointed at them, as two beams of light came out of his fingertip. The two were then each enveloped in a green ball of runes.


    ¡°I will wait for you outside!¡± Lin Zi Yan smiled and winked at Ye Wei.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Wei nodded heavily.


    Jin Yan stared at Ye Wei with a jealous gaze behind the blue light.


    ¡°Whoosh! Whoosh!¡±


    The runic balls of light brightened and then Jin Yan and Lin Zi Yan¡¯s silhouettes slowly faded.


    ¡°I will bring you to the main hall.¡±


    Light shed around Ye Wei as he was teleported back to the temple.


    ¡°This is the main hall?¡± Ye Wei was shocked to see the hall was evenrger than where the first test was held, and that this ceiling was too high toprehend. In the middle of the hall there was arge cyan seat that was essentially a huge cloud of runes. He looked around and noticed there was a corridor on each side of the hall that had a kilometer tall ceilings.


    ¡®These are not just any runes!¡¯ Ye Wei thought while looking at the runes flowing on the cyan seat. He could not recognize any of them.


    ¡°Try sitting on it!¡± Pu Yuan said.


    ¡°Yea!¡± Ye Wei nodded. He was happy to get approval as he had been curious about the seat ever since he set his eyes on it.


    He stepped forward and got on the seat without a second thought. ¡®This is sofortable.¡¯ Ye Wei could feel that his mind was clearer and working quicker than usual.


    ¡°This cyan seat enhances one¡¯s mind. It makes deciphering runes and stances a much easier task. Master created three out of his four best stances right here.¡± Pu Yuan smiled and said.


    ¡°Do you see the corridors?¡± Pu Yuan pointed and said slowly, ¡°Each of them leads to a chamber. The one to your left is the runic chamber!¡±


    ¡°Runic chamber?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes followed Pu Yuan¡¯s finger to the hallway; he could see that it was filled with white mist, and he could also saw an ancient stone door at the end.


    ¡°There are thirteen thousand six hundred mystic runes sealed in this chamber. All of them are specialized runes. Most are runes master collected himself from all over the world while the rest he created himself.¡±


    ¡°Thirteen thousand six hundred runes?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes widened, ¡®If they really were specialized runes this collection was worth cities!¡¯


    ¡°In my opinion, only stances made from specialized runes are real stances. The power of normal runes are quitecking. Master was very proud of this rune collection!¡± Pu Yuan said pridefully as his chest slightly rose.


    ¡°The second hallway leads to the treasure chamber. There you can find mystic arms, scrolls, pills, herbs... You name it; you should be able to find it there!¡±


    ¡°The third chamber is the stance chamber. This is a collection of over ten thousand stances. They range from Spirit stances to even Earth stances; also master¡¯s four strongest stances I mentioned before are there too.¡±


    ¡°And thest one is the puppet chamber...¡± Pu Yuan briefly introduced each of the chambers.


    Ye Wei was frozen in awe. He didn¡¯t know all of this would be his when he entered thebyrinth.


    ¡°Haha, all of this is now yours, or shall I say could be yours...¡± Pu Yuan said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You are the new master of the temple, but the things here you currently do not own; they are items you will have to earn!¡±

 Chapter 104 – Home

    Chapter 104 ¨C Home


    ¡°You have to understand, master left all of these priceless treasures behind, but his wish is for you to get stronger and not to rely on them.¡± Pu Yuan could see Ye Wei was confused, so he kept exining. ¡°If you want to get ess to everything stored in the temple there is only one way, to be stronger. Certain parts of the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy won¡¯t be unlocked until you¡¯ve reached a certain cultivation level.¡±


    ¡°There are entrances to three different secret realms and also many other priceless artifacts in this hall, but you won¡¯t be able to acquire them until you are strong enough to use them.¡±


    ¡°Now that you are a Warrior, you can have ess to one of these chambers, and you get to decide which of them it will be.¡± Pu Yuan smiled at Ye Wei. ¡°My advice is to pick what you think would help you the most to develop yourself as a cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ye Wei nodded respectfully.


    Pu Yuan was d to see how humble Ye Wei was acting, ¡°So which of the halls do you wish to ess?¡±


    Ye Wei was startled by the suddenness of the question, and he frowned while thinking deeply. ¡®What can I use those runes for? I don¡¯t have sufficient experience to create my own stances anyway...¡¯


    ¡®As for the treasure hall... I¡¯ve collected a fair bit since I entered thebyrinth. I don¡¯t really have a use for these things currently. With my cultivation level, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use the rarer items either.¡¯


    ¡®On the other hand, it bothers me that I¡¯m already a Warrior, but I hardly know any stances! However, I do know Supernova stance in a sense, and its first stage is only made up of one hundred and thirty-six special runes. It will take some time to correctly optimize it.¡¯


    After thinking for a moment, Ye Wei lifted his head and humbly asked, ¡°Can you please give me some advice?¡± He was aware that Pu Yuan was once the cial Emperor¡¯s disciple and therefore would have much better insight into cultivating than himself.


    ¡°Youprehended the Supernova stance and even refined and evolved it, but your body isn¡¯t strong enough to use it without help...¡± Pu Yuan could understand Ye Wei¡¯s frustration.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ye Wei nodded. Earlier when he fought Mo Ya, he felt the overwhelming power of Supernova stance but without Pu Yuan¡¯s help, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to sessfully unleash this stance.


    ¡°You already know the Supernova stance is an amplification stance and using such a stance is a bit different than using an ordinary stance. If you want to be able to use it properly and at anytime, you will have to carve all one hundred and thirty-six of these runes into your bones. That is the secret to the incredible strength of the wild beasts which amplification stances were inspired by.¡±


    ¡°You have to be prepared for immense pain if you want to aplish this, but before even considering it, I can tell you that your bones are currently not strong nor hard enough!¡±


    ¡°Without external help, you will need at least three more years before your bones are in the condition to carry these runes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for pointing that out!¡± Ye Wei said sincerely, ¡®I doubt I would have figured out that I need to engrave these runes into my bones to increase the efficiency of the stance if it wasn¡¯t for Pu Yuan... Though three Years is quite a long time!¡¯


    ¡°However, in the treasure chamber there is a bone strengthening pill... Haha...¡± Pu Yuan¡¯s hoarse voice could be heardughing.


    Having experienced the Supernova stance¡¯s power first hand, Ye Wei was determined to master it. He was determined to make it a technique he could rely on. ¡°I would like ess to the treasure chamber!¡± He said.


    ¡°The seventy-fourth row, thirty-sixth column. There you will find what you¡¯re looking for!¡± Pu Yuan pointed to the corridor that led to the treasure chamber.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Ye Wei nodded and went in.


    Moments after, Ye Wei returned with a jade bottle in his hand. It contained the specialized bone strengthening pill, Unyielding Gold. This pill was very rare. Nowadays it could be found nowhere other than the treasure chamber of the cial Temple.


    ¡°This jade trinket...¡± A little sword-shaped jade trinket appeared in front of Ye Wei as Pu Yuan waved his hand.


    ¡°There is a miniature teleportation array. When you be a five-star Warrior, you will be able to use this trinket. It will bring you back here to the temple.¡±


    ¡®This is... This is beyond belief.¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes lit up, and he took the trinket without hesitation.


    ¡°When you are back outside, you will have to be careful with your every move. The cial Emperor was once the strongest man in the Zhou dynasty, and one does not be the strongest without making enemies. If people learned that you are master¡¯s sessor they would stop at nothing to kill you, especially those people from the Vermilion dynasty!¡±


    ¡°About three hundred years ago master was set-up... He was surrounded by over ten thousand Vermilion dynasty elites. He fought for three months day in and day out. After killing a few thousands of some of the strongest cultivators in that era, he sumbed from exhaustion dying by their hands .¡±


    ¡°Usually, only the leader of a dynasty could call himself emperor, but during master¡¯s era the reigning emperor did not dare say anything about the name master went by...¡±


    ¡°There are three dominating families, three royal families. Ever since the Zhou dynasty was established, the strongest cultivators were chosen from these three families in a strict selection process to determine who would be the dynasty¡¯s emperor. One of the three royal patriarchs was once my master¡¯s disciple.¡±


    ¡°When the royals and nobles heard that master had fallen, they all felt regretful. Had they known about the ambush earlier, they would have sent their men to rescue him. If he had lived, the Zhou dynasty would still be at its highest right now...¡± Pu Yuan sighed then continued, ¡°But if you cover your tracks well, the news of a new sessor should not reach that far for a few years. Having said that, you shouldn¡¯t let your guard down because master had enemies within the Zhou dynasty¡¯s borders as well.¡±


    ¡®One person against over ten thousand cultivators?¡¯ Ye Wei was absorbed in the story Pu Yuan was telling, shocked and tongue-tied.


    ¡°I hope that one day you can overtake master¡¯s level and achieve greatness far beyond him!¡± Pu Yuan rose his head and nced at Ye Wei with an energized look.


    ¡°Exceed the cial Emperor?¡± Ye Wei could feel Pu Yuan was being cryptic. He was confused and did not see how he would be able to surpass the cial Emperor.


    ¡°Master built this temple partially to seal the demons and monster lurking below in the Bloodmist Abyss... That iron talisman, he found it in the abyss you saw a few days ago. Although he spent decades researching it, he failed to fathom its mysterious purpose or use. I have been watching since I opened the bloodmist barrier and the fact that you are able to use it alone says to me how special you are!¡±


    ¡°Now that you are master¡¯s inheritor, you life will change! Your shall be powerful, and you will shape the world.¡± Pu Yuan¡¯s face became straight. ¡°I strongly advise you master the Supernova stance in the temple before going outside again.¡± He continued as Ye Wei put the jade trinket in his bag.


    ¡°It will take some time for me to master it... Sorry, but I have pressing matters back home; I have to go home first.¡± Ye Zhong was still Ye Wei¡¯s priority after all. ¡®I have the Welkin Leaves in my bag now, and Zi Yan is waiting for me outside!¡¯


    ¡°As you wish... I will teleport you outside now. Come back again when you be a five-star Warrior!¡± Pu Yuan nodded and covered Ye Wei in a blue light.


    ¡°Be careful out there!¡±


    Pu Yuan waved his hand, and the temple was once empty again.


    ¡®This boy truly has great potential! What if he really can reach that level? I might actually get to live again...¡± Pu Yuan mumbled.


    ¡°A diamond in the rough. It just needs some polishing.¡± He pondered andughed as his figure faded in the temple.


    After the slightly ufortable feeling of dimensional travel, Ye Wei opened his eyes to see the familiar scenery. He was once again in the valley.


    ¡°Little Wei, are you okay?¡± Lin Zi Yan smiled.


    ¡°Zi Yan!¡± Ye Wei smiled back while running over to her.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    Just when Ye Wei got to her side, a rumbling noise sounded and echoed in the valley. The Selenic Beast statue sank into the ground and disappeared, and the cultivators sent here by different powers who camped outside panicked as the unexpected happened.


    The red mist in the valley slowly faded shortly after. From now on, only the jade trinket would allow one to step inside the mysterious realm.


    ¡°Zi Yan, let¡¯s go!¡± Ye Wei looked at the now ordinary valley and said eagerly.


    ¡°To the Ye mansion? Or where do you want us to go?¡± It was not hard for Lin Zi Yan to guess why he looked nervous and restless.


    ¡°To Master Yi first!¡± Ye Wei decided as they ran to the beast carriage. ¡®There is no point going home, none of us know how to use the herb anyways.¡¯

 Chapter 105 – Farewell

    Chapter 105 ¨C Farewell


    Green Moon City, Ye mansion.


    Ever since the city learned Master Yi¡¯s new legacy apprentice was a Ye, the once quiet corner where the Ye mansion was located became one of the busiest parts of the town. There were thousands of visitors arriving on foot and by carriages everyday.


    With thepensation they got from the Du family, Ling He Merchant Guild, and General Zhou Wu the Ye family was able to hire some powerful Warriors to help them recover. On top of that, they were now backed by Master Yi. They were slowly bing powerful enough to rival the Big Three.


    If more members of the family were able to be condensed prime Warriors, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for Ye family to grow into the most influential force in Green Moon City.


    Although the Ye¡¯s were thriving, the Patriarch was seldom seen smiling.


    Ye Zhong was a gifted child. He actually had a greater chance of bing a condensed prime Warrior than his uncles Ye Han, Ye Yi, and Ye Yu who were already peak ten-star Warriors.


    With his talented grandchild still in aa, and knowing that the chance he would never wake up was very high, the Patriarch could not get himself to smile right now even if things were looking up for the family. Master Yi¡¯s men had already been sent to the cities close by, but they were not able to find anything despite their thorough search.


    ¡°Have they tried Ning City yet? It¡¯s a bit far, but they are more likely to find Welkin Leaves in a major city than anywhere else!¡± Ye Zheng Qing asked the messenger.


    ¡°Yes, Master! I will head there after I visit Mount Yu Yingter this afternoon. I will make sure Master Yi sends his men there if he hasn¡¯t already!¡± The man in ck uniform replied.


    ¡°Get going then, what are you waiting for?!¡± The Ye Patriarch has not been himself recently. His patience was overshadowed by stress and restlessness.


    As the Patriarch sent the messenger away, his sons and him saw an approaching runicle. ¡°Speaking of the devil! Do you think he has good news for us?¡± Everyone close to the gate put what they were doing aside to wee the surprise guest.


    ¡°That¡¯s a runicle! Could it be Master Yi?¡±


    ¡°Granddad! Dad! I¡¯m back!¡± Was heard as the runicle door opened, and Ye Wei leaped out running towards his family.


    ¡°Master Yi!¡± Everyone bowed and greeted as a scruffy looking man in a gray robe shortly followed.


    After arriving at Master Yi¡¯s ce, Ye Wei immediately fetched him and rushed to the family mansion. As for Lin Zi Yan, there were some things she had to attend to so she couldn¡¯te along.


    ¡°We found Welkin Leaves!¡± Ye Wei eximed.


    ¡°Did Master Yi found it for us?¡± At first, the Ye¡¯s were shocked, and they gazed at the Runemaster with undisguised reverence and grateful looks.


    ¡°Oh, can we not talk about that? The men I sent to Ning City were useless! Little Wei and Zi Yan beat them to it!¡± Master Yiughed and shook his head.


    Everyone turned their heads to Ye Wei and was even more shocked to hear what Master Yi said.


    ¡°Granddad, we¡¯ll talk about thister. Let¡¯s go to cousin Zhong¡¯s room!¡± There was urgency in Ye Wei¡¯s tone.


    ¡°We have the Welkin Leaves now so there is a great chance I will be able to wake him up. ¡± Master Yi smiled and patted Ye Wei trying to calm him down.


    The group went directly through the courtyard into Ye Zhong¡¯s room. Ye Zhong¡¯s eyes were tightly shut, and his face was pale.


    Master Yi stared at him for a while before he channeled his Qi. He then rose both his hands as his will-force and Qi rushed out. His fingers quickly whizzed through the air, and within moments, three hundred and sixty-six runes were floating over Ye Zhong.


    ¡°Forbidden Stance, Green Mizzle!¡±


    A vast amount of Qi flowed through the runes lighting them up and turning the whole sequence green. This was a forbidden mid-level Myst stance. The form for this stance was given to Master Yi by the Holy Conservatory when he passed the test to be a Runemaster.


    Although it was only a mid-level Myst stance, its real value was no less than any high-level -one due to its practicality.


    ¡°Hand me the herbs!¡± The green light linked all three hundred and sixty-six runes together as the whole sequence vibrated. A screen of light grew upon the sequence, and the runes turned into a cloud shape.


    Ye Wei gave Master Yi the Welkin Leaves right before the runic rain was about to fall. The Runemaster shredded the herb trimming it into small silvery pieces with his Qi.


    Drops of silver green life energy rained down onto Ye Zhong. It fell onto his skin and was absorbed by his body and then flowed to his Sentient.


    Under the nourishment of this silver green energy, the scars and cracks in Ye Zhong¡¯s Sentient slowly started to mend. He made a mumbling sound, and his eyelids twitched as he moved for the first time in a week.


    ¡°Cousin Zhong!¡± Seeing this scene, Ye Wei tightly clenched his fist in excitement. Everyone eye¡¯s in the room widened, and they looked at Ye Zhong unable to contain their exhration.


    After being asleep for so long, he finally moved! There were signs of him waking up!


    The green rain stopped, and the cloud disappeared.


    ¡°Ye Zhong¡¯s Sentient has recovered. He should be fine, but...¡± Master Yi paused to check his pulse and continued, ¡°He needs to rest in bed for a while longer until he regains his consciousness and body strength back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! And sorry for the trouble!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master Yi!¡± All of the Ye¡¯s cried tears of joy. They were d their precious Zhong was out of danger.


    After hearing what Master Yi said, Ye Wei also exhaled deeply. His eyes filled with tears, he finally felt at ease after a week of constant worries about his cousin.


    ¡°I will stay in the mansion to keep watch until he fully recovers; meanwhile, I can teach little Wei how to train and cultivate efficiently now that he is a Warrior!¡± Master Yi said as he decided. How quickly Ye Wei advanced to the Warrior level left one breathless. Even Master Yi could not help but admire his young legacy apprentice. He knew he had truly made the right decision in choosing Ye Wei. And now that he had be a Warrior that meant he could finally start down the long and winding path of a Runemaster; he could now learn and refine stances! Master Yi thought all this while still in shock from Ye Wei¡¯s talent.


    ¡°What?! Little Wei is a Warrior?!¡± When Ye Zheng Qing and the rest heard the news, their faces turned from their previous reverence to astonishment; they felt like they were in a dream and didn¡¯t dare believe the words Master Yi just said.


    ¡°Are.. are you sure? Master Yi? This is just....¡± Ye Jing Jing said full of disbelief.


    Ye Wei, a thirteen year old Warrior, was now one of the top young cultivators in Green Moon City. Everyone was ecstatic and immensely proud of what Ye Wei aplished in such a short period of time.


    ***


    For the next few weeks, Ye Wei trained under the careful guidance of Master Yi. It had to be mentioned that Master Yi¡¯s knowledge was profound. It was vastly superior to anyone else in Green Moon City, and that contributed to Ye Wei¡¯s quick improvement in understanding mystic runes and mystic stances.


    During this time, Ye Wei focused on optimizing the Supernova stance. After taking Unyielding Gold, his bones were hardened from the pill¡¯s nourishment.


    This was the first time Ye Wei had locked himself up to cultivate in a training chamber, and it helped consolidate his foundation which had be unstable due to his sudden increase in strength at the Bloodmist Labyrinth.


    After half a month, Ye Zhong finally woke and found that his body was slowly getting stronger and stronger. Shortly after the Ye family arranged for a feast to celebrate the asion.


    Knowing that his cousin was swiftly recovering, Ye Wei¡¯s mood was greatly lightened. This caused his cultivation speed to elerate, as there were no immediate threats he had to worry about. Finally, he felt at peace and was getting more skilled and stronger every day.


    Over time, every bone in Ye Wei¡¯s body underwent significant changes. Runes wereyered on top of them starting from his hands to his shoulders and then down his spine to his legs, and afterwards, the runes even spread to his skull.


    This process happened over the span of a month in the training chamber. Finally, all the runes on his bones were linked together as a golden light flowed through them. Ye Wei¡¯s body had a golden glow from head to toe when the runic connection was established.


    Ye Wei felt power envelope his bones. He clenched his fist, and a cracking sound was emitted from his body.


    ¡®Is this the power of the Supernova stance?¡¯


    Ye Wei was thrilled. After a month of hard work and self-improvement, he finally sessfully imbued all the specialized runes of the Supernova stance into his bones. If he wished to do the same with the second evolution of Supernova stance, he would have to spend quite a bit longer, but Ye Wei¡¯s mind was eased just by thinking about how strong the first stage of Supernova stance was.


    The first stage of the Supernova stance could make Ye Wei three times stronger than he current was, and if he used other stances while the Supernova stance was active, the power of those stances would also be increased three times too. Under the effect of the Supernova stance, Ye Wei would have enough Qi to use a low-grade mystic arm.


    After Ye Wei had begun to practice the Supernova stance, he found it easier to learn other stances. He was starting to understand why the cial Emperor was able to master so many of them and possessed such great power. ¡®Seventy-two interster secrets,¡¯ was an amazingly informative text on runes, just the Dark Sky chapter alone could be interpreted thousands of ways. If just one chapter was so knowledgeable, then what would the rest of the volume contain?


    Not long after Ye Wei finished the imbuing process, Master Yi entered the training chamber, and there was a sense of heaviness on his face.


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Wei asked looking at Master Yi. Having been close to Master Yi for an extended period, Ye Wei discovered he was actually not as weird as he appeared to be. He had a soft, approachable, and affable side as well, and Ye Wei¡¯s respect for him had grown massively.


    ¡°Zi Yan left you this letter and an amulet. She had to return to her family!¡± There was a deep sadness in his voice. ¡°She said it would break her heart to say goodbye to you face to face!¡±


    Ye Wei froze after hearing Master Yi¡¯s words. He had not seen Lin Zi Yan ever since he returned from Bloodmist Valley. He was under the impression that she was also undergoing closed door training since she acquired pills that would aid her cultivation. Never did he expect her to leave so suddenly.


    Ye Wei¡¯s felt sour and bitter in his heart. Although he knew this day would eventuallye, but when it actually happened, he was not able toprehend or handle the overwhelming feelings of shock and sadness he felt.


    Ye Wei lowered his eyes trying to cover his emotions. Upon opening the letter, he could smell her fragrance, and lines of graceful handwriting projected into his eyes.


    ¡°Little Wei, it is finally the time for us to part, the time to say goodbye. I always thought of myself as just a guest in Green Moon City, that I came alone and would leave alone, that I would bring nothing back with me. I know that everything good will alwayse to an end, but I don¡¯t know why I feel so unresigned to leave.


    Thank you. You have given me a lot of good memories to take home with me, and I would also like you to thank Master Yi for me for how he took care of me during these past two years.


    Life is full of meetings and farewells; it¡¯s full of resentment, and now I have to return to my family. This is a piece of spirit jade, a token that represents my family. I hope this will remind you of me. If destiny allows, I hope we see each other again...¡±


    Ye Wei remembered Lin Zi Yan¡¯s tears and smiles. He held the amulet tight as his heart ached. He could feel her helplessness and reluctance just from reading her words.


    ¡°Master, can you tell me what family Zi Yan is from?¡± Ye Wei rose his head looking at his Master with determined eyes.


    ¡°One of the three royal families of the Zhou dynasty!¡± Master Yi paused briefly and sighed.


    ¡°One of the three royal families?¡± Ye Wei exhaled slowly, slightly startled. ¡°I don¡¯t care if she is blue-blooded I will make a name for myself in the capital one day!¡±


    ¡°If you want to go and find her, it¡¯s not just the royal family¡¯s respect and approval you need to earn...¡± Master Yi looked worried as he stared off into the distance, a spark of fear appeared in his eyes.


    Ye Wei was slightly confused, but that was because he didn¡¯t know to what lengths royals would go to have their way...


    ***


    On the road outside Green Moon City.


    A runicle was traveling at a high speed as a slender silhouette stood by the window looking towards the city as it became smaller and smaller.


    Her long dark hair encircled by a chain of crystal beads linked together by a golden thread glowed purple under the rays of the sun passing through the runicle¡¯s window. Her long dressplimented her figure well and there was a silver gleam from her bracelet every time she moved her wrist. Her posture conveyed destion and loneliness.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think I would have to leave so soon. I might never see him again...¡¯


    Although she has not been close to Ye Wei for long, Ye Wei had left asting impression on her; he had deeply affected her heart. She gave Ye Wei the jade amulet so that he would remember her, but it was also a clue, apass that might lead him to her.


    ¡°Your Highness, the royal selection is in five years. If you pass, you will be qualified to study at the Holy Conservatory. You have to train as hard as possible. Don¡¯t let the ancient ones down!¡± An olddy bowed and spoke to her. She sounded respectful but came across a bit blunt.


    Lin Zi Yan frowned and answered with displeasure in her voice, ¡°I know!¡± It was apparent that she was repulsed by the idea.


    She wanted to be stronger and get the chance to cultivate at the legendary conservatory, but she hated being her family¡¯s chess piece.


    Resentful and helpless Lin Zi Yan watched the tall walls of Green Moon City disappear at the edge of the runicle¡¯s window.

 Chapter 106 – New Face

    Chapter 106 ¨C New Face


    ¡°Master, push me ten times harder. I can take the pain!¡± Ye Wei rose his head and gazed at his master with a determined look. He needed to be stronger, not only for Lin Zi Yan but also for himself and his family!


    When you are weak, you do not matter; you can¡¯t do anything but watch as things happen around you. His family was nearly wiped out, his cousin was put into aa, and on top of everything else he was abandoned by Lin Zi Yan. All of this effected Ye Wei¡¯s mind greatly and perhaps wouldn¡¯t have happened if he was stronger. Because of all this, he desperately sought after power.


    Master Yi was startled. He could feel Ye Wei¡¯s determination and intensity. He also saw a lot of his younger self in Ye Wei, especially his thirst for power driven by a sense of self-ipetence. He wasn¡¯t sure how high Ye Wei¡¯s talent would take him paired with his intense desires.


    Master Yi said, after a moment of silence, ¡°We will go to the hidden area at South Star Academy. Theing three years you will train ten times harder than normal cultivators. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ye Wei nodded heavily.


    After giving some of the treasures he collected from the Bloodmist Labyrinth to his family, Ye Wei bid farewell and followed his master to South Star Academy.


    In a corner of South Star Academy, there was a hidden area that was essible only with a specific mystic stance. This was a ce built on the principal¡¯s orders specifically for Master Yi as a token of friendship.


    After being runically marked by the stance, Ye Wei was able to enter Master Yi¡¯s quarters. It was the perfect location for intensive training because there would be no disturbance from others.


    Ye Wei started to cultivate every day while being supervised by Master Yi. When he was not training, he would practice the stances he had learned that week. He took all kinds of pills every day including Silver Moon pill and Unyielding Gold, apart from that he also bathed in herbal medicine prepared by Master Yi.


    Day after day, year after year, time passed by in a calm and fulfilling manner, and the once naive and innocent boy slowly grew up.


    Three yearster...


    After a day of ss, the students of South Star Academy gathered in the dining hall. There was always a vibrant and lively vibe when students gathered and exchanged their stories about how fun or boring their day was.


    It sounded like sirens singing in the females¡¯ dining area, and the smiling youthful girls of South Star Academy were quite a pleasant sight. This made it quite hard for the boys to focus on their food.


    Seated at the eastmost table were the students who lived in Green Phoenix hall. They were beautiful and graceful evenpared with the high standards. Their confidence and small prideful smirks set them apart from the others, and that was because they, together with the boys from the Crouching Dragon hall, were the top students in the whole academy.


    ¡°Joe Yin, you can probably challenge the elite students again! I think you might actually be one of the strongest students at South Star. Do you n on participating in the cross academy exchange if you rank high again on the next assessment?¡± The clear eyes of a round-faced girl fell onto the charming looking girl next to her.


    It was not a surprise that people were jealous of Joe Yin. In only three years her cultivation had improved massively, and this five-star Warrior was one of the top ten students in the academy, top three among the girls.


    ¡°Oh well... ¡± Joe Yin replied coldly. Comparing to three years ago, she has changed a lot. Her body was long, slim, and beautifully curved. Today she was wearing a long white dress thatplimented her curves. Her body was not the only thing that had grown as she now had a head of long glossy hair. Despite this, her delicate facial features remained the same and with this new image she was considered a goddess by many male students.


    ¡®They seem to like me... But to be honest, I don¡¯t think I have that much do be proud of.¡¯ There was a faint hint of bitterness on her otherwise calm face.


    In the past three years, Joe Yin had visited the Ye mansion countless times, but she never got to see Ye Wei. All she heard was that Ye Wei was training with Master Yi. She heard briefly about how he broke through to be a Warrior before he hid behind a closed door training with Master Yi.


    Every so often she would stop and wonder how Ye Wei was doing, not wanting to be left too far behind, and this was the reason why Joe Yin has been constantly training and got to where she was now.


    ¡°Sis, are you okay?¡± The round-faced girl asked in a confused tone.


    ¡°I am fine.¡± Joe Yin shook her head.


    There was a series of disturbance on the other side of the females¡¯ dining area, and the faces of all the girls were glowing red, covered with excitement.


    ¡°Who is that boy? Is he new? He¡¯s quite handsome!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯ve never seen him before!¡±


    All of a sudden every girls¡¯ eyes were set on the boy who just entered.


    This boy was tall, handsome, and looked energetic. He wore a white robe, and his hair wasyered and medium long. His pale skin made his chiseled face stand out even more. His eyebrows were long and sword-shaped, and his eyes were as bright as the stars. He was aware that everyone was looking at him, but he didn¡¯t seem to care; he just kept walking confidently towards the food counter.


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± Joe Yin suddenly stood up. She excitedly looked at the boy as her eyes started to get moist, he was no other than Ye Wei.


    ¡°Sis, do you know him?¡± The round-faced girl looked at Ye Wei from a distance as her face turned red.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Joe Yin nodded. How could she forget the face that she has been missing for three years? She had mixed feelings about Ye Weiand wasn¡¯t sure if she should walk up and greet him.


    Ye Wei¡¯s presence and appearance had changed greatly, and now he stood out like a crane standing in a group of chickens. The boys, especially the ones from Crouching Dragon hall, were not happy with themotion caused by him.


    ¡°Where did this kide from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know him, but if we haven¡¯t heard of him he¡¯s probably just a weakling with good looks!¡±


    Disappeared for three years, Ye Wei had no contact with anyone in South Star Academy. Even his old friends, few as they were, couldn¡¯t recognize him because of how different he looked.


    Ye Wei scanned around him to refamiliarize himself with the environment. He felt a bit mncholic looking around. He went to the food counter and nned to say hi to his old friend Cao Ning after eating.


    Joe Yin was fascinated by Ye Wei¡¯s graceful bearing and could not contain herself anymore. She quickly walked towards him.


    ¡°Wei...¡± Joe Yin stood next to Ye Wei, and she looked at Ye Wei with charming eyes. She took some time to organize her thoughts then said.


    ¡°You are...?¡± Ye Wei nced at the long haired youngdy with a dazed and confused looked.


    ¡°I am Joe Yin. Wei... It¡¯s been a while¡± She tried to contain her emotions while speaking in a soft tone.


    ¡°Oh! Yin, long time no see.¡± Ye Wei nodded and said calmly; then he turned around to collect his food. In his heart, Joe Yin was no more important than anyone else in the dining hall; she could no longer set his heart off.


    Joe Yin opened her mouth, but words wouldn¡¯te out. Her heart ached as she looked at his back with bloodshot eyes.


    The boys were furious. The cold girl who they would do anything to please, the goddess whose smile they dreamt about before falling asleep, was being friendly to approach a new face and was then ignored!


    ¡°Pfft, who is this guy? Does he want to die?¡±


    ¡°Joe Yin said hi, and he is just going to turn around?¡±


    A few of the Crouching Dragon hall boys were very upset. Many of them had confessed their love to her in the past and were rejected for stupid reasons. Ye Wei¡¯s cold reaction to her was like grains of salt to their mental wounds.


    One of the taller boys stood and walked up to the food counter. He spat on the ground then grabbed Ye Wei on the shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, who are you?¡± He asked angrily as he stared at Ye Wei from a height two heads taller.


    The crowd was already looking at the tall boy when he stood up; he was one of the top three cultivators at South Star Academy; Mu Feng, a six-star Warrior.


    The girls knew what Mu Feng was capable of, and they were starting to worry about the good looking new face. Ye Wei looked too young and pale to be someone who was able to defend himself properly.


    ¡°Mu Feng, what are you doing?!¡± Joe Yin frowned and shouted.


    ¡°This kid is a psychopath. I should teach him some manners!¡± Mu Feng grunted, and his eyes were filled with hostility as he filled his body with Qi.


    ¡°Leave me be.¡± Ye Wei said indifferently.


    ¡°Watch your mouth boy. Who do you think you are?¡± Mu Feng got even more mad from the cold response.


    When Mu Feng was about to throw his Qi filled fist, Ye Wei turned around in a fast, ghost-like manner and gently pped his palm on Mu Feng¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The palm strike connected, and Mu Feng was immediately knocked flying backwards. He was stopped by a dining table twenty meters behind him as tes of food were flipped over and covered his body. He grunted and screamed behind ayer of warm food.


    After sending Mu Feng flying, Ye Wei shook his head and patted his clothes. He sighed then walked towards an empty seat with a tray of food in his hands.


    Silence fell in the dining hall. Everyone in the dining hall widened their eyes in disbelief.


    Most of them stopped eating, and chopsticks were frozen in the air. Some of the students were paying so much attention to the violence they identally sent their food to their noses instead of mouths.


    They knew how strong Mu Feng was. What they didn¡¯t know was the identity of this boy whose casual p was powerful enough to send him flying.


    ¡®Who is this boy?¡¯


    ¡®Three years... has he be this powerful? Looks like he will just keep walking further and further away from me...¡¯ Joe Yin looked at Ye Wei¡¯s back and realized they were now in different worlds.

 Chapter 107 – Polaris Academy

    Chapter 107 ¨C Pris Academy


    ¡®Three years... I wonder how much Cao Ning has grown. I heard he got into Senior One.¡¯ Ye Wei walked out of the dining hall and slowly walked to the ssrooms after he finished his meal.


    Ye Wei smiled as he thought about Cao Ning¡¯s clumsiness and silly, modest face. Ning was his only close friend at South Star Academy, the only person who he cared about. ¡®He should be reasonably strong now.¡¯ When he was training with Master YI he sent pills, herbs, and other cultivation supplies to Cao Ning.


    On his way to the ssrooms, Ye Wei bumped into a few worried-looking students who were dashing towards the school gate. He felt slightly puzzled, as he worriedly frowned thinking that something bad might had happened.


    ¡®They would have sounded the bell if it was an emergency; I will look into it once I find Ning...¡¯ Although curious, Ye Wei did not put too much mind to it and kept making his way to the Senior One ssroom.


    Upon arriving at the ssroom, Ye Wei walked into no less than ten Senior One students exiting.


    ¡°These Pris Academy students crossed the line!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Brother Cao would have started a fight with them by now! We better hurry, there are many of them!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± All of them looked angry and concerned. It seems Cao Ning had be something of a leader for the boys, and he was now in trouble.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Ye Wei was going to keep a low profile, but hearing Cao Ning¡¯s name mentioned, he stopped the group before they left. ¡°What happened? Where is Cao Ning?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± They didn¡¯t stop for Ye Wei as none of these students knew him but they could tell from his concerned tone that he knew the boss of Senior One. They stopped because they heard their leader¡¯s name.


    ¡°I am Cao Ning¡¯s close friend. Where is he now? Is he okay?¡± Ye Wei asked.


    ¡°Brother Cao¡¯s close friend?¡± They looked suspiciously at Ye Wei, and couldn¡¯t sense the slightest Qi disturbance from him thus deduced that he was Cao Ning¡¯smoner friend from before entering South Star.


    ¡°Pris Academy students are here. One of them bumped into a South Star student, and they started a fight because of it. Brother Cao is already there helping out, do you want to tag along?¡± One of the Senior One students exined.


    ¡°Pris Academy? The school in Pris City?¡± Ye Wei raised his eyebrows and went with the group hastily.


    On the way to the school gate, Ye Wei threw a few questions at the students and got a brief idea of what was going down.


    The cultivation tournament of the outer districts was starting in half a month. This was an event held by the Zhou dynasty, and it is a time when cultivators from the thirty-six cities in the outer districts gathered and represented their schools in the arena. After which a new school ranking was published ording to the tournament¡¯s result. The Zhou dynasty¡¯s Green Army would send talent scouts to recruit young blood.


    All the participating schools took the tournament very seriously, and the representatives of Pris Academy decided to head to the venue early so they could settle down and recover from the long travel beforepeting. As they were on their way to Ning City for the event, their supervising tutors arranged a meeting with the South Star tutors and the visiting students for some reason felt like starting a fight.


    Pris Academy students were picking a fight with South Star students on their campus? There was no way South Star Academy¡¯s students would just take a beating without saying anything. Hearing the news, top students from different sses rushed to the school gate where the fight was taking ce.


    Cao Ning, the head student of Senior One, was walking passed after he finished lunch and stumbled upon them. He was not sure if he could deal with Pris Academy¡¯s elites on his own, so he told his friends to get help.


    ¡°This is not just a random street fight...¡± Ye Wei frowned and mumbled to himself; he could see more and more people rushing towards the gate. ¡®People don¡¯t gather up like this for a small scale harmless standoff.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t before long when they arrived at the school gate, and it was crowded with a couple hundred students.


    The crowd arranged itself in a circle in the middle of which was an open space and inside stood seven youngsters in ck robes.


    ¡°Is South Star Academy this weak nowadays? I can¡¯t even find a worthy opponent it seems. I think you people should not even think about participating in the tournament! You will just embarrass yourselves!¡± All seven of the ck-robed youngsters stood with a frivolous posture and wore mocking smiles on their faces as they looked out over the crowd.


    Twenty South Star Academy studentsid before them, all of them injured. One of them was Ye Wei¡¯s closest friend, Cao Ning.


    Ye Wei stood outside of the gathered crowd. He could not see the casualties from where he stood, but he could hear their hystericalugh clearly. He frowned and narrowed his eyes trying to get a glimpse of the action from between the crowd. Although he had been training with Master Yi this whole time, in the end, he was a South Star student. He was not happy to hear what the ck-robed cultivators had to say about his school.


    All of a sudden Ye Wei¡¯s eyes widened when he saw a tanned young man with a sturdy build. Ye Wei could recognize this person¡¯s honest face anywhere.


    It¡¯s had been three years, and Ye Wei never imagined he would reunite with Cao Ning in such a situation.


    Ye Wei¡¯s face turned ash-white. The people who stood around him could feel a cold presence, and they all unconsciously moved and turned to the source of the Qi disturbance. ¡°Brother Cao!¡± The students who came with Ye Wei ran through the crowd into the open area. All of them were angry to see their leader hurt. Ye Wei did not say a word. He just followed the Senior One boys.


    Out of the few hundred people, most of them were junior or intermediate Students, and seeing that the senior students have arrived on the scene, they all made way for the stronger ones toe through.


    ¡°Brother Cao, are you okay?¡± The Senior One boys helped Cao Ning up while their eyes spat fire staring while staring at the ck-robed cultivators.


    Cao Ning was the boss of Senior One. He always had a sense of justice and was happy to help others. He had a great reputation, and although he was from a normal family, even students from martial family respected him inside and outside the ssroom. Now that he was injured, none of Senior One students could hold back their anger. They were all pissed and got ready to attack these bad-mannered visitors.


    ¡°Oh you, watch bother Cao. I¡¯m going to help them!¡± The chubby student who helped Cao Ning up didn¡¯t want to ditch his friends, so he rushed in after making sure the boss was in good hands.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Ye Wei held Cao Ning so he could stand steadily. He was relieved as he could sense Cao Ning¡¯s injuries were not serious.


    These Pris Academy students were very ingenious they hit just hard enough to knock the South Star students down but not hard enough to be punished for bodily harm by the academy¡¯s student disciplinemittee.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Cao Ning¡¯s tried to open his bruised eye as he shook his head. Cao Ning did not recognize Ye Wei right away, and he thought the boy next to him was just a kind-hearted ssmate.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Ye Wei looked at the ck-robed youngster and asked.


    ¡°These students from Pris are too strong; I am no match to them. We need some teachers here, or a few of South Star¡¯s top ten students to defend ourselves!¡± Cao Ning was looking at Ye Wei sure he had seen this face somewhere in the past.


    ¡°You are doing pretty well for yourself. These guys love you it seems. Three years ago you were too scared to even speak loudly, and now these guys are calling you their boss? Haha!¡± Ye Wei chuckled mischievously, in the mood to joke as his old friend¡¯s minor injuries were pretty funny. ¡®Humm... Should I do something about this?¡¯


    ¡°W...Wei?¡± It was not Ye Wei¡¯s sense of humor, but his ent that gave it away.


    Ye Wei had changed a lot. His appearance, posture, and even his way of behaving had changed. Cao Ning would not be able to recognize this good looking young man if he didn¡¯t know Ye Wei better than anyone else at South Star Academy.


    ¡°Finally... Took you some time. Was that because of your eye?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s lips curled into a familiar smile, one that Cao Ning had missed for quite some time.


    ¡°It really is you! Where have you been all these years? I have been to the Ye mansion more than a few times, but all they did was give me these pills and herbs and... Nevermind that! They said you went to train with Master Yi, and even they didn¡¯t know where you were!¡± There was excitement on Cao Ning¡¯s face. He was excited to see his old friend again after three years.


    ¡°Me? As you said, I¡¯ve been training!¡± Ye Wei said casually as he thought about his experiences and the pain of it. He smiled satisfyingly knowing how the three years had changed him.


    Although Ye Wei mentioned it as if it was nothing, nobody except him and Master Yi knew what kind of torture and hardship he had to endure.


    ¡°Trash!¡± Amongst the seven ck-robed cultivators, a red-haired youngster stepped forward. He spoke in a disdainful tone while sneering.


    He stared at the Senior One students as they approached. Heughed and then stomped. The ground fractured, and his body was suddenly filled with Qi as an invisible pressure wave spread from his foot.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Before the Senior One students could get close to him, they were already knocked into the air then fell to the ground. The pressure wave impacted them internally causing them to be stunned and unable to fight.


    ¡°What do they teach you here? How to be a punching bag?¡± The red-haired youngster looked down at where the Senior One studentsid and said derisively.


    ¡°This strength!¡±


    The surrounding students gasped and eximed. All the students from Senior One were seven-star Students or above, and the ones who just rushed into the crowd circle were some of the best students in the ss, many of which were ten-star Students.


    The ability to knock down that many top Students with just a stomp was telling. The crowd now knew that this red-haired youngster was at least a three-star Warrior!


    It was no surprise that a Warrior could beat Students, but neutralizing them with just Qi meant that this Warrior was very well trained...

 Chapter 108 – Seven-Star Warrior

    Chapter 108 ¨C Seven-Star Warrior


    ¡°This red-haired youngster is the weakest amongst them, but I can sense he is a six-star Warrior. The rest of them haven¡¯t even used their skills yet!¡± Coa Ning mumbled in Ye Wei¡¯s ears, and there was a sense of worry on his swollen face. His eyes were glinting with fear.


    ¡°Six-star Warrior?¡± Ye Wei was calm, and he casually stepped forward towards the visitors.


    ¡®How dare you touch my friend.¡¯ Thought Ye Wei.


    ¡°Wei, please don¡¯t do anything stupid. That guy is a genuine six-star Warrior! Let¡¯s just wait until a teacher or people from the gifted ss arrive. We have to be patient!¡± Seeing Ye Wei was eager to fight, Cao Ning¡¯s back was covered in a cold sweat. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of fancy runes you can make now, but these guys are powerful cultivators!¡± He even stood up and quickly grabbed Ye Wei trying to drag him into the crowd despite the pain he was in.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ye Wei looked at his arm while ncing at Cao Ning¡¯s hand. He was touched by how tight he was being held. He then smiled reluctantly, ¡®Brother Cao, he¡¯s just a six-star Warrior..¡¯


    ¡°Who dares have a wild tantrum in my school!?¡± A loud, angry voice rang out as Ye Wei was about to tell Cao Ning how strong he had be.


    The gathering crowd and all the visitors looked in the direction of the angry voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mu Feng and Joe Yin!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes brightened seeing these two were quickly approaching. They all knew that in thest official ranking assessment Joe Yin came seventh, and Mu Feng came third; they were happy to know the school¡¯s elites were here.


    ¡°Finally some decent cultivators?¡± The red-haired youngster wore a cheeky smile as he arrogantly looked at Mu Feng and Joe Yin.


    ¡°What a gorgeous b*tch!¡± The ck-robed cultivators¡¯ eyes only stayed on Mu Feng for a brief moment before they were stuck on Joe Yin. They wondered why they had never seen someone this pretty during their previous visits to Green Moon City.


    The leader of the ck-robed gang, who had dark circles around his eyes, stared at Joe Yin¡¯s wless face.


    ¡°Hello, I am Ning Yang is your name as pretty as you are? How would you like to transfer to Pris Academy? A girl as fair as you deserves betterpany!¡± The dark-eyed youngster asked in a frivolous tone. He smiled and pervertedly looked at Joe Yin¡¯s body.


    Witnessing this youngster openly flirting with Joe Yin, the gathering crowd was furious.


    ¡°Watch your mouth! You are at South Star Academy. We take offenses seriously you dog!¡± Mu Feng was deeply irritated by the disrespectful visitors.


    He was the third strongest cultivator at South Star Academy, and he had not yet gotten over the fact that he was humiliated in the dining hall earlier on. Now that these ck-robed visitors were disrespecting the girl he admired as if he was not there he finally had somewhere to vent his frustration.


    Mu Feng could not take it anymore. He clenched his fist and decided to let his rage take over and punish these arrogant people.


    ¡°Get to the side. I am speaking with this fine youngdy here; this does not concern you!¡± Ning Yang disdainfully red at Mu Feng and scolded. He then turned back to Joe Yin, ¡°I am a lot stronger than that guy next to you. I am sure of it, and I think we should get to know each other better, don¡¯t you?¡± He said in a soft, smooth voice.


    Ning Yangpletely disregarded Mu Feng¡¯s presence as he slowly walked towards Joe Yin with a provocative smile on his face.


    ¡°Shameless!¡± Joe Yin bit her lips, and her breasts rose and fell to the rhythm of her heavy breathing. Her cheeks werepletely red from humiliation. She channeled her Qi, and her ck hair flowed with the wind.


    ¡°Let me handle this. I will teach this disrespectful guy a lesson!¡± Mu Feng grunted and said while looking at her cute, angry face.


    Mu Feng¡¯s body shook and set in motion before Joe Yin could reply. He turned into a sh that sped towards Ning Yang.


    ¡°It¡¯s toote now. Even if you got on your knees and apologized, I would never let this go!¡± Mu Feng said with a cold gaze. His hands flew through the air and fired out eighty-one runes almost instantly.


    ¡®Mid-level Spirit stance ¨C Crystalline Feather Sword¡¯ Mu Feng grunted, and the runes sequence shook as a ghostly wing appeared in the air.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The feather sword pierced through the air like a speeding arrow. It flew towards Ning Yang making a shrill noise.


    Mu Feng was naturally trying to impress, so he did not hold back; he used his best stance. The Crystalline Feather Sword was one of the most powerful offensive mid-level Spirit stances, and in the hands of a six-star Warrior, it carried fearsome momentum. The gathering crowd eyes¡¯ widened and they stared with a worshipping gaze while watching this y out.


    ¡°He is the third strongest cultivator at south star for a reason. Who else had the power to lead with a mid-level Spirit stance!¡±


    ¡°Judging by this power, Mu Feng should be able to break through soon!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Let¡¯s see how he deals with this, and then how can they call us, South Star Academy, trash?¡±


    Cao Ning looked at Mu Feng¡¯s graceful moves with admiration and envy. Although he was the boss of Senior One, he only just broke through to be a Warrior. He was still only a one-star Warrior.


    ¡°Wei, do you see that? He is the third strongest cultivator at our school at the moment. He is around our age, but he is already a six-star Warrior! Also, I can tell that he¡¯s not far from breaking through again.¡± Cao Ning said enviously.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Ye Wei rubbed his nose and nomittally shrugged. He recognized Mu Feng from the dining hall.


    ¡°He should not be so rash. Those ck-robed guys are not simple...¡± Ye Wei said while trying to sense how strong they were as he quietly looked at Ning Yang, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest, and Mu Feng, who was confidently shooting through the air.


    ¡°Third best in South Star? Haha!¡± Just before the feather sword was about to connect, the red-haired boy who stood behind Ning Yangughed and stepped forward.


    ¡®Mid-level Spirit stance ¨C Raven¡¯s Descent!¡¯ Over a hundred runes appeared in front of the red-haired boy, and before he even moved his hands hundreds of ravens burst out towards Mu Feng¡¯s feather sword.


    The ck ravens wrapped around the feather sword, and after a series of cracking sound, the feather wing disintegrated. Some of the Qi ravens that were still fine soared towards Mu Feng.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    The spirit ravens exploded once they reached Mu Feng, and the sharp pressure waves tore holes on his robe and left bone-deep wounds over his body.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Mu Feng clumsily fell as he was struck and heavily impacted the ground. Blood gushed from his wounds and his mouth; it was apparent that he was badly hurt.


    ¡°Sorry! He attacked first; I just defended my friend!¡± The red-haired boy said.


    ¡°Pfft, looks like I am not needed here at all!¡± Ning Yang shook his head regretfully. He was confident with himself and his friends but he did not expect the third best cultivator at South Star Academy couldn¡¯t even withstand one stance.


    This unexpected development shocked everyone. They had already nned out what insults they were about to say when Mu Feng beat up Ning Yang, but they were forced to swallow their words before they could even speak. The South Star students at the scene now looked at the seven ck-robed youngsters in fear.


    ¡°He is a seven-star Warrior... That must be it!¡± Cao Ning was greatly startled and started to mumble next to Ye Wei¡¯s ears.


    The seven-star Warrior level was a bottleneck in the Warrior level. This is because when breaking through to the seventh star it opens up some previously unused meridians; therefore, helping one increase the Qi flow throughout their body. This was the reason why seven-star Warriors were multiple times stronger than six-star Warriors. They were Warriors feared by anyone below their level.


    ¡®The fact that the red-haired boy could knock Mu Feng out with one blow meant that he was at least a seven-star Warrior, and even the two top students of South Star might have trouble dealing with his friends who were even stronger.¡¯ Cao Ning was startled, and his heart froze as he thought.


    ¡°Haha, you see what I mean? Come here girl. Let¡¯s have a chat?¡± Ning Yang¡¯s arms were still crossed, and he didn¡¯t need to use his hands. All he needed to do was send their weakest to fight. He walked slowly towards Joe Yin in front of the crowd¡¯s fearful faces.


    ¡°You..¡± Joe Yin¡¯s face was ash-white. She didn¡¯t think the cultivators from Pris Academy would be so strong. She was scared because their leader, the young man walking towards her, was probably extremely dangerous.


    Joe Yin¡¯s lips bled from her biting them, and the panic she felt caused her to look around for ways out. After ce around her eyes fell onto Ye Wei. She knew Ye Wei might be able to help, but seeing how cold he looked she hesitated to ask for aid.


    Ye Wei sighed as he saw Joe Yin was shaking from helplessness. He frowned and walked forward then stood still in front of Joe Yin blocking Ning Yang¡¯s way.


    Although he did not have feelings for her, he could not stand seeing someone who was so close to him being threatened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t exactly want to help you, but these people¡¯s obnoxiousness is bothering me.¡± Ye Wei said with a calm voice.


    Joe Yin¡¯s heart ached, and she nodded while stepped back close to the crowd.

 Chapter 109 – Crossfire

    Chapter 109 ¨C Crossfire


    ¡°Do you see that guy on the floor? You will look a bit like that but ten times worse if you make me angry.¡± Ning Yang red at Ye Wei and spoke in a cold, threatening manner while pointing at Mu Feng.


    ¡°You think you can do that?¡± Ye Wei tilted his head and looked at Mu Feng while speaking calmly. Not only did he not step away, but he stepped even closer to Ning Yang.


    ¡°Who is this kid? I don¡¯t remember him being a student here.¡±


    The crowd looked at Ye Wei with worried eyes as they couldn¡¯t sense any Qi disturbance from him. They wondered if he was out of his mind. They thought Ye Wei was just amoner friend of a student looking for trouble, and that he had no idea what he was doing.


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡± Cao Ning ground his teeth. His swollen eyes were set on his old friend. At this point, all he could do was to hope that Ye Wei did not need Qi to fight.


    ¡®Ye Wei has trained with Master Yi for three years. His cultivation should be higher than mine, but why does he feel so weak...¡¯


    ¡®That red-haired boy is already a seven-star Warrior, and therefore this Ning Yang character has got to be even stronger! You were a one-star Student three years ago, I don¡¯t know how hard Master Yi trained you, but this guy could be an eight-star Warrior!¡¯


    Cao Ning was having lots of doubts.


    ¡°Brother Ning told you to get lost! Are you deaf?¡± The red-haired boy was eager to prove himself to the group, so he rose his hand to p Ye Wei before Ning Yang made a move.


    ¡®Is he stupid or what?!¡¯


    The other ck-robed cultivators wereughing. They could already picture Ye Wei on the floor with a swollen face covered in blood.


    A loud p sounded, and everyone in the crowed closed their eyes and turned away.


    ¡°What?!¡± The ck-robed boys¡¯ smile froze; they stared at Ye Wei, and their eyes widened in disbelief.


    What they saw was the opposite to what they expected. Ye Wei stood casually as he had been, but the red-haired seven-star Warrior was on the ground with a red handprint on his bruised, swollen face.


    ¡°What just happened!¡±


    The red-haired boy clutched his bruised face and stumbled as he tried to get back on his feet. He fearfully stared at Ye Wei. He didn¡¯t even have time to register what happened or react before he saw a blur and felt a sharp pain on his cheek. After which he lost control of his body and flew backwards.


    ¡®Ye Wei is fine?¡¯


    The crowd recognized the red-haired boy¡¯s screaming voice, and they were all shocked when they turned back around to see that Ye Wei stood unharmed. Everyone widened their eyes even more when they saw the state the red-haired boy was in.


    ¡°What did he do?¡±


    It happened in a sh, and nobody knew how the boy with no Qi presence could defeat a seven-star Warrior.


    ¡°You... I will kill you!¡± The red-haired boy was furious, and he stared at Ye Wei with his bloodshot eyes while drawing rune after rune with his hands.


    The crowd was horrified by what they saw, and everyone took a few steps back as they could feel a massive Qi disturbance from those newly drawn runes. They knew if they stayed where they were, the chances were that they would be crushed by this powerful stance.


    Ye Wei¡¯s figure turned into a sh and reappeared next to the red-haired boy. He raised his leg and delivered a knee strike to his stomach.


    A muffled bang sounded.


    It was not loud, but it was solid. Everyone heard the sound and covered their stomach as if they themselves were hit.


    ¡°Argh!¡± The red-haired cultivator was not quick enough to react, and his face was twisted as the runes in front of him disappeared. He covered his stomach and kneeled down in pain. He felt like his intestines were going toe out of his mouth, and he started vomiting.


    He was nowying on the ground, unable to retaliate.


    ¡®¡°Such incredible speed!¡±¡¯


    All the South Star students were shocked. They could not feel any Qi from Ye Wei from the moment he stepped forward to when the red-haired boy fell. They did not know one could achieve this level of body strength at their age.


    Ye Wei flicked the dust off his robe and shook his head clearly disappointed. ¡°That was not fun.¡± He red the other six ck-robed cultivators. ¡°Do you all want to fight me at once? I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone here would be this strong.¡± Ning Yang cautiously nced at Ye Wei. The students of Pris Academy had always despised the less know South Star Academy, and he never guessed he would meet someone at Ye Wei¡¯s level.


    ¡°I have researched South Star Academy¡¯s three strongest cultivators; you have Liu Jian on top, followed by Chen Mo, and Mu Feng.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in this piece of trash.¡± Ning Yang pointed at the injured man on the ground as he mentioned Mu Feng¡¯s name while ring disdainfully at him.


    ¡°Chen Mo is only at the seven-star level, and I am not interested in him either. I am here to have a chat with Liu Jian.¡±


    ¡°But you seem quite interesting as well. Forget about Liu Jian, do you want to have a chat with me?¡± Ning Yang looked at Ye Wei. ¡®If you don¡¯t fight people stronger than yourself then you will be weaker!¡¯


    ¡°It seems you should be as strong as Liu Jian if not stronger. I guess I didn¡¯t waste my timeing here, thank you.¡± Ning Yang clenched his fists, and a great surge of Qi burst forth causing his ck robe to flutter behind him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold back like you did just now, or you will join them in eating dirt!¡± Ning Yang said as he stepped heavily on the ground. A bust of Qi rushed out from his body rippling the air around him. His presence pressured everyone around turning their faces as pale as ash.


    ¡®That¡¯s not good for Wei, this Ning Yang guy has to be an eight-star Warrior!¡¯ Cao Ning¡¯s pupils dted as he stared at the ck-robed youngster with a surprised gaze.


    ¡®No way...¡¯ Joe Yin felt the same as Cao Ning, and her face turned ash-white. She couldn¡¯t believe people from Pris Academy were at this level. She was starting to get worried for Ye Wei, thinking that even Liu Jian might not be able to handle this guy!


    Joe Yin bit her lips nervously as she knew Ye Wei was strong, but Ning Yang¡¯s strength seems much more fierce. Although she was clear that she was no longer in Ye Wei¡¯s life, her heart was still his.


    ¡°It¡¯s his unlucky day. I have not seen Ning Yang this worked up for a while; the fight won¡¯tst long!¡± The ck-robed youngsters sneered at Ye Wei because they knew exactly what stance their leader was going to use.


    Ye Wei calmly stood still, and he didn¡¯t show any emotion. ¡®Seven-star Warrior, eight-star Warrior, it makes no difference.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re not even going to defend yourself? I hope you won¡¯t regret underestimating me!¡± Ning Yang still couldn¡¯t feel any Qi presence from Ye Wei; therefore, he was starting to get angry from the disrespect.


    ¡°How can I underestimate you when I know exactly how weak you are?¡± Unmoved by the taunt, Ye Wei red coldly at Ning Yang and shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m weak?¡± Ning Yang narrowed his eyes, and suddenly there was killing intent mixed with his Qi. He was so furious heughed hysterically. He then pulled out his finger, and it ran through the air so quick it was hardly visible. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid; I want you to tell others how useless your school ispared to Pris Academy, that is if you can live through this stance.¡±


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    In just a moment, one hundred and thirty-six glowing runes appeared. The sequence vibrated vigorously as Ning Yang put his Qi into it.


    ¡®Fire Tiger¡¯s Return!¡¯ Ning Yang stared coldly at Ye Wei and grunted.


    The spirit tiger was over five meters long, and its burning presence heat up the surrounding air as its roar deafened the crowd.


    ¡°Roooar!¡±


    Its blood scented aura spread, and everyone started to shiver uncontrobly as if they were impacted by the tiger¡¯s presence.


    The spirit tiger leaped into the air, turned around and struck Ye Wei on the head with its steel whip-like tail. The shrill sound of it prating through air gave people a headache.


    ¡®Explosive Steps!¡¯


    ¡®Triple Phantom Finger!¡¯


    While the tiger¡¯s tail was on its course to Ye Wei¡¯s head, Ning Yang drew two more rune sequences.


    The runes condensed under Ning Yang¡¯s feet, and he stomped the groundunching himself towards Ye Wei with the momentum of a speeding arrow.


    Ning Yang got to Ye Wei before the spirit tiger did, and he assessed his position while shooting three Qi bolts at Ye Wei¡¯s paths of retreat.


    The three green Qi bolts covered Ye Wei¡¯s back, left, and right side while the tiger¡¯s tail whip was going tond in front of him; he waspletely surrounded by high-level Spirit stances!


    In one breath¡¯s time Ning Yang used three forbidden high-level Spirit stances. This shocked everyone in the crowd. Every held their breath and wondered how Ye Wei could appear so calm.


    Ye Wei rose his head, ¡°Ha!¡± He channeled his Qi, and a silver energy enveloped his body forming an armor, as the runes within flowed quickly and tightened around him.

 Chapter 110 – Root Prison

    Chapter 110 ¨C Root Prison


    The tail whip and the three Qi bolts struck simultaneously as Ye Wei just stood still. Dust flew up from the stances¡¯ impact creating a smoke screen covering everyone¡¯s sight.


    ¡°Hahaha! Is he stupid? Both Explosive Steps and Triple Phantom Finger are forbidden techniques! I thought Ning Yang said this kid was worthy of his time just now? Why would anyone in their right mind just stand still?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Brother Ning used these two stances in a while. Thest time he use them he brought a nine-star Warrior to his knees!¡±


    ¡°Pfft, this kid obviously has a death wish!¡± The ck-robed cultivators mocked and sneered as they looked at the smoke screen.


    In their eyes even if Ye Wei was hiding his power, he would be either dead or gravely injured after taking these two stances.


    ¡°Sh*t, this is not good. I think that kid is dead; these Pris Academy students are crazy! Why the hell would they do this? Aren¡¯t they afraid they are going to get punished?¡±


    The crowd felt horrible. They felt pity for Ye Wei and were furious with the Pris Academy student¡¯s action.


    ¡°Wei!¡± Joe Yin bit her lip, and her eyes were teary as she didn¡¯t think Ye Wei would just stand still and take the hits! She couldn¡¯t believe that Ye Wei might be dead now because of her. ¡®Either of those stances would easily knock me out!¡¯


    Joe Yin ran towards the smoke screen in a panic shortly followed by Cao Ning, who was as nervous as she was.


    ¡°What an idiot. The funny thing is he knew how dangerous those stances were! Haha!¡± Ning Yangughed disdainfully.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    Ning Yang could sense something unusual from Joe Yin and Cao Ning¡¯s direction and stoppedughing.


    Just when Joe Yin and Cao Ning stepped into the smog, they felt like they were pulled towards the ground. They couldn¡¯t even lift their feet. Ye Wei slowly stepped out of the settling dust as the smoke screen was quickly drawn to the floor.


    Ye Wei looked rxed, and he casually cracked his knuckles. ¡°I was hoping to learn something from your stances, but I couldn¡¯t even do that!¡± He nced at Cao and Joe then turned to stared at Ning Yang.


    ¡°Step back a little.¡± There was a sense of tranquility in Ye Wei¡¯s voice, and he waved his hand at Cao and Joe.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Cao Ning nodded stiffly and followed Ye Wei¡¯s eyes to the seven ck-robed youngsters as he tip-toed backwards. He was beginning to believe his old friend might actually be able to crush these visitors.


    ¡®I guess he has been more productive than I was in these past three years...¡¯ He could not imagine how strong Ye Wei actually was, and there was really no way of knowing.


    Joe Yin followed Cao Ning backwards; she was still slightly traumatized.


    The crowd went crazy. They never would have guessed Ye Wei could survive and walk out gracefully.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the boy who knocked Mu Feng down with just one swing?¡± People started to recognize his face after one of them pointed it out.


    ¡°What.. What do you want to do to us!?¡± All seven ck-robed cultivators widened their eyes in fear as they subconsciously stepped back when Ye Wei approached.


    ¡®He took on two forbidden high-level Spirit stances directly and survived, and I still cannot feel any Qi from him that normal cultivators give off. I¡¯ve even beaten a nine-star and ten-star Warrior with this forbidden stancebo, how can he not have a scratch...¡¯ The thought sent a chill down Ning Yang¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Ning Yang would much rather leave than to be in the presence of Ye Wei. Up till now neither he nor his six friends had any idea of Ye Wei¡¯s level.


    All seven of them then ran towards the gate as if their lives depended on it.


    ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t say good-bye to us.¡± Just when they could smell the fresh air from the other side of the gate, Ye Wei¡¯s voice sounded, and they all stopped running, froze in ce.


    They wanted to run but they couldn¡¯t. Something the ground rooted them in ce and their legs felt as if they were tied to heavy rocks.


    ¡°You... You¡¯re a demon! He has to be! This boy is a demon! What kind of wicked technique are you using?¡± The red-haired boy shouted. They were scared, and for the six of them, except Ning Yang, the hair on the back of their arms stood up and they started screaming.


    ¡°Shut up, stop embarrassing yourselves!¡± Ning Yang coldly stared at hisrades and said. He knew Ye Wei just used Root Prison. A forbidden high-level Spirit stance that generated a pull to lock them where they stood.


    Root Prison was aplicated stance, but Ye Wei was able to finish the stance in mere seconds. It was this moment when Ning Yang knew what kind of opponent he was facing.


    ¡°We concede. I would like to apologize for the things we said and did! Here is thirty thousand silver worth of Purple Cloud. It should be enough to heal the injured student!¡± Ning Yan looked at Ye Wei with fear. He exhaled slowly then bowed to the crowd then he took out a bottle from his bag.


    Ning Yan was certain this was the correct move; he would rather have all of them walk out rtively unharmed than challenge this monster to a fight.


    ¡°You came to us and injured no less than twenty of us. Do you really think I will let you off so easily?¡± Ye Wei was not impressed by Ning Yang¡¯s gesture, and he didn¡¯t even look at the pill bottle Ning Yang respectfully presented him.


    ¡°I apologized, and this bottle of pills is yours. What more do you want me to do? I admit you are very strong, and I am sure you will beat us even if seven of use at you at the same time, but I think you should not push us too much. There are stronger cultivators at our school, and you will want to treat us well for when you have to face Qi Xiu in the tournament.¡±


    Ning Yang grunted, and his face became dark, and there was a hint of threat in his voice. ¡®If brother Qi Xiu weren¡¯t already at Ning City, you wouldn¡¯t be this cocky.¡¯


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Ye Wei narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°You can take a hint. You better let us go now, or I will make sure he pays extra attention to you should you meet in the tournament!¡± Ning Yang¡¯s chest rose as he spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°Kneel and apologize.¡± Ye Wei said as his face turned cold. His hands disappeared in a sh, and runes appeared in front of him which quickly melted into the ground. Afterwards, the pulling force increased dramatically.


    ¡°Pop! Pop!¡±


    The group led by Ning Yang was overwhelmed by the force pulling them down, and their legs softened, forced to kneel on the ground.


    All seven of the prideful cultivators were put down to their knees by Ye Wei in front of the hundreds of South Star students. They nced at Ye Wei with extreme hatred and ground their teeth so hard they started bleeding from their gums.


    The fact that they were on their way to Ning City meant that they were strong enough to representing their school in the tournament, and that they were all popr back at Pris Academy. They had never felt so much shame! The pain in their hearts was a hundred times more agonizing than the physical pain they were feeling.


    Ye Wei could see that they were in great pain, but he did not let them go. ¡®They should be prepared to be insulted before they came here to challenge and insult us.¡¯


    ¡°I will remember the shame you brought upon us today. You better pray that you don¡¯t have to face us in the tournament because I will make sure Qi Xiu hears about how you have disrespected Pris Academy. I am sure he will be more than happy to avenge us and make you pay for what you did to us today!¡± Blood trickled down his mouth as he memorized Ye Wei¡¯s face.


    ¡°Oh, yea. Now that you mention it there is a tournamenting up right? I didn¡¯t n on participating, but you¡¯re making it sound interesting. Thank you for kneeling and apologizing! You can leave now.¡± Ye Wei narrowed his eyes and grunted. He knocked all of them out of the school gate with a burst of Qi.


    Drowning in the crowd¡¯s booing noise, Ning Yang stood up and helped his friends back to their feet and walked away.


    ¡°Cao Ning, are you okay?¡± Ye Wei walked over to his old friend with concern on his face and examined his injuries. ¡®I should have made them bleed for this... How dare they hurt my friend.¡¯ He then left before the eyes of everyone present with Cao Ning¡¯s arm around his shoulder.


    The crowd waspletely quiet while Ye Wei and Cao Ning disappeared down the path.


    ¡°Who was that? How strong is he!? It only took the weakest of them to beat Mu Feng, but this nameless kid brought them all down to their knees!?¡±


    ¡°That was domineering to the extreme! I think he might even be stronger than Liu Jian!¡±


    The crowd could not stop specting. They all looked excited and were full of admiration as they watched Ye Wei disappear down the path.


    ¡°I remember his face! He was dumped by Joe Yin years ago! I heard he became Master Yi¡¯s apprentice, and got into the gifted ss! But he hasn¡¯t shown up for ss in a long time. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t look like he needs lessons...¡±


    ¡°Master Yi¡¯s apprentice!? No wonder he¡¯s so strong!¡±


    Joe Yin stood alone to the side, staring at the empty path. She had been training as hard as she could thinking that if she were strong enough, she would have the courage to talk to Ye Wei and apologize.


    But after seeing him casually disying a small bit of his capability, she was scared and felt unworthy. ¡°Why are you so cold... Why wouldn¡¯t you look at me before you left... You could have said something, anything...¡± There was a bitter smile on Joe Yin¡¯s face because she knew she wounded him deeply and things would never go back to how they were.

 Chapter 111 – Lineup

    Chapter 111 ¨C Lineup


    Ye Wei and Cao Ning went to a quiet corner at the back of a hill on the South Star campus. He was going to bring Cao Ning to Crouching Dragon Hall, but he couldn¡¯t make his injured friend limp so long. He sat Cao Ning down by a rock and took out a red pill.


    ¡°Take this!¡±


    Ye Wei handed the pill over.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need this. It¡¯s just a scratch!¡± Cao Ning waved his hand nervously, and his pupils dted when he saw what Ye Wei was trying to give him.


    ¡°Is this a Blood Prime pill!? I am not feeling that bad! No, I can¡¯t ept this!¡± Cao Ning said when he recognized the red glow. He couldn¡¯t believe Ye Wei would offer him a rare pill that was very hard to find anywhere on the market.


    ¡°Just take it! If you turn this down you are not my friend anymore!¡± Ye Weiughed and stuffed the pill in Cao Ning¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Okay... Fine!¡± Cao Ning hesitated and ground his teeth.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Ye Wei smiled and patted Cao Ning¡¯s shoulder.


    The pair then started catching up on what they had been up to these three years. Ye Wei felt dry and boring when hepared what he had been doing with the eventful life Cao Ning had been living.


    It wasn¡¯t before the sky waspletely dark when Ye Wei stood up and said his farewells to Cao Ning.


    ¡°Wei, do you really want to participate in the tournament?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ye Wei paused and nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Cao Ning was excited to hear his decision. ¡°I will bring the ss to cheer for you!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I have to be on my way now!¡± Ye Wei did not know much about the tournament; he just wanted to ensure the South Star students¡¯ safety considering these recent developments. He wanted to go back to ask his master about the details of the tournament.


    After parting ways, Ye Wei headed deeper into the woods to a secret passage, deep into the hill where Master Yi¡¯s hideout was where he spent thest three years getting stronger.


    ¡°Master, I would like to know more about this cultivation tournament everyone has been talking about!¡± Ye Wei went straight into Master Yi¡¯s room when he came back.


    ¡°Why would you want to participate in that?¡± Master Yi smiled, ¡°With your talent and all you¡¯ve learned these past few years you are more or less guaranteed to pass the Runemaster entrance exam. Why would you waste time on a silly tournament?¡±


    ¡°I heard that there would be many strong cultivators from different schools attending, and I want to see how I stack up against others. I think I just put my schoolmates in danger...¡± Ye Wei said with determination in his eyes. He had been training alone this whole time and wanted to apply what he learned to realbat, to improve himself.


    ¡°Do you know why the Zhou dynasty holds a tournament every year?¡± Master Yi sighed and asked.


    ¡°To keep the school rankings up to date? To strengthen the dynasty by encouraging positivepetition between young cultivators?¡± Ye Wei asked tentatively. He was aware that they dynasty distributed more resources to higher ranking schools.


    ¡°Correct, that is one of the reasons. The dynasty will not admit it publically, but they are actually doing it to for recruitment purposes, more specifically they are recruiting for the Green Army.¡± Master Yi answered in a low voice.


    ¡°The Green Army!?¡± Ye Wei was startled. The royal armed force was a household name. They were the strongest troops of the Zhou dynasty, and they were formed almost exclusively by condensed prime Warriors with a few exceptions of talented individuals who had potential.


    Their duty was to deal with the threats posed by demons, wild beasts, and most importantly to protect the royal families.


    ¡°Among all armed forces, the Green Army¡¯s authority reigns supreme within the borders. Furthermore, if youmit ¡®Acts of Valor¡¯ when you¡¯re in service you could be given plots ofnd. This could be a city or even provinces if you¡¯ve done something really shy.¡±


    ¡°If you die while in the line of duty then the army will protect your family for at least a decade in case enemies of the state seek revenge.¡± Master Yi spoke slowly.


    ¡°Their families will be protected too...¡± Ye Wei mumbled. He never knew about the perks and details.


    ¡°But once you join the Green Army, you can never leave. Inparison, you will have a lot more freedom as a Runemaster!¡± Master Yi continued, ¡°We are free men!¡±


    ¡°If you be a Runemaster and enter the union you will have as many benefits as the Green Army!¡± Heughed contentedly.


    ¡®Haha! I don¡¯t think Master wants me to join the Green Army...¡¯ Ye Wei got the hint and chuckled. ¡°Master, will they force people to join them?¡± He continued asking curiously.


    ¡°No, if you do not will to join then they will not force you to!¡± Master Yi shook his head. He had watched Ye Wei grow up for three years, and they had developed a father-son like rtionship.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case then I would like to go and challenge people from the other schools!¡± A fighting spirit grew in Ye Wei¡¯s heart.


    Hearing Ye Wei¡¯s wish, Master Yi smiled and said. ¡°Okay then, I will ask the principal to reserve you a spot! And I will write you a letter of rmendation so you can file your application for the Runemaster Union¡¯s entry exam while you¡¯re at Ning City!¡±


    ¡°The tournament is divided into three stages,¡± Master Yi continued.


    ¡°The first stage is an inter-provincial selection. Only the ten strongest people from each province will be chosen to enter the next stage.¡±


    ¡°The second stage, of course, is the inter-state selection. Here the top ten contestants of each state will be qualified to join the Green Army.¡±


    ¡°And the third stage is the most interesting. If you rank in the top ten in that stage, you will have a chance to get into the Holy Conservatory. You might even have a chance to meet Zi Yan again if you get to that point.¡±


    Ye Wei startled after hearing Master Yi¡¯s words. ¡®It had been three years since she... I wonder if she¡¯s okay...¡¯


    ¡°But with your current level, it will be difficult for you to reach those heights!¡± Master Yi gently shook his head.


    Thirty-six outskirt cities were just the province of the Qing state, and there was a total of eighty-one provinces in the state which contained eight hundred and ten schools. There were over three hundred states in the Zhou dynasty!


    Although Ye Wei was improving very quickly, he had started toote. Many of the young talents began their training with great teachers since they could walk, and even before that they were fed pills and herbs since their birth.


    Master Yi had been training Ye Wei for three years, and therefore he knew exactly how strong Ye Wei was. However, even the Runemaster had no idea that his legacy apprentice knew how to use the Supernova stance, as Ye Wei promised himself that he would never reveal his identity as the cial Emperor¡¯s apprentice unless lives were at stake.


    Now that Ye Wei was a peak ten-star Warrior with the help of the Supernova stance he could beat a one-star condensed prime Warrior and challenge a two-star condensed prime Warrior.


    Ye Wei was very close to finishing the second evolution of the Supernova stance, and on top of that, his body was ready to breakthrough. He needed different kinds of energy to stimte his body; he needed to fight.


    That very night, Ye Wei used his jade trinket to enter the cial Temple and practiced stances.


    The tournament was going to start soon, and the students were feeling the extra pressure. Everyone at South Star Academy was training in their free time hoping that would increase their chances of getting chosen as representatives. And the top students were training even harder as they knew their pride and the Academy¡¯s reputation would be on the line.


    ***


    In a bamboo forest at another corner of South Star Academy, people were having a conversation regarding the tournament inside a luxurious loft.


    The oldest of them was a sage-looking, white haired and bearded man then there was a middle-aged man in a gray robe. The other two were smart-looking teenagers.


    The sage-looking old man was Gu Qing, the principal of South Star Academy, who lived like a hermit. The grey-robe man was his right hand man, vice-principal Xu He.


    The white-robed teenager was Liu Jian, and the other boy in a faded gold robe was Chen Mo.


    ¡°Principal Gu, it came to my attention that we arecking another suitable candidate. Out of our students, we only have Liu Jian and Chen Mo who are seven-star Warriors or above, all the others are justckluster! If we really are aiming for the top ten in our county, we will need at least three seven-star Warriors...¡± Vice-principal Xu He spoke in a worried tone to the old man who sat in the lotus position; he wasn¡¯t sure if the principal was awake or asleep.


    The principal¡¯s eyes were close when he nodded.


    There was no limit to how many representative each school could send for the initial group stage selection matches as long as they were registered students; however, schools usually only send Warriors to not waste others¡¯ time.


    But once the group stage is over, each of the top ten schools were only allowed to send three students topete in the cement fights. That was the reason why the leaders of South Star, and every otherpeting school, were having headaches assembling their squad that could actually be able to contest the other schools in the fights.


    The vice-principal started worrying after checking the tournament results from the past years. He noticed that out that all the high-ranked students on the school¡¯s ranking it did not contain anyone higher than a six-star Warrior. He didn¡¯t want the school to make a fool of itself.


    ¡°Vice-principal, just put Mu Feng on the roster. It¡¯s okay that we don¡¯t have a lineup with three seven-star Students or higher. I will carry the team. I guarantee that we will reach top ten; nobody will think little of us!¡± Liu Jian disced the confidence of the best student of South Star Academy in his speech.


    ¡°Are there any chances that Mu Feng will breakthrough within half a month?¡± The gold-robed teen sounded more calm and mature when he asked the vice-principal.


    ¡°There is a slim chance, but Mu Feng just got injured by people from Pris Academy, and now his body is not in the optimal condition to push his cultivation more...¡± The vice-principal signed and shook his head.


    ¡®Of course, I want to trust you, Liu Jian, I have seen you fight... But what if we don¡¯t get into top ten? Our reputation is on the line! It would be humiliating if we failed to advance in front of thirty-six other schools! I am almost certain that people will talk about how we don¡¯t even have three seven-star Warriors to put on our roster...¡¯


    ¡°They sure were good at choosing the best time to pick a fight... Only if I wasn¡¯t training behind close doors...¡± Liu Jian grunted.


    ¡°I might have a suitable candidate. Give me a minute.¡± Gu Qing stood up and stepped out of the building; he then walked towards Master Yi¡¯s hideout. He was taking little slow steps but was traveling at a great speed; his figure was moving in a ghostly manner.


    ¡°A suitable candidate? And the principal is fetching that kid himself?¡± Xu He was confused. He mumbled as he watched the principal disappeared into the woods.


    ¡°He is not going to get just some random kid to fill the spot right?¡± Liu Jian frowned.


    ¡°Are you questioning the principal? I wouldn¡¯t be this strong and standing here next to you if it wasn¡¯t for him!¡± Chen Mo red. He was not pleased with Liu Jian¡¯s attitude.


    Liu Jian was from a martial family, more specifically one of Green Moon City¡¯s Big Three. Having grown up with all the resources his family could provide, the talented youngster was not taught to be appreciative. Meanwhile, Chen Mo was from an ordinary family, and before meeting principal Gu, his family had no ways to develop his talents. Because of that, Chen Mo was very sensitive when it came to the subject of South Star Academy¡¯s principal.


    ¡°Maybe I am! Anyway, I would like to meet whoever he brings here, and I will have to see for myself if he or she is worthy.¡± Liu Jian said with pride. He had always been the undisputed strongest cultivator of the academy for years now.


    Thepetition would not be easily convinced.


    After a cup of tea¡¯s time has passed, Gu Qing walked into the loft with a handsome young man.


    ¡°Principal, is this the suitable candidate you spoke of?¡± Xu He was surprised by Ye Wei¡¯sck of Qi disturbance as he widened his eyes and stared. ¡®Does he think we are picking students for a public speakingpetition?¡¯


    What Xu He didn¡¯t know was that since Ye Wei started practicing the Supernova stance most of his Qi now was held in his bones and hidden under the runes on them instead of inside his dantian.


    ¡°Hahaha! He can be the leader of our cheerleading squad!¡± Liu Jian said while casually looking at Ye Wei. He could also not sense any Qiing from Ye Wei.

 Chapter 112 – Qi Xiu

    Chapter 112 ¨C Qi Xiu


    As soon as Ye Wei stepped into the loft, he could feel the heavy atmosphere and that everyone was evaluating him. ¡®He has the look of someone who makes decisions... Why is he looking at me like this?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t stand the vice-principal¡¯s skeptical stare.


    ¡®This white-robed elder is clearly looking down on me. This guy in faded gold seems nice though.¡¯ Ye Wei thought as Chen Mo nodded with a friendly smile.


    ¡°Principal Gu, would this boy be the candidate you spoke about. May I just say I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen his face before? And I don¡¯t think he is one of our top students...¡± The vice-principal said respectfully.


    There were few thousand students at South Star, and while it was impossible to know everyone who studied there, Xu He was familiar with how the strongest cultivators looked. He was certain that Ye Wei was not one of them. He also sensed that there was no Qi disturbance from Ye Wei. He was only speaking so subtly because he respected the principal.


    ¡°Ye Wei, may I introduce you to the vice-principal, Xu He. He will be the supervisor for our school¡¯s representatives for this tournament. This is Liu Jian, and this is Chen Mo; you should get to know each other better.¡± Gu Qing pointed aroundpletely ignoring Xu He as he introduced everyone to Ye Wei.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ye Wei nodded calmly, ¡°Greetings!¡±


    ¡°Sit down and the vice-principal will tell you the details about the tournament.¡± Xu He was aware that the principal was unexpectedly very nice to Ye Wei as he never invited the top two students to sit down.


    Gu Qing¡¯s friendly attitude to Ye Wei surprised everyone in the room.


    After a second Ye Wei¡¯s name and face started to ring a bell, but the vice-principal decided not to say anything about it for now.


    Chen Mo was assessing Ye Wei from head to toe. ¡®Who could this person be? Principal Gu seems ecstatic to have him here!¡¯


    ¡®I am number one here so howe I don¡¯t get to sit down?!¡¯ Because the principal valued Ye Wei so much this sparked Liu Jian¡¯spetitiveness, ¡°I am Liu Jian, of the Liu family of Green Moon City, you don¡¯t look familiar are you a student here? Or are you from one of the martial families?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the best memory but I am familiar with the top students at South Star and most of the outstanding youngsters in Green Moon City, as far as I can recall I don¡¯t remember ever seeing your face.¡± Liu Jian said with a cruel smile on his face. His cold voice dug directly into Ye Wei¡¯s ears. ¡°The tournament is kind of a big deal for me. I don¡¯t really care who you are, and I don¡¯t care about whatever dumb luck led you to get close to Principal Gu, but you better not get in my way... In fact, you know what? Just give up. I already have enough weight to carry in the tournament so if you insist on tagging along and dragging me down, I will make sure you will never make it in Green Moon City.¡±


    Ye Wei gazed coldly at Liu Jian as he was calm and emotionless. He then turned to the principal and asked, ¡°Principal Gu, when are we heading out?¡± Hepletely ignored Liu Jian. All he wanted was to challenge and learn from talents of the bigger schools and cities, not from a big fish in a small pond.


    Liu Jian was furious that Ye Wei didn¡¯t even seemed to be listening, ¡®This kid has balls!¡¯


    Under normal circumstances, experienced cultivators like vice-principal Xu He would be able to determine one¡¯s cultivation level but because he couldn¡¯t see through Ye Wei, he did not see the need to break it up. He was also uncertain about the principal¡¯s decision to suddenly add Ye Wei to the roster. He was therefore more than happy that Liu Jian wanted to start a fight, as there was no appropriate way for him to ask.


    Although Xu He heard about the incident where Mu Feng was injured by Pris Academy¡¯s students, to him it was rather normal that young cultivators got themselves injured because of theirpetitiveness. Wise as he was the vice-principal was not able to link the incident to Ye Wei and remained blissfully oblivious of what the Runemaster apprentice was capable of doing.


    ¡°This tournament is not just about the academy¡¯s reputation and ranking, it will definitely affect the contestant¡¯s future!¡±


    ¡°Especially with the ranked fights. There are only three quotas for each school, Liu Jian and Chen Mo rank first and second. It is only fair that they get two spots, and I am sure the other students think the same. But with you...¡± The vice-principal finally found a reason to discretely challenge the principal¡¯s decision as he gazed upon Ye Wei and paused, ¡°If you don¡¯t show us some of your skills then it will be hard for me to convince others that you deserve the spot. I will get swarmed with questions from parents and students about you, Ye Wei... As I am responsible for arranging the team, and the tournament in general, I am afraid I will have to conduct a test to see if you are truthy worthy to be on the roster.¡±


    ¡°Sure. What¡¯s the test?¡± Ye Wei nodded to Xu He as calm as he had been since he was brought to the loft by the principal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make it simple; if you can take three hits from me, you will have my respect!¡± Liu Jian gazed threateningly at Ye Wei as he stepped forward and spoke before Xu He could answer.


    ¡°Principal Gu, what do you think about this?¡± Gu Qing was watching on the side when Xu He asked nervously.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± The principal waved his hand.


    ¡°Very well, Liu Jian.¡± Seeing that both Gu Qing and Ye Wei did not oppose the proposal, the vice-principal nodded.


    ¡°Three hits? What do you say to making it really simple? We will exchange one blow.¡± Ye Wei stood up, and walked to the middle of the room while ring at Liu Jian. ¡°I would like to see if you can take one hit from me!¡± He said coldly.


    Ye Wei knew Liu Jian was the only eight-star Warrior at South Star Academy, and that the ¡®strongest cultivator¡¯ of South Star was actually not stronger than Ning Yang, the Pris Academy student he just faced. Therefore, it should not take him more that one blow to finish this.


    ¡°Kid, let me say this before I knock you out. I admire the fact that you have the confidence to stand up against me!¡± Liu Jian¡¯s face turned red, and he grunted and channeled his Qi. By the time his body was covered by energy that came from his dantian, his figure has already be a blur. His fist became a silver sh heading straight to Ye Wei¡¯s chest with a lightning-like speed.


    Although Liu Jian did not use a stance, because his fist was empowered by Qi it was powerful enough to knock out a seven-star Warrior.


    It was apparent to anyone in the room that Liu Jian wanted to finish the fight as quickly as he could.


    ¡°What an idiot, he should have used a stance...¡± Chen Mo had been trying to keep quiet, but seeing that Liu Jian was underestimating his opponent, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. ¡®This Ye Wei was clearly hiding something! Ranking-wise I know you are the best student at South Star right now, but do you really expect it tost if you keep being this careless? If this kid doesn¡¯t beat you here I will one day!¡¯


    The room was filled by a shrill sound that came from Liu Jian¡¯s Qi, and the interior shook.


    Ye Wei stood still and calmly watched the approaching silver punch. Liu Jian¡¯s fist and the rest of his body froze in ce when he was three inches away fromnding his punch. He felt an unmovable resistance as if there was a thick invisible wall in front of Ye Wei.


    ¡°A Qi wall?!¡± Xu He¡¯s eyes narrowed as he mumbled, ¡®So he is at least a six-star Warrior; I guess he is qualified topete at the group stage at least!¡¯


    ¡°Oh wow! A six-star Warrior? I guess you don¡¯t have to be in the cheerleading squad, but you are still not good enough to be one of our main fighters!¡± Liu Jian¡¯s cold re intensified as he channeled more of his Qi to his fist.


    His knuckles shone brighter and brighter showcasing the body strength of a eight-star Warrior.


    ¡°Not bad, when ites to Qi density you are not weaker than Pris Academy¡¯s Ning Yang, but I think he is a smarter fighter than you are... You should have met him. He was very polite just like you, you two would get along well.¡± Ye Wei was more interested in knowing more about his new teammate than beating him. ¡®He is not strong but definitely not weak, okay how should I end this politely...¡¯


    Ye Wei stepped forward, and the moment his foot touched the ground the wall of Qi in front of him pushed towards Liu Jian like a tsunami wave.


    Liu Jian felt like he was consumed by this wave of energy, and feeling the force of a tall b of metal falling upon him, he quickly leaped backwards after he was hit to avoid the full impact. He took five steps back before he could steady his footing. he left potholes on the solid floor with each step he took.


    Ye Wei never moved a muscle except taking that small step forward, whereas on the contrary Liu Jian was panting for air although he was the aggressor.


    Xu He was startled. He didn¡¯t think Liu Jian would lose, and certainly not in this manner. The vice-principal could vaguely guess that Ye Wei had already reached the ten-star Warrior level.


    Chen Mo was also shocked. He had a feeling that Liu Jian would humiliate himself from the beginning but he didn¡¯t expect Ye Wei could clinch the victory so clean and effortlessly.


    Liu Jian was horrified and discouraged by the figure in front of him, and although he had not used a stance in this brief duel, he knew, without a doubt, that he did not stand a chance with or without using stances. He has always been confident and arrogant, but he was shaken by Ye Wei who he felt was even younger than himself. ¡®Why have I not heard of this kid before...¡¯


    ¡°Xu, are you satisfied?¡± Gu Qing smiled, and asked the shocked vice-principal in a yful tone.


    ¡°Yes, very much so!¡± Xu He gazed upon Ye Wei with a praising look. ¡®He is so young too... If I can make him stay in South Star we can probably get ourselves in the top ten for years toe!¡¯


    But at the same time the vice-principal was slightly worried because if Ye Wei was really a registered South Star student then how could he not have notice such talent. He frowned as he considered the worst case scenario as the deadline for this school year¡¯s enrolment was passing soon, and if he sent in the papers now, Ye Wei would not be registered in time to participate in the tournament.


    ¡°He is a registered student!¡± Gu Qing saw through Xu He¡¯s mind. ¡°His master locked him up for training purposes these past three years, we did not cancel his status.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s good to hear!¡± The vice-principal was relieved then felt shocked again. ¡®Wait what... Could this be? He has to be Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice! That would exin why I can¡¯t feel his Qi either! Master Yi must have hidden it somehow...¡¯ The vice-principal thought oblivious about Ye Wei¡¯s Supernova stance.


    ¡°Was it you who drove the Pris boys away?¡± Liu Jian was rash but not stupid. He looked at Ye Wei with respect upon realizing no one else could have been the valiant defender. In Liu Jian¡¯s eyes power was everything, and although Ye Wei was younger he would treat the winner as a winner should be treated.


    ¡°Yes, it was me.¡± Ye Wei nodded. He could feel their approval. ¡®This guy is wild, but I guess he is stupid in a nice way when he¡¯s on my side.¡¯


    ¡°Ha, they threatened us right? The Pris Academy students, we will surely crush them with you on our team!¡± Liu Jian was feeling positive again.


    ¡®He is very energetic too!¡¯ Ye Wei realized his attempt to humble Liu Jian did not work and that this martial family descendant was a bit reckless.


    Chen Mo ced his palm on his forehead feeling a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°Liu Jian, don¡¯t underestimate them; they came third in thest tournament!¡± Vice-principal Xu frowned and said in a serious tone. ¡°And I heard that Qi Xiu of Pris Academy caused some troubles in Ning City a couple days ago.¡±


    ¡°Qi Xiu!?¡± Liu Jian and Chen Mo¡¯s faces turned pale when they heard the name spoken. Although they did not have a lot of information on Pris Academy¡¯s ace, Qi Xiu had the reputation as the one of the strongest young cultivators in the region.


    Ye Wei heard this name from Ning Yang and hearing his new teammates mentioned him as well caused his interest to grow immensely.

 Chapter 113 – List

    Chapter 113 ¨C List


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about them for now. South Star Academy is a much younger school, and I am fine if we lose to a well-established school like Pris. Thest time we came in thirteenth in the end, but this time with Ye Wei on our roster, I would like us to squeeze into the top ten!¡±


    ¡°I think it is entirely possible for South Star to reach stage two andpete at a provincial level!¡± The vice-principal looked at the trio and said excitedly.


    ¡®Only thirty-six schools are participating in the provincial stage, but if we advance to the next stage, we will then be fighting before the eyes of cultivators from more than eight hundred different schools. I really hope that we can get South Star¡¯s name out there and give our students some exposure. If we do well, it will be something we can all be proud of...¡¯


    When it came to the school¡¯s reputation and management, the vice-principal was way moremitted than his boss; he was immensely grateful that Ye Wei was joining the team, and looked forward to leading it to the possible new heights they could reach.


    ¡°Phew, I have been losing sleep over who should take the third spot for weeks now. I hope everyone is happy with each other! Why don¡¯t you three go back and rest a bit? We have to leave tomorrow if we want to make the opening ceremony the day after!¡± Vice-principal Xu said with a rxed smile on his face.


    After bowing to the principal and the vice-principal, Ye Wei, Liu Jian, Chen Mo headed back to rest.


    ¡°Principal Gu, was that Master Yi¡¯s...¡± Xu He asked curiously.


    ¡°Yes, you are correct! Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice.¡± Gu Qing smiled and nodded.


    ¡°So you¡¯re are telling that kid had a red Sentient?!¡± Xu He felt emotional, ¡°Master Yi is a bit of a godly character... I really would like to know what kind of method he used to mold Ye Wei into what he is today in just three years!¡±


    Xu He exhaled slowly. He felt excited just talking about the Runemaster he admired and respected.


    ¡°Well, weak Sentients were never and will never be a problem for cultivators training to be Runemasters.¡± Gu Qing touched his beard then looked at Xu He. He was more interested in how well Ye Wei was doing in terms of his runic studies. He wondered how close Ye Wei was to bing a one-star Runemaster.


    ¡°Apart from those three, how many and who else should we sent to Ning City?¡±


    ¡°We are not bringing along anyone below the three-star Warrior level as thepetition will be tougher thanst year. Every school had great young talentsst time, and I doubt those kids have already left their schools. It would be a waste of time to bring too many people, and they won¡¯t learn much if they get crushed.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling that South Star is going to be one of the top ten schools this year!¡± Vice-principal Xu clenched his fist and said confidently.


    ¡°Only top ten?¡± Gu Qing smiled. Master Yi had consulted the principal before he started training Ye Wei, and while none of the staff knew how strong Ye Wei was as a fighter, the principal had been briefed with regr updates from the Runemaster himself regarding Ye Wei¡¯s progress. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Ye Wei; he is capable of doing much more than what you saw today.¡±


    ¡®Did principal Gu mean that Ye Wei was more than a ten-star Warrior?¡¯ Xu He was confused but also excited. He looked forward to see how the Runemaster¡¯s apprentice could surprise him.


    ¡°By the way, I think the Pris Academy¡¯s students were told to do what they did by someone higher up. The students on their own wouldn¡¯t have that guts to injure our kids like that.¡± The vice-principal frowned.


    ¡°It will be fine, just make sure the team pays extra attention if they have to face Pris, and show them that we are not to be messed with.¡± Gu Qing¡¯s eyes lit up. Although he was nning on retiring soon, he was not going to sit back while his students were bullied on his campus.


    ¡®Pris Academy... I wonder if Ye Wei or their Qi Xiu is stronger?¡¯ Xu He for the first time in a long while feltpetitive. He was excited to lead one of the strongest team South Star had assembled in recent years.


    The morning after, in the early hours when students were usually asleep, there was a gathering crowd at the front gate of South Star Academy.


    They were all South Star student who knew today was the day when the vice-principal announced who of the school¡¯s elites he would take with him to Ning City for the cultivation tournament. Most of the students were here to send off the contestants, and the rest hoped that their names were on the list.


    For most of the students, who knewst year¡¯s lineup by heart it was assumed that if one¡¯s cultivation was above the Warrior level, then they would have a chance to represent South Star topete against the other schools.


    Naturally, the senior sses were there as well with Cao Ning, and they were all excited about the announcement.


    ¡°Brother Cao, I don¡¯t think I will be chosen toe with you to Ning City so promise to tell us stories when you get back!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Of course!¡± Cao Ning pped his chest. He was almost jumping with joy when he epted the request. He had been looking forward to the tournament for a while now. Cao Ning was now a one-star Warrior, and with his training speed he would most likely be a two-star Warrior when he graduated in a year¡¯s time.


    ¡°You¡¯re just a one-star Warrior and you want to represent us in the tournament? Why don¡¯t you take a piss on the floor and look at your pathetic face in the reflection?¡± A mocking voice said while the Senior One boys were chatting andughing.


    ¡°Xiao Qi!¡± Everyone in Senior One recognized the voice. Cao Ning frowned and stared. The old ss bully was wearing his attitude on his face as he approached.


    Both of Xiao Qi¡¯s parents were senior tutors at South Star which was the reason why he had nevercked training resources or supplies and on top of that Xiao Qi was actually a quick learner; this troublemaker was now a three-star Warrior!


    After Xiao Qi had been humiliated by Ye Wei in the Junior Three ssroom three years ago, he had always avoided Cao Ning, Ye¡¯s closest friend. However, since Ye Wei had vanished for three years, Xiao Qi had slowly regained his confidence.


    ¡°The school allowed anybody above the Warrior level to sign upst year, and brother Cao has broken through since then! Why exactly do you think he can¡¯t represent us!?¡± Cao Ning¡¯s friends spoke before he could.


    ¡°And who told you thatst year¡¯s rules apply this year? Idiots... I¡¯ve been informed that South Star is only going to send twelve cultivators to this year¡¯s tournament, and you have to be at least a three-star Warrior to get on the team! So I¡¯m afraid your big brother Cao here will have to wait until next year! Hahaha!¡± Xiao Qi told the ss with an irritated voice. He had been wanting to tell them and watch them react ever since he overheard it from his parents when they were discussing the tournament.


    ¡°We have to be three-star Warriors to take part? That is a bit steep...¡± The Senior One cultivators were shocked and a bit disappointed.


    ¡°Who said Cao Ning can¡¯t participate?¡± When Cao Ning was feeling discouraged and slightly helpless, a calm but loud voice sounded behind him.


    Ye Wei walked beside Cao Ning and patted his shoulder. Don¡¯t worry about it; I have a solution.¡± He then turned to Xiao Qi and said, ¡°If Cao Ning can¡¯t take part in this tournament than neither can you!¡±


    ¡°I, a three-star Warrior, one of the twelve best cultivators at South Star Academy, cannot join the team? You¡¯re a riot!¡± Xiao Qi did not recognize who he was talking with yet, and heughed out loud after speaking.


    ¡°You are Xiao Qi?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face changed. He frowned as he recognized Xiao Qi¡¯s attitude, ¡®It hasn¡¯t changed one bit... Some people just never grow up!¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re correct; that¡¯s me!¡± Xiao Qi thought Ye Wei was surprised to meet one of the top twelve cultivators. ¡°If you bow before me and apologize, then I will forgive how you just insulted me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the boy who defeated the visitors from Pris Academy!¡± People in the crowd started to recognize Ye Wei, and they looked at him with the utmost respect.


    ¡°I heard he knocked Mu Feng out with just one p earlier that day!¡±


    ¡°Even Liu Jian himself confirmed he lost to this boy!¡±


    ¡°That is a bit strange; if he defeated Liu Jian that means he is at least an eight-star Warrior! Why can¡¯t I sense anything from him?¡±


    Xiao Qi¡¯s face turned pale as he heard the conversations, and he realized he was the weak one who just embarrassed himself. ¡®He is the kid that everyone has been talking about for these couple days?¡¯ He looked at Ye Wei with fear...


    He finally noticed the attention he had been getting since he started speaking was not the good kind.


    ¡°Xiao Qi, it¡¯s been a while. If you bow before me and apologize, then I will forgive how you just insulted me.¡± Ye Wei tried to contain hisugher as he spoke.


    ¡°You are...¡± Xiao Qi¡¯s pupil dted as he finally recognized the person who stood in front of him was Ye Wei. He froze on the spot as he remembered Ye Wei¡¯s prestigious identity as a Runemaster¡¯s legacy apprentice. ¡°I am sorry Ye Wei; I was blind and stupid!¡± He gritted his teeth and bowed unwillingly.


    Xiao Qi would never imagine Ye Wei would be strong enough to beat Mu Feng and Liu Jian in a mere three years! ¡®Pfft if I was Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice I would have be this strong too!¡¯


    ¡°Buzz! Buzz!¡±


    A shrill buzzing sound came from far away as a ck runicle closed in. The ck bodied vehicle was decorated with star-like gems. It arrived in front of the students in no time, the runicle door opened and the vice-principal stepped out.


    ¡°As you are all here, I assume you know what I will be announcing this morning! This year we will be going to Ning City with a team of twelve students!¡± Xu He smiled to the anticipating students and said.


    ¡°And they are, Liu Jian, Chen Mo, Mu Feng...¡± His voice was loud and clear. ¡°... Joe Yin, Zhang Jie, Zhao Kun, Zhou Cheng and Xiao Qi!¡±


    ¡°All of you mentioned please get into the runicle!¡± Xu He announced all twelve names in one breath. All of them were names of three-star or stronger Warriors. He then threw his eyes to Ye Wei. ¡°Psst, you too.¡± He whispered as the vice-principal did not want to say Ye Wei¡¯s name in public before he had to, ¡®I should keep him in the shadows for now...¡¯

 Chapter 114 – Tri-Solar School

    Chapter 114 ¨C Tri-Sr School


    There was a hint of disappointment and helplessness on Cao Ning¡¯s face as he could not believe his hard work and effort was all for naught.


    This did not escape Ye Wei¡¯s eyes, and after seeing Cao Ning¡¯s state, Ye Wei looked towards the vice-principal and moved his lips.


    ¡°Cao Ning,e over here!¡± Xu He nodded at Ye Wei then turned to Cao Ning.


    Ye Wei was the strongest cultivator at South Star Academy and Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice. Although he was known to be strict, the vice-principal trusted and respected him enough to approve his request.


    ¡°What? Me? I cane too?¡± Cao Ning was startled. His sadness was reced with surprise. ¡®I thought Xiao Qi said only three-star Warriors or above?¡¯


    Cao Ning froze and looked at the vice-principal then he saw Ye Wei smiling beside Xu He. It took him a while before he figured out Ye Wei requested the vice-principal to bring one more person along.


    ¡°Ye Wei...¡± Cao Ning felt an itch in his throat. He looked right at Ye Wei with teary eyes. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Although Ye Wei has disappeared for three years, he had still provided training supplies for Cao Ning. Without which bing a Warrior would be impossible for Cao considering his talent was just above average. Now that Ye Wei has done him yet another favor, Cao Ning¡¯s kind heart was overwhelmed with gratefulness.


    ¡°Ye Wei, in the future if you need help with anything at all just let me know! I will not blink even if I have to risk my life for yours!¡± He swore solemnly.


    ¡°When you graduate, you will surely be looking for a martial family to serve? If you like you¡¯re always wee at the Ye family!¡± Ye Wei patted Cao Ning¡¯s shoulder and smiled.


    ¡°Can I really?¡± Cao Ning asked excitedly. For anyone who was born with an ordinary background, serving a martial family after they graduated was one of their best options, and considering how much the Ye family had grown in the past three years Cao Ning would be guaranteed a bright and stable future if the Ye¡¯s took him in.


    ¡°Of course! Once the tournament is over, I will find the time to speak with granddad about it! Let¡¯s head out; we¡¯re taking too long!¡± Ye Wei gave Cao Ning¡¯s back another pat, and together they walked into the floating runicle.


    Xiao Qi red at Ye Wei and Cao Ning. He felt as if his face was burning; he felt like he had been pped. Not only was he forced to bow and apologize in front of everyone, but he also embarrassed himself by promising Cao Ning that anyone lower than three-star Warrior cultivation would not be allowed to join the team only to be overruled by the vice-principal.


    The awkwardness was overwhelming. Xiao Qi felt like he was a small and pathetic clown that his worth was denied by Ye Wei, and he had no way to contest for it. He felt pitiful that he was happy just because Ye Wei decided not to pursue the matter.


    When everything was settled the runicle took off before more than a thousand eyes, heading towards Ning City.


    The runicle was spacious, and Ye Wei and the fourteen others did not feel cramped at all.


    ¡°Cao Ning, how many stances have you learned so far?¡± Ye Wei and Cao Ning were seated in the corner, and they started chatting quietly.


    ¡°Just two...¡± Cao Ning said embarrassingly. Comparing to other one-star Warriors, he did not know that many stances at all.


    ¡°And they are?¡± Ye Wei nodded and asked in a neutral tone.


    ¡°Rolling Stone Punch and the Onyx Tortoise stance.¡± Cao Ning replied honestly.


    ¡®Why those two... They are both just mid-level Spirit stances...¡¯ Ye Wei frowned. He was confused, but when he reminded himself of Cao Ning¡¯s background, he realized the reason behind it.


    Cao Ning had a civilian background; therefore, he could only practice weakermon stances provided by the South Star, and he actually worked hard to earn the rights to be taught these two stances.


    ¡°Ye Wei, thank you for asking the vice-principal to bring me along. I know I am not strong enough to fight for South Star, but I am happy just being able to tag along...¡± Cao Ning¡¯s lips curled into a bitter smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it; you are already here, and I will think of ways to make you worthy for the arena!¡± Ye Wei interrupted and nudged Cao Ning.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can refine those two stances!¡± Ye Wei smiled. He knew how those two stances worked, and he was already calcting, picturing how to refine them.


    Cao Ning has been practicing these two stances for a long time, and his mastery could very well contribute to the refinement quality. If the refinement went well then, the cosmic energy Cao Ning would receive could be key to him bing strong enough to fight for South Star in the tournament.


    After some brief conversations, the runicle was silent again. Liu Jian, Chen Mo, Mu Feng, and the others were mentally preparing to fight a few challenging matchups, and they closed their eyes to meditate and cultivate so they would disy their best in the arena.


    Hours passed by in the blink of an eye, and the ck runicle was approaching a row of towering mountains as their destination, Ning City, was behind the province¡¯s famous Sunset Mountains.


    The mountains stood over ten thousand feet tall, and their peaks were shrouded, bathing in a long,rge stream of mysterious light.


    The runicle then headed west into a passage that winded through the mountain range. The group looked to reach their destination in an hour¡¯s time, and the palms of some of them were starting to get sweaty. Not all of the young cultivators had been to a major city before, and the thought of the ancient city¡¯s magnificence was causing them anxiety.


    A few of the students broke silence.


    ¡°Did you know that the City Lord of Ning City, ruler of the province, Lin Yi is a returned prime Warrior who has six hundred thousand men under hismand? I heard that his men and him had killed hordes of no less than five hundred thousand demons during the Battle of Trapped Beasts!¡±


    ¡°Battle of Trapped Beast? The battle that took ce seven years ago right? My dad still tells me stories about it sometimes. How more than a million demons invaded the province at once... He said that the province¡¯s best Warriors set an ambush and lured them into these mountains to contain the mayhem and minimize the loss of civilian lives...¡±


    ¡°That was a dark time. The battlested for more than three weeks, and by the end, there wererge piles of demon remains next to the bodies of Warriors who valiantly gave their lives, without whom you wouldn¡¯t be alive right now.¡± A few students said in unison.


    ¡°The Battle of Trapped Beast was thergest scaled warfare that had taken ce within the outskirt region in more than thirty years. Before the battle, this part of the Zhou dynasty was swarmed with roaming demons who were purged during the battle. The cities involved in the battle suffered heavy losses, and we lost many great Warriors. Although the region has yet to recover fully, the streets are now safer than they have ever been¡±.


    The generation that lived to tell the tale still had nightmares about those days. Even though they had survived, at least more that half of their friends and family who fought didn¡¯t return.


    When their elders risked their lives to protect them all those years ago, all the student who sat in the runicle were still too young to understand the world. Now they couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they too would one day fight their own epic battle to protect what and who they loved.


    A thundering noise sounded, as a speeding golden runicle approached from behind. It overtook and stopped right in front of South Star Academy¡¯s in a very rude manner.


    Xu He¡¯s heart sank, and he stopped the runicle just in time. A secondter and they would have crashed.


    The forceful stop shook everyone in the ck runicle except Ye Wei, Liu Jian, and Chen Mo; a few of them even fell down.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ye Wei opened his eyes and frowned feeling confused like the rest of the cultivators.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± A hysterical voice sounded from outside the runicle. ¡°Xu He, is that you? Long time no see!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Tri-Sr School...¡± The vice-principal mumbled then ran and flung open the door. ¡°What do you think you are doing!?¡±


    ¡°Eh...¡± Ye Wei could see seven people hade out of the golden runicle, and all of them had primal wings on their back; they were all levitating.


    The one who stood in front was arge built middle-aged man; he had a head of short red hair, and his eyebrows and eyes were red as well. There were three mysterious circr patterns on his pupils, and the fearsome presence he gave off was as heavy as the mountains they were surrounded by.


    ¡°Condensed prime Warrior!¡± Ye Wei narrowed his eyes as he red at the middle-aged man and mumbled. ¡®Not an ordinary one either, this red-haired man is at least a seven-star condensed prime Warrior!¡¯


    From just standing there he was pressuring everyone. The vice-principal and Ye Wei seemed not at all bothered by him, but the rest of South Star Academy¡¯s cultivators became pale and started to breathe heavily.


    ¡°Old friend, you don¡¯t have to be mad? I¡¯m just here to say hi!¡± The middle-aged manughed, and the vibration from his voice became a medium for his Qi which sent pressure waves towards the group of cultivators from South Star.


    ¡°This is not a good way to greet people!¡± Xu He grunted then flung his sleeves which cut off the Qi waves with his own and relieved the students from the immense pressure.


    ¡°Shi Xiaoran, so the Tri-Sr School finally let you lead their team? Humm... They look like a group of young men with great potential. I heard one of your students has even earned the right to be referred to as one of God¡¯s Seven Children. You have been a seven-star condensed prime Warrior for what? Ten years now? You should learn from the younger ones; perhaps they might be able to teach you a thing or two about cultivating!¡±

 Chapter 115 – Chosen Ones

    Chapter 115 ¨C Chosen Ones


    The two leaders were caught in a deadlock in the air. One of them gave off an overbearing, violent presence while the other¡¯s Qi felt nimble and as light as a breeze.


    ¡°They are from Tri-Sol?! No wonder why they are so arrogant. They ranked number sevenst year! That red-haired man is their vice-principal, and he is a famous seven-star condensed prime Warrior in this outer region with thirty-six cities! See his red hair? How could I not realize earlier?¡± Mu Feng whispered to the others.


    ¡°I never knew the vice-principal was so strong. He never showed his abilities before... He is actually standing his ground while facing a seven-star condensed prime Warrior, and I would even say he has a slight advantage!¡±


    ¡®How did he just...¡¯ All the South Star students were shocked while they admired the presence of each and every one of Tri-Sr School¡¯s representatives. They were also curious about why the vice-principal kept such a low profile, and they wondered what else he was hiding.


    ¡°Who are God¡¯s Seven Children?¡± Cao Ning whispered.


    ¡°They are the seven strongest cultivators under the age of twenty in our province. The holder of this title cycled through the years, but the quality and strength of them remained high. They were all geniuses in their own rights and will always be...¡± Chen Mo answered. ¡°And the cultivator in Tri-Sr who is honored with the title is called Shi Hun Tian.¡±


    The eyes of South Star¡¯s cultivators naturally fell on the striking young cultivators next to Shi Xiaoran. One of them, in particr, caught their attention as he was handsome and tall. The primal feather wings behind his back were twice asrger than the others¡¯.


    Feeling their gaze, he stared back at the South Star cultivators, and all of them, even Liu Jian and Chen Mo, were intimidated by his fearsome presence. It was at this point when most of the South Star cultivators decided they would not try to win against Tri-Sr School. That they should do what was necessary to protect themselves, and perhaps lose valiantly.


    ¡°God¡¯s Seven Children?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes lit up as mumbled to himself feeling curious andpetitive about the level of strength behinds this seemingly prestigious title. ¡®I will have to beat them at some point if I want to go further...¡¯


    Chen Mo continued. ¡°Shi Hun Tian is thetest addition, and he is rankedst out of the seven.¡±


    Shi Hun Tian scanned around, and his cold gaze stopped on Ye Wei. ¡°I hope you will be able to entertain me in this year¡¯s tournament!¡±


    Liu Jian, Chen Mo, and the rest were enraged by Shi¡¯s disregard for them, and they all ground their teeth and clenched their fists.


    Shi Xiaoran was known for his rash temperament. He did not feel the need to tone down his attitude because Xu He was stronger than him. ¡°We have five cultivators who are seven-star at the Warrior level or above. The worst one of us is a four-star Warrior, and even he knew one of our cultivators was a God¡¯s Child!¡± He pointed at Chen Mo and said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you have here... Only two seven-star Warriors and you brought a one-star Warrior along too! Is this really your best? And that kid over there, does he even know how to spell ¡®Qi¡¯? Oh wait, is he one of your rtives you brought here so he can see the big city?¡± Shi Xianran then pointed at Ye Wei.


    ¡°Hahaha! Last year you guys couldn¡¯t even get in top ten in the first stage. I guess history indeed has a way of repeating itself! It was fun at the inter-state stagest year; it¡¯s a shame that you and your school will never get topete on a stagerger than the provincial fights! I feel bad for you having to lead a group like this.¡± He shook his head and said in an irritated tone.


    Xu He was not angry because he knew from years back that Shi Xianran was a mouthy person. He smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s too early to brag, you should just focus on keeping the rank you achievedst year. I certainly hope that kid doesn¡¯t lose his title as there are a lot of powerful contestants this year!¡±


    ¡°Haha, someone is confident! I will see if you can be this calm in a week¡¯s time!¡± Shi Xianran went back into the golden runicle with his team and drove off.


    Just when Xu He told his team to return to their runicle, a sharpness tore a hole in reality as mighty sword Qi fell from the sky. It created a vertical vacuum on its path.


    The whole South Star team was shocked, and they all had their guard up as they observed.


    A purple robed elderly man with an old sword on his back descended from the sky and next to him was a boy that looked no older than sixteen.


    The teen had delicate facial features, and he was dressed in simple clothes which gave off a sharp pulsing force simr to a fine, aged de. There was a metallic glow around him which twinkled in a mysterious way.


    ¡°Zhoutian Sword School, Jian Shi Yu!¡± Xu He¡¯s pupils dted. ¡°Greetings master!¡± There was fear in the vice-principal¡¯s eyes.


    Xu He bowed respectfully to the purple-robed elderly man who happened to be one of the strongest swordsman in the province. Within the region, the cultivators who were worthy enough to bepared to Jian Shi Yu were very few indeed; he was one step away from being a returned-prime Warrior.


    ¡°Not bad, you look more content and mature since I saw you ten years ago! It looks to me like your team is stronger than it wasst year. Did you and Gu Qing work hard on teaching these kids? Hahaha speaking of him, how is old Gu doing?¡± The purple-robed old man nodded and approached.


    ¡°Principal Gu is doing well; he talks about you quite a lot actually.¡± Xu He said. The principal of Zhoutian Sword School was a good friend of Gu Qing¡¯s so it was only natural that the vice-principal acted like a respectful junior.


    ¡°To be honest, it has been more than ten years since thest time I met old Gu. I¡¯ve spent all my time on this little kid here. When the tournament is over, I might go catch up with him, and let him teach this kid a thing or two!¡± Jian Shi Yu patted the teen who stood next to him and smiled.


    Although the teen was in simple clothes, he still stood out. He wore a pleasant smile on his fresh, childish face, and looked tidy and presentable. He bowed to the South Star representatives. ¡°Hello everyone, my name is Jian Chen!¡±


    Beyond his ordinary looks, he radiated a presence that did not match his appearance. Liu Jian, in particr, was very interested in Jian Chen¡¯s Qi. ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± He humbled himself and replied.


    The others also greeted Jian Chen.


    Ye Wei too was intrigued by the teen as he could feel the surge of energy hidden in Jian Chen¡¯s meridians was no weaker than Shi Hun Tian¡¯s.


    ¡°This is the first provincial tournament Jian Chen is attending?¡± Vice-principal Xu asked with a friendly smile on his face.


    ¡°That is correct¡± Jian Shi Yu nodded.


    ¡°You have taught him well. I have a feeling this kid is going to do well; he should even be able to take a title if he fights with one of the seven!¡± Vice-principal Xu was not just being nice, he had been analyzing Jian Chen since he firstid eyes on him.


    ¡°God¡¯s Seven... Maybe!¡± Jian Shi Yu smiled. ¡°We are heading off, but let¡¯s sit close to each other at the tournament so we can chat while watching the fights!¡±


    ¡°Take care!¡± Xu He greeted them.


    Jian Shi Yu then flew off in a sh together with Jian Chen.


    ¡°Vice-principal, does Zhoutian Sword School only have one representative?¡± Everyone was curious, and Chen Mo asked after Jian Shi Yu left.


    ¡°It is their tradition to send fewer people the stronger they are, and the fact that they are only sending one this year means they are extremely confident. That teen we just met, he was undoubtedly strong enough to challenge for the God¡¯s Seven title!¡± Xu He looked at the direction Jian Shi Yu disappeared to and paused then slowly spoke. ¡°That kid resembled a sheathed sword; I look forward to seeing him shine when he unleashes his power.¡±


    The South Star cultivators were startled and doubtful and to them, it was slightly disrespectful and even reckless that a school sent only one cultivator because no matter how strong Jian Chen might be, he was just a young teenager. He would have to face multiple cultivators from different schools. Considering the asion and the amount of talented individuals that would be participating, they could not picture Jian Chen very far.


    ¡°If you kids face Pris Academy or the Tri-Sr School, in fact, any school of that caliber you have to give it your all and have a good fight. See what wille of it. But if you are up against the Zhoutian Sword School or Gxy Academy, just concede!¡± Xu He did not bother exining more as he was sure these kids would know what he meant when they see these schools.


    Gxy Academy was the reigning champion. Located in the province¡¯s capital Ning City. They had already gotten first ce in the tournament for three consecutive years.


    Xu He was feeling more ambitious than usual with Ye Wei on the roster, and he was even confident that South Star coulde in third, but he was too realistic to dream about squeezing into first or second.


    ¡°Qi Xiu from Pris, Jian Chen from Zhoutian Sword School, Gxy Academy...¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself. He has been calm while seeing all these talented youngsters, but deep in his heart he longed to fight and apply what he has learned from his three years of intense training. That was the only way he could get stronger from this point on.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even reached the state stage yet, and there are already this many people we should pay attention to, can you imagine if we can go further than just our province...¡± The students were a bit tired from traveling but meeting these new people had woken them up.


    The ck runicle drove off again, and it sped up bing a stream of light prating the valleys of the Sunset Mountains closing in on Ning City.

 Chapter 116 – Floating Light

    Chapter 116 ¨C Floating Light


    Ning City was the province¡¯s capital. It was situated on a in surrounded by the Sunset Mountains which stretched out more than twenty times the size of Green Moon City. Itsndscape was filled with a tight conglomeration of buildings. In the middle of it all, a towering mountain was present.


    The mountain in the city¡¯s center could not bepared to the mountains which surrounded the area, but it stood out because of it shape. Its silhouette resembled a sloped cylinder, and instead of a sharp peak, there was a wide, t tform on the mountain¡¯s top as if it was cleaved off by a gigantic sword.


    There were eighteen amethyst tforms in the middle of the t mountain, and they were surrounded by rows and rows of small antique jade pces and houses.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived!¡±


    Xu He led all fourteen South Star cultivators out of the runicle, and just as they got out a few Warriors in silver robes ran towards them.


    ¡°Would you be the guests from South Star Academy? This way please!¡± They bowed and quickly led Xu He and the rest to one of the pces. These three Warriors, along with many others, were responsible for the receiving thepetitors on behalf of the City Lord of Ning City.


    The pces Ning City had prepared for the guests were magnificent, and within each of them, there were pavilions, lofts, a garden with a small decorative hill made of rock, pools, and other luxurious facilities. Although the South Star representatives were a group of fifteen, the pce was spacious enough to house all of them with room to spare.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave; I will go to the officials and get ahold of the tournament¡¯s schedule.¡± Xu He left Liu Jian in charge after making room arrangements and getting everyone situated.


    After the vice-principal left some of the students were pacing around enjoying the tranquility of the spacious pce while others were either cultivating in their rooms or chatting with their fellow students.


    ¡°Come!¡± Ye Wei patted Cai Ning¡¯s shoulder as he signaled the one-star Warrior to follow him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Cao Ning earnestly nodded. He was then led to the courtyard Ye Wei was assigned to.


    Ye Wei ordered Cao Ning to use the stances he knew. Although he was not sure about Ye Wei¡¯s intention, he trusted his friend enough to disy his Rolling Stone Punch and the Onyx Tortoise stance without holding anything back.


    Strands of runes appeared in the air and shortly after formed a stance. Cao Ning used the Rolling Stone Punch. Ye Wei did not say a word but just nodded with no facial expressions. However, when Cao Ning disyed the Onyx Tortoise stance Ye Wei looked astounded, and there was an undisguised glow of excitement in his eyes.


    ¡°The Onyx Tortoise stance was awesome; it has great potential!¡± Ye Wei patted Cao Ning on the shoulder with a bright smile on his face.


    Even though Ye Wei knew many stances at this moment, it was already toote to teach Cao Ning any of them. It would be much more efficient and effective to refine a stance he already knew and get strengthened by the cosmic energy than to learn somethingpletely new.


    ¡°What do you mean great potential?¡± Cao Ning said with a bewildered look on his face as he struggled toprehend what Ye Wei meant.


    ¡°Come back again after sunset, and you will find out what I mean.¡± Ye Weiughed. He enjoyed leaving Cao Ning confused. ¡°Haha, just go there are some things I have to think about.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Cao Ning said as he scratched his head and left the courtyard confused.


    ¡°Rolling Stone Punch is pretty mediocre. I can make it into a mid-level Spirit stance at best, but on the other hand, the Onyx Tortoise stance can be developed extensively...¡± He mumbled to himself as he reyed the two stances in his head repeatedly. He then decided to focus on studying the runic structure and flow of the Onyx Tortoise stance.


    While Ye Wei concentrated on perfecting the Onyx Tortoise stance on the other side of the building, more than ten Pris cultivators trespassed into the South Star Academy¡¯s pce.


    ¡°Is this where they are staying? Smells horrible here! Oh well, what do you expect, they have to pick the right ce for the right people!¡± The front gate was kicked open violently as mocking voices as the group entered the premise. They were led by an arrogant looking teenager who had straw dangling from his mouth who gazed around with a disdainfully.


    He was followed by a group of ck-robed teenagers, and every single one of them had a powerful presence. The cultivators humiliated by Ye Wei were also in this group.


    Liu Jian, Chen Mo, Joe Yin, and others came out of their rooms as they heard the noise. When they saw the group entering and the embroidery on their robes, their faces became cold, and they gasped. ¡°Pris Academy!¡±


    They rushed out of the entrance and red at the cultivators from Pris Academy with hostility. Mo Feng, who was knocked down by them, red at the intruders with rage in his eyes.


    None of the South Star students were happy to see the people who had just caused a ruckus at their school no more than three days ago.


    ¡°This pce was assigned to South Star Academy; you people have no right to be here and no business here!¡± Mu Feng stared at the red-haired cultivator who knocked him out in one strike as he shouted with a cold voice.


    ¡°These facilities belongs to Gxy Academy, when did they give this ce to South Star?¡±


    ¡°We are all guests of Gxy Academy, surely were allowed to greet one another?¡± Ning Yangughed coldly. ¡°I have to say this pce is in such a sorry state, but well I guess that¡¯s only whenpared to what the host prepared for the top ten schools fromst year. Like Qi Xiu said, it smells a bit like a pig sty that¡¯s all!¡±


    None of the South Star cultivators could stand Ning Yang calling them pigs; they all struggled to remain calm.


    ¡°Ning Yang, how can you so shamelesslye here? I thought making you kneel down to us and apologize would have taught you a lesson.¡± One of the students who saw his intrusion a few days back stepped forward and said.


    ¡°What, is what they¡¯re saying true? You¡¯re a disgrace! People like this made you kneel down? Do you know how hard we worked to build a good name for Pris Academy?!¡± The teenager with straw in his mouth looked at the South Star cultivators around him then his gazended on Ning Yang.


    Ning Yang had a stiff look. He ground his teeth as he thought about the shame he was put through. He then shook his head and said, ¡°None of the garbage here was the person who disrespected me.¡±


    ¡°What did you call us? Watch your mouth!¡± Enraged by Ning Yang¡¯s words, Liu Jian stepped forward. He raised his sword-shaped brows and red at the Pris cultivators, ¡°The reason why you can speak like this today was because I was not there when you came, or else I would have knocked every single tooth out of your filthy mouth and forced you to crawl back to Pris!¡±


    The atmosphere became heavy as every South Star student at the scene was furious. They all started channeling their Qi ready for a fight to break out any second.


    ¡°Pfft, who do you think you are?¡± The teenager chewed on the straw in his mouth and replied. He stepped forward and without using his hands, a surge of Qi burst from his body towards Liu Jian in the shape of a flying serpent.


    A thundering noise sounded as the Qi wave hit Liu Jian, and after taking ten steps backwards he finally regained bnce, but his face was white and a line of blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth.


    Everyone from South Star was startled. They couldn¡¯t imagine that their best cultivator would struggle so much just taking one hit from this unknown person.


    ¡°See what I mean. You should learn to walk the walk before you talk the talk!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Liu Jian clutched his chest where he was hit. He was dismayed by the powerful strike as he started to realize he was not a match to the person standing in front.


    ¡°I am Qi Xiu of Pris Academy, just call your best cultivator out to face me. I don¡¯t want to waste my time taking out the trash!¡± He knew how strong these guys stood in front of him were just with one nce, he then immediately lost interest in them.


    Qi Xiu¡¯s body gave off an exceptional presence that exceeded everyone else there.


    ¡®It¡¯s him...¡±


    Everyone was scared and looked startled. They didn¡¯t think Qi Xiu would be at such a high level; therefore, Liu Jian was afraid that even Ye Wei would not be able to do anything against Qi Xiu. If they were to fall to Qi Xiu¡¯s might here, then South Star would be theughing stock of all other participating teams.


    ¡°So you are Qi Xiu? Nevermind, I don¡¯t really care who you are, but this pce was assigned to our school, if you don¡¯t leave immediately I will have to use force!¡± Chen Mo took a small step forward as sequences of runes appeared around his body.


    ¡°None of you here are worthy enough to fight me just fetch the kid who embarrassed Ning Yang before any of you get hurt! Call him out, and make him kneel and apologize! If he is not here, then I want all of you to kneel down for him!¡± Qi Xiu chewed on the straw again as his gaze became cold.


    ¡°You want us to kneel down for who?¡± Not all the South Star cultivators understood what Qi Xiu meant but judging from the aggression in his tone they knew they were in trouble.


    ¡°Piss off!¡± Chen Mo, Zhao Kun, and Zhang Jie pointed at Qi Xiu and shouted.


    ¡°You asked for it, now kneel!¡± Qi Xiu narrowed his eyes and rose his hand, and he then swung it towards Chen Mo. The runes around it flew out and formed eighteen bright Qi fists. ¡®Low-level Myst stance ¨C Floating Light Fist!¡¯


    The fists of Qi reached the South Star students in a sh, and they traveled too fast for any of them to react. Even Liu Jian and Chen Mo could do nothing more than stare at the approaching Qi fists.


    ¡°What was that!¡±


    None of the South Star students anticipated Qi Xiu, who was not condensed-prime Warrior to their knowledge, to use a Myst stance. There was only one exnation, ¡®He must have refined the stance himself!¡¯


    Ordinary Warriors were mere antspared to a Warrior who could use Myst stances. For the South Star cultivators fighting Qi Xiu would be as hard as fighting an armed Warrior bare-handed.


    The South Star cultivators were not ready to give in. One by one they used their best stances in the hopes that their joint effort would be enough to stop Qi Xiu.


    ¡°Golden Scale stance!¡±


    ¡°Scarlett Spirit stance!¡±


    ¡°Fire Spirit Burst!¡±


    Despite the great effort, all of the stances were neutralized by Qi Xiu¡¯s Qi fists.

 Chapter 117 – First Opponent

    Chapter 117 ¨C First Opponent


    Just before the Qi fistsnded on the South Star Cultivators, a small hurricane flew between the cultivators and Qi Xiu¡¯s stance, and a person appeared.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    The person swung his palms around eighteen times, and all eighteen Qi fists disappeared. It was no other than Ye Wei! He left his courtyard when he heard themotion, only to see a fight had broken out between his ssmates and Pris Academy¡¯s students. He immediately intervened when he saw that his teammates were about to get knocked down by Qi Xiu¡¯s Qi fists.


    ¡°So you¡¯re were looking for me?¡± Ye Wei said as calm as usual while assessing how strong this teenager with a straw in his mouth was.


    ¡°Wei!¡± Everyone representing South Star was unbelievably shocked, to see Ye Wei, and to see how easy he made it seem to defend against a mid-level Myst stance.


    ¡®It was a Myst stance from their best cultivator! How did you...¡¯ Liu Jian knew Ye Wei was strong, but now he would never forget the terrifying amount of energy he felt all the way to his bones just now.


    ¡°Brother Qi Xiu! That¡¯s the kid!¡± Ning Yang would never forget Ye Wei¡¯s face. The fear he felt for Ye Wei had sunk to his bones. He couldn¡¯t help tremor from fear and have a shaky voice. He was shocked that someone their age could stop Qi Xiu¡¯s Myst stance.


    ¡°Ha, you actually stopped it!¡± Qi Xiu said ignoring Ning Yan. Slowly he stepped forward so he could get a closer look at Ye Wei. He was quite surprised to see a deep glowing shape in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I see how you can force them to bend their knees, but don¡¯t you think that was an over-reaction?¡± Qi Xiu narrowed his eyes at Ye Wei and asked coldly.


    ¡°Ones who want to insult others should always be prepared to be insulted. Since they came without manners, I thought I would teach them some! If were talking about insults, what do you have to say to the South Star students you people injured for no particr reason?¡± Ye Wei challenged Qi Xiu¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Well, well, well!¡± Qi Xiu red at Ye Wei, and spat the straw out of his mouth. He got rid of his yful attitude and became serious, ¡°If you believe strength reigns supreme then we should let our strength talk it out!¡±


    The runes around Qi Xiu¡¯s body began to spin. He then ced his finger at the end of the rune sequence and started writing twinkling runes against the spin.


    ¡°Pfft, about time he uses a stance!¡± The Pris Academy cultivators were getting excited at the chance to see Qi Xiu show off his power.


    ¡°Hey, do you and your trash school know why where the name Qi Xiu came from?¡± Ning Yang red at Ye Wei while smiling mischievously, ¡°The reason why he is called Qi Xiu is because he is the master of seven Myst stances!¡±


    ¡°Fist, palm strike, finger strike, knife, sword, spear, and... Why bother exining, you will see them soon enough. You cane apologize to me if you ever wake up from youra! By the way, the Floating Light Fist was only the weakest of his Myst stances!¡± Ning Yang felt ecstatic in a twisted way. He could already picture Ye Wei and the others asking for mercy while rolling on the ground.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°How can he have mastered so many Myst stances? How is that possible? A Warrior who can use one Myst stance would be considered a beast! How are we supposed to fight someone like that?¡± Uncontroble panic overwhelmed Liu Jian, Cheo Mo, and other South Star Academy cultivators as they wondered how strong his strongest stance would be.


    ¡°Seven huh? Don¡¯t let me down. Let¡¯s hope you are as interesting to fight as you make yourself sound!¡± Ye Wei smiled; he was not shaken at all as if not impressed by what was said.


    The fire ofpetitiveness lit up in Ye Wei. His blood boiled as his body had been thirsting to fight someone of this caliber for a long while.


    ¡®Low-level Myst stance ¨C Incineration Palm!¡¯ Qi Xiu red at Ye Wei and said as a sequence of a few hundred runes appeared in the air.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    Before the stance even took shape, its scorching temperature spread outwards from the runes sequence. The pulsing energy pushed both school¡¯s cultivators backwards.


    Everyone but Ye Wei, who was still just standing casually. He let the hot streams of Qi blow onto his face. He did not let his guard down as he searched for weaknesses on his opponent¡¯s stance by feeling the zing Qi flow.


    ¡°Got you!¡± Qi Xiu grunted as clouds of hot Qi turned into fiery palm strikes that rained down on Ye Wei!


    Waves of scorching heat closing upon Ye Wei and the air started to smell burnt as the palms crashed towards Ye Wei¡¯s head, chest, stomach, and other vulnerable parts of his body.


    ¡°Careful!¡± Joe Yin and Cao Ning shouted worryingly.


    ¡®Driftwind Steps!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s figure disappeared into a wave of Qi and reappeared twenty meters to the side of where he was. He drew a growing rune sequence while he was dodging the Incineration Palm.


    ¡®Root Prison!¡¯ As Qi Xiu felt a strong suction on his feet, Ye Wei¡¯s fist was already in front of his body.


    ¡°Impressive speed!¡± Qi Xiu narrowed his eye and clenched his right hand into a fist then threw it towards Ye Wei.


    The zing palm Qi was put out by the force wave given off from the sh of fists.


    Qi Xiu took five steps back, and Ye Wei took three. The ¡®Qi-less¡¯ cultivator seemed to have an advantage.


    Both groups of cultivators were deeply shocked by the level of cultivation they just witnessed. Qi Xiu¡¯s Incineration Palm was impressive, but how Ye Wei deflected it and delivered a counterpunch to threaten Qi Xiu was also astonishing.


    Furthermore, they were aware that those two were only testing the waters with their toes and that the real fight would be on apletely different scale.


    Liu Jian was left in awe as he clenched his fist tight. As for Ning Yang and other Pris cultivators, their jaws dropped so much that eggs could fit in their mouths. They did not think anyone would be able to have an advantage over Qi Xiu¡¯s Myst stance.


    ¡°I must admit that you are strong, and South Star Academy has actually surprised me this year, but there is no way you can beat me!¡± The seriousness on Qi Xiu¡¯s face grew, and his Qi intensified. He fired up his Incineration Palm again and this time around the Qi mes were burning even hotter.


    ¡°How would you know before I actually beat you?¡± There was no fear in Ye Wei¡¯s eyes as hispetitive spirit grew. He stepped forward again, getting ready to counter whatever Qi Xiu had in store for him!


    Just before Ye Wei could react, a pressuring presence descended from the sky.


    ¡°Who dare make trouble in South Star territory!?¡± A thundering voice boomed in everyone¡¯s ears as a force field as heavy as a mountain reached the ground.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Qi Xiu¡¯s zing Qi immediately dispersed disappeared under the immense pressure.


    ¡°Hmm, Pris Academy students are getting increasingly confident about themselves!¡± Xu He¡¯s voice froze everyone¡¯s blood as his hysterical eyes fell on Qi Xiu and the other intruders. They stepped backwards outside Xu He¡¯s reach. To the vice-principal, an eight-star condensed prime Warrior could easily crush every single one of the Pris cultivators like an ant with no exceptions.


    Nobody expected the vice-principal to arrive out of the blue, and Qi Xiu¡¯s face turned dark as he gazed at Ye Wei. ¡°We will continue where we left off today in the tournament! Then we will find out who of us is stronger!¡±


    ¡°Anytime.¡± Ye Wei said calmly. He knew their fight was unavoidable, and he looked forward to seeing Qi Xiu showing all he was capable of.


    ¡°Goodbye!¡± Qi Xiu grunted and led his schoolmates out.


    ¡°Get out of here! Your vice-principal will hear about this!¡± Xu He flicked his sleeve and sent a Qi wave that threw them out of the guest pce¡¯s gate.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    Qi Xiu then led the Pris Academy¡¯s students back to their pce.


    Xu He had great self-control, and although he could have beaten all the intruders with a flick of his finger, he knew what the consequences would be and how others would misunderstand his intentions.


    ¡°All of you gather up!¡±


    Vice-principal led all fourteen South Star cultivators into the sitting area.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received the fight schedules and learned who your opponents will be, and Pris Academy is going to be out first opponent!¡± Xu He said as he opened the scroll in his head and announced in a concerned tone.


    ¡°The first match-up is a grudge match? Interesting!¡± Liu Jian was ready for war after having been taunted by Pris Academy twice in a few days. All the South Star cultivators were dying to vent their anger.


    ¡®That Qi Xiu though...¡¯ Some of the cultivators were less optimistic after seeing Pris Academy¡¯s ace disy just a small portion of what he was capable of.


    ¡°Qi Xiu is all yours.¡± Xu He looked at Ye Wei.


    ¡°Yea.¡± Ye Wei nodded calmly.

 Chapter 118 – Gathering of Talents

    Chapter 118 ¨C Gathering of Talents


    ¡°If Ye Wei can defeat Qi Xiu then that basically means we can contest for one of the top three spots! You are our team¡¯s trump card. Whether we can rank high, all depends on how and when you take the stage. Suffice it to say, theter the better!¡± Xu He looked at Ye Wei and said.


    ¡®What an interesting kid...¡¯ Xu He mumbled quietly to himself. He wasn¡¯t able to get an urate impression of Ye Wei because one cannot simply read the Qi attribute of a Supernova users stance, but from the fighting he saw, he knew that Ye Wei was no weaker than Qi Xiu to say the least.


    ¡°This tournament is a big event in our province as you all know... Not only will Ning City¡¯s own City Lord be in attendance, but other powers and influential martial families will be there too.¡±


    ¡°If you disy enough strength, there is a chance you will be taken in by one of these powers which have influence throughout the whole Qing state! If you are lucky, even the City Lord might recruit you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that this tournament will affect your future long after you graduate!¡± Xu He kept eye contact with everyone and said solemnly. As the vice-principal, there was nothing he could be more proud of than knowing his students would do well when they leave school.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough talk for now rest your bodies, and do your best tomorrow!¡± Xu He waved his hand to dismiss the young cultivators.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Every one of them sounded motivated, and they nodded as they left the hall heading back to their own rooms. They were full of hopes and expectations, and they felt pressured as they knew what happens tomorrow on the martial stage would shape their future.


    ¡°Ye Wei. Stay behind!¡±


    The vice-principal caught Ye Wei just before he left. ¡°Ye Wei, judging from that duel what do you think your chances are if you fight Qi Xiu again?¡± He whispered feeling reluctant and frustrated. Being the eight-star condensed prime Warrior he was, he was used to knowing people¡¯s cultivation level when he saw them. He was embarrassed that he struggled to judge how strong a kid from his school was. Furthermore, the vice-principal was nning to rank the school in top ten; therefore, in order to strategize properly, he would have to know how strong Ye Wei was.


    ¡°About that... I am actually not sure. I don¡¯t know how much he was holding back, but I will do my best in any case.¡± Ye Wei paused then spoke after thinking about it. He didn¡¯t know exactly how strong Qi Xiu was, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t know how powerful he would be under Supernova stance.


    ¡°Okay then. When he gets on the tform, you will be up!¡± Xu He nodded, ¡°Very well. You should go rest. In the earlier match-ups, it would be best for you to hide as much as possible. As our ace, you can not let others know exactly how strong you are if you want us to go far! I would like us to aim for third ce!¡±


    Because of obstacles like Gxy Academy and Zhoutian Sword School, Xu He did not expect South Star to get first or second ce.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ye Wei nodded and went back to his room. His target was not the top three, he wanted to go higher and further, and even his personal tutor, Master Yi, didn¡¯t know how strong Ye Wei actually was.


    Whenever Master Yi gave Ye Wei time to rest, he would go to the cial Temple and learn what the cial Emperor had left behind. Apart from Ye Wei himself, the only being who knew how strong Ye Wei was would be Pu Yuan, the cial Emperor¡¯s old disciple.


    ***


    On a pathway not far away, the Pris cultivators were on their way back to their pce, and none of them looked pleased.


    ¡°Brother Qi Xiu, how strong was Ye Wei?¡± Ning Yang couldn¡¯t help but ask. In the past Qi Xiu always dealt with his opponents casually and effortlessly. He only ever had to pay more attention to the God¡¯s Seven Children when he fought, but this time, he used two Myst stances in a row and both of them had been countered. This shook the Pris cultivators¡¯ confidence.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know!¡± There was a deep glow in Qi Xiu¡¯s eyes, ¡°That kid has hidden his cultivation very well, but I will make sure he is the one who falls tomorrow! I¡¯ll let him see the result of all my hard work!¡±


    Ning Yang could sense that Ye Wei was much more powerful than when he saw him at South Star¡¯s front gate. He was under the impression that Ye Wei was not so far ahead of himself. He was still shocked to find out that even the Warrior he admired since he started school was not able to take Ye Wei down. ¡®Even Qi Xiu is concerned about fighting him... But that kid was no older than sixteen!¡¯


    At sunset, Cao Ning walked on the floor decorated by orange sunlight and followed Ye Wei¡¯s instruction to meet at the courtyard.


    ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Ye Wei was seated in the lotus position in the middle of the yard. He nodded smilingly at Cao Ning.


    ¡°Wei, why did you want us to meet?¡±


    ¡°Just use the Rolling Stone Punch. Write out the runes, but do not activate the stance!¡± Ye Wei said forwardly. He did nothing to expel the confusion on Cao Ning¡¯s face.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Cao Ning nodded. Trusting as he was, he immediately started drawing a sequence of runes as he was told to.


    The Rolling Stone Punch was an ordinary low-level Spirit stance. For a one-star Warrior like Cao Ning, to only know two stances of this level was something considered an embarrassment; something higher tiered Students would look down on.


    That was the pain to be a cultivator from an ordinary background. Even though some of them might be talented and work hard as horses, they would only be as strong as mediocre cultivators from martial families.


    ¡°Move that rune three inches to your left!¡± Ye Wei was focused on the runes in front of Cao Ning, and his smile disappeared as he got in the zone. ¡®Precision, efficient... Like Master told me.¡¯


    ¡°Yes!¡± Cao Ning nodded. He was smiling brightly once he realized that Ye Wei seemed to be capable of refining mystic stances. ¡®Is he already a Runemaster?! I guess it¡¯s only natural if he is Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice...¡¯ Cao Ning wondered what he did in his past life to deserve such a friend.


    Cao Ning then moved the rune Ye Wei was pointing at exactly three inches to the side.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    All thirty-eight runes shone brighter and vibrated after the one rune was moved. Cao Ning has been practicing this stance for years, and he could clearly feel that the energy flow within was stronger than all the other times he had used this stance. ¡®This is peak-level energy! He only moved one rune and made Rolling Stone Punch a peak low-level Spirit stance?¡¯


    ¡°Calm your mind; let go of other distractions!¡± Ye Wei scolded coldly as he could see Cao Ning was not focused from his shaking fingers.


    Cao Ning immediately took a deep breath and got rid of the random thoughts as he stabilized his body.


    ¡°This rune here. Swap it with the one to its right and move it down four inches!¡± Ye Wei had a serious look on his face as he pointed at more runes knowing where the ws were.


    Cao Ning carefully moved the runes like he was told, and he could feel the energy flow within the rune sequence was reaching the strength of a forbidden stance.


    ¡°And thest one!¡± Cao Ning was excited and smiling, but Ye Wei¡¯s face remained straight while pointed at thest problematic rune, ¡°Disperse this rune, but be careful. When you do it, all the other runes have to stay exactly how they are!¡±


    To make a rune disappear without affecting the rest of the rune sequence was easier said than done. When Cao Ning made thest rune disappear, all the other runes in the sequence went dim marking the end of a failed attempt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Cao Ning looked at the dimmed sequence and bit his lips. He was feeling down as he faced the ground. He couldn¡¯t quite believe he failed although he was paying his full attention.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You did very well; let¡¯s go again!¡± Ye Wei patted Cao Ning¡¯s shoulder encouraging him.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Cao Ning rose his head and ground his teeth as he nodded determinedly.


    After six more failed attempts and a few more changes, Cao Ning¡¯s Sentient and dantian were exhausted. Finally, he seeded on his seventh attempt with almost no energy left. With Ye Wei¡¯s help, he was able to make the Rolling Stone Punch a peak mid-level Spirit stance from a simple low-level one.


    Because it was a whole level of refinement, this caused cosmic energy to descend from the sky. A milky-white beam of light engulfed Cao Ning nourishing and strengthening his body; it cleansed his Sentient and dantian transforming him at an incredible speed.


    When the pir of light faded, a cracking sound was heard from Cao Ning¡¯s body. He felt the transformation of his body and startedughing hysterically.


    ¡°I... I broke through! I just broke through!¡± Cao Ning said incoherently. His face was as red as a ripe tomato.


    With Cao Ning¡¯s level of talent and because he was without any external resources it would have taken him at least one or two years to be a two-star Warrior; therefore, he was extremely grateful for Ye Wei¡¯s help.


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural that you get this much cosmic energy. We¡¯ve improved the Rolling Stone Punch to a higher level.¡± Ye Wei said with a faint smile on his face.


    Know that he was running out of time to prepare, Ye Wei started training himself. He channeled his Qi through his meridians while giving tips to Cao Ning regarding the refinement of the Onyx Tortoise stance. The fact that it had greater potential only meant that there was more to be done.


    ***


    Dawn arrived, and Gxy Academy¡¯s establishment on the mountain was amongst the first ces in the city to see the new day¡¯s sun. Shortly after, drops of golden light eventually illuminated the rest of Ning City.


    The t mountain top became a busy ce. The arena was teeming with visitors and groups of different school¡¯s representatives, and all of the passages were stationed with fully armed guards sent by the City Lord. They ensured the safety of the venue during the tournament. Which just confirmed the rumor that the City Lord was going to attend this year¡¯s tournament in person.


    Apart from the City Lord, there were other important guests as well, and even someone high up in the Green Army would be here to scout for talent!


    After a simple breakfast, Xu He led the fourteen South Star cultivators towards the eighteen martial tforms.

 Chapter 119 – City Lord Chen Yuan

    Chapter 119 ¨C City Lord Chen Yuan


    All thirty-six teams representing their outskirt city were gathered around the martial tforms. Everyone was trying to figure out how strong everyone else was, and the exchange of looks were not all that friendly.


    The young cultivators were running around exchanging information.


    ¡°I heard that Zhoutian Sword School only sent one person this year!¡±


    ¡°I know that kid¡¯s name, Jian Chen. He fought five ten-star Warriors simultaneously in a sparring match and won! Their school has never fallen out of top three, and I¡¯m guessing that this year will be no exception.¡±


    ¡°What!? Are you serious? Do you think they have a chance at first ce this year then?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t just write off Gxy Academy like that as three of the God¡¯s Seven are on their team!¡±


    The moment their title was mentioned looks of envy and admiration appeared on the young cultivators¡¯ faces as they heard the title they dreamed of gaining; it was the reason they trained so hard.


    With two opposing schools assigned to one martial tform, It was the first time sincest year cultivators from all thirty-six schools gathered in the same ce. Other than the God¡¯s Seven, who would be the strongest out of each school was another hot topic.


    Young cultivators from South Star and Pris Academy were ring at each other with rage and hostility in their eyes.


    Qi Xiu was standing around a hundred meters away from Ye Wei, and he was wickedly ring at his recent opponent.


    ¡°Is that Qi Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he is strong enough to fight the God¡¯s Seven. A couple of days ago, he came to Ning City before the tournament started just to challenge Xuan Yu, the third strongest of the seven. They fought for a whole hour, and Qi Xiu lost just by a small margin. If he could fire out just one more stance he could have won the fight, but he lost valiantly. I¡¯d say if he challenged any of the weaker seven, he might actually be one of them right now!¡±


    ¡°Wow, kudos to his courage and confidence to challenge the third best young cultivator of the region as well as the fact that hested an hour!¡±


    ¡°Pris¡¯ opponent, though, South Star Academy, is ranked a tier lower! I doubt this match-up willst long.¡±


    ¡°South Star Academy? The school that got eliminated in the first roundst year? I heard their best cultivator is called Liu Jian... Wanna bet how long it will take Qi Xiu to beat him? I say he will not evenst one stance!¡±


    ¡°I say two stance exchanges!¡±


    Liu Jian¡¯s face turn pale as he overheard conversations between the specting cultivators from other schools.


    The Pris cultivators looked at Liu Jian and the others andughed. Although Ye Wei¡¯s strength was beyond what they expected, Qi Xiu did say he was confident he could take care of the new face; they all trusted the master of seven Myst stances!


    The atmosphere was thick enough to be cut with a knife, as the fights would start soon. All the cultivators were restlessly checking out their opponents.


    ¡°Wee, everyone!!¡± A rich, thick voice vibrated the air. It wasn¡¯t loud, but it could somehow be heard clearly by all the cultivators and the teachers leading them. They all looked respectfully towards where the voice came from and saw a middle-aged man with his hands crossed behind his back.


    He was wearing a simple green robe and had a gentle smile, and while there was no Qi disturbance around him, his elegant presence and posture made enough of an impression that everyone who saw him wanted to bow in reverence. This was the City Lord of Ning City. The leader and the only returned prime Warrior of the province.


    At the Battle of Trapped Beast City Lord Chen singled-handedly destroyed more than six-hundred condensed prime demons during the pivotal fight. The returned prime Warrior was rumored to have achieved that with strength to turn rocks to dust and part rivers bare-handed. Many also believed that Chen Feng was a descendant of Supreme Chen Feng and that he was powerful because of his Supreme bloodline.


    ¡°Greetings your lordship!¡±


    ¡°Greetings your lordship!¡±


    At the Martial Square, school leaders followed by the youngsters bowed to the City Lord.


    ¡°Wee everyone to this year¡¯s tournament. I am sure you have been told the rules but if you haven¡¯t they are as follows: scrolls, arms, pills, or any other kinds of external aids are prohibited on the martial tforms!¡±


    ¡°If any contestant vite the rules and they do not obey judges¡¯ decisions, your whole school will be disqualified and ejected from the premise by force!¡± Chen Yuan¡¯s voice echoed throughout the square and in the minds of the audiences. The message was said in a calm tone and there was a maism to it that made it fearsome.


    ¡°So this is what a returned prime Warrior look like? What is this bone chilling feeling?¡± Moved by the magnificent presence of Chen Yuan, Ye Wei wanted to bow down and worship the City Lord.


    ¡®No! If I want to be strong, I can not fear or bow to anyone! Not even a returned prime Warrior can get me on my knees without a fight!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s determination was rock solid. He clenched his fist, and the golden presence of the Mystic Mount in his Sentient unshackled the chains of fear.


    As Ye Wei¡¯s mind cleared up, his body felt light. He could also feel his Sentient was closer to a major breakthrough.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes started to clear up too, and he could see that Liu Jian, Chen Mo, Mu Feng, Joe Yin, and other weaker Warriors were tamed by Chen Yuan¡¯s bewitching presence as their faces disyed fear. Only a handful of youngsters were able to break the mental shackle and kept their minds clear while the condensed prime Warriors like Xu He and other school leaders were obviously unaffected.


    Ye Wei then felt a prating gaze on him. Chen Yuan¡¯s presence did not only work on a physical level; it was psychologically challenging too. This was intentional so the City Lord could see which young cultivators he should keep an eye on. He looked around and gave everyone who kept their mind clear a nod of approval.


    Other than Qi Xiu, Jian Chen, and other faces he was told by the vice-principal to keep an eye on, there was also a dark-skinned teenager who caught Ye Wei¡¯s attention.


    Ye Wei could tell from the person¡¯s uniform that he was looking at someone from the School of Seven Stars, and he knew from the gossip that they ranked thirty-fourth out of thirty-six schools in thest tournament which meant they were in the bottom three.


    But for some reason, the dark-skinned teenager gave off a strange presence which was ultimately what Ye Wei was extremely curious about. He noticed Ye Wei ncing at him, and they exchanged a look.


    Chen Yuan grunted as he removed the mental shackle, and the clouded minds of the weaker cultivators became clear once more. ¡°Now let the tournament begin! Please honor the spirit of positive and fairpetition!¡± He said with arms folded behind his back; his gentle smile never fell from his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    All the contestants then stepped onto the eighteen battle tforms as they revised their strategies onest time. They were all waiting for the signal so they could start fighting.


    Just when the contestants positioned themselves to fight the sky began to darken, and more than two hundred cultivators flew towards the tforms. All of them were condensed prime Warriors or stronger.


    They came from different forces, martial families, and also the Green Army; the audience of today was full of various important figures.


    Chen Yuan looked at them and nodded. He lifted his hand up and clenched his fist and the clouds above the mountain began to gather. They turned into a circr-shaped tform with a hole in the middle then sequences of runes appeared on the clouds. The runes shaped the white fluff into seats and tables on top which fine wines and spirit fruits appeared.


    ¡°Please be seated!¡± The City Lord looked at the guests who arrivedte and said politely.


    He then led them to the cloud tform and sat on the seat in the middle.


    ¡°They have gotten stronger this year haven¡¯t they!¡±


    ¡°Look at these youngsters, they all look pretty confident. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how long they can keep that up.¡± The guests on the cloud tform started specting and chatting while some of the City Lord¡¯s closer friends walked up to him and greeted him.

 Chapter 120 – Materializing

    Chapter 120 ¨C Materializing


    Everyone was soon seated and they kept talking enthusiastically about what they expected to see and the rumors regarding this year¡¯s contestants.


    ¡°This year¡¯s tournament will be interesting for sure! My men told me that there was a kid from Pris Academy called Qi Xiu who challenged the seven famous Warriors of Ning City in quick session and then finally lost to Xuan Yu in a very close fight!¡± Said the Mo Patriarch, one of the four most influential families in Ning City. His eyes fell onto martial tform number ten, and he smiled as he spotted Qi Xiu from therge crowd. ¡®Xuan Yu was born into one of Ning City¡¯s super families kudos to Qi Xiu for holding his own against such an opponent!¡¯


    ¡°I like this kid! I hope you guys don¡¯t fight me over him!¡± The Mo Patriarchughed as he boldly expressed his desire to recruit Xi Qiu.


    There were no less than thirty patriarchs from different martial families who came here with the same purpose; to recruit youngsters with potential.


    ¡°Ha, if you say so Mo Patriarch! That Qi Xiu from Pris isn¡¯t half bad but there are plenty more young talents for the rest of us to pick from! For example, I heard we should be expecting a good show from Shi Hun Tian. The newest addition to the God¡¯s Seven!¡±


    ¡°Oh and then there is Jian Chen from Zhoutian Sword School. Principal Jian only brought one youngster with him this year and knowing that old bones¡¯ temper this kid has to be something special.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the obvious. Gxy Academy came in first in thest three consecutive years, and each of their seven representatives stand out on their own! Not to mention three of God¡¯s Seven are in their lineup as well¡±


    While the martial families wereughing and discussing the tournament, a few high-ranked Green Army officers were listening in. The golden armor they wore made them sit straighter than anyone else on the cloud tform, and they too were excited waiting to be dazzled but they were taking it very seriously because the recruits they find here could have asting impressions on the Green Army and possible even the Zhou dynasty as well.


    The families leaders then sat back and filled their wine sses waiting to see the young cultivators fight their hearts out for different reasons. Most of them focused on the famous new faces; Shi Hun Tian, a new God¡¯s Seven from Tri-Sr School, Qi Xiu form Pris Academy, Jian Chen from Zhoutian Sword School, and their eyes naturally were directed at Gxy Academy¡¯s tform where they would be fighting.


    ¡°There will not be much suspense watching tform ten. Pris came thirdst year without Qi Xiu! And South Star was not even in the top ten. Didn¡¯t theye twelfth or thirteenth?¡± The Mo Patriarch looked at both schools¡¯ lineup and said with a sense of contempt.


    ¡°Well it really is bad luck for them to face the likes of Pris Academy in the first round!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sadly, they can only go downhill from here. Their morale will go down the drain if they get trashed this early! Emotional factors count for a lot when you are this young! Hahaha!¡±


    It was tantly obvious that no one was even thinking about South Star Academy, most probably didn¡¯t even know they existed!


    The tournament rules had not changed over the years regarding the number of contestants each team could have. Each school was allowed to send no more than fifteen students who would fight on stage one by one by elimination. Therefore, the team with thest man standing on the tform would win. With the rules as such there was a certain degree of flexibility for the teams. Although it was inevitably advantageous to show your power in the earlier stages, but when it came to the ranking fights it was always each team¡¯s best kept secrets, or cultivators in this case, that made the difference.


    Down on tform ten Qi Xiu smiled mischievously: ¡°He Chong, you are up!¡± Qi Xiu waved his arm and a ck-robed, fresh-looking teenager walked out of the group of eighteen young cultivators. He Chong was the weakest of the whole group as he had only reached the three-star Warrior level.


    ¡®He was as tough as Yuan Yu was...¡¯ Qi Xiu was not in a hurry to fight Ye Wei, and he sat all the way in the back meditating. Allowing no space for error, he channeled his Qi and circted it through his body, so he would be in great condition when he had to face Ye Wei.


    ¡°Eh? Qi Xiu is meditating? With his strength he can probably crush South Star on his own, why is he ying it so safe?¡± Up above on the cloud tform, the Mo Patriarch frowned as he noticed Qi Xiu was acting extra cautious. With his mind set on recruiting Qi Xiu, it was hard for him to take his eyes off tform ten.


    Each powerful figure had someone they wanted to see fight, and as the teams began to fight, apart from the Mo Patriarch, there were hardly anyone paying attention to the Pris ¨C South Star matchup.


    ¡°Let me take the first fight!¡± Cao Ning feltpetitive as he had been eager to prove himself since his breakthrough.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Xiao Qi pushed Cao Ning to the side and leaped onto the martial tform.


    Ye Wei frowned and mumbled when he saw Xiao Qi taking the stage, ¡°His Qi feels bloated. I bet he got all his cultivation from pills and this idiot didn¡¯t even bother consolidating it into his system. I don¡¯t really see Xiao Qi winning this even though he will be fighting the weakest Pris student.¡± There was great depth in Ye Wei¡¯s gaze and a sh of gold in his eye.


    Xiao Qi couldn¡¯t even bepared to Cao Ning at this point because the harder working the cultivator the the more cosmic energy he would receive thus causing them to form an even greater foundation. With his body cleansed by one of the purest form of energy in the world, although Cao Ning was only a two-star Warriorparing to Xiao Qi¡¯s three, he was still the more powerful out of the two.


    Ye Wei was aware that his realpetition was Qi Xiu, and like Qi Xiu, he also sat at the back and focused on warming up his body.


    It was the same story on other tforms. All the stronger cultivators of each team sat behind their teams while the weaker cultivators went onto the tforms to test strengths and weaknesses of the other team. They tried to get as much information on their opponent as they could.


    Although they knew they will eventually be beaten up by the stronger cultivators, they were still fighting with all their heart.


    Xiao Qi entered the tform with a swagger, and he immediately used one of his favourite mid-level Spirit stances, but because of his weaker foundation, he was not able to follow through. He couldn¡¯t make another stance nor could he properly defend himself and he was very soon hit on the chest by a vigorous palm strike and clumsily fell to the ground while coughing up blood.


    ¡°Hahaha! Was that it? He is a three-star Warrior, right? I could hit as hard as he just did and make my Qist twice as long when I was a two-star Warrior!¡± Seeing how crisp and easily Xiao Qi was beaten, the Pris cultivators startedughing without restraint.


    ¡°Waste of space!¡± Liu Jian¡¯s face turned ashen as he red at Xiao Qi.. He was disgusted by the ipetence. ¡°Can someone useful get up there?!¡±


    Cao Ning volunteered, and after struggling for a while, he actually managed to defeat He Chong. The South Star¡¯s cultivators were shocked to learn that Xiao Qi was inferior to a schoolmate they had barely heard of.


    Xiao Qi was going toe up with some kind of excuse for his quick defeat, but he felt too ashamed to say anything after Cao Ning collected a victory from the opponent who knocked him down so effortlessly.


    In the following fights both sides managed to defeat their opponents. Liu Jian was beaten by Ning Yang, but then Ning Yang surprisingly lost to Chen Mo. Both teams were starting to get into a frenzy as the pressure was rising.


    Cao Ning and Liu Jian were now heavily injured as they both limped off the tform with bruises on their faces and the rest of their body. Chen Mo also fell to the Pris fighters¡¯ fierce aggression.


    ¡°South Star is not as bad as I thought they would be!¡± The Mo Patriarch said as he overlooked the martial tforms from above, and his eyes finally fell onto Qi Xiu again. ¡®He¡¯s cautious because of this boy at the back?¡¯ The patriarch looked towards Ye Wei when he noticed where Qi Xiu was looking.


    A group of Gxy Academy¡¯s ordinary students were attracted by the fight between South Star and Pris and started to gather around tform ten.


    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s it for South Star, they only have one person left on their bench but there are five from Pris! Man, I was looking forward to seeing this Pris boy fight, that Qi Xiu who challenged our Xuan Yu and lost by a hair.¡±


    ¡°Yea well, we can alwayse back to watch their second matchup.¡±


    ¡°Hey do you guys feel that too? What the hell there is no Qi in thatst person on South Star¡¯s bench.¡±


    ¡°He has to have a death wish if he is even considering getting on the tform.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a decision so quickly, the fact that Qi Xiu is warming up means that he feels threatened.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You can mean he finds this Qi-less cultivator threatening?¡±


    Ye Wei looked at Cao Ning. ¡®Although he lost convincingly in the end, he should have gained some valuablebat experience.¡¯ He thought as he stood up, and slowly walked towards the tform and said dismissively, ¡°Hey, do you want to fight me as a group? This has been dragged out for way too long.¡±


    Qi Xiu was the only person on the other team that concerned Ye Wei, and fighting these other one-sided fights was aplete waste of time.


    ¡°Wow this kid¡¯s teeth are sharp! He has no respect for Qi Xiu at all!¡±


    Being called out Qi Xiu stopped cultivating and stepped forth, ¡°Everyone step back!¡± He said with ring coldly at Ye Wei. ¡°I am going to make you kneel for me!¡±


    ¡°I could say the same!¡± Ye Wei said calmly as his eyes locked onto Qi Xiu.


    ¡°Who is this? I have never seen anyone drive Qi Xiu this mad.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. I couldn¡¯t even tell you his initials, but I know which school he goes to! Haha!¡±


    The gathering Gxy Academy students were all specting and discussing why Qi Xiu disyed the same level of stress they saw when he challenged Xuan Yu.


    ¡°I admit I underestimated you, but today I will make sure you realize how far ahead of you I am!¡± Ayer of silver energy formed on Qi Xiu¡¯s body, and he then stretched out his fingers and channeled his Qi to his palm.


    With a cracking noise, the Qi in Qi Xiu¡¯s hand turned into a three foot long sword. The ability to materialize Qi into a physical form was a sign of a cultivator being at the peak of the ten-star Warrior rank or above.


    The sword¡¯s formation stirred up a whirlwind around it with its tip pointing to the ground as the cold, sharp de reflected the morning sun into the audience¡¯s eyes.


    Though confident, Ye Wei was extremely cautious. ¡°Nice form!¡± He eximed, and then stepped onto the tform and stomped the floor. The amethyst cracked and the web of fissures grew from his foot as a surge of silvery Qi burst out of his body. Theyer was then cemented onto the will-force on his body, forming a glowing light armor.


    ¡°Materializing Qi!¡± Liu Jian, Chen Mo, and other cultivators from South Star were shocked to find out how strong this mysterious boy fighting alongside them was, a peak ten-star Warrior!

 Chapter 121 – Selenic Descend

    Chapter 121 ¨C Selenic Descend


    Ye Wei kept his abilities hidden, and still one could not sense any Qi from his body. No one really knew how strong he was until just now when he formed the light armor over his body. Now, Ye Wei¡¯s teammates finally got a rough idea about his monstrous level of cultivation.


    ¡°Peak ten-star Warrior?! This youngster from South Star is not ordinary at all! No wonder Qi Xiu is taking this so seriously, he must have fought him at South Star before!¡± On the sides of the tform students from Gxy Academy were surprised that they actually had to swallow their words regarding South Star Academy, but on the other hand they couldn¡¯t help but admire the shiny Qi armor on Ye Wei¡¯s body.


    Ordinary ten-star Warriors could not bepared to their peak-level counterparts, not physically and certainly not mentally. Young cultivators of that level were a rare sight even in top schools like Gxy Academy.


    ¡°Hey everyone! This match is heating up.¡± The Mo Patriarch notified the others as the shing of two young elite cultivators was by no means a normal sight this early in the tournament. Nearly everyone on the cloud tform nced over to tform ten, and upon seeing what was happening they were astonished. It even caught the City Lord¡¯s interest while the cultivators from the Green Army pointed their scared faces towards Ye Wei and Qi Xiu watching how the match would unfold.


    The big names were refreshed and interested. ¡°I can¡¯t believe South Star has a peak ten-star Warriors in their team!¡± The fights between less powerful cultivators were too nd to keep their attention.


    ¡°Well I still think Qi Xiu has the edge!¡± The Mo Patriarch replied in a yful tone while observing. He became increasingly biased without even noticing.


    ¡°Humph!¡± Feeling the intensity of Qi in Ye Wei¡¯s light armor, a slightly concerned looked shed through Qi Xiu¡¯s face. He then grunted and held his sword even tighter.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    They heavy sword gently rattled, as the whirlwind around it turned green causing a windde to appear around the sword¡¯s sharp edge. This de left an uneven cut on the amethyst stage.


    Both Ye Wei and Qi Xiu¡¯s presence was expanding and stirring up a wind that quickly grewrger than the tform. The contestants from both schools and the audience near by all had to take a few steps back. They were surprised to see how much stronger Ye and Qi were than they expected and imagined.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± Qi Xiu broke the heavy silence as he stomped the ground and turned into a shadow. He tilted his sword forward to minimize drag and under the watchful eyes of everyone present he pounced towards Ye Wei with the posture of a bloodthirsty wild beast.


    The dense, sharp windde left a green trail of light in the air, and it carved a deep groove on the amethyst ground as Qi Xiu approached his opponent at an incredible speed.


    Ye Wei watched the approaching threat with an intense gaze, and with a gentle tap of his toes he shifted to the left effortlessly dodging the falling sword as he let Qi Xiu pass to his side.


    The two bumped shoulders and exchanged an aggressive look. Ye Wei didn¡¯t miss the chance to impose a counterattack as his silver fist flew towards Qi Xiu¡¯s right side. ¡®I didn¡¯t train for three years to be beaten by someone like you!¡¯ His eyes shone with a determined glow.


    Qi Xiu¡¯s remained calm as he swung his sword horizontally towards Ye Wei¡¯s neck. The windde left the sword and flew to the target before the sword itself was even close to Ye Wei.


    Qi Xiu¡¯s killing intent was clear to all present as he followed through with his aggression. He recognized Ye Wei as a real threat. Ye Wei grunted, and the light armor tes slid and rearranged themselves with a couple extrayers stacked around his neck.


    Ye Wei feltfortable enough to just put his neck to the oing strike, and keep up the aggression with his heavy punches.


    Sensing an intense pressure approaching as Ye Wei¡¯s fist got closer and closer, Qi Xiu¡¯s face changed. He didn¡¯t expect Ye Wei to react in such controversial manner as if being cut on the neck was not a big deal at all. Qi Xiu quickly moved his sword to defend himself. Just before Ye Wei¡¯s fist was about tond on his ribcage, he managed to ce the sword between the fist and his body.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Qi Xiu¡¯s windde was the first tond, and a shower of blinding sparks burst forth from Ye Wei¡¯s neck as Qi Xiu dragged his de against the light armor making a shrill grinding sound.


    The windde could not prate the strengthened armor, and it only left behind a scratch before it dispersed from the impact. Within a second his punchnded on Qi Xiu¡¯s sword.


    The Qi sword in Qi Xiu¡¯s hand vibrated from the force behind Ye Wei¡¯s punch, and it was showing signs of copsing.


    Qi Xiu felt a numbing pain between his thumb and index finger immediately after he loosened his grip he felt the prating force of Ye Wei¡¯s fist was not stopping. He therefore twisted and spun his body to avoid the overwhelming force. He couldn¡¯t help but lost his footing, and he was forced to take three steps back before regaining his bnce.


    ¡°You can¡¯t get away!¡± Ye Wei did not leave Qi Xiu any breathing space. His fist was as determined as its owner. It struck once again at the same target, and the pressure wave created a strong wind that forced Qi Xiu¡¯s loose ck robe to his skin.


    Ye Wei figured out that when facing opponents like Qi Xiu it was important to keep applying pressure, or else, he would never find any openings or weaknesses he could take advantage of.


    Qi Xiu¡¯s pupils dted. He could not believe Ye Wei remained unharmed after taking the heavy sword blow on the neck, and even more so that Ye Wei could deliver such a powerful counter strike. He channeled his Qi and quickly pulled the sword back leaving a green trail in the air.


    Ye Wei¡¯s fist cut through the heavy atmosphere again with a shrill noise. The second punch alsonded on Qi Xiu¡¯s sword. As it did it bent the sturdy-looking sword to an unnatural curve threatening its integrity.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    ¡®His strength is incredible!¡¯ Qi Xiu¡¯s face turned pale as he took one step after another backwards, and finally he managed to stabilize ten meters away from where he was hit. He started panting and ring at Ye Wei with unprecedented concern in his eyes.


    The Pris team remembered seeing this extremely stressful expression on Qi Xiu¡¯s face when he faced the third strongest of the God¡¯s Seven Xuan Yu. ¡®Ye Wei gave him a pressure that was no less intense than Xuan Yu¡¯s. Maybe Ye Wei¡¯s strength was simr to Xuan Yu? Qi Xiu is not looking like his normal self at all...¡¯


    ¡°It is not looking good for Qi Xiu!¡±


    The Pris Academy cultivators stood at the back with dropped jaws. Although they knew Qi Xiu has yet to show his full strength, seeing him in a disadvantaged position brewed storms in their hearts.


    ¡°Astonishing!¡± Further away from the tform, the specting Gxy Academy students were shocked. They could feel with their faces the brisky wind generated by Ye Wei¡¯s fist. The pain on their skin told them the dark horse of this year¡¯s tournament came from Green Moon City, and there shouldn¡¯t be a problem for South Star to get into top ten.


    The angle Qi Xiu¡¯s sword was bent told a simr story. The audience on the cloud tform were stunned to see how the fight unraveled. The men in golden armor nodded satisfyingly, and although judging from the level of cultivation neither Ye Wei or Qi Xiu was strong enough to be recruited by the Green Army, they were aware neither of the fighters were not giving it their all.


    ¡°The battle has only just begun!¡± Qi Xiu¡¯s face turned ashen, ¡°Your confidence will cost you!¡±


    ¡®Myst stance ¨C Thousand Shadow Windde!¡¯ Qi Xiu grunted and a surge of will-force and Qi burst out of his body. Using his sword instead of fingers, he drew a sequence of few hundred runes in a second.


    The light on Qi Xiu¡¯s sword intensified as breezes with a green colored glow appeared in the air as Qi Xiu¡¯s body began to float. Concentrating greatly, he quickly flicked his arm and the sword vibrated activating the rune sequence which started circting in the air.


    ¡°Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!¡±


    With each flick, the sword left a blurry after image in the air. These after images then attracted and merged with the runes in the air forming multiple runic swords.


    ¡°Whoosh! Whoosh!¡±


    Qi Xiu flicked the sword nine times, and the Qi within each runic sword was not weaker than the sword in his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s Thousand Shadow Windde! Brother Qi Xiu must be feeling pretty angry!¡± The Pris students realised Qi Xiu just used the seventh strongest stance out of the academy¡¯s collection of one hundred and seventy-two high-level Spirit stances, and for many of these students it was the first time seeing this stance used.


    ¡°But... Nine winddes? I thought it was suppose to be three?¡±


    ¡°Yea! Brother Qi refined it into a Myst stance. It¡¯s still so early in the fight to use something this powerful... He must be really eager to end the fight! I guess it¡¯s about time to stop them dreaming!¡±


    The Pris students were excited to see one of the Myst stances that made Qi Xiu famous.


    ¡°This will be the end! Three peak ten-star Warriors fell to this peak low-level Myst stance and that¡¯s only counting the fights that I heard about!¡± The Mo Patriarch said and the audience up on the cloud tform nodded.


    ¡°The fight has just started.¡± City Lord Chen Yuan said while taking a sip from his wine ss and smiled. He remembered Ye Wei¡¯s face when he was testing the mental strength of this year¡¯s contestants.


    ¡°Eh?¡± The City Lord¡¯sment intrigued many as more and more of the giants seated on the cloud tform were drawn to watch the South Star ¨C Pris matchup.


    ¡°Another Myst stance? You have seven of those right? Let¡¯s see how strong each of them are. If you have enough will-force and Qi to use them that is!¡± Ye Wei channeled his energy, cautiously assessing every since stroke of the runes Qi Xiu drew.


    ¡°I will y with you!¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself and drew a small half circle on the ground with his foot; he then stomped,unching himself towards Qi Xiu. While he was in the air, his fingertips twinkled and injected an intense surge of Qi into the rune sequence next to him.


    The sequence intertwined and transformed into a three headed scaled beast that resembled the statue in Bloodmist Valley, and the green fire on its body distorted the air around.


    ¡®Selenic Descend¡¯ Ye Wei grunted and the green globe of fire elerated towards Qi Xiu.

 Chapter 122 – Triple Selenic Punch

    Chapter 122 ¨C Triple Selenic Punch


    After Ye Wei broke through to be a five-star Warrior, he went back to the cial Temple. There in the temple he found seven selenic beast statues inside one of the hidden chambers, and there was an encrypted form for the stance to each of these statues. This stance was one of the techniques he learned during his visit.


    The Selenic Descend was one of the Selenic Seven created by the cial Emperor when he was inspired from watching two selenic beasts fighting each other. Although it was only a forbidden high-level Spirit stance, its unusual Qi flow gave it powerparable to low-level Myst stances.


    In the past three years, Ye Wei was able to learn five out of the seven stances during the breaks in training schedule made by Master Yi.


    ¡°Nice stance!¡± Qi Xiu could clearly tell Ye Wei used a stance, but the Qi flow of it was anything but ordinary, and he could not recognize most of the runes or the stance itself. The astounding energy within the Qi beast caused Qi Xiu to be very cautious as he swung his sword flinging rows of green winddes in Ye Wei¡¯s direction from above.


    Ye Wei could hear the destructive winddes raining down before he even lifted his head to see them. He narrowed his eyes and flipped his palm striking upwards. This caused the Qi beast to widened its eyes and roar.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    The piercing sonic waves umted quickly like waves in a storm, and they carried immense pressure crushing towards the green light.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    The swaying screen of green was shattered by the energetic sonic waves before they were even close to Ye Wei.


    As the green light faded, a pair of Qi wings appeared on Ye Wei¡¯s back. They shook and the momentum they created turned him into a blur as he advanced towards Qi Xiu with the Qi beast following closely behind leaving two lively after images where he stood previously.


    ¡°This speed...¡±


    The audience eximed in awe. They were impressed by both Qi Xiu¡¯s and Ye Wei¡¯s fluid disy of the mastery of their stances, and it became increasing apparent that the two were at the summit of cultivation for their age.


    The paw of the beast crushed down with fearsome pressure on course to turn everything in its path to dust.


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to counter my Myst stance with a Spirit stance? Some people just never learn to respect their opponents!¡± Qi Xiu mumbled to himself and shook his sword holding hand to create more winddes; he then threw the sword into the air and increased the total number of Qi swords floating in front of him to ten.


    A green breeze appeared under Xi Qiu¡¯s feet, and with it he was able to pull himself backwards as he made a number of hand seals.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The row of Qi swords reacted to Qi Xiu¡¯s seals. The ends then joined together to form a sword wheel which flew towards Ye Wei while spinning rapidly.


    The sword wheel tore through the air and shot out arced shards of green. It resembled a burning meteorite.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ye Wei frowned and pped his wings. With a small tornado behind him he moved ten meters to the side letting the sword wheel pass to his right, but despite this many of the Qi shards managed tond on Ye Wei¡¯s body. Ye Wei was lit up as the green runic sparks came to life from the contact between the attack and his light armor.


    Ye Wei¡¯s armor chipped as the sound intensified and lines of red began to appear on his skin followed shortly after by blood dripping to the ground.


    ¡°Ha, nice dodge,¡± Qi Xiu coldy chuckled at Ye Wei while he gracefullynded on the tform. Then he made a few hand seals brightening the space in front of him with runes.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Suddenly, the sword wheel turned around and sped towards Ye Wei¡¯s location.


    ¡°Fine, I shall see if this stance of yours is worth dodging!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s gaze sharpened as a crest with the shape of a selenic beast appeared at the back of his eyes.


    ¡®Triple Selenic Punch!¡¯ Ye Wei grunted and a surge of Qi came bursting out of his body. The Qi beast behind him shrunk and melted into the back of his hand giving off a pressure wave no weaker than thest stance.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    Ye Wei immediately swung his fist heavily against the sword wheel as it entered his reach.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The contact caused a massive explosion and the audience was forced to narrow their eyes because they were blinded by the green light that reached up to the sky. The explosion left deep fissures in the amethyst tform.


    ¡°That is terrifying!¡± The scars left on the solid tform were deep set as if an army had dragged thousands of swords and spears on the surface.


    ¡°What kind of stance was that?¡±


    Feeling the sharp breeze on their faces, the jaws of the gathering students dropped yet again; they were both scared and surprised. They never expected to see this level ofbat from an unknown face and Qi Xiu. Furthermore they knew they would be shredded to pieces if they stood closer to point of impact.


    The fight hadsted longer than the Mo Patriarch ever anticipated, and he was starting toe out of denial. He had to admit to himself that Ye Wei was at least as strong as his favorite in this matchup.


    Qi Xiu stared at the blinding green explosion with narrowed eyes. The brightness did not seem to affect his vision too much. He knew better than anyone else just how strong the Thousand Shadow Windde stance was, and he was quite frustrated that Ye Wei had survived the stance he would confidently use to fight even condensed prime Warriors.


    ¡°Naive!¡± Qi Xiu stared at the green light¡¯s core, and a cold smiled appeared on his face. ¡®A threat like you needs to be eradicated when it¡¯s still possible...¡¯ He was ready to kill Ye Wei now, and to go to great lengths in order to make it look unintentional.


    ¡°What happened?!¡±


    ¡°Is Wei okay?¡± Joe Yin, Cao Ning, Chen Mo, and the rest of South Star¡¯s cultivators looked up nervously with narrowed eyes hoping to see if Ye Wei was okay as he was engulfed by the explosion of runic light.


    Inside the globe of light, shards of broken Qi des whizzed around at Qi Xiu¡¯smand. They mercilessly grazed Ye Wei¡¯s body, but he was quick to react. He was able to utilize his Selenic Armor and Driftwind Steps to avoid the lethality proposed by the shower of green Qi shards.


    Although Ye Wei was bleeding, the injuries were too minor to be life-threatening.


    While fighting Qi Xiu¡¯s Qi swords, a spark of inspiration struck Ye Wei. This helped him gain a deeper understanding of the rune flow that he could apply to the third Supernova evolution. Although bleeding, he appreciated his opponent and the insights he had gained.


    Ye Wei thirsted to fight more than ever before. ¡°I can see why you thought you were strong enough to challenge a title holder!¡± Ye Wei grunted, and his bones shone bright golden and a surge of energy flooded his body.


    He has yet to use the Supernova stance but he was able to condense his Qi to a simr intensity just by altering the meridian path. Which also caused his strength to multiply instantaneously, reaching a frightening level.


    The raging energy and violent Qi quickly formed a storm around his body.


    The green light then started to fade and Ye Wei was seen bursting out of the fading color towards Qi Xiu. His lightning speed was not achievable even for ordinary condensed prime Warriors unless they were under the effect of speed enhancing stances.


    A intense air current followed behind him and the young cultivators watching nearby felt the pressure on their eardrums while the weaker ones had trouble keeping steady footing.


    ¡°How is he still alive and got even stronger!?¡±


    The smile on Qi Xiu¡¯s face evaporated, and his pupils dted. He was struggling to believe what he was sensing because he expected theplete opposite to happen. Within a blink of an eye, he made the decision to retreat. He kicked the ground hard and slid back twenty meters.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s fist was quicker than Qi Xiu¡¯s escape attempt, and a pothole appeared in the middle of the martial tform where purple rubble sshed up. A huge web of fissure grew and a screen of dust thickened as a thundering rumble shook everyone around tform ten.


    Qi Xiu wiped off the blood on the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. If he had been a moment slower with his reading of the situation or his sidestep, he would now be a part of the broken floor.


    ¡®Was that even a stance...¡¯ Drops of cold sweat fell from Qi Xiu¡¯s pale face onto the tform.


    ¡°You are one of the first to push me this far!¡± Qi Xiu ground his teeth. ¡°I will not let this go! You are done for!¡± A surge of Qi powered through his body as he grunted. He flicked his ck sleeve and a violent breeze caused all the surrounding dust to vanish.


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    Qi Xiu¡¯s veins were bulging as he began to draw runes in the air.


    ¡°Too slow.¡± Ye Wei sped up again before Qi Xiu could finish his runes. He had be a sh of light and disappeared.


    Qi Xiu panicked and felt a chill behind his back. When he turned around, he saw a fist with the selenic beast patterned crest on its back. It was flying towards his spine and the moisture around it was condensing quickly.

 Chapter 123 – Star Shifter Formula

    Chapter 123 ¨C Star Shifter Form


    ¡®Triple Selenic Punch!¡¯


    In front of everyone¡¯s widened eyes and frightened res, Ye Wei¡¯s fist solidlynded on Qi Xiu¡¯s back causing a chilling noise to be heard.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The dense energy of Ye Wei¡¯s fist sent Qi Xiu flying like a spinning kite with its string cut, and after a few rotations in the air, the motionless body wrapped in a ck robe mmed onto the martial tform creating a small dust storm.


    Apart from his immense forward momentum, Ye Wei¡¯s punch also contained a spinning energy due to the unique path his Qi flowed.


    ¡°Has brother Qi... lost?!¡± The Pris cultivators rubbed their eyes in disbelief. They were just staring at a bump on the tform covered in dust finding it hard to convince themselves a nameless cultivator from a mediocre school could beat their ace. The ace who just happened to be one stance away from beating a God¡¯s Seven in a fight a few days ago.


    ¡®Was there a stance behind that punch? Otherwise I would assume we are looking at a condensed prime Warrior who is skilled at hiding his cultivation as well as his age, or maybe this is something else...¡¯ The audience seated the clouds were a little wary as they had heard rumors about demon infiltrations just a few months prior to the tournament.


    ¡°He won! Ye Wei won!¡± Cao Ning, Chen Mo, and the rest cheered as soon as they got over their shock.


    Ye Wei slowly pulled back his fist, and the mark on the back of his hand faded. It was at this time that he noticed some slight movement behind the smokescreen in front of him.


    A wave of surprise swept over the faces on the cloud tform.


    ¡°This kid from South Star is not bad at all!¡± The City Lord smiled as he looked at Ye Wei¡¯s graceful posture. He then looked at Qi Xiu and said, ¡°It¡¯s lucky for Qi Xiu; if Pris had not of taught their best students the Star Shifter form he would have lost.¡±


    ¡°Indeed!¡± The men in golden armor nodded. They nced at Qi Xiu with a prating re.


    ¡°That was a powerful punch but the moment it connected to Qi Xiu most of the energy was deflected and slid of his body.¡±


    ¡°He is basically as strong as a condensed prime Warrior so he could take the punch anyway.¡± The Mo Patriarch looked at the dusty tform and said, ¡°Everyone knows he lost to Xuan Yu, by only one stance. What people don¡¯t know is that Xuan Yu was already a condensed prime Warrior when they fought.¡±


    ¡°Qi Xiu has mastered the Star Shifter form pretty well. I actually think this form is the reason Pris was ranked so highst year, and even their lineup was not as strong this year¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°That other kid is impressive but it will take more than impressive to beat Qi Xiu.¡±


    None of the young cultivators could see what Qi Xiu did but the audience on the clouds could see clearly. What they did not not know though was how Ye Wei threw such a powerful punch.


    On the amethyst tform, Qi suddenly floated in a strange manner. Qi Xiu did a backflip and got back on his feet. He then hatefully stared at Ye Wei. Luckily, he was able to activate his Star Shifter form the moment he was hit, however Ye Wei¡¯s speed resulted in two of his ribs fracturing.


    Bone fractures were not a serious concern to cultivators of Qi Xiu¡¯s caliber as he just casually snapped his bone back to ce and mend it by his nourishing Qi.


    ¡°Brother Qi!¡±


    ¡°He is okay!¡±


    The Pris cultivators excitedly screamed.


    ¡°What just happened? Ye Wei¡¯s punched should have crushed him! How can Qi Xiu still stand up? I heard the sound of bones cracking!¡± The smiles of the South Star students disappeared as their eyes widened. They were staring at the dusty ck robe with disbelief.


    ¡°Apart from Xuan Yu, you are the strongest cultivator I have fought but that does not mean you can beat me! You are not even close!¡± Qi Xiu exhaled gently and said slowly.


    ¡°What a wonderful form Pris Academy¡¯s Star Shifter is!¡± Ye Wei eximed. He did expect Qi Xiu to stand back up, and he could feel the strength of his fist being diverted to different directions.


    It was not Qi Xiu¡¯s intention for Ye Wei to learn more about his Qi flow, but inspired by Qi Xiu¡¯s narrow deflection Ye Wei was able to find ways to strengthen his family¡¯s Falling Star Form.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve underestimated you, but I guess it¡¯s fair because you did too. Do you think we should stop the dancing and actually fight?¡± Ye Wei was not frightened in the least, on the contrary he was even more excited andpetitive. He was interested in discovering the way Qi Xiu¡¯s Star Shifter technique worked.


    The Qi around Ye Wei¡¯s body shook violently.


    ¡°What did he just say?¡± The gathering audience could not believe what they had just heard. They were shocked to learn they had yet to show their full strength when the martial tform was already broken by these two monsters.


    Qi Xiu frowned as could not believe Ye Wei could tell what trick he used to reduce the impact of the punch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold back anymore; I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Ye Wei looked at Qi Xiu and loosened his joints. ¡°Let me see how well you can use the Star Shifter!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s expression became serious as his robed began to flutter. He released the seal in his dantian, and his presence exploded like a dragon who had just broke free from chains. He was now multiple times stronger than a normal peak ten-star Warrior.


    Although cultivation-wise Ye Wei was just a peak ten-star Warrior, when it came to his Qi and the will-force in his Sentient his foundation was such that nobody on the same level could be remotelypared to him.


    ¡°How can he be this strong?!¡± The young South Star, Pris, and Gxy cultivators were actually terrified and a series of scream sounded around tform ten.


    ¡°Interesting, looks like we should not blink starting from now. This kid is surely a top ss fighter at his level,¡± The City Lord was impressed by how Ye Wei could route his Qi and will-force, and how that made Ye Wei four times stronger than most talented peak ten-star Warriors he had encountered.


    ¡®He should be able to breakthrough soon, if he hasn¡¯t already. On the other hand if Qi Xiu uses the Star Shifter form to its full potential even if Ye Wei breaks through right now it wouldn¡¯t mean much...¡¯


    ¡°Qi Xiu is unbelievable with Star Shifter form, but that South Star kid¡¯s foundation is on its own level!¡± The men in golden armor were chatting to one another and all nodded satisfyingly. ¡°This is more like it; now they could actually join our reserve infantry or at least bootcamp!¡±


    ¡°Your lordship, would you happen to know the South Star kid¡¯s name?¡± The leader of the military group asked.


    ¡°Is the Green Army interested in him too? The City Lord frowned. He was clearly bothered that Ye Wei had the Green Army¡¯s attention.


    In fact most of the guests on the cloud tform were interested in Ye Wei. A young cultivator with such foundation would surely be great, but seeing as the City Lord and the Green Army were taking notice of him, they could only shake their heads reluctantly as they knew they wouldn¡¯t have a chance to recruit him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Undoubtedly that South Star boy is something special but I still think he does notpare to them...¡± The Green Army cultivators exchanged a look and started whispering.


    Qi Xiu and Ye Wei¡¯s disy attracted a lot of attention because they were still fighting long after the other fights had finished. All the other schools sent their students to tform ten hoping they would be able to get some information about both South Star and Pris.


    Apart from people¡¯s eyes, warm rays of the sun were also on Ye Wei and Qi Xiu as noon approached. The sunlight was refracted by the runes in the air forming aplex and dazzling web of light.


    Ye Wei stomped the ground andunched himself out like an arrow towards Qi Xiu. His speed was even quicker than before and most of the audience could no longer follow his moves. All they could see were blurred the after images he left behind.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    The students could not see how Ye Wei attacked but they could clearly hear continuous, daunting explosion ring out.


    Many of them rubbed their eyes and tried refocusing them but Ye Wei¡¯s speed made it impossible, and all they could see was a blurred figure whizzing around Qi Xiu.


    After a series of aggressive attacks, Qi Xiu¡¯s face changed. There was undisguised shock in his eyes as he didn¡¯t think Ye Wei would be this fast and this strong.


    Even though Qi Xiu was protected by the Shifting Star form, Ye Wei¡¯s increasing speed and power began to have a disrupting effect on the delicate and mysterious Qi flow in his body.


    Although Qi Xiu was able to deflect the impact from punch after punch, but his body¡¯s strength was stillcklusterpared to Ye Wei¡¯s. He had soon reached the limit of what his body could take.


    ¡°I guess I will have to...¡± Qi Xiu ground his teeth as he started to consider using the Myst stance he had never used in the eyes of the public.


    When he challenged the third strongest of the God¡¯s Seven, he held this stance back even though he knew it was his only chance to win. He was not willing to use his secret weapon so close to the tournament.


    The other reason he held it was that his secret weapon was a forbidden low-level Myst stance, and he knew that his Qi and will-force would be immediately drained when he use this stance. Also the recoil would heavily injure him.


    But at this moment, Qi Xiu was too involved to care. Ye Wei fistnded on him again and again, and he could no longer keep the Star Shifter form up. ¡°You forced me!¡±

 Chapter 124 – Black Flare

    Chapter 124 ¨C ck re


    The messy Qi flow within Qi Xiu calmed down and he quickly made a few hand seals in front of his chest and a few runes appeared.


    ¡°Is this Qi Xiu¡¯s secret weapon?¡± The students from different schools could feel his Qi increasing as each rune appeared.


    Up on the cloud tforms, the stance was starting to make the audience wary.


    ¡°Your Lordship, make sure none of them get hurt! Especially that kid from South Star!¡±


    ¡°Of course! The judges are there for a reason!¡± The City Lord answered. ¡°Ha this Qi Xiu is extraordinary. Pris Academy is lucky to find a student that is suitable to learn all their best stances!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that stance! I don¡¯t even remember thest time I saw this stance from a Pris student!¡±


    ¡°We should thank this nameless kid for the entertainment! It¡¯s quite an achievement pushing Qi Xiu this far! He will be famous just from this.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, looks like this is the end. I don¡¯t see how Qi Xiu¡¯s stance could possibly be stopped by this kid.¡±


    Previously, Ye Wei, while being the aggressor, learned most of the Star Shifter form¡¯s secrets from feeling the energy flow in Qi Xiu¡¯s body with his fist. Just from that, Ye Wei was greatly rewarded from this fight.


    Feeling the fearsome Qi disturbance in the air, Ye Wei was bing increasingly cautious; he was positive that the stance he was about to see would be on a different level than Qi Xiu¡¯s previous stances.


    Ye Wei was like a lone leaf on a wavy ocean of primal energy, but he was not scared. His eyes shone with a fighting spirit as oppose to the simr aged audience¡¯s fear.


    ¡°This is what I¡¯ve been looking forward to! Fight with your heart! Let me earn the victory and move on to the God¡¯s Seven then to Qing state¡¯s finals, and eventually I will challenge the cultivators at the summit in the capital!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s body was fueled with immense energy.


    ¡°I am surprised you¡¯ve pushed me this far boy. It¡¯s my honor to beat you with this stance! I will dominate!¡± Qi Xiu finished making thest hand seal as thest runes of the sequence were drawn; drops of sweat slid down his pale face and he was now panting as he spoke slowly.


    As Qi Xiu¡¯s voice was heard, the runes in the air vibrated violently forming rippling ck waves pressure waves around him.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The background primal energy around the tform began to resonate with the rune sequence and quickly condensed into growing dark globes above Qi Xiu¡¯s head.


    All whole audience gasped in shock seeing that Qi Xiu was able to use the wild unpurified primal energy by guiding it with his own Qi. They were all impressed and scared by the scale of the stance Qi Xiu was using.


    ¡®Seven Dark re!¡¯


    Vice-principal Xu He stared at the growing energy globes warily. He watched it as it grew and began to burn like the sun. ¡®His master allows him to use a forbidden low-level Myst stance?!¡¯


    Under the tform, Jian Chen of Zhoutian Sword school, Shi Yuntian of Tri-Sr School, and a few Gxy Academy students were the only ones who could look past how scary the stance was and appreciate how the stance worked.


    ¡°Ha!¡± The dark skinned Seven Star school cultivator, who had a brief exchange of look with Ye Wei, grunted. He stared at Qi Xiu with an evil smile and did not seemed impressed by the stance.


    Meanwhile the spection did not stop from above on the cloud tform.


    ¡°This has been the highlight of my day!¡±


    ¡°Yea, me too! Interesting development from a seemingly one-sided matchup.¡±


    ¡°Haha! If the kid from South Star were a condensed prime Warrior this fight would have been even more interesting!¡±


    The pressure of Seven Dark re thickened in the air.


    ¡°A forbidden stance?¡± Ye Wei rose his head and carefully observed the ck sun above Qi Xiu as a golden sh appeared through his eyes.


    Ye Wei watched as the globe¡¯s energy intensified. He could feel the heavy pressure ramping up pressing towards him like a great mountain. He could also feel the weak spots of the stance. Ye Wei stretched out his fingers which had shining runes in-between them while looking forward to fighting the ring ck sun.


    ¡°You should be proud of yourself for losing to this stance you know?¡± Qi Xiu looked at Ye Wei with aggressionpletely ignore the fact that he would have to rest for at least half a month after using this stance. It would be unsettling not to make Ye Wei pay for the humiliation he caused.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    When the stance¡¯s energy reached its peak, Qi Xiu slowly extended his palm and guided the heavy energy globe at Ye Wei. He ground his teeth as drops of sweat ran down his cheeks, and his shaky hands indicated just how hard it was to control the stance.


    ¡®Get scotched by the mes!¡¯ Qi Xiu¡¯s face became hideous as the veins on his neck and head bulged when he quickly threw his hand down. The ck suns glowed brighter than before and the blinding rays made the sun above look dim.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The wild force within the ck runic sun was finally unleashed, and it felt as if the sky itself was falling onto Ye Wei. The cracks on the tform kept on growing as the stance descended.


    The fearsome momentum began to affect the audience nearby, and the City Lord casually waved his hand. The runes he drew flew down from the cloud tform and expanded to be an invisible shield which contained the impact of Qi Xiu¡¯s stance within the tform.


    All the cultivators started running away from the tform when they felt Qi Xiu¡¯s stance expanding and if the City Lord did not interfere there was a chance that a lot of the audience would just be crushed and die from the stance.


    ¡°God... And Qi Xiu has still not cast the stance onto Ye Wei.¡± Ning Yang was admiring Qi Xiu as he looked at Ye Wei with a pernicious gaze imagining Ye Wei crumbling to the Seven Dark re stance.


    ¡°Wei, just let this go!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous! Just surrender Wei!¡±


    Cao Ning, Joe Yin, and the other South Star cultivators couldn¡¯t help but worry for Ye Wei¡¯s life.


    A powerful gush of wind was fluttering Ye Wei¡¯s robe as he flicked all five of his fingers and a sequence of mysterious runes appeared on his fingertips. They then quickly turned into cyan-hued sparks of fire.


    ¡°These are...¡±


    The whole audience, most of the schools¡¯ team leaders and students watching the fight, was sure Ye Wei would lose; however, up on the cloud tform the Runemasters, City Lord, and the Green Army cultivators widened their eyes staring at the shapes in front of Ye Wei.


    ¡°Those are Specialized Runes!¡± There was fire in their eyes.


    They knew Ye Wei was not giving his all but they never could have guessed that Ye Wei hid such frightening potential. These special runes were very difficult to learn and had power that matched their difficulty.


    One, two, three...


    More and more strange, brilliant patterns shone all around Ye Wei¡¯s body.


    There were twelve in total when they started flowing around his body. They covered his body in a golden light, but they were also at work inside his body. Inside there were even more of these specialized runes fluidly circted over his bones.


    ¡®Supernova stance!¡¯


    The energy on Ye Wei grew three times stronger and now the pressure he gave off was no weaker than a one-star condensed prime Warrior. Ye Wei put this power behind his fist as he leaped towards the ck sun.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Qi Xiu could feel Ye Wei¡¯s power had suddenly increased multiple times, ¡®I don¡¯t care if you are still hiding anything there is no way you can live through this!¡¯


    ¡°First sr re!¡± All seven energy globes brightened and then started to suck light from the surrounding space creating a vacuum behind the energy waves.


    ¡°What kind of stance is this?¡±


    ¡°Bloody hell. Is this really a fight between two Warriors? This looks more like a sh of condensed prime Warriors to me...¡±


    Most of the student cultivators were getting discouraged by the mightiness of the two students in front of them.


    The Goldenwood school sent their students to the tournament like they always did, and a curious teenager in a red robe with gold stitches walked closer to confirm a theory that was growing in his head. ¡°Is it him?¡± He was not talking about Qi Xiu, a knownpetitor of his, he was talking the kid Qi Xiu was fighting.


    ¡®Three years ago... This kid was next to that terrifying girl with purple hair; I will never forget what happened in Bloodmist Valley!¡¯ Luo Wu Xue could not believe that helpless looking kid was now fighting his rival to a length he himself never could.


    The suns approached Ye Wei and he could feel the fearsome energy from how much pressure was on his body; it was a horrifying amount of energy he could not just ignore.

 Chapter 125 – Searing Selenic Palm

    Chapter 125 ¨C Searing Selenic Palm


    ¡®Searing Selenic Palm.¡¯ Ye Wei used the momentum of his falling body to take a step forward, and the second his toes touched the ground the whole tform shook. He rxed his shoulders and after a brief moment of silence he stretched his finger and put them into the sparks of green runic fire.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Immediately after he ced his fingers into the fire, an immense heat wave burst out. Riding the wave, the cyan sparks sped towards the seven dark globes of energy in the sky.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    The sparks erged against the air current they created and merged to be a spirit selenic beast which violently collided into Qi Xiu¡¯s stance.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Although contained in the City Lord¡¯s rune shield, the whole mountain trembled from the impact. The tforms closest to Ye Wei and Qi Xiu¡¯s fight began to shake violently and they were on the verge of copsing.


    The cyan sparks of fire crashed into the ck energy globes and erupted. A burst of blinding light shone in the sky and forced many to close their eyes because it was nearly as bright as the midday sun.


    ¡®I never thought it would be this powerful... Pu Yuan always told me how much stronger stancesposed of specialized runes werepared to ordinary stances, but I never had a chance to actually test it before now! My stance is only a high-level Spirit stance but there are twelve specialized runes intermixed with the thirty-six normal ones; this should be enough to beat his Myst stance.¡¯


    Ye Wei remained calm and calcting. He was as cautious as it was his first time using what he had learned in a realbat, and therefore he wasn¡¯t sure how effective it would be.


    Even considering stances¡¯ power vary depending on the user¡¯s strength many would say Ye Wei was mad to use a Spirit stance against the Seven ck re stance. Although Ye Wei had the strength of a condensed prime Warrior under the Supernova stance¡¯s effect, it would take a returned prime Warrior to confidently deal with a Warrior¡¯s Myst stance with just a Spirit stance.


    It was to everyone¡¯s surprise that the two stances were now caught in a deadlock.


    Qi Xiu became furious. His face began to twist in anger as he struggled to ept the first re of his stance could not crush a mere Spirit stance.


    ¡°Just wait! And don¡¯t get cocky just because you dealt with one, there are more toe!¡± Qi Xiu screamed as he fired off the second, third, and the fourth res. They were only bing stronger after each burst from the ring orbs.


    ¡°Boom! Boom!¡±


    The energy of Qi Xiu¡¯s and Ye Wei¡¯s stances kept engulfing, crashing, grinding, and reducing each other.


    With the fourth explosion Qi Xiu was starting to gain an advantage as the ck energy globes grew evenrger and eventually suppressed Ye Wei¡¯s runic fire entirely.


    ¡°Is Qi Xiu going to win?¡±


    ¡°He can not hold himself against Qi Xiu¡¯s stance anymore!¡±


    The darkness of Qi Xiu¡¯s stance was consuming the green light like a rising tide. It then quickly spread and began to swallow Ye Wei.


    ¡°He is still young, maybe in a few years he will be able to beat Qi Xiu and even stronger opponents! I look forward to seeing that!¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t hold this much longer!¡¯ Ye Wei felt his energy being drained quickly, ¡®but I can¡¯t show the Supernova stance¡¯s second evolution just yet...¡¯


    It was impossible for anyone to tell that Ye Wei had the luxury to choose how he should hide his true power in this seemingly dire situation, nor did they have a way to find out.


    A spark of inspiration hit Ye Wei as he started channeling his Qi using the Falling Star form. He also incorporated the Shifting Star form in the way he had with his Qi when it flowed through his body earlier, after which he started smiling.


    Some of the audience thought Ye Wei was happy to face his death, and even the powerful cultivators on the cloud tform could not figure out the reason why Ye Wei was smiling. The strongest ones among them were the only people who were surprised when they realized he was still not showing his all.


    ¡°Do you know the saying about shoes and feet?¡± Ye Wei smiled and drew a long rune sequence for the Selenic Armor stance.


    ¡°Huh? But he used the exact same defensive stance before and it was shattered by Qi Xiu!¡± The audience was confused by Ye Wei¡¯s decision and worried for his life as they did not know that he had just learned Pris¡¯ Star Shifter form and therefore it was a different book with the same cover.


    The fourth strikended on Ye Wei¡¯s body, and he just took a few steps back before he regained his bnce but the armor waspletely intact and there were was no signs of injuries on him at all.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He actually blocked it?!¡±


    The gathering crowd was shocked and confused. They did not see how it was possible for Ye Wei to defend himself against Qi Xiu¡¯s explosive power.


    ¡°Ha, what a genius!¡± The City Lordughed and pped as he looked at Ye Wei.


    He then exined to the confused faces, ¡°The kid basically learned how Star Shifter works. It must have been when Qi Xiu used it to redirect the force of his punches. He then infused the principles of Star Shifter into his own defensive stance. You all know how the Seven Dark re stance works, and just now the kid used Star Shifter to divert the focused energy of the re strikes so it would just slide off the surface of his runic armor. Therefore he reduced the dangerous stance into an unfocused wave of energy. That was truly impressive.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Knowing better than to doubt the City Lord, everyone was shocked to hear his exnation as they had never heard of cultivators who could learn their opponent¡¯s technique during a fight and then immediately apply it, infusing it into his own stances. They could not imagine what Ye Wei¡¯s future held.


    Qi Xiu screamed, and his face twisted in shock. He became increasingly frustrated because he did not understand how Ye Wei had managed to handle his stance with ease.


    ¡®Fifth, sixth, and seventh!¡¯


    The re bursts became stronger and stronger as Qi Xiu was overwhelmed with rage while Ye Wei was smiling with joy. ¡®Star Shifter form is very interesting to say the least. I think I will even be able to infuse the Qi flow to Driftwind Steps to create apletely new speed enhancing technique. What a shame it is for Qi Xiu to know the form but not how to fully use it inbat.¡¯


    ¡°I just showed you that your stance means nothing to me. Are your stubborn or just stupid?¡± Ye Wei mumbled then grunted, ¡®Searing Selenic Palm!¡¯


    The green spark on Ye Wei¡¯s hand burned bright as he leaped towards the weakest spot of Qi Xiu¡¯s ck sun. He also channeled his modified Selenic Armor stance to defend himself. The ck energy burst slid off his body as he expected.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Ye Wei whizzed in the air above the tform as the ck and green energy waves turned into two raging tornados upon contact.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    It was now when the City Lord realized that the runic shield he had casually made moments ago was not enough to contain this fight, and that he has underestimated the contestants on tform ten. Countless cracks and fissures formed on the shield¡¯s surface and they quickly grew deeper and longer. With a sudden rumble, the two Qi tornados broke out of the containment.


    Around the tform, the gathering students were all knocked into the air, and farther away young cultivators with less than a seven-star Warrior¡¯s cultivation all bing pale and started spitting up blood as the impact struck.


    In the middle of the cloud tform, the City Lord was stunned. He immediately stood up and his hands rained down thousands of runes, creating a thicker, tougher shield around tform ten.


    ¡°This is crazy... Are we watching two condensed prime Warriors fight each other?¡± Everyone was still recovering and wondering if the fight was over.


    Although everyone outside the newly made shield was rather safe, it did not look good from the inside. The tform was being ravaged by the trapped energy, and it was starting to wobble as cracks and fissures gradually ate into the tform¡¯s core.


    The dust inside the shield turned green and brightened as the dark res were put out by the sheer force of Ye Wei¡¯s green fire. His fist then mercilessly struck onto Qi Xiu¡¯s chest.


    Although contained, the sound of Qi Xiu¡¯s groan was louder than the shield could nullify. He wasunched high up in the air by Ye Wei¡¯s fists as his body swayed like a dead leaf in the autumn breeze. He bled out of his mouth and his clothes turned into scraps. He was covered in gashes and bruises, and when he fell onto the ravaged tform, he passed out.

 Chapter 126 – Fame

    Chapter 126 ¨C Fame


    ¡°Qi Xiu!¡± The vice-principal of Pris widened his bloodshot eyes, and his heart was shattered by what he saw. He then quickly flew into the tform next to Qi Xiu checking his injuries.


    Ye Wei was panting, and feeling a bit tired from the violent exchange; however, he did manage to reserve some of his Qi and will-force. Although his clothes were charred and his body was scorched by the dark energy res, he dide out of the fight as the victor without having to give it his all.


    Aplex smile appeared on Ye Wei¡¯s face.


    ¡°Not bad at all!¡± Xu He said in an admiring tone as casually walked onto the tform. He patted Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder feeling shocked as he did not anticipate to see such a masterful disy; this had been way out of his expectations.


    Ye Wei defeating Qi Xiu meant more than just a victory. It implied that South Star just got into a much better position. They had now gained the momentum to challenge the top ranks.


    ¡°Xu He, Qi Xiu is our principal¡¯s grandson, if he does not fully recover from these injuries then I am sure the principal will make South Star pay!¡± Pris¡¯ vice-principal growled at Xu He like an angry lion after feeding Qi Xiu a healing pills.


    South Star Academy and Pris Academy had never been on good terms and the result of this fight just brought them to a new low.


    ¡°Vice-principal Zhu Ge, it¡¯s unavoidable for fighters to get injured on the martial tforms, but isn¡¯t that why we always teach the youngsters the importance of defending themselves?¡± Xu He chuckled, mocking Zhu Ge¡¯s arrogance. ¡°A few days ago your boys came to stir up quite a dispute at our school gate, and yesterday after our students had just settled, Qi Xiu decided to bring his friends to pay us a visit. I got over it as nobody was harmed badly, and I really did not want to bring this to the authorities attention so that the kids can have a chance to learn something in a fair match! Now you are calling us out for injuring Qi Xiu when that brat got what he asked for by not defending himself? Ye Wei did not break any rules before and during the fight!¡± Xu He¡¯s face went bright red as he was unwilling to give Zhu Ge an inch.


    ¡°You... you.. Just wait!¡± Zhu Ge was shivering in anger and embarrassment. He flicked his sleeve then ordered the students to carry Qi Xiu back to their pce.


    The result of the South Star versus Pris matchup was a surprising upset for the audience. Every school started talking about and analyzing what they had just saw, and they couldn¡¯t help but specte how well this dark horse would performter on in the tournament.


    ¡°I never thought South Star would be hiding talents under our noses like this! Where was hest year?¡±


    ¡°Pris would never have been what it is today if it wasn¡¯t for the Seven Dark re stance. It¡¯s both impressive and kind of a shame that the stance was defeated by some nameless kid; the world surely is changing!¡±


    ¡°I think we have ourselves a possible contestant for the God¡¯s Seven title!¡±


    A few days ago when Qi Xiu fought Xuan Yu, he only lost by a small margin and everyone thought that he would redeem himself in the tournament and get himself a spot in the seven. Never did they expect Qi Xiu to lose in such a manner, crushed before he even had a chance to fight one of the seven. The crowd¡¯s attention naturally fell onto the person who stopped Qi Xiu.


    ¡°Does anyone know his name?¡±


    ¡°He is called Ye Wei!¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei? I¡¯ve never heard that name anywhere. I guess he really is new. I heard that we should expect to see quite a few new faces who can actually fight.¡±


    A lot of young cultivators gathered around the tform including students from Seven Star School.


    ¡°Tu Fu Sheng, that Ye Wei character looks very promising. He might be one of your mainpetitors in the tournament!¡± A foxy youngdy said to the dark skinned boy next to her with a slightly seductive smile. Her pink silk dress highlighted the curves on her slender body which caught the attention of quite a few boys around her.


    Although the boys were from the same school as she was, they were looking at her with fear, that was everyone except Tu Fu Sheng; the one who had brief eye contact with Ye Wei.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s note on conclusions before I actually fight him! He is my prey by the way, don¡¯t you dare take this one away from me!¡± Tu Fu Sheng replied but he was not looking at the girl, he had his dark brown eyes set on Ye Wei. As he watch this previously unknown cultivator a wicked green glow shone deep within his pupils as he smiled.


    Not a lot of young cultivators interested him, but Ye Wei happened to be one of the few.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± The girl replied nomittally and as her eyes narrowed as her charming smile grew.


    On the other side of the tform Jian Shi Yu was having a chat with Jian Chen.


    ¡°Those were some impressive forbidden Myst stances by Qi Xiu, and that South Star youngster was able to deal with them all. On top of that he only shown two stances of his own while doing so. What do you think Chen? Do you think you can beat that South Star youngster?¡± The sage-like old man asked in a caring tone.


    ¡°If I keep my seals intact while fighting him I will definitely lose, but if I break my seals open, he doesn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± Jian Chen paused and said as his brows rose.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s good that you are confident, but don¡¯t underestimate him. He has not shown us everything. Fight safe even if you decide to break the seals!¡± Jian Shi Yu patted his young apprentice¡¯s head and said earnestly.


    A sh of determination appeared in Jian Chen¡¯s eyes as he thought about his master¡¯s words. ¡®It would be fun to fight him if that was not his all! Otherwise I won¡¯t be able to practise those stances before I fight anyone stronger!¡¯


    The team from Tri-Sr School assembled and also caught the end of the fight. ¡°That was the kid we saw in the mountains right? The kid without any Qi presence! I guess they do have a chance to fight for one of the top three spots with someone like that in their team... Hun Tian, do you think you wille out ahead if you are to fight that kid?¡± The red-haired vice-principal looked at Ye Wei striding down the martial tform and asked his favourite student.


    ¡°Seventy percent sure I will. Qi Xiu is just trashpared to me!¡± Shi Hun Tian¡¯s gaze darted at the winner of the fight and sneered.


    For Shi Hun Tian, cultivation was life. After bing one of the God¡¯s Seven, he gained a lot of confidence and developed his fighting style from his experience he knew that Xuan Yu did not fight seriously or else Qi Xiu wouldn¡¯tst a minute against any of the seven.


    ¡°I will let that South Star kid know he is too young and too weak!¡± Shi Hun Tian grunted.


    His vice-principal nodded. He had no choice but to trust his student as he had no idea what tricks were hidden up the newest God¡¯s Seven¡¯s sleeve.


    As the host, Gxy Academy had the advantage of numbers. All their nonpeting students were told to gather as much information as they could before the tournament even started.


    ¡°Ye Wei could probably get himself into the seven.¡±


    ¡°In my honest opinion, not at all. All seven of them had one or more powerful special stance in their arsenal. Ye Wei¡¯s stance is not powerful enough to pull him through, not to mention he will need more stances to fight the seven.¡±


    ¡°It really depends on how you look at it. I think it was obvious he fought Qi Xiu offhandedly.¡±


    The Gxy School students stopped their chatter and bowed when they saw three teenagers approaching.


    ¡°Greetings!¡± It was hard for any of them to stay calm as all three of the approaching teenagers were the top cultivators of Gxy School one of which was even a God¡¯s Seven.


    ¡°Interesting!¡± The sleek teenager looked at Ye Wei and smiled yfully. ¡°Qi Xiu is a fool, just because he learned a few nice stances doesn¡¯t mean he can fight so carelessly... Did he really think he was one stance away from beating Xuan Yu? It was so obvious Xuan Yu was toying him!¡±


    ¡°He can use forbidden Myst stances so what? Everyone of the seven can do much better, furthermore with Qi and will-force as weak as his, Myst stance or not, it will not be effective,¡± The tall, sleek teenager continued. It was obvious he despised Qi Xiu. ¡°On the other hand, the cultivator from South Star is definitely something special. It will take either me, Xuan Yu, or Feng Yi to beat him,¡± This sleek teenager was not overconfident despite the fact that he was the second strongest of the God¡¯s Seven.


    The other students listening in were shocked by the high praise Ye Wei was given.


    After this fight, South Star suddenly became the center of attention and Ye Wei had be the young cultivator of the hour.


    The audience on the tform were also impressed by Ye Wei, not by his victory, but how quickly he learned and his ability to copy his opponent¡¯s techniques under pressure.


    ¡°Your lordship, everyone from the Green Army to the Mo family would like to recruit this kid, would you care to let me have this one?¡± The Mo Patriarch shamelessly requested as he realized he had been wrong this whole time, it was apparent after the fight that Ye Wei had better potential to achieve greatness.


    ¡°Mo Patriarch, your greed is disgusting. We didn¡¯t say a word when you said you wanted to recruit Qi Xiu because we respected you but can you not push us?¡± One of the other patriarchs smiled and expressed his honest opinion.


    ¡°This kid has great potential, but we never really know who would be the best candidate until theter stages,¡± One of the men in golden armor said.


    It was the army¡¯s tradition not to decide who they¡¯d recruit until they saw theter fights. That was how they kept their new blood¡¯s quality high throughout the years.


    The first day of fights ended with a lot of guests being disappointed as the army has shown interest in Ye Wei. They knew they wouldn¡¯t have a chance to recruit such a talented individual.


    The South Star team finished on a high gaining one point and putting themselves on the top half together with seventeen other schools.

 Chapter 127 – Demon

    Chapter 127 ¨C Demon


    Soon after the match between South Star and Pris finished the gathering crowd dispersed and returned to their amodations to rest. Everyone needed to prepare for the second day¡¯s matchup of this month-long tournament.


    ¡°Hahaha! Wei, you truly are an impressive cultivator! You didn¡¯t give Qi Xiu any breathing room towards the end of the fight! You have avenged Mu Feng and our school. I don¡¯t think anyone from Pris Academy will have the guts to mess with us from now on!¡± Liu Jian enthusiastically said hugging Ye Wei like his own brother.


    The excitement of victory did not disappear for the South Star youngsters; they were still talking about details of the fights and their saliva was flying all over the ce as they discussed how Ye Wei defeated Qi Xiu.


    Cao Ning in particr was feeling ecstatic. He was proud to have performed better than anyone expected and d for his best friend who had grown to be unimaginably strong.


    ¡°Qi Xiu used a forbidden low-level Myst stance! I could feel its recoil all the way from the back! I don¡¯t think he will recover without half a month¡¯s rest. Judging by how things are going, Pris would need to wait until next year if they want to get into top ten!¡± Liu Jian was ecstatic because the bully finally became the bullied.


    ¡°Alright enough, stop bothering Ye Wei. Everyone go get some rest! Tomorrow is as important as today if not more!¡± Xu He gave each of the students two pills, one for healing and the other for restoring Qi and will-force.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    Everyone took their pills and hugged Ye Wei before they went back to their own rooms. All of them had used up arge amount energy and some of them were quite injured despite what their newfound confidence let them believe.


    Ye Wei was debriefed by Xu He before he went back to his own room. Soon everyone was cultivating and preparing for tomorrow as they knew time was of the essence. There was an unspoken sense of urgency as the contestants¡¯ condition would ultimately dictate their final ranking.


    The mountain eventually calmed down as night fell on this day of bloodshed. Everyone who fought was now focused on recuperating before they would once again have to be at their best again tomorrow.


    The clear moon hung high in the dark sky shining down its white light onto Ye Wei¡¯s body. He had his eyes closed while cultivating and visualizing the Shifting Star form he learned from fighting Qi Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not enough... Although fighting Qi Xiu taught me a lot, it¡¯s not enough to help me to be a condensed prime Warrior. But who knows, if I get the chance to fight more cultivators of his caliber or stronger I might just find how I need to strengthen my body in order to breakthrough.¡± Ye Wei opened his eyes as a spark of inspiration hit him, and he mumbled to himself as a smile shone on his face.


    After learning the principals of the Star Shifter form, Ye Wei worked on refining Driftwind Steps for the rest of the evening. He knew how he wanted the stance to develop but had not yet tasted any sess; however, he could feel the pieces slowlying together.


    When the moon was high in the sky, Cao Ning decided to join Ye Wei in training. They ended up working on the Onyx Tortoise stance.


    Helping Cao Ning refine his stance turned out to be great revision of basic rune flow for Ye Wei, and they were both enthusiastic to take advantage of the situation.


    ¡°Yea, that¡¯s it, just take it slow.Don¡¯t hurry!¡±


    In the dead of night, Ye Wei guided Cao Ning under the faint moonlight. They were productive and refreshed by the breeze. Cao knew he was not the most talented cultivator, but what hecked in talent he made up for with hard work.


    All of a sudden, the cold breeze brought an intoxicating scent to the pair¡¯s faces. Ye Wei could not help but closing his eyes at the pleasant smell but then he faintly felt a strange presence.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Ye Wei widened his eyes, and his posture changed from rxed to alert as he stared at the empty space in from of him.


    Cao Ning was shocked as he did not expect Ye Wei to shout; he turned his eyes from the runes in front of him to where Ye Wei was looking.


    ¡°Wei? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cao Ning could see nothing but the patchy moonlight on the floor. He looked over confused.


    Ye Wei kept staring at the airpletely ignoring Cao Ning.


    ¡°Kikiki, outstanding Soul Sensitivity! I must admit you scared me!¡± Just when Cao Ning was about to ask again, a cold, hoarse voice sounded out.


    A thick ck mist suddenly appeared from where the voice came from, and apletely ck silhouette of a robed person appeared within the mist.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡± Cao Ning felt a chill in his scalp, and his clothes were immediately soaked in cold sweat before he took a few clumsy steps back.


    ¡°Farther back!¡± Ye Wei ced his hand on Cao Ning¡¯s shoulder and sent him flying backwards with a gentle push while he tried to figure out what exactly he was looking at. He was increasingly convinced that whatever he was looking at was not human due to its peculiar presence. ¡®If he is from the ckmist n, this could go really bad...¡¯


    ¡°How courageous of you sneaking around Gxy Academy¡¯s grounds. You do know some of the best human cultivators of this region are here with us right?¡± Ye Wei was cautious but not scared. He was wondering how a demon managed to infiltrate the tournament under the strict security.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, worry about yourself. These powerful cultivators you speak of did not notice how I got in, and they will not know that I killed you!¡± A pair of sharp white teeth appeared in the ck mist together with the sound of chuckling.


    The demon then loosened its grip and dropped a ck jade pendant onto the floor. The pendant shattered and each of the broken shards had scale-like patterns on them.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    The jade scales after hitting the ground bounced back up, flew into the night sky and then fell to the ground with a curve leaving a semi-spherical body of ck mist isting a spot in the courtyard from the rest of the pce.


    ¡°ck Scale Array!¡± Ye Wei looked up worryingly to see a distorted moon through the mist. His pupils dted as he breathed in the thickening air inside the concealed space.


    ¡°I am curious, is it really worth you wasting this array just a trap a mere Warrior like me?¡± Ye Wei frowned and stared at the ck silhouette.


    ¡°Not really!¡± The demon shook its head and made a strange cracking noise. ¡°You are just unlucky. My idea was to find myself a talented human during the tournament, and suffice it to say, you really stood out.¡±


    Listening to the demon, Ye Wei figured this could be a part of a bigger scheme that the demon could not share, as there was no other logical reason to use a sealing array as powerful as the ck Scale Array.


    ¡°A demon...¡± Fear was written all over Cao Ning¡¯s face. He never expected to be in the middle of an assassination attempt and certainly not one that involved the demon ns.


    ¡°Just stay calm, it¡¯s just a demon. As cultivators we will have to confront them sooner orter. Just stand back, I¡¯ve got this.¡± Although the demon was stronger than himself, three years of intense training gave him confidence and there was no fear in his eyes.


    A sh of gold glittered through his eyes as he became determined to fight his way out of the situation if that became the only solution.


    ¡°You might think you are a hunter but I am no prey.¡± Ye Wei stepped forward and the moment his foot touched the ground it generated a strong gravitational pull within the mist.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you are not a girl. I¡¯ve always prefered the sweetness your females¡¯ meat,¡± A sharpughing sound came from the ck figure as the demon licked his lips with a forked red tongue.


    The demon then stomped the ground, and its heartbeat could be felt through the floor. The runes Ye Wei nted beneath the surface scattered under the pulsing pressure wave which caused the gravitational pull to disappear.


    Demons could not use mystic stances but they did not need them. The energy in their blood made up for this shoring.


    The ck figure floated towards Ye Wei and slowly rose its arm, and a thick ck, fluid-like texture floating around his hands felt simr to Qi for Ye Wei, but much colder and denser.


    Ye Wei was slightly startled by the his overpowering energy and was reminded what fear felt like. A strand of silvery Qi appeared in his hand and transformed into the ancient sword he found in Bloodmist Valley, the five-star medium-grade mystic arm.


    As he had never fought a demon before, Ye Wei was cautious and left no room for mistakes.


    ¡°Medium-grade mystic arm! That is something I did not expect to see... But you will be dead either way, and this weapon will be mine.¡± His vertical pupils dted as he kept walking towards Ye Wei. The ck figure was moving forward, but the grass underneath him did not move at all.


    The ck mist then faded and eventually disappeared.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s heart stopped and he immediately reacted by closing his eyes trying to locate the demon with his exceptional Soul Sensitivity. It was not long after that when the courtyard was filled by Ye Wei¡¯s will-force.


    Ye Wei turned around and swung his sword backwards as the ck figure threw its heavy cold fist at his blindside.


    The sword lit up and the de caught fire as it flew towards the demon¡¯s neck at a tricky angle.


    ¡®Burning Sun Sword!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s strike deflected the demon¡¯s fist, and the moment it touched the demon¡¯s neck, the ck figure turned into smoke and the sword went through without any resistance.


    ¡°A Runemaster? I am in for a treat!¡± The hoarse voice became enthusiastic. The next second, the demon appeared in front of Ye Wei, and he threw another punch. This time it was aimed at his chest.


    ¡°Humph!¡± Ye Wei kept his eyes closed and grunted indifferently. He shook his sword and swung it towards the sinister figure¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Whoosh! Whoosh!¡±


    The demon turned itself into a mist of ck smoke and whizzed around Ye Wei keeping a three inch distance. The sword could therefore nevernd and did no damage, but Ye Wei was also fine as he was able to keep the demon in a form which it could not attack. Although it looked like the fight was dead even, Ye Wei was actually slightly at a disadvantage as he could not predict the demon¡¯s movements so in order to protect himself, Ye Wei was wasting arge amount of will-force for detection.


    ¡®Such amazing speed; he is tiring to follow,¡¯ Ye Wei was startled and slowly realizing the demon was stronger than him.


    ¡®I have to set the tempo! Burning Sun Sword Wheel!¡¯ Ye Wei jumped up and swung his sword down filling the sky with fire. He then spun his sword around and created a fiery sword wheel.


    The sword wheel fell down like a burning star, and the bright runic light evaporated the ck mist revealing the demon behind its cover.


    ¡°Where can you hide now!?¡± Ye Wei struck down and pressed the sharp burning de at the demon. The sword wheel in front of him reduced the grass and small trees in the courtyard to ash.


    The ck figure then moved in a strange way dodging the speeding sword wheel and the pursuing young cultivator. The two kept attacking and dodging leaving behind a dark blur and a burning trail in their wake.


    ¡®So he was not giving it his all earlier today when he fought Qi Xiu...¡¯ Cao Ning was shocked by the power he felt pressuring his trembling body. Although he could see a mystic arm in y, Ye Wei¡¯s movement were clearly swifter, and his strikes were harsher.


    But Ye Wei was not the only one with precise movements, the demon was able to match his speed and deflect his strikes.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    A harsh noise sounded as Ye Wei finallynded a strike on the demon, and just when he felt relieved, he realized from the sensation in his hand that his sword did not do any damage; it just crashed onto the demon¡¯s cold hard fist.


    The demon¡¯s fist was heavy, fearfully heavy like a mountain, and his strike caused Ye Wei¡¯s hand to be numb.

 Chapter 128 – Selenic Ironbark Seal

    Chapter 128 ¨C Selenic Ironbark Seal


    The moment ring Light was knocked away, the demon swung his fist again, and like a bee attracted to the scent of a blooming flower he closed in on Ye Wei regardless of the attempts to dodge him.


    ¡°You are just a human Warrior, learn your ce!¡± The demon chuckled.


    ¡®Driftwind Steps!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s pupils dted, and strands of runes quickly appeared under his feet. He turned into a blur and shed three times with each step he took leaving the demon farther behind.


    The ordinary Driftwind Steps would never have helped Ye Wei out of this sticky situation, but the Star Shifter form allowed him to use the iing force of the demon¡¯s fist like his own Qi which boosted the stance¡¯s effectiveness. This was what enabled him to slip away from the cold fist one time after another.


    ¡°Your n sent a demon General here?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s fighting spirit was ignited by the demon in front of him, who was the equivalent of a condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡°Haha! What is this? You want to kill me?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s expanding presence didn¡¯t go unnoticed. ¡°Hahaha! Although I have only just evolved into a General, but with the ck Mist n¡¯s gifts, I wouldn¡¯t even have a problem destroying a condensed prime Warrior; I suggest that you don¡¯t get any funny ideas. It will be painful if you make me angry!¡± The demon said whileughing disdainfully as he looked at Ye Wei.


    Hisughter intensified and became a p of thunder which shook the ground and split the courtyard into small inds releasing a storm of dust into the air.


    A strange nket of ck mist then spread throughout the courtyard from where the demon stood.


    ¡°Be careful what you wish for sometimes you will get really disappointed when you dream too big.¡± Ye Wei weed the ck mist as he stepped forward and the golden runes covering his bones began to flow.


    ¡®First Supernova evolution!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s Qi expanded and burst out of his body which sent a rippling energy wave through the courtyard, stopping the wind caused by the demon¡¯s stomp.


    ¡°Humm, that¡¯s what you beat Qi Xiu with? It is an interesting amplifying stance!¡± The demon¡¯s face changed when he felt Ye Wei¡¯s energy surging upwards. In response, his dark figure became blurry again as he prepared to answer the amplifying stance.


    The power Ye Wei possessed at this point greatly exceeded what a normal Warrior¡¯s body could handle.


    ¡°You think you can get away?¡± Ye Weiunched himself forward, and his speed was greatly boosted by the runes under his feet. Within the blink of an eye, he was in front of the demon, and his fist sped up to a blur.


    ¡°There is a special presence on your body!¡± The demon¡¯s gaze fell onto Ye Wei then he chuckled and quickly shed away from the course of Ye Wei¡¯s fist.


    ¡®Triple Selenic Punch!¡¯ Ye Wei jumped up in the air and opened his left hand. Then he stretched his fingers, raining down runes from each of his fingertips. Soon after, a beast shaped crest appeared on the back of his hand. Under the effect of Supernova stance, the power of Triple Selenic Punch was also amplified.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s punches fell from above leaving gigantic potholes on the ground and sshing up debris when he pulled his fist back up.


    The demon knew better than to take on Ye Wei right now, so he kept evading the vicious attacks with strange movements of his body.


    ¡°So young yet so powerful. I can¡¯t find a reason not to eat you! Your flesh must be really tasty,¡± The demon said as his bloodshot eyes became cold. Ye Wei could feel a terrifying killing intent intensifying in the demonic Qi.


    Another punch was thrown, but this time, the demon did not bother dodging; instead, he lunged forward and grabbed Ye Wei¡¯s wrist. Suddenly, his arm thickened, and the dark hair on his skin stood up like needles. His grip on Ye Wei kept tightening as his arm transformed to its original demon form.


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    Feeling the pressure of the demon¡¯s piercing grip, Ye Wei¡¯s pupils dted as he was overwhelmed by pain. He quickly swung his sword at the demon¡¯s arm forcing his transforming opponent to let go of his wrist and back off.


    Although wielding a sword while punching, Ye Wei¡¯s strikes did not get any weaker and he was not slowed at all.


    The two quickly exchanged fifty rounds of blows.


    ¡°Humph!¡± The demon grunted and made a fist with his other hand as it finished transforming. He then swung it towards Ye Wei¡¯s rune empowered punch.


    A thundering rumble marked the moment the two fists met.


    Ye Wei rode the explosive energy as he pulled his fist back and did a backflip returning safely to Cao Ning¡¯s side. Hended heavily in a half-kneeling position and stabilized himself cing his hand on the ground which left cracks in the ground where his finger.


    After using a few more stances one after the other to fight the demon, Ye Wei¡¯s face had turned pale. Having to keep up his speed drained of him more Qi and will-force than he anticipated. Even though he had three to four times more Qi and will-force than other cultivators with at his level, the situation was turning desperate.


    But the demon wasn¡¯t faring any better; his robe had long since been shred to pieces, body been worn and now he was leaning against the courtyard¡¯s wall; his casual attitude had long since vanished.


    The demon General was more terrifying than Ye Wei had expected. Although under the effect of the Supernova stance, Ye Wei was not able to gain any advantage over his opponent.


    ¡°A peak ten-star Warrior with powersparable to a two-star condensed prime Warrior and someone who knows an amplification stance, you are full of surprises!¡± The demon said while shaking his fist trying to get rid of the numbness; his pupils slowly changed into a triangr shape, and his re became much more sinister.


    ¡°I admit it, I have underestimated you, but now you have left me no choice but to show you my true from,¡± The demon panted heavily. ¡°Let me show you how you will meet your demise!¡±


    Surrounding himself with a red mist the demon¡¯s body quickly underwent a drastic transformation.


    ¡°Thump!¡±


    ¡°Thump!¡±


    ¡°Thump!¡±


    The thundering demonic heartbeat echoed in the courtyard, and an utterly terrifying pressure caused the atmosphere to thicken to the point where the air felt almost sticky suffocating Cao Ning.


    From this Ye Wei could safely assume what he was facing was not just an ordinary demon General, but a very talented one.


    ¡°Wei! Careful!¡± A burst of energy swept the courtyard knocking Cao Ning into the air. He thennded heavily more than ten meters back.


    ¡°I know!¡± Although Ye Wei was tired after the violent exchange, his dantian was actually getting stronger from the heavy Qi usage and was showing signs growing.


    ¡®Second evolution!¡¯


    The energy level within Ye Wei¡¯s body soared once again, and as he didn¡¯t want to waste the limited time of the amplifying effect, he quickly drew a sequence of runes.


    ¡®Selenic Ironbark Seal!¡¯


    Staring at the red misting out of the transforming demon¡¯s pores Ye Wei did not hesitate to use his best-kept secret, the fifth stance of the Selenic Seven Stances.


    The Selenic Ironbark Seal was a low-level Myst stance, and all one hundred and thirty-six runes forming the stance were specialized runes. These specialized runes were the reason why despite Ye Wei having used only enough Qi to activate a low-level Myst stance, it had the power of its mid-level counterpart.


    In order to learn this Myst stance, Ye Wei had to use the second evolution of the Supernova stance to meet the Qi, will-force, and body strength requirement that otherwise couldn¡¯t be met by anyone below the condensed prime level. With the help of the Supernova stance, it took Ye Wei more than a year to master this stance. The cial Emperor created the Selenic Seven and all seven of them were unrefinable stances. Despite this Ye Wei had mastered five of them!


    Even under the effect of Supernova¡¯s second evolution, it was proving hard for him to use this Myst stanceposed exclusively of specialized runes.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    A sequence ofplex runes appeared as Ye Wei slowly dragged his finger across the air, and his face turned paler after each stroke.


    While the specialized runes were being drawn, strands of the lingering red mist were getting thicker and spun around the demon like flying serpents.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    The demon roared into the sky and let out a painful sounding grunt then his body inted at a terrifying speed.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    The sound of tearing cloth could be heard as the demon¡¯s ck body expanded and his ck robe burst into pieces.


    A three-meter tall monstrous figure emerged from within the red mist. His triangr pupils dted as he red at Ye Wei with red bloodthirsty eyes. His needle-like ck hair stood up as his seemingly rock hard muscles were bulging.


    This was the true form of a ckmist Demon, one of the seven biggest demon ns.


    Under normal circumstances, a demon¡¯s body was the same as a human¡¯s apart from their hearts. Their heart was the main source of a demon¡¯s power. When stimted by bloodlust a demon¡¯s hearts releases its energy which transforms demons into their true form. The stronger a demon is, the better they can control their powers.


    ¡°Time to die you, petty human!¡± The demon roared and lunged toward Ye Wei. This happened so quickly that his body disappeared into the dark night, and the next moment, he reappeared in front of Ye Wei. He rose his hairy hand high and swung it right at the human¡¯s head.


    The violent strike created a fearsome pressure wave that shook the whole courtyard and created a web of fissures on the ground. If it weren¡¯t for the ck Scale Array, the whole pce would have been shaken.


    ¡®This is it!¡¯ Ye Wei ground his teeth and finished thest three specialized runes with both of his hands dancing through the air.


    Just half a second before the demon¡¯s strike was about tond on Ye Wei¡¯s head arge, wood-textured palm appeared from the specialized rune sequence with a brown glow shining through the grains.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The courtyard was reduced to t ground from just the pressure wave of the wooden palm.


    Ye Wei¡¯s stance then crashed onto the demon¡¯srge hairy hand. The recoil sunk Ye Wei¡¯s body into the ground and simultaneously sent the demon flying like a kite with its string cut.

 Chapter 129 – Black Scale Progenitor

    Chapter 129 ¨C ck Scale Progenitor


    After flying across the courtyard, the demon¡¯s body fell heavily to the ground creating a loud rumble.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Ye Wei tasted a slight sweetness in his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood as his face turned as pale as paper.


    ¡°Ahem! Ahem!¡± After a moment of quietness, he coughed violently with both his arms crossed in front of his chest. He could feel his organs throbbing in pain. Meanwhile blood was dripping from his stomach, and soon his lower body was dyed in red while his breathing weakened.


    At this point Ye Wei has used up all of his Qi and he felt as if his life was quickly being drained.


    Defending himself against a strike that would have been lethal was not without its costs, and Ye Wei¡¯s body was anything but in a good condition.


    Farther away, the demon didn¡¯t have it great either. Half of his right arm became mush and his needle like fur was soaked in blood.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± The demon swore as he looked at what was left of his arm with his bloodshot eyes. His body trembled in agony and his face became twisted.


    ¡°What did you do!?¡± He felt a fearsome growing presence in front of him while he was checking his wound. His eyes were wide with shock as he looked towards Ye Wei.


    Although heavily injured, Ye Wei was calm. He sat himself down in the lotus position with his eyes tightly shut as a mysterious energy spun around him.


    The Selenic Ironbark Seal drained all of Ye Wei¡¯s energy, and his dantian was even showing signs of fracturing but instead of panicking, he started using the Falling Star form to recover his energy. While doing so he tried to repair his injured body by mimicking the energy flow he saw when the demon had transformed. After a few moments, his meridians were suddenly absorbing primal energy at five times their normal speed, and the surge of energy then became his own.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    As the energy circted, it empowered Ye Wei. His body started levitating as energy around and inside him shone brilliantly. This energy was absorbed into his dantian andpressed into a silver energy ball.


    A massive amount of Qi and will-force was umted inside Ye Wei¡¯s system from the three years of intense training under Master Yi, and now he had found a way to expand his body¡¯s limits; something that he failed to do ever since he became a peak ten-star Warrior.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    The demon was startled, and his jaw fell to the floor. There was undisguised shock in his widened eyes.


    ¡°Condensed prime Warrior?¡±


    ¡®How could he breakthrough now!?¡¯ The shock made him forget about the pain he felt in his arm, and he was quickly consumed by fear.


    ¡®He had the strength of a five... No, a six-star condensed prime Warrior under the effect of his amplifying stance, and I could just barely keep up with him in my true form! Now he¡¯s a condensed prime Warrior!?¡¯


    The demon refused to stand still and be scared, and a glow of determination grew on his hairy face.


    ¡°Ever heard of inner demons kid? They will buy me the time I need to shred you to pieces!¡± The demon¡¯s eyes were cold as he ignored his injuries and stomp the ground hard. Heunched his enormous body forward to crush Ye We, ¡®You¡¯re defenseless!¡¯


    The demon approached with the momentum of andslide, and he rose his fist right as Ye Wei came in reach. Just when he was ready to deliver the killing blow he heard a yful voice.


    ¡°Tell me more about these inner demon,¡± Ye Wei said suddenly as he opened his eyes; his lips were curled into a smile.


    ¡°How is this possible!?¡± The demon was startled as it usually takes hours for a cultivator to fight off a mid-level inner demon. He had no way to know Ye Wei had already overcame mid-level inner demon three years ago at the Karma Tower in the secret realm. He forcefully pulled back his fist and leaped backwards knowing that he was looking at someone extremely dangerous.


    All Ye Wei had been waiting for was a chance to push himself to his limit and only by fighting on the edge between life and death could he find out what was limiting him. Now that the demon had shown him how, it was only a matter of actually taking the time to sit down and reroute his energy in order for him to be a condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡®Run!¡¯


    The demon¡¯s survival instinct told him to get away as soon as possible.


    ¡°I thought you wanted to eat me? Why are you running away?¡± Ye Wei stared at the escaping demon and rose his hand as hundreds of runes immediately appeared in the air.


    ¡®Selenic Descend!¡±


    The floating runes shone as Ye Wei poured in his Qi and will-force, then they intertwined and turned into the shape of arge selenic beast.


    Ye Wei grunted and the beast opened its eyes casting two beams of ghostly light.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    The beams of green light seemed to have frozen the sealed off dimension. The demon was held still when he was attempting to fade into mist and disappear into the dark night. Ye Wei took the chance to use his Root Prison stance before the Supernova¡¯s effect ran out.


    Thebination of sealing effect of Root Prison and a devastating strike had always been Ye Wei¡¯s prefered way to win as it was a much safer option inparison to just trading blows with his opponent.


    ¡°Go back to hell where you belong!¡± Ye Wei shouted as he gainedplete dominance. He yelled this while ring viciously at the ck figure.


    The demon could not move or dodge, he only managed a grunt and turned the mist around him into ayer of ck armor covering his whole body.


    The spirit beast kept striking the demon¡¯s armor and the sturdy-looking backyer quickly began to erode away under the force of the relentless strikes. With a loud bang, the ck armor shattered, and the beast¡¯s sharp ws shredded his flesh.


    ¡°You cannot kill me! I am a direct descendant of the ck Mist Progenitor! If you do, your short life will consist of being constantly chased by my n until they find you, capture you, and give you a death more painful than you can imagine!¡± The demon screamed. Being a demon General he had the power to toy with cultivators at the five-star condensed prime Warrior level which was more than enough for him to kill any of the young contestants at this tournament. Though, he never guessed Ye Wei would have caused him so much trouble to the point that he could actually threaten his life.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care whose son you are!¡± Ye Wei threw a punch at the demon¡¯s chest.


    With a cracking sound, the demon¡¯s body was prated. Although it was the first time Ye Wei fought against a demon, he had been taught well enough to know not to leave anything to chance. He channeled his Qi to his fist when he felt the demon¡¯s beating heart and made sure it was destroyed; if the demon with the power of a condensed prime Warrior went free tonight, nobody would know how many youngsters with potential would die in the demon¡¯s hands.


    Ye Wei then paused a second as he took a good look at the demon¡¯s corpse. He decided to wrap it with runes and clenched his fist to shrink it then he ced it in his interspatial bag. Normal interspatial bags could only fit a few weapons, scrolls, and pills, but the one Lin Zi Yan gave him could hold much more.


    Demon Generals¡¯ blood was rare, and it was very sought after as it was used to make mystic scrolls. Ye Wei was obviously not going to waste such resources.


    ¡°Eh? What is that?¡± Ye Wei said when he noticed a palm-sized ck scale on the ground where the demon fell. On top of it was a web of strange patterns that shone with a mysterious dark glow.


    He then stooped to pick up the scale, and the moment he touched it, he felt a surge of immense energy rush into his body.


    Ye Wei¡¯s muscles tightened and his body began to twitch. His face changed when facing this immense amount of energy; he felt minuscule confronting this ocean-like vast energy.


    ¡°No wonder the demon was so strong, despite him having only just evolved to be a demon General... If he knew how to use this scale properly, I probably would have died...¡±


    Ye Wei mumbled to himself as the scale suddenly dposed and turned into dust which became arge ball of ck mist which enveloped him.


    A tall, dark blurry figure appeared in the mist and entered Ye Wei through his mouth and invaded his consciousness.


    A cold voice echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s head. ¡®Useless! How could he possibly be killed by a kid like you!? He has brought shame to our n!¡¯ The voice had a deep, bone-chilling vibration that resounded in Ye Wei¡¯s mind. ¡®Kid! Return this scale to our n or else!¡¯


    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Ye Wei felt as if his brain was being stung by a thousand needles. He wrapped his arms around his head and curled up on the ground like a shrimp.


    ¡®What... what are you?¡¯ Ye Wei trembled in fear.


    ¡®Haha! I am one of six original demon Sages, the ck Scale Progenitor! The scale you held was shed by me before I became a demon Sage and it holds enough power to end your life!¡¯


    The demon Sage continued. ¡®If you take this scale back to our n and save me the trouble then maybe I will spare your life!¡¯


    ¡®Deliver it back to your n? I will certainly die if I do that!¡¯ Although suffering extreme pain, Ye Wei held his ground. ¡®I just killed a demon who imed to be your kin! What do you mean sparing my life you stupid demon!¡¯


    ¡®You bug! You leave me no choice! You shall be my puppet!¡¯ The demonic energy exploded and began to invade Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient.


    Ye Wei kept rolling on the ground in pain as he could not resist the demon Sage¡¯s overwhelming power.


    Ye Wei¡¯s consciousness began to fade as his Sentient darkened and suddenly, just before he waspletely consumed by darkness, the Mystic Mount¡¯s presence in his Sentient awakened and the darkness was evaporated by the golden light.

 Chapter 130 – Three-Headed Jackal

    Chapter 130 ¨C Three-Headed Jackal


    ¡®What is this! How can Mystic Mount¡¯s presence be...!?¡¯


    ¡®Arghhh!¡¯


    The dark energy was ignited and shrunk against the golden light. The sound of screaming echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    Under the effect of the golden energy, Ye Wei¡¯s mind cleared as he regained his consciousness and the pain faded. He then sat up in a lotus position to calm his Qi feeling the sacred presence of the Mystic Mount.


    ¡®Who are you? How is there the Mystic Mount¡¯s presence in your Sentient!?¡¯ The ck Scale Progenitor was forced to flee back into the scale on the ground, but his voice remained in Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    ¡®It seems like your fancy title is just for show!¡¯ Ye Wei became angry and started to feel threatened by how he nearly lost control of his own consciousness.


    ¡®Pfft, don¡¯t be so proud of yourself just yet! If any of us find out what¡¯s inside your Sentient, then the n will definitely send hordes after you, and this ce will be ttened even if the whole of Ning City decides to fight us!¡¯ The Progenitor¡¯s voice echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes lit up. He thought about how this golden presence was buried deep inside his Sentient. He honestly doubted anyone was able to find it, and also that if he just managed to destroy the scale, nobody except his best friend would know what happened tonight.


    ¡®Naive! I shed that scale when I was transforming into a demon Sage, you don¡¯t stand a chance breaking it unless you have the help of a Prime! Just deliver it back and save the hassle before you lose your life trying something stupid!¡¯ the Progenitor seem to have read Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    Ye Wei frowned, bothered by the hot potato that was now in his hands, afraid that if he kept it, it would bring him trouble.On the other hand he didn¡¯t know how to get rid of it. However, the curious side of him was interested in keeping the scale, just in case he could somehow find use for it, even though it would be next to impossible to get any information regarding the scale out of the angry Progenitor who was trying to kill him just seconds ago.


    ¡®Kid, I¡¯ve marked you with my presence. Even the Mystic Mount¡¯s golden light won¡¯t be able to purge it! If you meet a demon Emperor one day, they will be able to detect it right away!¡¯


    Ye Wei frowned, angry that the Progenitor kept troubling him.


    ¡®Pfft! That¡¯s a lot of assumptions. How many demon Emperors are there anyway? I will either be strong enough to face them or will get rid of you and the scale before I ever meet one!¡¯ Ye Wei replied bitterly.


    ¡®Ha! Are you worried now? You are too young to y dare with me!¡¯


    Ye Wei grunted and stopped answering to the Progenitor. He ced the scale into his interspatial ring as an extra security measure, then he ced the ring into his bag, in case the demon had acquaintances here in Ning City who could might be able to sense the scale¡¯s presence.


    The Progenitor¡¯s hoarse voice sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s head again, ¡®Do you really think that will save you? Hahaha!¡¯


    ¡®You old, annoying monster! Can you just stop bothering?¡¯ frustrated, Ye Wei scratched his head. He could feel the Progenitor¡¯s presence in his Sentient but couldn¡¯t locate exactly where it was and how it was left there. ¡®I don¡¯t care what saves me or not! if I do meet a demon Emperor, I will either kill it or die fighting it!¡¯


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Five minutes had passed, the ck mist slowly disappeared in the night breeze and the array¡¯s effect faded, Ye Wei once again bathed in the moonlight.


    ¡°Cao Ning, are you okay?¡±


    Ye Wei sat in the lotus position. After regaining strength, he stood up and walked to his best friend.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Cao Ning shook his head, still feeling startled by Ye Wei¡¯s powerful disy, wondering if what he saw was real.


    ¡°Nobody can know about what happened tonight!¡± Ye Wei patted Cao Ning¡¯s shoulder and said solemnly. It was not that he couldn¡¯t trust Cao Ning, he just needed to make sure that they were on the same page.


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Cao Ning was d and relieved to see Ye Wei was fine and trusted him to have it under control. He understood that if people learned what happened tonight it would cause chaos.


    ¡°You need the rest. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t help you any more with refining tonight,¡± Ye Wei looked at the dark sky and said to his frightened friend.


    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m sure you need resting more than I do,¡± after bidding farewell, Cao Ning headed off.


    ¡°I wonder if the demon came specifically after me or if he was attracted by the talented youngsters in general...¡± Ye Wei frowned and mumbled to himself, concerned. ¡°That is not important though. I have to be careful anyway, in case more than one demon infiltrates the tournament.¡±


    ¡®Of course there is more than one! And they will kill you!¡¯ the Progenitor¡¯s voice sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    ¡®Can¡¯t you shut your stupid mouth?¡¯


    ¡®Kid you are the first person who dares to insult me!¡¯


    ¡®So what? What are you going to do? Bite my Sentient?¡¯


    The Progenitor quieted down, angered.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally at condensed prime level!¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself, feeling the power of the condensed silver energy ball in his dantian and smiled.


    ¡®Pfft! Back in the days, even before I became a demon Sage, I could wipe out millions of condensed prime Warriors with a sneeze and flood the whole nation with a single pool of piss!¡¯ the Progenitor did not waste the chance to mock his host.


    ¡°You old monster, I will take a piss on that precious scale of yours if you don¡¯t shut up.¡± Ye Wei mumbled.


    ¡®You... disrespectful brat! You will regret your arrogance!¡¯ Being one of the strongest demons who ever lived, the Progenitor was furious. Demon or human, anyone who ever insulted him had always been killed.


    ¡°Old guy, you said you were scaled. What¡¯s your real form? A pig demon? A manis?¡± Ye Wei stood up and said in a mocking voice.


    ¡®I will tear you apart sooner orter! I was a three-headed scaled jackal and had the power of ten dragons and ten elephants! I was born with the wisdom to understand the force behind the universe! How dare you!¡¯


    ¡°Oh wow! That¡¯s amazing!¡± Ye Wei opened in mouth wide, pretended he was impressed.


    ¡®Yes, so shut up!¡¯


    ¡°You are pretty impressive for a dog indeed, I apologise for my foolish words,¡± Ye Wei chuckled.


    ¡®Did you just call me a dog!? I am a three-headed scaled jackal!¡¯


    ¡°Erm, excuse my ignorance but I thought jackals and dogs were the same thing.¡±


    ¡®As I told you before, I promise you I¡¯ll tear you apart and you will suffer a painful death!¡¯ the Progenitor maddened, roared in anger.


    ¡°Yes, you have said it many times. I wonder when you will actually do it?¡± Ye Wei ignored the threats and kept cultivating, ¡°Why are you so obsessed? Dogs are rted to jackals anyways you will make many dogs feel bad if they knew you look down on your own kind.¡±


    ¡®Onest time, I am a jackal, not a dog!¡¯


    ¡°Wolves are rted to jackals too right? You do have great connections!¡± Ye Wei shrugged, he didn¡¯t know much about demons but he surely enjoyed enraging one.


    On the other side, the Progenitor was furious, wishing he was in his real form. He didn¡¯t feel like he wanted to talk to Ye Wei anymore.


    That meant Ye Wei could finally have a moment of peace to get used to his newfound powers.


    Historically, the gap between Warriors and condensed prime Warrior was immense. A lot of peak ten-star Warriors were not able to ovee themselves and push their limits high enough to force the transformation and ended their lives as the former.


    Bing a condensed prime Warrior was more than just a cultivational achievement, in terms of status, condensed prime Warrior marked the state when cultivators were strong enough to start their own martial families or branch out to other cities, if the cultivator already belonged to an established force.


    Condensed prime Warriors¡¯ title was named that way because of how their Qi behaved. In rest, their Qi clumped into a silver ball in their dantian, which ultimately allowed more energy to be stored and increased the density of it.


    For each breakthrough, after a cultivator reached condensed prime level, a golden fissure would appear in the silver ball. The single crack on Ye Wei¡¯s silver ball represented that he was a one-star condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡°I can start learning the sixth of the Selenic Seven Stances ¨C Selenic Triple-Primal Sword!¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself joyfully under the moonlight, as he could finally look to learn all seven stances of cial Emperor¡¯s set. The first four were high-level Spirit stances while the fifth was a low-level Myst stance, and the sixth was at mid-level.


    Ye Wei sat down and crossed his legs, under the dark sky he began to learn the sixth Selenic stance while he consolidated his cultivation.

 Chapter 131 – New Challenges

    Chapter 131 ¨C New Challenges


    On the next morning, all young cultivators gathered at the amethyst tforms again, enthusiastic and eager to start the second day¡¯s fight and expand their capacities.


    South Star¡¯s opponent of the second day was Ling Yin Academy, which came twenty-eighthst year. South Star was able to im victory easily, gaining another point without even showing Ye Wei.


    The win streak continued for two weeks. Apart from their first opponent, South Star did not really face any worthy enemies, which gave Ye Wei a chance to rest, consolidate his cultivation and strengthen his arsenal by learning the Selenic Triple-Primal Sword and the third evolution of Supernova stance.


    On the fourteenth day of the tournament, South Star finished early again, and Ye Wei decided to join the other youngsters to watch the fight between Frozen Sun City¡¯s Golden Wood Academy and Seven Star School, as the dark skinned boy, who had made eye contact with him at any opportunity, would be fighting.


    ¡°Ye Wei? It that you?¡± A clear bell-like voice sounded from the noisy crowd.


    Ye Wei¡¯s gaze fell onto a youngdy in her early twenties. Her dark green dress was skin tight, elegantlyplimented her curves and made her look extra sassy. Her lengthy body and pretty face made her stand out in the crowd like a crane in a flock of chickens.


    ¡°Xue Yao?¡± Ye Wei recognized her facial features.


    ¡°Took you some time!¡± Xue Yao¡¯s brows rose as she smiled.


    ¡°How have you been?¡± He could feel Xue Yao was already a condensed prime Warrior.


    She did not answer directly, but instead narrowed her eyes and assessed him, ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot and became really handsome in three years! Where is your girlfriend? Did shee with you?¡±


    ¡°Hey... Don¡¯t joke around like that!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face became red, too embarrassed to answer.


    The two then decided to catch up using voice transmission technique as the crowd was getting noisier.


    Turned out Xue Yao, Hong Xun, Zhou Hou and the others met the descendants of the cial Emperor¡¯s disciples and picked up their legacies. Everyone of them improved quickly in the course of three years.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame Hong Xun and the others couldn¡¯t make it herethey all missed you. We all got together a few times after we left thebyrinth, we were made to swear our loyalty to whomever inherited the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy, or we shall be smited by the heavens. We were also told that the inheritor will have a jade trinket, using which he couldmunicate to us...¡±


    Xue Yao then looked at Ye Wei, who was surprised to hear what have just been said to him, and assumed that she already knew who became the cial Emperor¡¯s inheritor.


    Seeing that Ye Wei was chatting with a beautiful girl, Liu Jian, Chen Mo and the rest of the South Star crew became a bit jealous, but at the same time admired Xue Yao as they could also feel that she was a condensed prime Warrior despite her young age.


    ¡°So, little Wei, why haven¡¯t I seen you fighting?¡±


    ¡°I did on the first day, but haven¡¯t had the chance to since then.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, my brother is representing Golden Wood Academy, and I have to go now! Catch meter!¡± Xue Yao heard the crowd going wild and noticed someone on the tform had been injured. Worrying that it might have been her brother, she quickly went away.


    ¡°Take care!¡± Ye Wei waved goodbye. He felt grateful for all that Pu Yuan had done, surprised by the set up that gave a small but powerful force in hismand. During the three years, Pu Yuan had been treating Ye Wei with great patience as if Ye Wei was his own apprentice.


    In Ye Wei¡¯s mind, Master Yi and Pu Yuan had been treating him as if he was family.


    ***


    In the evening


    ¡°We have been pretty lucky with the matchups. Apart from the fight with Pris Academy, we won every match with rtive ease even without Ye Wei.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s maintain our win streak!¡± everyone in South Star felt elevated from the great results so far.


    ¡°The tournament is almost half over, and we are one of the only five schools with a clean record. I think that says a lot! Well done guys!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but that means we have to pay extra attention when we face Gxy Academy, Zhoutian Sword School, Tri-Sr School and Seven Star School. We are aiming to finish in the top three!¡± Vice-principal Xu He looked around him and smiled dly. ¡°During our best run a long while back we managed to finish seventh, but I think we will definately top that this year!.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow we will be facing Tri-Sr School. Their team¡¯s average cultivation level is higher than ours. Furthermore, they have Shi Hun Tian, one of the God¡¯s Seven among them, be prepared for a tough fight!¡±


    ¡°If we win tomorrow¡¯s matchup, then the odds are we will surely be in the top three. Boys and girls, please, do your best! And, Ye Wei, we will be depending on you to deal with you know who.¡±


    Everyone simultaneously looked at Ye Wei with wary, although he had defeated a powerful cultivator known as Qi Xiu, a God¡¯s Seven is another level of existence. They were imagining the possibilities of their teammate bing one of the seven.


    ¡°I will do my best!¡± Ye Wei smiled and nodded.


    ¡®The human race is moreughable than I remembered it to be. Calling seven children God¡¯s Seven? Get over yourselves! Hahaha!¡¯ the Progenitor chuckled.


    Ye Wei¡¯s face turned ck, upset by the Progenitor¡¯s mockery.


    After the pep talk, all of the students went back to their own rooms to prepare for the day after, feeling a bit nervous.


    The fifteenth day of the tournament arrived, as the starry night eventually diffused into a bright morning with clear sky. The amethyst tforms were already warmed by the sun, when the students began to gather.


    ¡°We have an interesting matchup ahead of us today, neither had South Star or Tri-Sr dropped a match, they will undoubtedly fight their hardest to keep their record clean!¡±


    ¡°Interesting? I don¡¯t see how Tri-Sr can lose this match. Shi Hun Tian is one of the God¡¯s Seven! Two years ago he came into the public¡¯s attention, rose like a star out of nowhere and took the God¡¯s Seven title. And for the past two years, he had been training behind closed doors! He could only have gotten stronger!¡±


    Although most of the crowd recognized Ye Wei¡¯s strength, not many thought he could actually ovee Shi Hun Tian and be a God¡¯s Seven.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure just yet, apart from South Star¡¯s first match, we didn¡¯t really see Ye Wei fighting. What if he didn¡¯t show all of his strength when he fought Qi Xiu?¡±


    Everyone approved of Qi Xiu and knew him from two years ago, when Shi Hun Tian and him both took on the same God¡¯s Seven, where Shi got the title and Qi Xiu fought a good fight before he eventually lost.


    Some of the audience thought South Star had hope, some of them thought it was dead even, and most of them thought Shi Hun Tian would be able to finish South Star single-handedly. Although they didn¡¯t have the same opinion, all of them were looking forward to see this unfold.


    ¡°Hey, Xu He, did you hear the crowd? They don¡¯t think you are going to win!¡± Tri-Sr¡¯s vice principal, Shi Xiao Ran, chuckled.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be the first time when we be the unfavourite winner and it certainly won¡¯t be thest.¡± Xu He replied coldly.


    ¡°Haha! I admire your confidence. What do you say to making this more interesting?¡± Shi Xiao Ran took out a hand fan from his possession and smiled indifferently, ¡°If you win, this mystic arms is yours!¡± His tone became slightly provocative.


    ¡°Medium-grade two-star mystic arm, you are generous.¡± Xu He narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to y with me!¡± Shi Xiao Ranughed.


    ¡°Well if you insist to shower me with gifts...¡± Xu He took out a knuckleduster from his possession.


    ¡°Let the fifteenth round begin!¡± the City Lord¡¯s voice echoed, the audience below and above eventually took their seats as the contestants stepped on the amethyst tforms.


    The audience cheered when they saw Shi Hun Tian walking close to tform three.


    ¡°That¡¯s him! Shi Hun Tian! I haven¡¯t seen him fight for two years! Do you guys still remember the fight when he defeated Mu Kong within fifty blows? I couldn¡¯t believe a fifteen year old was able to beat a God¡¯s Seven!¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, I don¡¯t think this fight will be much worse!¡±


    Shi Hun Tian began to stare at Ye Wei from across the martial tform, ¡°I will make you forget about Qi Xiu and show you the distance between us is more vast than you could ever have imagined!¡± He mumbled to himself.


    Feeling the burning gaze, Ye Wei casually looked back at Shi Hun Tian and continued talking to Cao Ning.


    ¡°This Ye Wei kid doesn¡¯t seem to care at all!¡±


    ¡°Arrogance is the mother of regret, let¡¯s see how it¡¯s gonna go.¡±


    Contestants of both schools lined up on the opposite sides of the tform. After two weeks of demanding fights, everyone from South Star, even the less experienced ones were looking more fierce, more confident.


    Unlike the first day, most of the influential audience on the cloud tform had their eyes on tform three looking forward to see South Star, a school that they hardly cared about not long ago.


    Most of the patriarchs and the representatives from the Green Army already had an idea about who they would like to recruit after watching the fights for two weeks, excited that two of their favourites will be facing each other.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter whoeveres out on top, they are both fit for the purpose,¡± the intimidating armor they wore made their smiles look slightly awkward.


    Ning City¡¯s patriarchs were also eager to discuss their opinion before the fight started.


    ¡°I think Shi Hun Tian is going to carry his school to score a win today, two years ago he had already shown great potential. I think he must have broken through to be a condensed prime Warrior since then.¡±


    Defeating Qi Xiu at his best was undoubtedly a feat and it did not fade in the audience¡¯s minds, but Shi Hun Tian too defeated Qi Xiu, not only was that a convincing victory, he also had more opportunities to show his capacities while fighting some of the stronger schools.


    The crowd slightly tipped towards, supporting Tri-Sr School, and waited impatiently as the young cultivators warmed themselves up.

 Chapter 132 – Class

    Chapter 132 ¨C ss


    ¡°Lu Zheng, you¡¯re up!¡± Shi Hun Tian casually waved his hand and smiled, as his eyes unconsciouslynded on Ye Wei, the only opponent he cared about today.


    ¡°Okay!¡± An arrogant young man stepped forward from the group, looking eager and energetic.


    ¡°Who of you will fight me?¡± Lu Zheng¡¯s cold gaze swept the South Star camp.


    The faces of the South Star cultivators changed, they were not expecting their opponent to send an eight-star Warrior right away. On South Star¡¯s side, the only cultivator apart from Ye Wei who was at the same level, was Liu Jian.


    After a brief moment of silence, Ye Wei slowly walked out of the group.


    ¡°He is an eight-star Warrior, let me deal with him.¡± Liu Jian was a bit confused, as the vice-principal¡¯s idea was to save Ye Wei for thest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quick, I have a stance to learn. If you want to fight, I will train with you when we¡¯re back,¡± Ye Wei said indifferently, ¡°You guys did all the work these past weeks, I want to move a little.¡±


    The crowd went wild, to their knowledge Ye Wei was the strongest cultivator in the South Star team, but even so it would have been a bit of a stretch to take on one of the top five contesting teams on his own.


    Some of the young audience, who saw a chance of South Star winning off Ye Wei¡¯s back, began to change their minds.


    ¡°Why is he destroying his chances!? The only way he could win is tond a lucky strike using the stance he beat Qi Xiu with! How is he going to have enough Qi and body strength to do it, when he finally faces a God¡¯s Seven?¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°Some people just prefer learning their lessons the hard way. I don¡¯t see how Shi Hun Tian will take this insult lightly.¡±


    Lu Zheng was also surprised that Ye Wei would be his first opponent, ¡°Haha! You think you can take all of us on your own? I would like to see if you really have what it takes to challenge our ace like everyone else suggested,¡± He grunted then stomped the ground,unching himself towards Ye Wei.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The moment his feet left the tform, Lu Zheng¡¯s presence intensified, and ayer of Qi materialized over his body. Facing an opponent like Ye Wei, he saw no point in hiding his cultivation.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°He is a peak ten-star Warrior too?¡± The audience¡¯s eyes widened as they saw the unexpected. They have been following Tri-Sr¡¯s fights, but Lu Zheng never appeared to be more than an eight-star Warrior.


    ¡°Tri-Sr School hid him so well! Damn! I should have seen iting! They are looking to finish at the top, it sucks to be one of the South Star youngsters right now!¡±


    ¡°They might not even need Shi Hun Tian to win the matchup in the end! They surely have prepared for this specific match with South Star!¡±


    The power Lu Zheng just disyed just improved Tri-Sr School¡¯s impression in the audience¡¯s hearts, as any cultivator with peak ten-star Warrior cultivation was considered top tier contestants.


    The wild crowd¡¯s cheer and chatter boosted Shi Xiao Ran¡¯s confidence, his smile grew to an arrogant shape as he nced at Xu He.


    ¡°I apologize in advance, if our youngsters hurt yours, you will have to forgive them! They are just doing what they are supposed to in a tournament!¡± Shi Xiao Ran chuckled and said.


    ¡°Vice-principal Shi, the fight had just begun, I can only say the same.¡± Xu He said casually with pride.


    On the martial tform, Lu Zheng drew sequences of runes with both his hands as he flew towards Ye Wei, immediately activating two stances with a quick surge of Qi.


    ¡®Yaksha Palm!¡¯


    ¡®Lightning Leash!¡¯


    Within moments, light of the glowing runes sequences brightened the purple tform.


    Thick bolts of static energy tangled around Ye Wei and constricted his body like snakes, while a terrifying Yaksha appeared behind him, striking him with its palm. The fearsome force wave swept across the tform, the shrill sound made the audience cover their ears.


    ¡°Damn, this looks to be quite a deadly move!¡± the South Star youngsters began to worry.


    ¡°Careful, Ye Wei!¡±


    Nobody expected Lu Zheng to lead with such a sinisterbination, used by a ten-star Warrior. Although both of the stances were only high-level Spirit stances, they looked to have the power to challenge even a lower-leveled condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Tri-Sr had any top tier Cultivator except Shi Hun Tian!¡±


    ¡°Judging by what we saw of Ye Wei, I think it is safe to say South Star already lost this matchup. I mean, their ace would need to waste half his strength and energy on the first fight! How is he suppose to beat a God¡¯s Seven? Unless they too hid something like Tri-Sr did!¡±


    The crowd was heated,ing up with crazy predictions and theories about how Tri-Sr School had nned this all along so they might be able to finish first or second. They wondered how Ye Wei would answer the threat.


    ¡°A constricting stance with a heavy strike? I will give you credit for your creativity! It¡¯s almost like seeing myself fight. It¡¯s a shame your stances are weak, if only you have refined them...¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself while casually drawing the runes for Selenic Armor stance.


    It was the same defensive stance as before but infused with Star Shifter stance. Now a condensed prime Warrior, the light armor seemed to be thicker and smoother. However that didn¡¯t stop Ye Wei from being held still with the lightning bolts.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t untangle yourself, you¡¯re probably done for!¡± Lu Zheng¡¯s eyes went cold as he stared at Ye Wei. The Yaksha growled and struck his palm at Ye Wei¡¯s head, its palm picked up strands of lightning as it passed through the constriction stance and doubled its power.


    ¡°Shi Xiao Ran is undoubtedly a great teacher, not many youngsters master the stances they use well enough to synergize them!¡±


    ¡°Supreme Chen Feng once said, ¡®the best moves are never just strong stances on their own, they are oftenbinations of stances thatpliment each other well,¡¯ if we didn¡¯t see this well nnedboing, Ye Wei certainly didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°This moment might decide the match.¡±


    The audience up on the cloud tform were ecstatic to see the masterful disy.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Lu Zheng¡¯s face showed a light ofcency when the Yaksha¡¯s palmnded on Ye Wei. The whole tform shook as a small pit appeared at where Ye Wei stood.


    Some of the audience cheered but the South Star camp was quiet, afraid their ace had just lost.


    ¡°I guess we will have to wait another day until we get to see a God¡¯s Seven fight.¡±


    ¡°Splendid!¡±


    ¡°That was a greatbination! If I was Ye Wei, I wouldn¡¯t feel too bad losing.¡±


    The youngsters around tform three discussed excitedly.


    ¡®I got this!¡¯ Lu Zheng rejoiced, but the contentment did notst. His stomach felt tight as he senses told him something was wrong.


    As the debris and dust slowly fell on the ground, Ye Wei¡¯s figure was revealed. He was standing in the eye of the settled storm, his clothespletely clean and his light armor intact.


    ¡°This is impossible! How did that happen?¡± Lu Zheng widened his eyes, wondered how thebo that possessed powerparable to a Myst stance had no effect on Ye Wei.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    Everyone gasped as they saw Ye Wei¡¯s graceful posture, scared, realizing it had been a mismatch from the beginning of the fight. Lu Zheng waspletely outssed, and the stancebo taught Ye Wei about Lu Zheng more than it did damage.


    ¡°That was your win condition correct? It was nice, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s my move now.¡± Ye Wei red at Lu Zheng and disappeared in a sh.


    ¡®Searing Selenic Palm!¡¯


    Ye Wei reappeared in front of Lu Zheng, his palm strike carried a bit of a spinning momentum as he infused the flow of Star Shifter form into the stance.


    ¡°You really should dodge this.¡± Ye Wei said coldly.


    Before Lu Zheng could evene up with a way to defend himself, the burning palmnded right on his stomach, too quick for him to even react. The force sent his body flying like a spinning top towards Tri-Sr School¡¯s camp.


    Two of the Tri-Sr youngsters jumped up to protect Lu Zheng from crashing onto a wall, but when they caught him, they too were caught in the spin. The three of them flew back ten meters and fell heavily.


    Silence fell in the crowd, if something small as a needle was dropped on the floor, it would still be heard. Widened eyes were set on the three motionless youngsters on the floor, startled, some of the audience even forgot to breathe.


    ¡°How... How was that possible? The two who caught him were seven-star Warriors!¡±


    ¡°Outssed! Outssed by a monster!¡±


    ¡°This boy has unfathomable strength!¡±


    The crowd lit up after a moment of quietness, forced to swallow their doubting words and looked forward to see a God¡¯s Seven in action, fighting Ye Wei, who hardly spend any energy to defeat a peak ten-star Warrior.


    The audience on the cloud too were excited to see a possible title fight.

 Chapter 133 – For the Title

    Chapter 133 ¨C For the Title


    ¡°Could today be the day one of the seven will be reced?¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m so excited! I have been waiting for the moment when someone worthy challenges one of the seven!¡±


    Near the martial tform, the gathering cultivators were simmering with excitement, and apart from the participants, most of the youngsters did not take a side. Rather, they were excited about the uing fights and wanted to see an inspiring battle.


    Horrified by what they saw of Ye Wei, all the Tri-Sr student took a step back unconsciously. Even Shi Hun Tian¡¯s face disyed concern as he recognized Ye Wei as being a serious threat.


    On the young cultivators¡¯ side, Shi Xiao Ran¡¯s smile quickly evaporated. He was worried about what Ye Wei¡¯s victory over Lu Zheng, the peak ten-star Warrior, implied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve underestimated you!¡± Vice-principal Shi red at Ye Wei with an earnest look.


    On the other hand, Xu He smiled satisfied as he learned more about what Ye Wei was capable of. Watching Ye Wei, it was apparent that he had improved greatly since he fought Qi Xiu.


    Up on the cloud tform, Ning City¡¯s patriarchs and the City Lord were also impressed.


    Ye Wei stood in the middle of the amethyst tform as he stared out at the Tri-Sr camp and calmly said, ¡°It would be a waste of time if I have to fight you one by one, so why don¡¯t you all fight me at once? That way we can all prepare for tomorrow sooner,¡± He wished to learn a couple more things before fighting Gxy Academy and Zhoutian Sword School; hepletely disregarded his current opponents.


    The Tri-Sr camp did not take the insult lightly. They were trembling with anger, and they could only stare back at Ye Wei since none of them dared to make a move, not after seeing what Ye Wei did to Lu Zheng, as he was the second best cultivator on their team.


    ¡°It has been a while since someone acted so arrogantly in front of me!¡± Shi Hun Tian coldly red at Ye Wei. His eyes were twitching, and his voice trembled with anger. ¡°You are a great cultivator, but I will show you what real greatness looks like. There is still the difference of the heavens and the earth between you and the God¡¯s Seven!¡±


    A terrifying presence burst forth from Shi Hun Tian¡¯s body, and his dense Qi quickly wrapped around his body like a long silver ribbon looking like he was bathed in brilliant moonlight. He then clenched his fist and the Qi around his body condensed forming a glowingyer of light armor at hismand.


    ¡®No wonder why he was chosen as the cial Emperor¡¯s inheritor. It only took him three years to grow so much from being a mere Student!¡¯ Xue Yao calmly thought.


    ¡°Sis, you know South Star¡¯s Ye Wei right?¡± Asked a fourteen year old boy from Golden Wood Academy as he rubbed his bruised, swollen face. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t think he stands a chance against this God¡¯s Seven. Honestly, Shi Hun Tian decisively swept our team!¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth! just because you¡¯re deaf doesn¡¯t mean you have to air your stupid thoughts out loud. Do you want more bruises on your face?¡± Xue Yao aggressively asked. ¡°You guys couldn¡¯t even win against the Seven Star School!¡± She said as she pped him on the back of his head.


    ¡°Hey! I am your brother! Couldn¡¯t you at least show a bit more affection?¡± Xue Yao¡¯s brother grumbled then bitinglymenting back, ¡°We performed well, and even Luo Mu Xue couldn¡¯t do anything against their ace!¡±


    Xue Yao frowned recognizing that her brother made a good point. She hoped that Ye Wei would not be hurt when South Star advanced further in thepetition since the standard of this year¡¯s tournament was extremely high.


    The audience gathering around tform three lit up as Shi Hun Tian disyed his aggression; the space was quickly filled with cheering noises and the sound of heated discussions.


    ¡°Tri-Sr is sending Shi Hun Tian in next!¡±


    ¡°Yea, if anyone can take down Ye Wei, it will have to be a God¡¯s Seven!¡±


    ¡°What if he can¡¯t beat Ye Wei? He just became a part of the seven not too long ago. It wouldn¡¯t be good for him to lose the title...¡±


    Thements were loud enough to be audible on the tform, but Ye Wei did not react to anything he heard; his expression and posture conveyed his calmness. He smiled as if he was in his own world.


    Shi Hun Tian smiled and stomped the ground sending a growing fissure from the amethyst martial tform¡¯s side to where Ye Wei stood.


    When the crack reached Ye Wei¡¯s feet, Shi Hun Tianunched himself towards the tform. His body turned into a blur disappearing before the startled audience¡¯s eyes. Although they couldn¡¯t see where he went, they could loosely locate him from the shrill sound of him breaking through the air.


    The next second, Shi Hun Tian reappeared right in front of Ye Wei with his fist drawn behind his head. Without any hesitation, he threw it at Ye Wei. The bright armor left a trail as the fist broke through the air with the momentum of aet.


    ¡°Shi Hun Tian is a condensed prime Warrior!!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s face did not flinch as he gently lifted his hand. The fluidity of his movement made it appear much slower than it actually was as Ye Wei¡¯s hand stopped Shi Hun Tian¡¯s heavy fist. He made everything he did look like child¡¯s y.


    A dull rumble sounded as Ye Wei nullified the momentum of Shi Hun Tian¡¯s fist. He did not move an inch; it was as if he had just caught a feather with his hand.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Shi Hun Tian felt his fist held still by a steel mp. This caused his face to change as he learned more about his opponent¡¯s strength. ¡°So what? I will get you with my next punch!¡± He grunted while staring at Ye Wei with an arrogant gaze. He clenched his other fist and threw it at Ye Wei¡¯s head at a tricky angle.


    ¡°Nice strike!¡± Ye Wei narrowed his eyes. He clenched his other hand into a fist and threw it right back at Shi Hun Tian¡¯s strike without letting go of his left hand.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Their fists collided with the pressure of mountains. They shed against each other which formed two conical shaped pressure waves that swept the tform.


    The dense, sharp pressure waves plowed into the amethyst martial tform leaving deep, uneven scars in the newly repaired tform.


    The pair then disappeared in a sh giving out bursts of shockwaves as they exchanged round after round of blows.


    ¡°Too fast!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything!¡±


    The young audience eximed, but at the same time felt a tinge of jealousy and frustration. Seeing someone close to their age disying such frightening talent caused them to realize they would probably never reach the level of mastery they were seeing.


    The sky was clear, but the fight made the audience feel like they were in the middle of a storm because of the shocking winds and gustsing from the two fighters on the tform.


    After a few moments, a blurred figure split into two, and Shi Hun Tian was sent flying backwards like a kite with its string cut. He heavilynded ten meters from the point of impact, just inches from the edge of the tform leaving another small pit on the amethyst.


    ¡°How... How is this possible? Was Shi Hun Tian defeated before he could even use a stance!?¡±


    As things slowed down, the audience excitedly looked upon the scene as they could finally see again. Ye Wei gently floated down andnded on the martial tform looking rxed.


    Contrary to what most of them expected to see this morning, his opponent, a God¡¯s Seven was disappointingly defeated...


    A lot of the onlookers expected to see an even fight between Ye Wei and Shi Hun Tian, but now they saw how unexpectedly one-sided it had be. They started to wonder if Ye Wei would be one of the top God¡¯s Seven if he kept performing this way.


    The young cultivators couldn¡¯t help but exchange looks of shock.


    However, the faces on the cloud tform did not show the same degree of amusement. They knew how strong Shi Hun Tian was, and therefore understood he was holding back. They could also see Ye Wei had reserved most of his strength, which did note as a surprise to them. It was rathermon for cultivators to test each other¡¯s ceilings and look for each other¡¯s weaknesses when the fighting began.


    Although it was within Shi Hun Tian¡¯s calction that Ye Wei would be a tough opponent, he never expected he would need to use more than seventy percent of his strength in the probing part of the battle just to stay on his feet.


    ¡°You are really annoying me! And I really cannot tolerate brats!¡± Shi Hun Tian wobbled as he stood back up. He red at Ye Wei showing his contempt for the uppity brat. ¡°I will knock your teeth out!¡±


    Shi Hun Tian made a few hand seals in front of his chest, and his Qi came rushing out like a surging flood; it slid out and spread across the tform.


    ¡°Shi Hun Tian didn¡¯t just break through during his training; he also consolidated his strength! He is fighting like he had been on the level for years!¡± Liu Jian, Chen Mo, and Joe Yin could tell Ye Wei¡¯s opponent¡¯s cultivation from the shocking Qi he was emitting. They were worried as they knew the cultivation differences between a Warrior and a condensed prime Warrior. They also knew that Ye Wei could not ovee this difference.


    ¡°So this is what it takes to be one of the God¡¯s Seven...¡± Liu Jian bitterly shook his head. He was upset with himself because he knew that Shi Hun Tian was two years younger than himself, and he was ashamed that a younger cultivator was so much further ahead of him


    ¡°Ye Wei is just a peak ten-star Warrior, right? I don¡¯t think there will be a fight after all...¡± The South Star youngster felt a bit deted as they thought their winning streak was about toe to an end. He was greatly worried for Ye Wei, and not sure if Ye Wei would be able to defend himself as they still could not feel any energy from Ye Wei¡¯s body.


    ¡°Just when I thought the God¡¯s Seven was an overrated title, he redeemed it! A seventeen year old condensed prime Warrior!? I cannot believe this!¡±


    ¡°Shi Hun Tian is angry!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen him this serious before!¡±


    ¡°This is Ye Wei! We might all have to thank him for what we are about to see...¡±

 Chapter 134 – Lion’s Fall

    Chapter 134 ¨C Lion¡¯s Fall


    ¡°A one-Star condensed prime Warrior!? I wonder how Ye Wei will deal with him...¡± Xu He¡¯s wary face constricted. He was still unsure about what Ye Wei¡¯s entire strength looked like, and he grew concerned from his uncertainty.


    ¡°Shi Hun Tian broke through to be a condensed prime Warrior!?¡± The sudden burst of energy at tform three distracted the young cultivators on the other martial tforms. When they recognized the Qi belonging to those who caused such disturbance, they became enviously upset.


    None present, including thepeting teams close by, could ignore the power they felt.


    Shi Hun Tian grunted. Although he did not gain advantage in the past trade, he remained confident with his cultivation. He nned to climb higher up thedder of God¡¯s Seventer in the tournament. He decidedly would not let himself lose to a dark horse like Ye Wei.


    Looking at Ye Wei¡¯s rxed smile, Shi Hun Tian was furious; it was the first time someone took him so flippantly.


    ¡°I will destroy you in the name of God¡¯s Seven title!¡± both of Shi Hun Tin¡¯s hands flew in the air. All of a sudden, hundreds of glittering runes appeared where his hands were.


    ¡°That is brother Shi¡¯s forbidden stance, Tempest Sword, now, watch and learn guys...¡± the Tri-Sr youngsters gloatingly gazed at Ye Wei.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he is using a Myst stance right away! It looks like he really dislikes Ye Wei; oh well, that brat deserves it!¡±


    They had seen this stance before, but, now, it was apletely different experience. Shi Hun Tian used every fiber of his being executing this stance. Apparently, he was taking no chances of defeat.


    ¡°Nice Shi Hun Tian, you finally used a stance! Does that mean I am worthy?¡± Ye Wei looked at the Qi storm in front of his opponent. He sensed an unignorable surge of sharp dense energy brewing. Quickly, he channeled his own energy. The silver ball in Ye Wei¡¯s dantian added a yellow glow to his Qi as it rushed out of his dantian into his meridians.


    ¡®Searing Selenic Palm!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s slightly golden Qi stuck onto the will-force of his fingers and became runes as his hands danced in the air.


    Like every other stances in the Selenic Seven, they were created by the cial Emperor based on specialized runes, which made them more powerful than the stancesposed of normal runes of their respective levels.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Ye Weiunched globes of magnificent green runic mes from his palm strike. Flying and shing towards the Qi storm, they collided with it erupting a rumbling sound that echoed throughout the whole mountain. All eighteen martial tforms on its t peak were shaken by the terrifying burst of imploding force as the stances collided, affecting all other fights urring.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    A beam of flowing light shone down from the cloud tform, creating a tough and thick barrier over tform three, Separating South Star and Tri-Sr¡¯s fight from the rest of the tournament.


    ¡°Amazing power!¡± the fighters on the other tforms simultaneously stopped fighting. They unconsciously looked towards tform three where they sensed the enormous Qi disturbance.


    Enough reasons allowed people to believe either side would win the fight. Though, the scale of the fight alone was a sufficient reason for anyone at the tournament to put down what they were doing and pay attention to Ye Wei and Shi Hun tian instead.


    Back on the cloud tform, the important figures were astonished. Amazed at the power they felt from these young contestants, they still found it hard to realize such strength coulde from such small age.


    At the beginning of the match, Shi Xiao Ran was confident about Shi Hun Tian¡¯s victory, but when he felt on his cheek the scorching Qi presence Ye Wei¡¯s stance was giving off, he nervously clenched his fist, quite uncertain now. Although he was at a high ce, being the vice-principal of a well established school, a medium-grade mystic arm was still something of a rarity and in the end the school¡¯s reputation was also on the line.


    ¡°In the name of God¡¯s Seven? What does that even mean? Why don¡¯t you show me what you can do instead of just constant talking!¡± Ye Wei looked at the raging energy, with a cool gaze. He channeled his dense Qi and vast will-force, topping up his Selenic stance.


    The cyan mes immediately burned hotter and brighter; they began to outshine Shi Hun Tian¡¯s Qi storm.


    ¡°How can a Spirit stance suppress a Myst stance?! This is impossible!¡± Shi Hun Tian was furious. He was expecting to beat a higher ranked God¡¯s Seven with this stance; the stance he was told by his master that he was not strong enough to learn before he broke through to a condensed prime Warrior.


    Feeling the Qi storm¡¯s power fading and softening, Shi Hun Tian screamed at the sky. Lines of runes that were imprinted on his arm shone silver as he began to activate a stance he was told not to use unless in critical moments.


    ¡®¡®Lion¡¯s Savagery!¡¯¡¯ yelled Shi Hun Tian as his body twitched and strengthened to the level of a two-star condensed prime Warrior.


    Just like the Supernova stance, this amplification stance allowed its user to ess their Qi, primal energy in a condensed form within a time period. Nevertheless,paring to the cial Emperor¡¯s stance, Lion¡¯s Savagery was not even half as powerful.


    Ye Wei rose his brows at the sight of what his opponent was doing, He then drew a rune on his palm, injecting his Qi onto the runes engraved on his bone and activated the Supernova stance.


    ¡®Supernova first evolution!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s body strength greatly expanded, reaching close to a three-star condensed prime Warrior level.


    Due to his foundation, Ye Wei benefited massively from his major breakthrough and was stronger than other cultivators of the same level; the supernova stance took that advantage a step further in power.


    ¡®Lion¡¯s Roar!¡¯ Shun Hun Tian grunted as a wall of his Qi rushed towards Ye Wei like a tsunami. He gain a presence of the king of the beasts, his muscles bulged up and left a deep footprint on the ground each step closer to Ye Wei he took.


    The amethyst tform trembled..


    ¡°Terrifying!¡±


    ¡°No wonder why he is a God¡¯s Seven!¡±


    The gathering crowd was still too scared to stay where they were as they felt the immense flood of energy surged forth even despite the shield the City Lord had already set up. They took a step back from the frontline, afraid they would get hurt.


    Meanwhile, Gxy Academy and Seven Star School finished their fights as quickly as they could. They were more interested in watching the title fight than continue their own fight. They rushed to tform three at almost the same time.


    ¡°That¡¯s Lion¡¯s Savagery! Ye Wei pushed Shi Hun Tian this far?!¡±


    ¡°The kid from South Star is very special; I think he will be challenging us sooner orter!¡±


    Gxy Academy¡¯s Feng Yi, Xiao Yuan, and Xuan Yu joined the crowd, the youngsters standing close to them respectfully took a few steps back giving the three local celebrities space, so they could get a better view on the fight they seemed to have a sincere interest in.


    On the other side of the tform, a few young cultivators from Seven Star School gathered. The dark skinned boy, Tu Fu Sheng and his seductive looking female friend were also paying attention to Ye Wei¡¯s every move.


    ¡°The kid from South Star improved since west saw him fight!¡± the girl bit her lip and rolled her eyes in admiration.


    ¡°Haha, so what?¡± Tu Fu Sheng chuckled, ¡°he is no match for me!¡± a strange, aggressive green glow lit up deep in his eyes.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget why we were sent here... he hasn¡¯t contacted us for weeks now. It¡¯s very possible that he has been captured or even killed by a human cultivator. I think it¡¯s up to us to finish the task, stay attentive!¡±


    ¡°Stop being annoying! I am not stupid.¡± Tu Fu Sheng grunted.


    The girl chuckled and disappeared into the crowd.


    Back on the tform, Shi Hun Tian was approaching Ye Wei with heavy, ground shaking steps.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to use the Lion¡¯s Savagery... this was the stance that won me the fight to be God¡¯s Seven. I will make you suffer!¡± Shi Hun Tian¡¯s face contorted from the suffering as his bones and muscles experienced by being twisted and stretched by the amplifying stance.


    ¡°You know an amplification stance too? It¡¯s a shame it¡¯s notparable to mine.¡± Ye Wei shook his head and chuckled as he mumbled.


    Ye Wei drew a sequence of specialized runes as he looked at the muscr figure walking towards him, ¡®Selenic Ironbark Seal!¡¯


    The runes flowed fluidly as he kept channeling his Qi into them; a gigantic wooden palm appeared fifty meters high in the air. The runes¡¯ twist and turns became woodenyers resembling a grainy bark pattern.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll show you why stance quality matters, but don¡¯t worry you can thank meter.¡±Ye Wei slowly extended his arms, making the stance fall on Shi Hun Tian¡¯s head.


    The wooden palmnded on Shi Hun Tian, smashing and pushing him towards the tform¡¯s edge even against the force of Lion¡¯s Savagery.


    The two waves of energy shed into each other simr to two tall tsunami waves. The terrifying force of the impact caused a quake at the tform. It sank a few meters into the mountain surface as the foundation became loose.


    Under the pressure of Selenic Ironbark Seal, Shi Hun Tian could not control his movements although he stood upright. His body became a pick, his feet, the sharp hook, dug two deep ravines into the damaged tform as his body was pushed deeper and deeper into the damaged amethyst.


    ¡°How could this be!? I can not even fight back!?¡± Shi Hun Tian¡¯s eyes widened, incredulous at the action taken ce, ¡®what kind of monster am I facing?¡¯


    Shi Hun Tian furiously channeled the remaining Qi in his meridians to fight Ye Wei¡¯s Selenic stance, but his energy was of no use as he could not gain momentum under the immense physical pressure the Selenic Ironbark Seal imposed. Within seconds he was out of energy and unable to even slightly weaken the iing strike.


    ¡°You are too small a cat to call yourself a lion,¡± Ye Wei shook his head and clenched his fist; the wooden palm immediately fell, burying Shi Hun Tian in the martial tform entirely.


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±


    The immense energy of Ye Wei¡¯s stance did not stop; it just kept pressing into the tform.


    The gathering audience behind the City Lord¡¯s shield were stunned and knocked off bnce by the escaping energy. They could only imagine what kind of force Shi Hun Tian was enduring; however, none of the three strongest Gxy youngsters were afraid. Rather, they looked at each other and smiled excitedly.


    ¡°That was Shi Hun Tian with the amplifying stance...¡±


    ¡°So, Feng Yi, what do you think of this kid now?¡± Xuan Yu frowned and looked to his side. He anticipated his trustfulrade¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°There was nothing I saw that you didn¡¯t. I think I will be the one fighting him the day we face South Star.¡± Feng Yi slowly exhaled. It was the first time he felt this threatened by someone of such a young age.


    Xiao Yuan and Xuan Yu nodded and exchanged a look. They were surprised that someone was able to intrigue their strongest cultivator. They never had seen him take a fight this seriously.


    Back on the martial tform, Ye Wei slowly canceled the Selenic Ironbark Seal, retrieving the vast energy back into his body. He left the wounded Shi Hun Tian whose robe was torn into pieces inside the tform, panting for air. He had no strength to move as the amplifying stance¡¯s effect faded.


    All the audience widened their eyes as they witnessed the unbelievable.


    ¡°Shi Hun Tian lost? He barely fought back! Has he gotten weaker or is Ye Wei just incredibly strong?¡±


    ¡°Oh god! How powerful is Ye Wei?!¡±


    Another thought struck the crowd as the dust started to settle down.


    ¡°God¡¯s Seven, the person left standing is now the new God¡¯s Seven!¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei has reced Shi Hun Tian to be a seven!¡±


    The South Star youngsters couldn¡¯t help themselves; they screamed and danced.


    ¡°We have a God¡¯s Seven in Green Moon City! And he is from our school!¡± Cao Ning shouted, Joe Yin, Liu Jian, Chen Mo and the rest were cheering from their hearts, shivering in ecstasy.


    Until now Liu Jian was never truly happy with Ye Wei taking his ce as the academy¡¯s best cultivator. Nheless, as Ye Wei brought the title to South Star, hepletely gave up the idea ofpeting with Ye Wei.


    ¡°How was that possible!?¡± Shi Xiao Ran shocked and startled, looked at his motionless student. He could not believe Shi Hun Tian was defeated by someone a whole year younger.


    ¡°Vice-principal Shi, I believe we had an agreement?¡± Xu He narrowed his eyes and chuckled. Winning the mystic arm did not mean half as much to Xu He as his team sweeping off Tri-Sr school, one of the crowds favourite, with only Ye Wei.


    ¡°Of...of course!¡± Shi Xiao Ran¡¯s face waspletely red, undisguisably embarrassed.


    No one in the crowd expected the match to be over this quickly. Nor did they expect it would be such a one sided fight. Notwithstanding, Yu Wei¡¯s strength spoke for itself. They were now looking forward to see if the new God¡¯s Seven could carry on his momentum and topple the other six which would gain him a higher rank during the course of the tournament.

 Chapter 135 – Monument Stance

    Chapter 135 ¨C Monument Stance


    Not only the youngsters, but the audience on the cloud tform was also surprised.


    ¡°It looks like this Ye Wei kid had a major breakthrough not long ago; I am pretty sure he was not a condensed prime Warrior on the first day when he fought Qi Xiu.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been a condensed prime Warrior for longer than Shi Hun Tian has, so I am a bit surprised to see this result!¡±


    ¡°This kid is very extraordinary, he might even have the ability to challenge Feng Yi!¡±


    The patriarchs and other powerful cultivators began to specte and share their opinions and thoughts on this dazzling, rising star.


    In the middle of the cloud tform, the City Lord and the Green Army generals smiled satisfyingly, They were overjoyed that a talented youngster was on the rise because mankind depended on new blood to fight the wild beasts and demons, to keep thends at peace.


    After this battle, Ye Wei¡¯s name was imprinted on everyone¡¯s mind as the newest God¡¯s Seven, and as a heaven defying cultivator. The spectators wouldter find themselves relishing the memories of how Ye Wei fought and defeated Qi Xiu and Shi Hun Tian, two youngsters who were expected to go far before they were beaten by Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei was dered the winner after the City Lord removed the shield, and the judge went onto the tform to check on Shi Hun Tian. Shortly after Shi Hun Tian jumped off to join his ssmates and return to the pce.


    As the group was leaving the martial tforms, a group of young cultivators from Seven Star School decided to walk towards the South Star camp, and the dark skinned boy looked at Ye Wei with an aggressive re.


    Ye Wei felt a jolt go through his body as their eyes connected.


    ¡°What is his name?¡± Ye Wei turned to the side asking Chen Mo.


    ¡°Tu Fu Sheng, from Seven Star School. He is quite mysterious. He has only fought twice in these two weeks. The first time he defeated Qi Xiu, and the second time he defeated Golden Wood Academy¡¯s Luo Wu Xue. While it is true that Qi Xiu was weakened after fighting you, but Tu Fu Sheng beat him with ease!¡± Chen Mo said sincerely.


    ¡°Humm,¡± Ye Wei nodded and rubbed his chin caught in deep thought. The presence he sensed on Tu Fu Sheng was simr to what he felt when the demon he fought was transforming.


    Back in the pce, after a few hours of cultivating in the courtyard, Ye Wei took a scrolled letter out of his bag. The scroll had a ck hue and it was made from the same material as mystic scrolls. Inspecting the scroll closely, he could see glows of runic light from the other side of the scroll shining through. This was the letter of rmendation given to him by Master Yi when they spoke about applying to the Runemaster Union.


    ¡°In the next three days our team will not be facing any worthy opponents... Liu Jian, Chen Mo, and the rest should be able to deal with the uing matches. We won fifteen fights in a row; it shouldn¡¯t affect our ranking much if we drop one or two.


    Their winning streak put South Star into top five; they were far ahead of most teams apart from fighting Zhoutian Sword School, Gxy Academy, and Seven Star School, Ye Wei really saw no point in participating.


    Ye Wei looked over the letter of rmendation again and realized that right now was the best time to fulfil his promise to his master; the best time to take the Runemaster qualification examination as the tournament¡¯s schedule would not allow him to take time offter on when South Star is matched up with stronger opponents. It was not only his master¡¯s decision, bing a part of the Runemaster Union meant a lot to Ye Wei as well.


    After confirming his n with the vice-principal, Ye Wei packed the essentials and headed down the mountain to one of the busiest parts of Ning City¡¯s center Vermilion Bird Street where the Runemaster Union¡¯s regional branch was located.


    He could see an enormous bluestone statue from afar before he even stepped foot on the street. The statue was over three hundred meters tall and had the shape of a charismatic middle-aged schr holding a book with one hand with his other arm folded behind his back. One could tell by the expression on the statue¡¯s face that the subject was absorbed into whatever he was reading.


    The statue captured the living essence of none but the Combat Master, one of the three fabled Sages. He was the one who set up seventy-two holy conservatories and invented mystic scrolls.


    This Combat Master statue was hollow, housing Ning City¡¯s Runemaster Union branch inside it.


    ¡°So this is what the Combat Master looked like?¡±


    Ye Wei stood before the towering statue as he admired the grand structure and reverently bowed three times. He was not the only person who did so, even the passerbys would bow to it as they all knew mankind would not have lived through the savage wild beasts¡¯ ambushes and the sinister demons¡¯ hunts without the contribution of the Sages.


    All of a sudden, Ye Wei felt a prating gaze as the statue lit up. He felt as the mysterious glow shone throughout his body. He was startled and thought. ¡®How can a statue possess such a powerful presence?¡¯


    ¡®The Monument stance... older generations of human are indeed capable of greatness...¡¯ A demonic voice of admiration rang in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient.


    ¡°Monument stance?¡± Ye Wei mumbled confusingly.


    ¡®It harvests the power of belief! I created the stance when I became renown. It is a stance that splits the users¡¯ consciousness into all statues and monuments that are connected to them. With every bow, every gesture of appreciation, the belief, the positivity, will be converted into energy which the user receives!¡¯ A bright voice echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient.


    A figure then appeared in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient, one that resembled the shape of the statue he stood in front of.


    Ye Wei was shocked as he saw the image of the Combat Master. This was something he never imagined would appear in his Sentient.


    ¡®Hey ck scales, It¡¯s been a while,¡¯ The Combat Master¡¯s voice echoed as if it came from a great distance despite this it was clear to the letter.


    ¡®This is a prime example of mankind¡¯s despicable behaviour! Using the people¡¯s power for your own benefit; if it wasn¡¯t for this stance, none of the three Sages would have been able to match the peerless strength of us demons! Ha it took more than a few centuries to umte enough power for your presence to spot me. How pathetic!¡¯


    ¡®Mankind is united, and a lot of this generation¡¯s ancestors sacrificed their lives to pass on this stance to secure the safety of the future generations, to safeguard civilisation¡¯s foundations. You demons only know how to destroy! Sometimes you even consume others of your kind just to be a tiny bit stronger; it¡¯s good that the power of the heavens can recognize who the despicable one are at least!¡¯


    ¡®Say whatever you want you silly Sage. The day I return to my true form, I will turn all your statues into dust!¡¯ The Progenitor did not disguise his disdain, clearly he was jealous of how the heavens¡¯ power protected mankind but not his race.


    The Combat Master giggled, happy to have touched his old foe¡¯s nerve. He then switched his attention to Ye Wei.


    ¡®Your Grace!¡¯ The mysterious stance left Ye Wei in awe as he respectfully bowed. He never expected to find the Combat Master¡¯s consciousness in a statue, and certainly did not expect it to enter his Sentient. ¡®There are statues of the Sages all across thend does that mean that the Sages¡¯ consciousness are spread throughout the world!?¡¯


    The Combat Master nodded and smiled at Ye Wei, ¡®I was attracted here by ck scales¡¯ presence, and the next thing I knew I could feel the old mountain¡¯s presence too once I got inside your Sentient! I think destiny has brought us together. I see that you are contaminated by demon blood.¡¯


    ¡®Judging by how that dog¡¯s presence is trying to take over, I am sure you have in one of the ck Mist n. Be sure to keep the scale for your own safety, you have to be careful, ck scales bites! You know what? I will ce protective runes on you so that the demons can¡¯t detect anything in your Sentient,¡¯ The Combat Master said as he rose his right hand sending a faint light deep into Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    ¡®Damn it, Xiang Xian! Why do you have to stick your big nose into everything? You just made this personal!¡¯ The Progenitor screamed and shouted, furious that his n of leaving a traceable mark in Ye Wei¡¯s presence had failed.


    ¡®Haha, you have shed many more scales in your time; it¡¯s okay if one or two of them be useless! Just look at it as a small souvenir you gifted this kid,¡¯ Xiang Xian, the Combat Master¡¯sugh eventually faded, ¡®You, kid, what¡¯s your name?¡¯


    ¡®My name is Ye Wei!¡¯ After a little pause, realizing he was close to falling victim to the Progenitor¡¯s plot without even noticing, Ye Wei answered politely grateful for the Combat Master¡¯s intervention. ¡®Thank you for saving my life your Grace!¡¯


    Xiang Xian casuallyughed, ¡®Being a sage, it¡¯s my responsibility to protect mankind, not to mention you have the mountain¡¯s presence in your Sentient. I am sure it will lead you to me in the future. Keep up you effort, and defend what you know is worth defending! The scale in your possession contains the power of the ck Scale Progenitor. When the timees you will find out how to use it to your advantage... Goodbye for now!¡¯ His voice sounded while dissipating.


    Ye Wei suddenly sobered up as he shook his head to make sure he was awake. He widened his eyes and looked at the statue with a respectful gaze.


    ¡®Kid, don¡¯t get cheeky now just because Xiang Xian ced a few measly protective runes on you; you are far from safe! I will prove to you and him that demons are superior to humans!¡¯ The Progenitor screamed testily.


    ¡®Humph! You evil dog if it was not for the Combat Master, I could have fallen to your schemes! If you keep being annoying and having funny ideas, I swear I will ce the scale into a piece of dog shit!¡¯ Ye Wei was bing more fearless as he thought about all the Sages¡¯ statues everywhere. He realized he was more protected than he had previously thought.


    ¡®How dare you!...¡¯ The Progenitor softened up, afraid that Ye Wei, being a wild child he was, would actually ce the scale in such filthy ces; if that actually happened he would never be respected by other demons again.


    Seeing the Progenitor turn quiet, Ye Wei smiled satisfyingly as he found out that pride was the one of the demon¡¯s weak spots.

 Chapter 136 – The Jade Quest Walls

    Chapter 136 ¨C The Jade Quest Walls


    Ye Wei slowly rose his head and stepped through the doors at the statue¡¯s feet. At the exact moment his toes touched the jade tile, he was stopped by an impressionable youngdy.


    ¡°Sir, you¡¯re in the Runemaster Union. If you are not a Runemaster or have not been referred here by a Runemaster then I am afraid you must leave the premises,¡± Li Xue had attended the Ning City branch for three years, and with just a casual nce she could tell that Ye Wei was not an official.


    She politely and professionally dismissed Ye Wei from this sacred ground. She knew from experience that many student cultivators who participated in the tournament paid their branch a visit during their free time. That being the assumption, she did not realize Ye Wei was a student of a Runemaster. Furthermore, Li Xue ruled out the possibilities of Ye Wei carrying a letter of rmendation with him, considering his young age.


    ¡°I am here to participate in the Runemaster qualification exam!¡± Ye Wei replied with a friendly smile and a look of acknowledgment, knowing his right to be there.


    ¡°A participate in the exam?!¡± Li Xue looked closer at Ye Wei; she was astonished to hear the words that came out of this boy who looked no more than sixteen years old. ¡®I have worked here for three years as an attendant, and I have seen more talents who were sent here by their masters than you can ever imagine; you are just too young even to make the joke funny!!¡¯


    ¡°This is not a ce for silly jokes brat!¡± Li Xue, losing her temper, refused even to consider the possibilities of Ye Wei¡¯s words being real. Her voice deepened as she became angered by what she thought was a prank.


    ¡°No really! I am here to participate in the exam. Here is my letter of rmendation.¡± Ye Wei reached inside his bag for the letter. He then respectfully handed it over to Li Xue.


    ¡°This is a letter from... Master Yi!?¡± Li Xue opened the scroll; her eyes followed the flowing runes and widened as they recognized a scrappy signature that was well known.


    Master Yi was one of the few powerful Runemasters looking to be a grand-Runemaster. His name and reputation had crossed the wall of Green Moon City long ago.


    ¡°I understand now; I apologize for my attitude, please follow me this way,¡± Li Xue carefully handed the letter back over to Ye Wei. It was unimaginable for her that this child in front of her was rmended by such a famous figure in the region.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! Don¡¯t worry!¡± Ye Wei nodded and followed Li Xue deeper into the statue.


    Once Ye Wei exited the entrance room, a spacious hall appeared before his eyes. There was a handful of white-haired but baby-faced elderly standing in the middle of the hall chattering.


    Towards the front of the hall, there were seventy-tworge jade walls. Each of them was around two meters tall and six meters wide. Their surfaces were engraved with thousands of tiny shining letters.


    All of the elderly were well-established Runemasters who focused their attention at the jade walls, pondering.


    ¡°May I ask what these are?¡± Ye Wei pointed at the walls, curious and confused.


    ¡°These are the jade walls of answers!¡± Li Xue whispered near Ye Wei¡¯s ears, afraid that she would disturb the elders¡¯ thought processes.


    ¡°The Runemaster Union spans across the continent, even across borders, and is spread throughout the maind; but at the same time, we want our members to be unified and connected. All the union members can ess this wall in their local branch. They can pay a small fee to have a question they need to be answered listed on one of them.¡±


    Ye Wei saw the simrities of runic flow between the statues¡¯ energy and these walls,¡¯ fascinated, he thought that Xiang Xian must have helped setting up the union when they build themunication system.


    Informative information spilled out of Li Xiu, ¡°when a member answers any of these questions; they will gain contribution tokens. This currency is technically a hundred times more valuable than silver or gold! Members can use these tokens to buy powerful stances, specialized rune manifestos or even demon blood, beast bones, enchanted scrolls and other ingredients needed to craft mystic scrolls and arms.¡±


    ¡°Answering these questions on the walls is one of the main ways for members to gain these tokens. The questions further away from the ground are harder than the ones near the ground. Solving the harder questions reaps more reward for the elderly. Nheless, each reward equals the difficultness of the answer..¡± Li Xue tried topensate her previous rudeness to Master Yi¡¯s apprentice by acting as professional as she could.


    ¡°Okay, I see now, thanks for the information.¡± Ye Wei answered gratefully. He appreciated Li Xue¡¯s friendliness and professionalism. He then glimpsed at the questions lower down on the wall, seeing if he could answer a few of them.


    ¡°These issues are too hard for you. As well, they are not what you are here for, so let¡¯s just leave them with the experienced and wise. The exam you will attend is going to ur in one of the side halls. We have a daily quota of only twenty-two candidates; however, you are lucky that you arrived this early. If you hade an hourter, then you would have to visit again earlier tomorrow. ,¡± the pair quickly walked through the hallways towards the exam venue.


    ¡°Here we are, is there anything else I can help you with before I take my leave?¡±


    Ye Wei shook his head, ¡°No, I am fine. Thank you though for your help.¡±


    ¡°If you need any more information you know where to find me.¡± Li Xue smiled, bowed and then returned to her post.


    Inside the sidehall, a small crowd had gathered and chatted away. They turned and looked briefly at Ye Wei as he walked in. In their minds, they thought he was just a waterboy and of no consequence. His age made him appear lesser than he truly was. They did not heed Ye Wei and returned to chatting about the exam.


    Ye Wei sat on one of the chairs near the hall¡¯s entrance. Waiting patiently, he sat cultivating until a keyword caught his attention.


    ¡°Brother Lu, you have the exam in your pocket, right?¡±


    A youngster was surrounded by three cultivators in their thirties, showered by words of ttery.


    ¡°Yeah, Lu Feng, you are only twenty-two, but if you pass the exam, you will be the record-holder for the youngest cultivator ever qualified to be a Runemaster in the outer region! None of the cultivators in the thirty-six cities has qualified younger than the age of twenty-five!¡±


    Lu Feng was handsome in a conventional way. He wore a discreet, yet wicked smile. His faded gold robe that he was wearing made him look even taller and slimmer than he actually was. In his hand, he held a folding fan gripped with his long and slender fingers. His hair was styled in a high and tidy bun. Regarding appearance, he was the kind of person that attracted and pulled in the opposite gender¡¯s attention; nevertheless, his cockiness and wittiness, at the same, turned them off.


    ¡°Lu Feng...¡± Ye Wei frowned. He recognized the name from the conversations which urred three years ago between his family and the Du family. He examined Lu Feng, giving the evil figure who schemed against his family a face. The man who put his family in danger, ¡® this person is the viin behind the Du¡¯s n to take over our ancestralnd!¡¯ Ye Wei was furious. He remembered why he should be grateful for his Master for the rest of his life. If the Runemaster had not intervened, his family would have existed today.


    After the incidence at Ye family¡¯s arena, Ye Wei did research on Lu Feng during his free time. He learned that Lu Feng was the legacy apprentice of one of the three active Runemasters in Green Moon City. Who was also rumored to be the result of an affair between Master Mu and a woman with a powerful background. Concerning cultivation, Lu Feng was very gifted. He was already a four-star condensed prime Warrior at the age of only twenty-two, and he was ahead of a lot of older cultivators that were his senior.


    ¡°Lu Feng, don¡¯t forget about us when you pass the exam! We will even work for you!¡±


    ¡°Only if you are willing to be led by me. Then, of course, yeah! There is always strength in numbers, and I¡¯m sure we can work something together!¡± Lu Feng smuglyughed. He enjoyed having his ego stroked; the attention he received raised his eyebrows up showcasing his pride.


    Now, contrary to grovelers, none of these three tterers were weak. They were all talented individuals from influential martial families. Additionally, their masters were no weaker than Master Mu. They were only trying to make a connection to his mother¡¯s family.


    Howe? Lu Feng¡¯s mother was a family member of the Qing State. The Lu¡¯s not only one of the four biggest families in the state were also rted to one of the dynasty¡¯s three royal families. There were a handful of returned prime Warriors in the Lu family.


    The Lu family did not approve of Lu Feng¡¯s identity not just because he was a product of an illicit affair but that his mother was a part of the family. However, the family officials decided if Lu Feng could prove himself worthy by passing the Runemaster exam, they would include him in their n.


    Once the Lu family recognized Lu Feng, his status would change dramatically. Knowing that information and his talents, the three cultivators, were trying every trick in the book just to get themselves on this future star¡¯s side.


    Near Lu Feng, a few middle-aged cultivators were standing close together avidly discussing something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think my rune consonance is good enough for refining and creating stances; I never thought it would be this hard to pass the exam. This is my sixth time here!¡± one of the participants, an older man who looked sixty years of ageined to his friends.


    Besides Ye Wei and Lu Feng, there were around twenty people in the sidehall. Most of them were more than forty years of age and had taken the exam in the past.


    ¡°It is what it is. I think that the tests are rather simple, especially, when ites to refinement and soul sensitivity, creating stances are hard but only in a rtive sense. I was fiddling with a few runes a couple days ago and made a mid-level Spirit stance in twelve hours,¡± Lu Feng leisurely stated. He had been training with Master Mu to be a Runemaster ever since he was young. This time he confidently came to Ning City to pass the exam only in one try.


    All of the faces in the side hall shown bewilderment at what they just heard. Lu Feng managed to create a mid-level spirit stance!? Impossible! A stance creation was the third andst task of the entrance exam which most of the returning participants could not aplish. They found it incredulous to believe that a man half their age was capable of such a feat and they were not.


    Most stances are made of runes; the process of creating stances is mentally and physically demanding. Therefore, it is usually imperfect. Creating a stance required a space for improvement, just like the stances Ye Wei helped his cousin and Cao Ning perfect.


    To refine a stance, one must first learn how the stance works. Ye Wei had understood five out of seven of the cial Emperor¡¯s Selenic stances. Because the stances were a creation of a genius, he was having problems finding defects in the Emperor¡¯s creations.


    Moreover, when it came to creating stances, it was even harder than refinement. To create an original stance, one needs to have great understanding in individual runes and the mental capacity to incorporate runes together as a whole. One needs to know how to make them hold the users¡¯ Qi as well as amplify the energy as it flows through the rune sequence.


    ¡®I must do better than Lu Feng!¡¯ Ye Wei was finally feeling a pressure he had never felt before. He clenched his fist as he stared at the cocky acting man. The same man who plotted against his family three years ago.

 Chapter 137 – Round One

    Chapter 137 ¨C Round One


    Everyone waited patiently in the side hall.


    ¡°Little man, are you working for the union?¡± One of the middle-aged participants narrowed his eyes at Ye Wei. Ye Wei¡¯s posture was seemingly ufortable and rather out of ce.


    ¡°No.¡± Ye Wei shook his head.


    ¡°Well... are you... Is it possible, you¡¯re here for the qualification exam?¡± The middle-aged cautiously questioned Ye Wei while widening his eyes in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ye Wei gently nodded while sitting in the corner. He was trying his best to keep a low profile. It was not in his interest to introduce himself, directly or indirectly, near Lu Feng.


    The middle-aged man gave Ye Wei a strange judgemental look. ¡®Isn¡¯t one young brat enough? That arrogant Lu Feng is only twenty-two, and this kid is what? Like ten years younger than that? Someone needs to do something about martial family¡¯s kids getting in here all because of their damn connections!¡¯


    Slowly realizing how strange it was for Ye Wei to sit all alone in the corner, Lu Feng and the people around him began to shown interest, and they all looked over in his direction.


    Before they could get a good look at Ye Wei¡¯s face, an official from the Ning City Union Branch entered. He had the skinplexion of a middle-aged man. He was dressed in a long, gray robe. Embroidered on the cuffs of the robe were seven tiny star shapes.


    ¡°Silence!¡± The official scanned around him. His hoarse voice quieted the sound of the chatter.


    Everyone closed their mouths and looked respectfully at the man in the gray robe; however, humbleness looked slightly awkward on Lu Feng¡¯s face.


    Ye Wei, like everyone else in the room, focused on the official, but most importantly, he felt relieved the crowd shifted their attention away from him.


    ¡®A seven-star Runemaster!¡¯ Ye Wei pupils dted. He was startled as he noticed the embroidered stars close to the official¡¯s hand.


    A Runemaster¡¯s rank is not exactly only rted to cultivation but instead involves a distinguishment between a Runemasters¡¯ knowledge of runes and their contribution to the Union. Green Moon City¡¯s Master Mu, who was a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, was merely a five-star Runemaster.


    A member¡¯s privileges were directly proportional to their rank. Most notably, when a member became a ten-star Runemaster, they will gain the right tomand some of the Runemaster Union¡¯s armed military force.


    The Runemaster Union¡¯s influence spread to every corner ofnd where men lived. Their army, the power behind such influence, could only be matched by the Royal Green Army.


    This was one of the reasons why Master Yi, a ten-star Runemaster, was feared by many influential figures in the region. Even though he based himself in a tiny city in the middle of nowhere, if needed to, he could send the union¡¯s army anywhere he wanted. With the cost of a terrifying amount of contribution tokens and a small squad of the union¡¯s forces, they were able to reduce any city in the region to debris.


    Before his deep voice spoke again, the middle-aged official¡¯s stern gaze slowly examined everyone. ¡°A lot of you have have taken part in this exam before, more than once if I may add, for those who don¡¯t recognize me, do not cheat!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s static gaze made everyone in the side hall respectfully stand up straight. His intimidation and authority rose the hair on the participant¡¯s arms and left some secretly shaking inside.


    He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, ¡°I, Zuo Qiu Ming, represent the Runemaster Union, any cheating will be seen as provocative behavior against the union, which we do not tolerate! Anyone who is caught cheating, regardless of your reason to do so and your family background, will be executed immediately. No exceptions! Even if you are the dynasty¡¯s leader!¡±


    ¡°Sacred statue!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming satisfyingly nodded as he saw the humble faces, his devout voice echoed the hall.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The ground shook, a three-meter tall Combat Master statue rose with a deafening rumble. Its golden glow radiated an immense pressure. Ye Wei felt the coercing presence both within his body and his mind. He found this experience simr to what he felt at the tournament when Ning City¡¯s returned prime Warrior leader gave the opening speech.


    Under the mental influence, all the participants¡¯ minds were clouded. Nothing concerned them except the insuppressible need to bow and worship the Combat Master.


    ¡°Bow to the sage!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming lowered his head, bent his back forward. Everyone else followed suit. Although Ye Wei was not affected by the coercing presence, he too bowed to the figure he greatly respected.


    ¡°Bow again!¡±


    ¡°And thest bow!¡±


    ¡°The Combat Master invented mystic scrolls and set up the union, for every Runemaster and cultivators who look to be one. He is our master, and we serve him! In no case may any of you show disrespect to the founding sages!¡±


    After everyone had bowed three times, the golden shine of the statue faded as well as the presence, ¡®Very well, let the examination begin!¡¯ Zuo Qiu Ming said.


    ¡°Your first task is to refine mid-level Spirit stance, Quadruple Spirit Sword. Your aim is to improve it by a level before this stick burns out!¡± he pulled an incense stick out of his interspatial bag.


    ¡®Quadruple Spirit Sword?¡¯ all the contestants included Ye Wei frowned, displeased since they heard the stance name they were not familiar with. They were wary, knowing how difficult it was to refine a stance of that level, the first task of the exam and already it was a difficult one.


    None of the participants imagined the first task would be this hard, after all, stance refinement was usually a time-consuming process. Lu Feng, on the other hand, appeared casual and rxed.


    Zuo Qiu Ming flicked his sleeve and rose his right hand, leaving behind a trail of brilliance. After twists and turns, a sequence of runes appeared in front of him, with the spark on this fingertip he lit the incense stick held in his other hand.


    The sequence of eighty-three runes immediately became the focus of all the contestants. They all concentrated their thoughts and began to study the stance carefully.


    Ye Wei nced at the runes sequence structure briefly. He then closed his eyes to feel the energy flow with his Soul Sensitivity, ¡®considering its many ws, this is a powerful stance!¡¯ he immediately realized why refining Quadruple Spirit Sword was chosen to be the first test. He noticed that the stance could be refined by different approaches. Therefore, the task could have more than one correct answer.


    It did not take long before Ye Wei picked one of the paths and began to refine Quadruple Spirit Sword.


    Time flew by fast; the incense stick Zuo Qiu Ming held in his hand turned to ash on the floor.


    ¡°Time¡¯s up! Everybody¡¯s hands down!¡± his hoarse voice rumbled in the contestants¡¯ ears, shocking them out of their meditative thoughts.


    Out of all the twenty-two contestants, eight looked dreadful while the rest looked either satisfied or ecstatic.


    ¡°Any volunteers to present the result?¡± Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s strict, judgemental gazended on the group of contestants.


    ¡°I will go first then!¡± Lu Feng smiled and casually walked out of the flock. He swiped his arm sideways effortlessly, and eighty-three runes appeared in a sh. A total of four twinkling spectral swords came alive. The swords floated between himself and Zuo Qiu Ming.


    ¡°Now condense!¡± Lu Feng¡¯s gaze became focused and cold. The four spectral sword merged and became only two swords. Both of them were four feet long; their energy exceeded when they were in their previous form.


    ¡°Peak high-level stance!¡± the participants were left in awe while watching surges of Qi bursting out of the spinning swords in the air.


    ¡®How could he upgrade the stance all the way to advanced high-level!? I found it challenging just to improve it by a level as requested in such short time!¡± one of the returning participants mumbled to himself. He was obviously deeply shocked and envious by Lu Feng¡¯s mastery in rune knowledge.


    ¡°Good. This youthful man is not just a handsome face...¡±


    ¡°Brother Lu, impressive stuff!¡±


    ¡°I think I just became a fan!¡±


    The three tterers were even more humbled than they were before the beginning of the exam Of course, as adtors, they would take any opportunity to befriend Lu Feng. They made sure he heard every fawning word they coulde up with.


    Lu Feng replied with an indifferent smile.


    ¡°Pass!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming nodded at Lu Feng with an appreciating look. He approved the speed and quality of the refinement and thought that Lu Feng¡¯s talent was impressive considering the ridiculously short amount of time he gave the participants to finish the task.


    He was impressed, but his experience of hosting the entrance exam reminded him that the first task was the easiest of the three. Throughout the years, he had seen many peerlessly talented contestants fall to the soul sensitivity test and most notably the stance creation test.


    ¡°Next!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming shouted.


    One by one, the contestants went up and showed what they managed to do with the stance in front of everyone else, out of the twenty who were called up by Zuo Qiu Ming, eleven of them did not pass the test.


    As the first test was the easiest, Zuo Qiu Ming was a little stunned that half of the contestants were eliminated by it.


    ¡°Little man it¡¯s your turn now!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming said with a curious smile on his face. Never had he seen a child of such a young age take part in the entrance exam in his whole career. In his mind, he was impressed enough by how Ye Wei had obtained the letter of rmendation from Master Yi as informed earlier by Li Xue.


    Even though he was impressed, he mumbled to himself, ¡°Hmm, Lu Feng did exceptionally well, we haven¡¯t had participants scoring this high for at least half a year, regardless of age, I wonder if this kid will be the same?.¡±


    Ye Wei calmly and confidently stepped forward. He held his breath, slowly extended his arms, and spread his fingers. Allowing his will-force and Qi travel smoothly in his hands, eighty-three runes bursted out from his calcted movements.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming and the participants who passed the test nodded as they saw four spectral swords appeared above Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    They were all surprised that such a young boy was able to reproduce the stance correctly at all! They never considered Ye Wei to be able to do anything else but just look more innocent and cuter than the rest of the participants.


    ¡°Very gifted indeed! When he bes my age he could probably get through this with flying colors!¡± Oblivious to the teenager¡¯s identity, Lu Feng was interested in Ye Wei joining the force he was trying to put together.


    ¡°Condense!¡± when everyone thought Ye Wei¡¯s capability was limited by just learning the stance and using it, Ye Wei¡¯sparatively childish voice sounded in the side hall, the four swords merged to be two five feet long fiery des.


    ¡°What is this smoothness and strength, this is certainly a high-level Spirit stance! This kid made it!¡± everyone widened their eyes in shock, overwhelmed by the act itself done by just a kid!.


    ¡®I can ept the twenty-two-year-old bringing the stance up a level, but this kid is just sixteen!¡¯ Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s smile grewrger, ¡®advanced high-level... wait...¡¯ he suddenly perceived that Ye Wei¡¯s Quadruple Spirit Sword had a different Qi flowpared to the other refined stances he saw earlier.


    ¡®The energy burst is not as fierce; nevertheless, this stance¡¯s Qi is sustaining incredible well!¡¯ Zuo Qiu Ming tried to identify what exactly made Ye Wei¡¯s stance different than everyone else, but could not urately pinpoint it.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad at all kid!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming walked up to Ye Wei, gently patted his shoulder, ¡°you are very talented and interesting!¡± surprised by both Ye Wei¡¯s age and talent.

 Chapter 138 – Sensitive

    Chapter 138 ¨C Sensitive


    Zuo Qiu Ming pondered about the little kid¡¯s potential, He knew the possibility of Ye Wei bing a certified Runemaster within the age of twenty was certain even if the prodigy did not make it through today.


    ¡®This is not just talent. It is not natural that a boy his age can fully refine any stance. This young monster will definitely be something one day!¡¯ he thought to himself.


    This was not the first time Ye Wei became the center of attention in front of an older crowd. He just humbly nodded to Zuo Qiu Ming while the other participants burned what he just achieved into their minds.


    Lu Feng was also fascinated and stunned that Ye Wei was actually able to pass the first round.It was unusual for him to be surprised with anyone since he held himself in such high esteem. Nheless, Feng thought that regardless of the final result he would recruit this young cultivator just for the sake of his potential. He was even ready to send his men to properly groom this soon to be Runemaster.


    Ye Wei noticed Lu Feng was observing him while he quietly went back to passing participants; he wanted the attention to disappear, to absorb himself in the background, and to observe not to be observed. Ye Wei was on guard. Attentive and alert, he was still intimidated by the man responsible for his cousin¡¯sa and the physical and mental scars of his family members. He could not dictate if Lu Feng was still nning on disturbing the Ye family¡¯s peace.


    ¡°This is the end of round one! The second test to begin is a Soul Sensitivity test!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming waved his arm, dismissing the failed participants while focusing his attention on the passing participants. .


    ¡°Whoosh! Whoosh!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming swiftly moved his hand to form various hand seals and shapes, out of them shed and projected a purple light, which touched all the way to the side hall¡¯s ceiling.


    The million of purple rays intertwined and transformed into a roofless square room; each of its glittering runic walls were ten meters tall and wide.


    ¡°Listen up! You will soon enter the room above us, one at a time, for the duration of an incense stick to burn. In there, you will find yourselves attacked by two things. The first will be bolts of human-shaped Qi. The second will be mirages that resemble these bolts. Your mission is, with your Soul Sensitivity, identify the harmless mirages from the dangerous bolts.¡±


    ¡°You may attack the bolts to defend yourselves, but they may not hit you. Concerning the mirages, they will break on contact, if you break more than ten of them, you will be disqualified.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Han! You look nervous, so I¡¯ll let you go first. Remember this is yourst chance, focus and make it count!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming sarcastically spoke, looking at the old man with white sideburns.


    ¡°I appreciate the opportunity be to first Zuo, thank you!¡± the fifty-seven year old gradually stepped forward. His wrinkled face twitched out of nervousness.


    The Runemaster Union¡¯s rulebook stated that one may not take the entry exam more than nine times, and this was Zhang Han¡¯s ninth attempt. Although he was a five-star condensed prime Warrior, hisckluster runic capabilities weren¡¯t able to pass him through the entire exam.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Zuo Qiu Ming authoritatively asked. Upon seeing Zhang Han determined and ready inside the transparent cubic room, Zuo lit the incense, starting Zhang¡¯s task.


    The runes on the wall luminescent purple when Zuo Qiu Ming grunted., preparing himself for the bolts and mirages. Suddenly, they began to whizz and multiple energy bolts shot at the Zhang Han. All of this was urring instantaneously akin lightning shes in the night sky so too were the bolts and mirages shed and attacked the old man.


    The old man closed his eyes and let his senses take over. He tried separating and strike the bolts from the mirages and allow the mirages to pass him.


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±


    Beams of red light appeared above the cube as the elder participant kept identally striking the mirages.


    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming shook his head and shouted as he saw the eleventh beam of red light appeared above the cube.


    Zhang Han slowly stepped out of the cube. He let out a long, disappointed sigh; he appeared worn out and deted, expired, ¡°I thought I was going to make it this time...¡±


    ¡°Only one out of a hundred thousand bes a Runemaster, don¡¯t let it get you down. You are a five-star condensed prime Warrior, any influential figure would see you as an asset, with or without the Runemaster title!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming tried to remind Zhang Han that he was still an impressive cultivator.


    Everyone in the room was shocked to hear the old man¡¯s cultivation level stated. None of them could believe a cultivator of that level would fail the exam.


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t be sad just because you are a part of the majority.¡¯ Zuo Qiu Ming stated a fact. He had seen too many failing participants act emotionally.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s just not meant to be...¡± Zhang Han mumbled. He faked a smile, shook his head, and turned away to leave the side hall. Exiting the exam, his posture mirrored the destion in his heart.


    ¡°Little boy, do you want to go next? I really look forward to seeing your performance! If you do pass this exam, believe me, the whole state will know about it, hahaha!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming said jokingly while switching his attention to Ye Wei.


    In fact, Zuo Qiu Ming did not think Ye Wei could or would pass the exam, despite his encouraging words. He could notprehend the idea of a teenager bing a qualified Runemaster. He was just curious to see how far Ye Wei could get.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ye Wei determinedly nodded. He got inside the cube while the other participants were chatting to each other.


    ¡°He is so young! I have not seen anyone this young participating. Let alone passing the first round so easily. I wonder if he excels when ites to runes!¡±


    ¡°Soul sensitivity only develops with age and cultivation, and he is still what? Sixteen?I don¡¯t see him passing the second test..¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it is still interesting to see what a teenager can do. He seemed like he knew what he was doing, if you aren¡¯t blind. He even did better than you did on the first test!¡±


    Everyone enthusiastically looked up as Ye Wei entered the cube. With smiles of excitement, they eagerly anticipated Ye Wei¡¯s disy.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    After Ye Wei nodded, Zuo Qiu Ming made a mysterious hand seal in front of his chest


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s small action activated the runes on the cube¡¯s walls. The purple light started flowing as the runes started moving. Bolts of human shaped Qi together with the mirages fired at Ye Wei, filling his entire field of vision.


    Ye Wei closed his eyes to rid unwanted distraction and confusion; his vision was not a useful tool when what he needed was to distinguish something could only be differentiated by his soul sensitivity. The moment he closed his eyes, his will-force came rushing out, picking up every little bit of Qi disturbances around him in great detail.


    Under the prating scan of Ye Wei¡¯s powerful soul sensitivity, he could easily tell the powerful Qi bolts from the hollow mirages. Now all he had to do was dodge the nks while getting rid of the Qi bolts.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s motion became nimble, swift, and flexible. Then the lights crashed towards him, his body, like falling leaves in a strong gust swayed left and right. He elegantly dodged the mirages within the tight space whilst his fingers empowered with runes urately struck the Qi bolts.


    The amount of mirages built up as time went by, and they were whizzing around Ye Wei at an elerated speed. His soul sensitivity could keep up, but he soon realized there was just not enough space to avoid everything.


    He therefore decided to analyze the macro movement of all oing bolts including the mirages, so he could strike a mirage as he calcted the optimal line of path.


    Vigntly watching Ye Wei¡¯s agile movements, the amused participants dropped their jaws and slowly became speechless.


    ¡°His soul sensitivity is phenomenal, one third of the incense stick is already burnt out, and he has only touched one mirage! I have only seen this tactic in returning participants.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming mumbled, amused by the advanced level ofbat intelligence.


    ¡®When I was sixteen, my soul sensitivity was not even this sharp! I have to make some connections to this kid when the exam is over...¡¯ Lu Feng thought as his eyes lit up in sheer excitement.


    Although Lu Feng was confident about passing the exam, bing a Runemaster, and getting epted into the Lu family, he will still need topete with other gifted youngsters in the family for the family¡¯s support. This would be impossible without a team of his own, and, needless to say, he was happy with what Ye Wei disyed during both tests.


    ¡°Only eight mirages, pass!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming eximed with a big smile as the incense burnt out. A shiver went down his spine, ¡°Congrattions!¡± he said, nodding satisfiedly. Even in a state-setting, a teenager passing two rounds is a rare sight, one in a million, and Ye Wei actually just became the first person to do so in the Ning City branch.


    ¡°He passed!¡±


    ¡°This kid passed the second round!¡±


    ¡°I am envious of his talent, I feel like I have wasted my years training!¡±


    Not one soul was calm when they saw Ye Wei confidently step out of the cube.


    ¡°I wonder what this kid¡¯s background is like? Even though there is no family that canpare to my mom¡¯s in this region, I just need to know!¡± Lu Feng mumbled to himself as he tried to figure out how to make his offer to Ye Wei as attractively enticing as possible.


    Ye Wei exhaled deeply, grateful for his luck since getting hit by merely two more mirages would have made him fail, ¡°I got this!¡± He clenched his fist while a heartfelt smile.


    ¡°Kid, if you wish to, I can refer you to the Ning City branch president so you can learn under him!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming sincerely said while looking at the incredible prodigy.


    ¡°Thank you for the thought, but I already have a master!¡± Ye Wei made a polite gesture and bowed.


    ¡°Of course you do! And I would like to meet him at some point!¡± Zuo Qiu Mingughed, realizing this kind of talent must have developed by someone far greater than he could imagine.

 Chapter 139 – Creative

    Chapter 139 ¨C Creative


    ¡°Okay then! Next!¡±Pausing, Zuo Qiu Ming then focused his attention towards the participants.


    A total of eleven candidates passed the first round. All nine of them who took the test after Ye Wei and Zhang Han performed well. Therefore, round two took more than an hour.


    Only five out of eleven passed the second round in the end, including Ye Wei, and Lu Feng achieved the best result at six mirages.


    Lu Feng¡¯s talent intimidated Ye Wei. Although six years younger, he inwardlypeted against him. Ye Wei couldn¡¯t helppare himself with his nemesis.


    Though Ye Wei expanded his knowledge on runes only years ago, his emotions blinded him from the fact that Lu Feng had began training and taught runic knowledge by Master Mu longer than Wei had even lived! There was no way he could outshine Lu Feng just yet.


    ¡°You may take an hour break before we start the third test ¨C the final part of the exam.! Passing gains you a ce in our union and the title Runemaster!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming looked at Ye Wei, Lu Feng and the other three who passed round two. He solemnly announced this only after the failed candidates had exited the side hall.


    The third task was the most dreaded. All the previous effort would be wasted if they failed the third round. These were the reasons why Zuo Qiu Ming decided to give the candidate an hour to prepare for the most important part of the exam. Thus, in order for them to tackle the arduous finale he decided they should be in their best condition.


    ¡°Stance creation is not something I¡¯d deem difficult.¡± Smiling arrogantly, Lu Feng muttered to himself while disdainfully ncing at the agitated faces around him.


    His confidence originated from his experience of creating a mid-level Spirit stance in just twelve hours and knowing he only had topose a low-level Spirit stance.


    ¡°Creating a stance...¡± Ye Wei slowly took a few deep breaths. He appeared slightly anxious as he was on the verge of tackling a difficult challenge he had never faced before. Unlike the first two challenges that Master Yi touched on while training, stance creation depended on understanding and being in a creative process.


    Ye Wei¡¯s heightened senses heard what Lu Feng mumbled a few meters away, and thought ¡®Lu Feng looks way too confident! I will have to pass this test too, I can¡¯t stand still while he is just getting stronger and more influential...¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fist, haunted by the idea of Lu Feng possibly using his powers to overtake the Ye family again.


    ¡®I have to use my time well, being upset does not allow me a better position to pass thest round.¡¯ He stopped looking at Lu Feng, cleared his mind and began to use the Falling Star form to maximize his condition.


    Apart from the two youngsters, the other three older candidates also had their eyes closed, optimizing their minds and bodies for the task ahead.


    ¡°I have been supervising this entry test for three years now, and I have seen more failing candidates than the stars in the sky, most of which failed in the third finale.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming murmured.


    ¡®I kind of like today¡¯s participants; I hope they¡¯ll work something out. It¡¯s tiring seeing people¡¯s efforts wasted everyday! Especially the young ones, we haven¡¯t had young blood entering the union for a while now...¡¯ He sighed and thought to himself.


    An hour quickly passed as the candidates focused on preparing themselves.


    ¡°This is it. If you pass this test, you will be dragons. All of you are aspiring Runemasters, you know how important this is!¡±


    ¡°My advice? Rx. Let your experience and intuition guide you through.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you fail, do not despair. We have thousands of candidates enter every year, and only two or three get through. We¡¯ve had years when nobody passed the entry exam, so do not despair if your fearse true.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming looked at the five potential Runemasters¡¯ slightly nervous faces, speaking calmly.


    ¡°You have twenty-four hours to create a low-level Spirit stance. Furthermore, if you can create a mid-level Spirit stance, you will directly be a two-star Runemaster, creating a high-level Spirit stance will make you a three-star Runemaster!¡±


    ¡°Attitude is everything. It is normal to make mistakes, the most important thing is to learn from those mistakes and use them as a point of reference instead of them affecting your mood!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s advice sounded loud and clear in the candidates¡¯ ears. He made a few hand seals then three hundred and thirty-six shining runes appeared in front of him.


    ¡°These are the only runes you are allowed to use. As much as we would like, we can not learn every rune in the world. See this is your first lesson: using limited runes is what you need to be prepared to do. There will always be limitations when you create something!¡±


    ¡°You may begin now!¡± An hourss appeared in Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s hand. He tipped it upside down as he spoke.


    All five candidates without dy focused their attention, trying to remember all the runes they were given. Without knowing the runes, they would never be able to begin the test.


    Zuo Qiu Ming waved his arm, summoning pirs of white light. Five pirs fell on each of the candidates, encapsting them to ensure they couldn¡¯t talk to each other, and they won¡¯t be disturbed from urrences in the hall.


    ¡°These are all basic runes...¡± Ye Wei sat himself in the lotus position; with his eyes closed, the three hundred and thirty-six runes appeared in his mind.


    The energy flow and structure of runes can be simr, but they are never identical. Both runes positioning and sequence order are, therefore, very important for Runemasters. Their rune consonance will allow them to manipte runes better than ordinary cultivators. Additionally, Runemaster¡¯s rune knowledge will give them better insights to each runes¡¯ structure and energy flow, and their soul sensitivity will allow them to actually feel the macro energy flow in the sequence as they try to put the runes together.


    The fact that all five candidates were able to get this far proved that they excelled in these three categories. Their main challenge would find the creativity to construct these runes together in a unique working order.


    Idease and go, Runemasters would travel distances just to have fresh points of view, to take themselves out of familiar surroundings to gain inspiration, and some even risked their lives by observing wild beasts¡¯ ways in close proximity. They empower their bodies to mimic, interpret and make stances out of what they saw from the world around them.


    Another way for richer Runemasters to conceive innovative and new stances was to study rare runes that naturally grew on wild beasts¡¯ bones.


    But in the sidehall, the candidates did not have ess to any of those sources of inspiration. They would have to try and adjust their ideas from their errors. They would fail a hundred times to achieve that one sessful time.


    Stance creation was a lot about experience and practise, without either, Runemasters would not be able to make stances as they would struggle to know where they should start. That was precisely why Lu Feng and Zuo Qiu Ming did not see Ye Wei passing the exam at his age. He had no umtion of experience regardless of the level of talent he disyed in the first two rounds.


    Ye Wei remembered the three hundred and thirty-six runes rather effortlessly. He was familiar with the properties and style of each of the runes given, but he was stuck. His mind wandered, struggling to find a starting point.


    ¡°Okay now what!?¡± Ye Wei grumbled to himself, ¡°Wwhy didn¡¯t I try making something up when I had the time to...¡±


    He had seen Master Yi struggle in creating stances and naturally knew that it was not a repeatable process. Sometimes Master Yi would suddenly stop in the middle of eating a meal. He would then go to the training room to finish or even start creating a stance.


    Ye Wei scratched his head, dabbled for two hours trying to put runes together. Yet, even assembling five runes together had proven to be a challenge for Ye Wei. Without experience, he direly needed inspiration, or else he would never be able to start creating a stance. Only if his soul sensitivity was ten times stronger could he create a stance without umted experience, but Ye Wei didn¡¯t have that either. This would make it possible for him to quickly and continuously reassemble the runes and discover which of thebinations were developable and which were not.


    With Ye Wei¡¯s current soul sensitivity, putting five runes together at a time was his limit, a far cry from thirty-six, which was the minimum amount of runes to make a low-level Spirit stance.


    Ye Wei gazed upon the other candidates, apart from Lu Feng who was calmly and methodically putting runes together with his eyes closed, the older candidates were obviously struggling too.


    It was no secret that Lu Feng came prepared. Master Mu briefed him. On the other hand, Master Yi did not give Ye Wei any information regarding the exam as he wanted Ye Wei to learn from improvising.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t let myself spiral!¡± Ye Wei bit his lips hard, intimidated by Lu Feng¡¯s smug face and calm posture.


    As time slowly passed by, Ye Wei became increasingly anxious.


    ¡®Hahaha! Are you stuck kid?¡¯ A demonic voice sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s mind, the gloatingughter caused him topletely lose focus.


    ¡®Not now! Shut up!¡¯ Ye Wei felt extremely anxious. He feared that if Lu Feng passed and he didn¡¯t, the Ye family would more than likely lose their ancestralnd at North Hill Bay.


    ¡®Your temper reflects your age well. I was going to help you but never mind!¡¯ The ck Scale Progenitor¡¯s evil chuckle filled Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    ¡®Help? From you? I am not five years old; you will need to be more creative if you want to trick me.¡¯ Ye Wei said coldly.


    ¡®What will I get from you? You are just a one-star condensed prime Warrior!¡¯ The Progenitor grunted, ¡®I, on the other hand, am just bored, and I kind of pity you. You have the Mystic Mountain, but you don¡¯t even know how to use it! Hahaha! It¡¯s soical! Kid, the scale in your possession contains my energy. If you are able to infuse the energy flow within the scale, there is a chance you can create something strong as a Heaven stance.¡¯


    ¡®It should be effortless for you to create a Spirit stance out of it, maybe a Myst stance if you are notpletely stupid!¡¯ the Progenitor chuckled. He knew that if Ye Wei began to practice demon techniques, it would only be a matter of time before Ye Wei would be his puppet.


    ¡®Shut up, I will not fall for your traps and tricks!¡¯ Ye Wei frowned. Although desperate for help, he learned from his experience dealing with the Progenitor to act cautiously.


    Half of the sand reached the bottom of the hourss. Ye Wei became increasingly anxious as he struggled to put anything together. Large drops of sweat appeared on his forehead as he watched the grains of sand fall down.


    ¡°Done!¡± Lu Feng flicked his sleeves and slowly stood up.


    The moment Lu Fengpleted his stance, a soft pir of light descended from the sky. All the pores on his skin loosened up and expanded. Because it was not his first time creating a mid-level Spirit stance, he did not receive a whole lot ofic energy; his cultivation only improved slightly from it.


    ¡°Mid-level Spirit stance, very nice!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming smiled while looking at the stance in front of Lu Feng. He was satisfied being the supervisor who witnessed the first Runemaster to pass the entry exam this year.


    He continued as he patted Lu Feng¡¯s shoulder, ¡°when the exam is over, there will be a pilgrimage ceremony, after which, you may call yourself a two-star Runemaster!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lu Feng¡¯s lips curled into a smile, ecstatic to be a part of the Lu family, ¡®I would love to see if Master Yi would dare to interfere in the Lu¡¯s business. It took me three years, but thend next to North Hill Bay is finally within my reach again!¡¯


    Opposite to Lu Feng, Ye Wei clenched his fist in the light pir, his veins bulged as he saw his family¡¯s enemy finishing the challenge ahead of time.


    ¡®Haha! You only have twelve hours left kid. Time is running out on you!¡¯ The Progenitor¡¯sugh resounded inside Ye Wei¡¯s head, the sinisterugh and offer was inescapable.

 Chapter 140 – High-Level Spirit Stance

    Chapter 140 ¨C High-Level Spirit Stance


    ¡®The old dog must be trying to trick me again! Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me, and I will not let him make a fool out of me!¡¯ Ye Wei arduously calcted on gaining the advantage of the situation without bing the victim to the Progenitor¡¯s schemes.


    ¡®Kid, I have given you the chance. What you can learn from me is very powerful; so powerful, in fact, even prime Warriors would kill to learn my techniques. Just imagine, if you could create a Heaven stance!¡¯ the Progenitor tried to sound calm and collected, so he wouldn¡¯t raise Ye Wei¡¯s suspicion.


    ¡®Fine then, let¡¯s cut the crap, and tell me what I should do!¡¯ Ye Wei red at the hourss. Time was passing too fast. Desperately but deliberately, Ye Wei pulled the dark, glowing scale out of his bag.


    ¡®That¡¯s right, good decision! Being stubborn won¡¯t do you any good! What is most important now is passing the exam not stressing out!¡¯ The Progenitor persuasively replied.


    ¡®Stamp this hand seal onto the scale. Once done, you will finally understand my power that I can offer. Although this will only give you a small portion, it will be good enough for you to at leastpose a Earth stance out of the experience!¡¯ the Progenitor exined He sent a mental image of a sequence of hand shapes directly into Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    Theplexity of the hand seals were too much for Ye Wei to understand right then. However, he still strangely replicated them as if he was guided by muscle memory.


    Ye Wei felt a weird sensation simr to answering a question he didn¡¯t even understand. As well, he couldn¡¯tprehend how the hand seals could cause him harm after briefly studying them. Not willing to waste any more time, he channeled his Qi and will-force. His hands became a blur as he quickly reproduced the hand seals and ced his hand onto the scale.


    Suddenly an ancient present flooded his mind the moment his skin touched the ck scale.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei fell into a trance. No longer was he in control of his body or mind. Rather, he felt an existential experience, a separation of the mind from the body. He was floating in a borderless, expansive starry space; it took him some time to gain awareness of his surroundings. Finally, he recognized that he was on the back of a monster, which stretched over ten kilometers. They were being propelled through the indefinite distance by three pairs ofrge wings. Because they were travelling so quickly, he felt stationary while the universe around him was spinning. He could not logically reason out the environment around him; however, as he slowly looked at his transporter that was the least of his worries. The monster¡¯s body shone golden like the setting sun. Ye Wei could see its face as it rose its head,howling in the darkness surrounding it.Now, he could identified the creature which carried him. It was one of the legendary beasts ¨C a sky wolf.


    The beast noticed Ye Wei, and all of a sudden, Ye Wei was overwhelmed by its pressure. He felt an intense corruption of his mind.


    The wolf vigorously struck its wings, exploding into a mysterious golden beam of light that extended infinitely.


    Ye Wei waspletely stunned, paralyzed. Sitting on the beast¡¯s back, he saw the infinitebination of runes in the trail of light that he became a part of.


    Although demons are not capable of using stances, the stronger ones were able to channel the power in their blood exactly how cultivators use runes sequences to multiply the power within their blood. This transformation Ye Wei saw of the sky wolf was a demonic technique that had the power of a Heaven stance ¨C Star Blink.


    For Ye Wei would never learn this powerful technique that allowed its user to travel light years in the blink of an eye. It was almost inhumanly impossible; nevertheless, all Ye Wei needed was just a spark of inspiration and after seeing the sky wolf, his mind filled with ideas, inspiration that could only be gained through experience or, for Ye Wei¡¯s case, a sky wolf.


    ¡®Star Blink!¡¯


    ¡®Spindrift Steps!¡¯


    ¡®Star Shifter form!¡¯


    All these stances and forms, old and new, constantly flooded Ye Wei¡¯s head. The runes Zuo Qiu Ming showed the candidates began toe together, one hundred and twenty-eight runes began to form in Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    Those one hundred and twenty-eight runes floated back and forth, slowly assembling together.


    Wary of the sinister effect it may bring, the Progenitor¡¯s plot, Ye Wei did not reproduce, but, instead, he used the principal of its energy flow to link the puzzle pieces in his head together.


    While Ye Wei was processing the rush and quantity of information, Zuo Qiu Ming wasmenting. Pacing in the hall and inspecting the four remaining candidates, he reasonably thought that Lu Feng would be the only person passing the exam today.


    Four hours, two hours...


    The remaining twelve hours would soon be over, and Zuo Qiu Ming became more and more certain no one else would pass..


    At the exact moment thest grain of sand was dropping in the hourss, a milky white pir of energy dropped down and devoured Ye Wei.


    ¡°This is cosmic energy!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming stared at the hefty pir with widened, disbelieving eyes. His face disyed an undisguised expression of shock.


    ¡°High-level Spirit stance!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming easily discerned that the amount of cosmic energy, which descended was vastly superior to Lu Feng¡¯s stance.


    ¡°How is this possible!?¡± Lu Feng stared, amazed at this teenager who sat inside the cosmic energy pir. Of course, he enviously frowned, shocked that someone, especially someone so young, had out beat him. ¡®How can a sixteen year old create a high-level Spirit stance in a day!?¡¯ it¡¯s f**king impossible!¡¯


    Lu Feng waspletely startled. He just could not believe his eyes. This scenario was so improbable, for a second, he thought he was hallucinating. He never heard of anyone of this age managing to create any stance at all; and, now, he just witnessed a teenager passing the Runemaster entry exam by creating a high-level Spirit stance.


    ¡°Hahaha! I have actually lived and was the protector the day an unbelievable genius passed the exam!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming was lost in a mixture of emotions, so strong he started tough hysterically.


    ¡°He actually just created a high-level Spirit stance...¡± Lu Feng was still struggling to believe what he saw, but Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s hystericalughter confirmed that he was not hallucinating. A sixteen-year-old boy just created a high-level Spirit stance from only basic runes, passing the remainder of the Runemaster union entrance exam to be the youngest Runemaster ever recorded in the history of Qing state.


    The previous record holder was Ke Bai. He managed to pass the entrance exam at the age of eighteen. Now, when Ye Wei just surpassed him, he had the position of Runemaster Union¡¯s Qing state regional president and also the only one-star Grand-Runemaster in the state.


    Being a Grand-Runemaster meant that Ke Bai influenced those who lived all across the Zhou dynasty¡¯snd and even the royals who sometimes consulted him when it came to strategic matters of the dynasty¡¯s security.


    Ye Wei just broke the Grand-Runemaster¡¯s old record. Familiar with the big names and legacies in the Runemaster Union, Zuo Qiu Ming saw what just had happened in front of his eyes, a miracle. He could no longer contain himself.


    ¡°I will report this to the president as soon as possible, so that they can notify the head quarters. This kind of news is too big just to be included in the regr reports!¡±


    ¡°What happened today doesn¡¯t guarantee him being equal in power to President Ke, but it certainly ces him in the Seven New Runes!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming excitedly looked at Ye Wei, amused by his new discover, the groundbreaking young genius and thinking how this could bring the union to its new height.


    Like the God¡¯s Seven, the Seven New Runes represented the seven best young talent of the state, but, unlike God¡¯s Seven, the Runes specifically refer to youngsters with runic talents.


    As Runemasters are rare among cultivators, the Seven New Rune title is even more prestigious than the one Ye Wei gained a couple days ago.


    As thest grain of sand in the hourss fell, the entry exam ended. Ye Wei had absorbed all the cosmic energy surrounding him.


    ¡®Two-stars condensed prime!¡¯


    Ye wei opened his eyes, clenched his fist, and felt a burst of energying out of the newly formed golden crack on the silver Qi ball in his dantian.


    The amount of cosmic energy Ye Wei acquired greatly exceeded what he¡¯ve gotten so far from refining stances. Not only did he break through, his Sentient was also upgraded to yellow grade.


    During the past three-year training under Master Yi, Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient transformed to orange grade and now under the nourishment of the vast cosmic energy his Sentient underwent another transformation.


    ¡®This speed enhancement stance is based on the dog¡¯s Star Blink, and tranted to a stance using the runic principals that constructed Spindrift Steps and Star Shifter form, let¡¯s call it Starblink Steps haha!¡¯ Thought Ye Wei. Although it was just a high-level Spirit stance, it was inspired by a Heaven stance and had great potential to be refined.


    Ye Wei thought the perfect form of this stance could well be either an Earth or a Sky stance.


    ¡°Although Starblink Steps is only a high-level Spirit stance, I believe I will be able to match the speed of a cultivator two levels above me...¡± Ye Wei murmured to himself as he reviewed his proud creation.


    ¡®Humm, I incorporated the Qi flow of Star Shifter form for its energy sustain, but I think Starblink Steps could actually help me deflect attacks due to its smooth and slippery Qi flow!¡¯ Ye Wei activated the stance. He felt unrestrained by gravity. Weightless, each small step Ye Wei took him farther than was possible before, via a slight arced path.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t you just learn my Star Blink technique!?¡¯ The Progenitor¡¯s screamed, echoing in Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient, ¡®you foolish insolent brat!¡¯


    ¡®The Star Blink technique is as strong as a Heaven stance! Using only itsminimal potential would be the same as performing a Myst stance. It was created by me and therefore not recorded in any human archive! You could have imed this greatness and made yourself famous!¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s not hard to trante my technique into those three hundred and thirty-six runes...¡¯


    ¡®Your pathetic creation stinks like a hundred of mounds of horse shit! The stench insults me! giarizing brat!¡¯ The Progenitor was furious., Ye Wei was not as foolish as he believed or wanted him to be. If only Ye Wei would have mimicked his technique, the demonic energy would flow in Ye Wei¡¯s body and resonate with the Progenitor¡¯s presence, allowing the demon ancestor to take control. Yet, Ye Wei maneouvered precisely out of the jackal demon¡¯s scheme.


    The Progenitor became furious as his second attempt to conquer Ye Wei also failed; he could not believe he was outsmarted by a being less than ten thousandth his age.


    ¡®Old dog, there is no point being mad. I will be taking precautions every step I take and with every decision I make. I am young but I am not naive unlike you!¡¯


    ¡®I have been warned, and I am protected. You should just stay quiet before I either get rid of you or make use of you!¡¯ Taunting the Progenitor, Ye Wei attempted to enrage the old demon, so he could have some peace.

 Chapter 141 – Rites of Righteousness

    Chapter 141 ¨C Rites of Righteousness


    The Progenitor¡¯s plot failing actually benefited Ye Wei more than it harmed him. ¡®Oh well, your loss...¡¯ The old demon appeared calm but was actually furious within because his npletely backfired.


    Thest grain of sand stopped rolling, settling at the bottom half of the hourss. Time seemed to have frozen as the Progenitor and Ye Wei¡¯s consciousnessmunicated.


    ¡°The exam is over! Congrattions to you two! After the ceremony, you will officially be a part of our union.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming announced loud and clear as he scanned across the five candidates. His eyes lit up with appreciation when they fell onto Ye Wei.


    ¡°You will be a two-star Runemaster and a three-star Runemaster respectively ording to the level of the stances you two have created!¡±


    ¡°May I add that I am especially proud to be the examiner today. It was my luck that I got to see the making of not one, but two young talents with my own eyes!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming decided it was appropriate to openly express his fondness as the exam had finished.


    Ye Wei and Lu Feng did not just end the dry spell, they finished with style, breaking many records! Lu Feng being one of the quickest ever to finish the stance creation challenge, and Ye Wei being the youngest candidate to pass the exam in the whole of Qing state much less creating a high-level Spirit stance. Any Runemaster Union member, or official, could only dream of witnessing the birth of such a talent.


    ¡°Congrattions young ones; you two surprised me!¡±


    ¡°I am fortunate to have taken part in this exam, and I know your names will echo through the ages!¡± All three of the elderly cultivators who failed the test were content with their failure and paid respect to whom they were both jealous of and admired.


    Rather than feeling remorse, they¡¯d rather try to seek inspiration from these talented youngsters so they too could one day reach their goal of bing a Runemaster; something they had tried to achieve for half their lives.


    ¡°Thank you for the kind gesture.¡± Ye Wei bowed and said humbly.


    Lu Feng could see that every in the side hall were more impressed by Ye Wei than by him. This caused his face to turn ashen as he heard the ttering words directed towards Ye Wei. He was supposed to be the youngest Runemaster in Qing state, and in fact, he was still one of the ten youngest Runemasters in the region, but his ir was nowpletely drowned out because of Ye Wei¡¯s existence.


    Being the prideful youngster, he was Lu Feng was extremely unpleased that someone six years his junior, a mere teenager, was able to outshine him on something he took great pride in. Apart from that, his n to recruit Ye Wei was not likely as Ye Wei would soon be under the spotlight as the newest and greatest rising talent. Having a three-star Runemaster with a moldable young mind on their side would be a dreame true for many powerful organizations.


    All these negative thoughts came crashing into Lu Feng¡¯s mind.


    Zuo Qiu Ming looked down at the rmendation letters, and rose his head and smiled. ¡°Today we have two new Runemasters who both came from Green Moon City! Congrattions to Lu Feng and Ye Wei!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming read Ye Wei¡¯s letter of rmendation again and frowned. He knew that Master Yi was a ten-star Runemaster who relocated to Green Moon City from the capital, but even so, it did not quite exin the level of rune mastery Ye Wei disyed.


    ¡°Ye Wei!?¡± Lu Feng¡¯s eyes widened and a chill went down his spine.


    Ye Wei realized immediately that Lu Feng now knew exactly who he was and their eyes crossed full of hostility.


    ¡®I should have realized if anyone was be able to produce an apprentice of this caliber in this region, it would be Master Yi...¡¯ The puzzle pieces came together in Lu Feng¡¯s head. ¡®My men told me that Master Yi¡¯s apprentice had a red Sentient.... How can trash like that grow so strong so quickly!? It¡¯s only been three years!¡¯


    Ye Wei knew the time woulde when Lu Feng figure out who he was, therefore, he was able to keep his cool. Now because of his three-star Runemaster status, Ye Wei was no longer scared but confident.


    ¡®Your move...¡¯ Thought Ye Wei while staring at Lu Feng.


    ¡°Okay, now may I ask the candidates who failed the exam to leave the hall?¡± Zuo Qiu Ming said politely while he briefly looked at Lu Feng before his appreciative gaze was once again set on Ye Wei.


    It became more and more apparent that even the supposedly neutral official was bing fond of Ye Wei.


    ¡°You should both know how important the ritual is, correct?¡± Zuo Qiu Ming kindly looked at Ye Wei and said in a serious tone.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ye Wei nodded. Master Yi had exined to him in the past the importance of the ritual.


    No matter how strong one¡¯s will-force was, how high one¡¯s rune consonance, or how sharp one¡¯s soul sensitivity nobody was born a Runemaster.


    Only through the ritual could one¡¯s Sentient be imbued by the Combat Master. The holy presence of the Combat master affects one¡¯s will-force and transforms a Runemasters¡¯ will-force into a more effective tool to use against humanity¡¯s enemies; the demons and wild beasts.


    Due to their natural body strength demons and wild beasts were born stronger than human beings, and this allowed them to easily defeat humans on the same level as them, and sometimes even ones with higher cultivation. But this ritual allowed Runemasters to be excluded from this pattern. After the ritual Runemasters could easily beat demons and beast of the same cultivation and posed a threat to counterparts with higher cultivation all because of the holy presence in their Sentient.


    After passing the Runemaster entrance exams, the candidates were to be guided through the ritual during which their will-force would actually be guided by the Combat Master and flow in the shape of the holy conservatory.


    The conservatory was built by the Combat Master himself following runic principles. Those principles were tranted to runic patterns which were essentially where the power of the holy presence came from, and this was precisely what demons and beasts were weak against.


    The stronger a Runemasters became, the more their will-force follow the conservatory¡¯s flow pattern, ultimately making their will-force many times more effective against demons and beasts. This is the reason why Runemasters were seen as assets of mankind.


    ¡°Remember, you need to stay pious and pure during the ritual having clouded mind is very dangerous!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming looked at Ye Wei and Lu Feng and said solemnly.


    ¡°Sacred statue!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming grunted as he summoned the Combat Master¡¯s image again.


    Knowing the importance of the ritual, Lu Feng shook his head to put the grudge out of his mind. He switched his attention from Ye Wei to the statue; his mind became clear and pure.


    Ye Wei took a deep breath to rx and turned his face towards the statue.


    ¡°The Heavens are in in sight, their righteousness boundless...¡± Zuo Qiu Ming began to recite the passages left by the Sages while Ye Wei and Lu Feng followed.


    While the spoken words echoed the hall, the statue began to emit waves of rippling energy that rushed into Ye Wei and Lu Feng¡¯s Sentients transforming their will-force.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Their invisible will-force were drawn out by statue¡¯s energy and began to take physical form. Their will-force took the shape of mysterious and magnificent structures apanied by a series of awe-inspiring bell tolls.


    The images of spectral buildings were clearer above Ye Wei¡¯s head than they were above Lu Feng due to the difference between their runic capabilities.


    ¡®Little one!¡¯ When Ye Wei¡¯s will-forcepleted the outline of all seventy-two buildings of the conservatory, a familiar, powerful presence visited his Sentient again and a deep voice sounded.


    ¡®Your Grace!¡¯ Ye Wei greeted as the middle-aged schr¡¯s figure became clear.


    ¡®I knew you were special but I did not expect to meet again so soon! Now I am sure you will be someone important, therefore, I have a special gift for you...¡¯ The Combat Master said with a smile while lifting his finger. Pressing it to Ye Wei¡¯s forehead, a mark that resembled a golden lotus appeared between Ye Wei¡¯s eyebrows.


    ¡®Little one, keep cultivating and training hard!¡¯ The Combat Master¡¯s voice began to fade as if the source of the sound was moving further away from Ye Wei.


    ¡®A gift?¡¯ Ye Wei blinked quickly confused as the image in his Sentient disappeared without any more exnation about the mark. ¡®I know the Combat Master won¡¯t lie to me but I honestly don¡¯t feel any different...¡¯


    Ye Wei could not feel the mark and its color faded, melting into his skin without a trace.


    The Combat Master had ways to make anything host his consciousness, objects, man, beasts, and even demons. If it was not for the ck scale, his consciousness would have never actively gone into Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient; he would almost never pay any Runemasters a visit like he did with Ye Wei.


    It was both by chance and destiny that Ye Wei bonded with the Combat Master, and it was Ye Wei¡¯s fortune to have received two gifts from one of the founding Sages.


    ¡°Finished!¡± Zou Qiu Ming grunted as the energy around the statue disappeared. Both Ye Wei and Lu Feng had their will-force enchanted and they were now Runemasters!

 Chapter 142 – Runic Badge

    Chapter 142 ¨C Runic Badge


    After the ritual¡¯s ending, Zuo Qiu Ming allotted Ye Wei and Lu Feng each a badge.


    ¡°Finally, I am a Runemaster...¡± Ye Wei tightly grasped the badge, whispered to himself ecstatically.


    When Green Moon City learned that Ye Wei had be a Runemaster, the three biggest martial families, and the City Lord now realized how much respect was due to Ye Wei. Upon meeting him, they would have to bow, and anything else required to honor a Runemaster.


    ¡°Ye Wei, do you have time to talk?¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming patted Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder; he weed the newly qualified Runemaster with a soft, amicable smile. He desired to speak about the Seven New Runes.


    If Ye decided to enlist as a part of the Seven New Runes, authorities in the whole Qing state would have to treat him decorously. As well, he would be bestowed with countless privileges. These incentives were very persuasive, and Ye Wei didn¡¯t even need any encouragement from Mister Zuo.


    ¡°Mister Zuo, you don¡¯t even have to ask, I will gratefully oblige!¡± Ye Wei tedly smiled as he replied and nodded politely. Then thought to himself, ¡®you, an official from the Runemaster Union¡¯s Ning City branch, clearly want to befriend me... Why would I say no?¡¯


    ¡°Hahaha! Little boy, you surely present yourself well! Follow me to the second floor please.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming led Ye Wei out of the side hall towards the staircase. Lu Feng waspletely forgotten about; they even left without acknowledging him by not saying goodbye.


    Zuo Qiu Ming had sensed the change between Ye Wei and Lu Feng. He understood with Ye Wei being a Runemaster and at the same standing as Lu Feng, the equanimity between them before was erased, now they were enemies. Nheless, he instantly chose to affiliate himself with Ye Wei. Lu Feng was good, but not extraordinary; this young boy would one day be an influential figure.


    Lu Feng stood all alone in the grand but empty hall. As Ye Wei and Zuo Qiu Ming walked away, his eyes vengefully red at them. Hate was growing in his heart; revenge was brewing. For now, Lu Feng could only grudgeful re at the new superstar, his new enemy.


    ¡°Very well, Ye Wei, just you wait!¡± Lu Feng¡®s hand trembled. He squeezed the badge tightly as his eyes widened. He flicked his sleeve, impatiently turned, and angrily strode out, each step echoing in the vastness with no one to hear them.


    Zuo Qiu Ming led Ye Wei into an elegant sitting room upstairs and sat down.


    ¡°So, Ye Wei, it seems you and Lu Feng don¡¯t get along well, am I correct?¡± Zuo Qiu Ming poured Ye Wei a cup of tea while casually questioning him.


    ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± Ye Wei acknowledged. He thought about Lu Feng¡¯s scheme three years ago, and how he pulled some strings, used the Du family, a general who worked for the City Lord, and a merchant guild¡¯s president to attempt taking over the Ye family¡¯snd. ¡®He would have killed us all if it wasn¡¯t for Master Yi...¡¯


    ¡°Lu Feng and his master Mu Kun are people you shouldn¡¯t worry about.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming frowned as he saw Ye Wei growing agitated, but he continued in a wary tone, ¡°however his mother is from a big family, who have influence all across Qing state. I think he came to take the entrance exam mainly for recognition from his mother¡¯s family. Now, that he is a two-star Runemaster, I am pretty sure he will have no problem getting approved and will soon be a part of the Lu family.¡±


    ¡°On the other hand, if the Lu family does not like you then you might be in trouble. They are one of the four biggest martial families in Qing state. Furthermore, multiple returned prime Warriors minister them. Most important, though, they are rted to one of the royal families. This is the worst part.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming looked at Ye Wei and tried to sound as collected as he could, ¡°my advice for you, boy, is to avoid direct conflict with him. Don¡¯t give him and them any reasons to start fights with your family. You have limitless potential; but, only when you have reached a certain status, which is made from connections, then can you sort out your dispute with him! This is my advice for you Ye Wei; I hope you will heed it.¡±


    Working as an official in the Ning City branch had broadened Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s understanding on the political games the influential and powerful yed to get what they wanted. Idealism had no chance in the cut-throat arena of the royals. Zuo Qiu Ming told his opinions as a whole without leaving out any details. He truly hoped the best for Ye Wei and wanted him to do well, but as well remain good.


    ¡°Thank you for your sincere advice, Zuo Qiu Ming. I appreciate your kindness.¡± Ye Wei recognized Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s sympathetic intentions, and he nodded gratefully.


    ¡®So, for now, I don¡¯t have to worry about Lu Feng, as long as I don¡¯t cross the Lu family, they wouldn¡¯t be so trusting to support their new addition yet...¡¯ although now a three-star Runemaster, Ye Wei humbly understood he was not ready to take on the Lu¡¯s.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all I wanted to say. If you are listed as one of the Seven New Runes, even the Lu family won¡¯t be able to touch you!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming mirthfully smiled, switching the topic to what he truly wanted to speak about.


    ¡°Qing State¡¯s Seven New Runes?!¡± Master Yi had mentioned about them before. So, Ye Wei knew what Zuo Qiu Ming was talking about.


    Every state was responsible for protecting their young talents within the sovereignty. The God¡¯s Seven and the Seven New Runes were much more than just titles; they were created so the state and the Runemaster Union could send forces to where the fourteen youngsters were located to keep an eye on them. Humanity could not afford to lose any talented future leaders.


    Not only do the God¡¯s Seven and the Seven New Runes protect the youngsters from demons and beasts, if any man threatens both groups of seven, in any way, the offenders will be punished and their whole family killed.


    ¡°With your talent, definitely the Seven New Runes will enlist you without any problem!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming chuckled, ¡°the regional president, strong as he is, passed the entrance exam at the age of eighteen, and you at the age sixteen. By far, you broke his record! If we can¡¯t put you, a sixteen year old three-star Runemaster, on the list I don¡¯t think anyone would deserve to be on it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ye Wei felt relief, realizing he might not even have to worry about the Lu¡¯s.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming earnestly stated. He wanted to reassure Ye Wei, ¡°just fill in the form here; I will make sure the president sends your application to the headquarter as soon as possible. That way we will quickly obtain the result. It will take up to a month for the finalization of the paperwork. In the end, the headquarter will have to send the information to the holy conservatory and the Runemaster board always has something to process...¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ye Wei grabbed hold of the form Zuo Qiu Ming gave him. He immediately filled it out.


    ¡°I will notify the regional president so that he will send the form out immediately. Meanwhile, please take a look at the runic badge.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming said while looking.


    Ye Wei¡¯s mind wandered as he watched Zuo Qiu Ming leave the room, ¡®I hope it will turn out okay! Grandpa worked very hard rebuilding the family after what happened three years ago,¡¯ the Ye family grounded and stabilized Ye Wei like a root. He was willing to do anything to make sure its safety.


    ¡°Runic badge?¡± Ye Wei lowered his head, looking at the badge made of mysterious material. The badge represented a Runemaster¡¯s status, and the three stars on it meant that Ye Wei was a three-star Runemaster.


    The holy conservatory made the runic badges. Their magic superseded what ordinary cultivators could understand; however, Ye Wei had seen this object before in the hands of Master Yi.


    Ye Wei lifted his finger, channeled his will-force, and gently ced his finger onto the badge. A mysterious mist burst out and became a hologram of a young woman.


    The young woman wore a white silk dress, wrapped in ribbons. Ye Wei almost mistook her for a fairy. Her beautiful facial features, slim figure, and the way she levitated in the air all resembled the tiny elfish creature.


    ¡°Dear Runemaster Ye Wei, hello! I bid you wee to the Runemaster Union!¡± The hologram said smiling. An air of surprise shortly followed. ¡®He looks young! And, already he¡¯s a Runemaster! Impressive!¡¯


    Runemasters¡¯ information were sent to the conservatory and confirmed during the ritual process. Moreover, it contained the top will-force signature recognition security system, allowing nobody else than only areal Runemaster to use the badge.


    ¡°Master Ye, since this is your first time using the runic badge, let me introduce you to its diverse functions.¡±


    ¡°First off, the amount of contribution tokens you have is registered here. You exchange the tokens for mystic arms, stances, forms, pills and herbs. Apart from those, you can also buy nk scrolls, demon blood, demon bones, runic carriages and other rare goods. You may also buy intel and apply to use the Union¡¯s army with this device.¡±


    ¡°You can get anything you need as a Runemaster from this channel if you have enough tokens. Once your order has been ced, we will ensure your order is delivered to you within twenty-four hours as long as you are on this,¡± the hologram continued.


    ¡°If you have problems or questions regarding runes and cultivation, for a price, you may list them on the jade walls where they can be answered by other union members. For a higher price, you can hire other Runemasters and even Grand-Runemasters to guide you!¡±


    ¡°I need to add that there are rank requirements to some of the purchases. For example, if you would like to use a squad of the union¡¯s forces, you will have to be a ten-star Runemaster as well as having a hundred thousand tokens in your ount.¡±


    Ye Wei had seen the badge glued to Master Yi¡¯s hands in the past, but never had he paid attention to what his master did with the device. The girl¡¯s voice was soft and clear, which helped Ye Wei pay attention to the important information.


    ¡°There are many ways to earn contribution tokens, and I will go through the three most effective methods with you right now!¡±


    ¡°Method one, answer the questions listed on the jade walls which you can have ess to through the device in your hand, you will be paid a reward if the information you submitted was useful.¡±


    ¡°Method two, submit stances you refined and created. If you are willing to contribute to the Union¡¯s archive, the Union will pay you a handsome price for your refined stances and your creations, considering you don¡¯t mind them being published at some point.¡±


    ¡°Lastly, method three, hunt wild beasts and demons. The union sells processed demon blood, beast bones, and skins...¡± the hologram exined to Ye Wei the information on how he should prepare the materials, and how they should be packed before he should send them to the Union.


    Although the introduction was long, the shocking functions of the badge kept Ye Wei entertained.


    ¡°...and the badge can read who you are because unlike normal cultivators, Runemasters¡¯ will-force carries a different Soul Presence that is how we identify, locate, and allow our members to talk to one another using the badge.¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s was stunned. He browsed the Union¡¯s inventory and slowly realized why all cultivators secretly wanted to be a Runemaster. A Runemaster¡¯s position was not just the valorous duty of protecting humanity at the frontline; it also represented the rewards of such risk. The riches one could be rewarded was unprecedented.


    ¡°Runemasters cultivate, and for a Runemaster, there is nothing more important than stances and physical weapons. Specifically their Soul Weapons. They are not normal weapons nor are they mystic arms, but instead, self-customized weapons that can carry runes and stances created by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Mystic arms are powerful; however, they are set. They have no space for improvement and refinement Runemasters should always use the advantage of your mastery on runes and make yourself a soul weapon!¡±


    ¡°The information within the badge is broad and wide. We have a list of free volumes on runic information that all of our members can ess. If you wish to dig deeper, you can spend some tokens to gain archive ess.¡±

 Chapter 143 – Sky Stance, Zodiac Sword

    Chapter 143 ¨C Sky Stance, Zodiac Sword


    The recently required information broadened Ye Wei¡¯s horizons; he started to think about concepts and ideas regarding cultivation as he had never imagined before.


    ¡°Master Ye, the conservatory has a tradition of giving newly-titled Runemasters a random stance. This traditional lottery is their reward for passing the entry exam!¡± The sweet, enthusiastic voice said.


    That¡¯s how Master Yi learned his healing stance, the Green Mizzle...¡¯


    The stances gifted to new Runemasters did not guarantee to be high-grade stances, but they were always rare stances. The Green Mizzle given to Master Yi was only a low-level Myst stance; nheless, if he ever decided to sell it at the ck market, it would fetch a high-level Myst stance¡¯s price.


    ¡°When Master Yi was epted into the union, he was randomly given a very practical stance. I hope I will get something functional as well.¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face shone with glimpses of hope and expectation.


    Even though the stance distribution was randomized, the conservatory selected stances ording to each Runemaster¡¯s will-force properties.


    ¡°Master Ye, will you do the lottery now?¡± the hologram asked with a friendly smile.


    ¡°Lottery? Oh, for the stance! Yes, of course!¡± Ye Wei took a deep breath and collected himself.


    ¡°Okay!¡± the hologram nodded and waved her hand. The badge Ye Wei held loudly shook and projected a fortune wheel in the air. It divided into different sections, and each of the sections had a rune carved on it.


    The silvery wheel was shrouded in a thin mist. In the wheel¡¯s center visibly shown a golden pointer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡±


    The wheel spun on its own; no one touched it. Concurrently with the wheel, the golden lotus mark on Ye Wei¡¯s forehead started glowing.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    The wheel rapidly spun; there was no use to estimate what rune one would receive. Amidst the blurriness of the wheel itself, the only visible feature was the golden pointer, and Ye Wei could not take his eyes off the golden pointer for a second.


    ¡°Ding!¡±


    A crisp, alerting sound echoed the room as the wheel stopped spinning. The sharp end of the pointer halted at a small line of letters.


    ¡°Sky stance ¨C Zodiac Sword. Volume one.¡±


    When Ye Wei and the hologram read the chosen small golden letters, they both went silent, indicating their bewilderment and confusion.


    ¡®A Sky stance!? How can that be?¡¯


    The holographic girl covered her mouth while Ye Wei widened his eyes. He could hardly breathe, and she could barely understand. For centuries, a Sky stance has not surfaced in the whole Zhou dynasty.


    Ye Wei imagined Sky stances were just legendary, fictional anything but real. When Pu Yuan told him that Supernova stances could evolve into one, he thought Pu Yuan just exaggerated and Sky stances didn¡¯t exist anymore.


    ¡°I... I...¡± Ye Wei was stupefied. He tried toprehend what kind of power this newly acquired stance might possess.


    ¡°Can that be a Sky stance? I have never seen any Sky stancesing out of the lottery until now!¡± The hologram froze from the shock of this miraculous event; she felt reality was tricking her, ying with her logical mind. Realizing she was embarrassing herself, she shook her head, decided to ept this illogical inconsistency, and congratted Master Ye. She kept staring at Ye Wei, imagining what kind of luck this young boy had as there were only three Sky stances out of billion stances Ye Wei could have won.


    ¡°The first volume of Zodiac Sword... How many volumes are there in total?¡± Ye Wei asked, exhaling heavily at his supernatural luck.


    ¡°This volume can be bought by contribution tokens. You can look for yourself,¡± she waved her hand, and a hologram of arge jade wall appeared out of nowhere, with an extensive list of stance names and prices written on it.


    From top to bottom it said,


    ; grade: Sky stance, number of volumes: twelve, cost: three hundred billion tokens.


    ; grade: Sky stance, number of volumes: eleven, cost: one hundred and eighty billion tokens.


    ; grade: Sky stance, number of volumes: ten, cost: one hundred and twenty billion tokens.


    ; grade: Earth stance, number of volumes: seven, cost: one hundred billion tokens.


    ; grade: Earth stance, number of volumes: seven, cost: eighty-eight billion tokens.


    Ye Wei just stared at the presented list; he couldn¡¯t believe the stance he had just won throughplete chance was the most valuable one on the long list.


    ¡°Volume one cost how much!!?¡± He asked himself, seeing the volume he recently acquired cost ten million tokens. Briefly, he thought how insane that amount wasparing with his master, a ten-star Runemaster, who only had a few hundred thousand tokens.


    Suddenly, Ye Wei remembered the gift the Combat Master vouchsafed to him, making him wonder how random was the lottery.


    ¡°Master Ye, would you derive the stance now?¡± the girl requested softly while Ye Wei contemted this phenomenal gain. Upon buying or acquiring stances, they would be transferred directly into a Runemaster¡¯s mind. The process of collected stances could not be visibly perceived.


    ¡°Absolutely! Derive, please!¡± Ye Wei assented without hesitation. The desire to explore the potentials and possibilities of the rare Zodiac Sword stance was overpowering him.


    The badge in Ye Wei¡¯s hand vibrated slightly; a vast wave of ideas transmitted to his badge from the expansive emptiness of space, directly flooding Ye Wei¡¯s consciousness.


    Although Ye Wei amassed only the first volume of the stance, the amount of information was massive. More than Ye Wei imagined or prepared for; it took over an hour until Ye Wei received the entire content of volume one.


    ¡°Master Ye, once again, I congratte you for bing a part of the union! If you need anything else in the future, you can use this badge to directly summon me,¡± bowing, the girl¡¯s image blurred and eventually faded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, I can¡¯t decipher this stance yet...¡± Ye Wei tightly clenched the badge and shook his head regretfully. He had discovered the minimum level to practice the stance was five-star condensed prime Warrior level.


    Being just a two-star condensed prime Warrior, Ye Wei had a long way to go until he could utilize his new stance. Nevertheless, if he decided to use the Supernova stance, he could be able to try to learn the Sky stance¡¯s basic, foundation. However, this would only be temporarily.


    ¡®Humph, idiot! It¡¯s only a Sky stance. On the other hand, I had offered you something much more powerful. Why would you even bother with something so weak?¡¯ the Progenitor read and disrupted Ye Wei¡¯s mind once again, ¡®Now, don¡¯t you think the Combat Master was a bit stingy, wasn¡¯t he? He was obviously hiding other good stances for himself instead of sharing them with you.¡¯


    ¡®If you are trying to instigate something against the Combat Master, I will not sit here and do nothing! You old hound, I know exactly what you were scheming against me. Remember, I am young, but not a naive fool. Anything as powerful as Heaven stances are based on the creator¡¯s¡¯ cultivation experience and understanding. If I had tried learning your technique, surely, there would have been some awful consequences on myself, right?¡¯ Ye Wei grunted and ignored the Progenitor. He kept himself upied by browsing messages, tips left behind by other Runemasters, and checking the prices of scrolls, mystic arms and other useful cultivation tools.


    Surprisingly, Ye Wei discovered something familiar on the list of forms:


    ; grade: unknown, avable volumes: vol. Two, five and seven, cost: (chap. two) three hundred billion tokens, (chap. five) eight hundred billion tokens, (chap. seven) one hundred billion tokens.


    Ye Wei could not believe it. The form that inspired the creation of the Supernova stance was listed. He reflected on how lucky he was to have given the first chapter by inheriting the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy.


    ¡®Even the Runemaster Union only collected three chapters...hmmm... what is the story behind these volumes?¡¯ Ye Wei decided to buy the second chapter from the union as soon as he earned enough tokens.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I wonder how many tokens the demon blood in my bag is worth!¡± Ye Wei expressed, hoping to gain more wealth soon. He followed the instructions given by the hologram:


    Low-rank demon general blood ¨C reward: five tokens.


    ¡°What?! I nearly lost my life for that!¡± Ye Wei was stunned, His expectations dissipated and he felt deted, realizing how far away he was from his goal. He understood now why even Master Yi only had a few hundred thousand tokens to his ount. ¡°How many decades do I have to live if I wanted to get that Sky stance through my own means...¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯s voice abruptly sounded when Ye Wei continued browsing the goods through his device.


    ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯m here!¡± Ye Wei quickly stood up, replying unexpectedly.

 Chapter 144 – Sonic Runes

    Chapter 144 ¨C Sonic Runes


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡±


    Zuo Qiu Ming smiled brightly as he strode over to the new Runemaster. The sound of his crisp, joyfulughter echoed throughout the room.


    ¡°Mister Zuo.¡± Ye Wei happily bowed. Influenced by Zuo Qiu Ming¡¯sugh, he also smiled widely, safely assuming his application had been approved.


    ¡°Congrattions kid, your papers went through and the Qing state office already approved it!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming felt his words did not fully express his excitement, he apuded Ye Wei with a heavy p on the shoulder, ¡°Hahaha! Finally! Our branch has given birth to a New Rune!¡±


    After getting approval from the Qing state office, it was quite certain Ye Wei would be listed after the standard procedures.


    ¡°Thank you so much Mister Zuo for your help!¡± Ye Wei politely gestured and bowed, relieved that his family was now more or less protected from Lu Feng¡¯s possible schemes.


    Under the pressure of the union, even if Lu Feng had the Lu family behind him, he could not risk his whole family being punished.


    ¡°Little man you are too nice; I am an official here at the union, and I am only doing my duty. The fact that a new talent, such as yourself, came out of this branch is something I should be proud of. If you don¡¯t mind, just call me brother Zuo. Mister Zuo this, Mister Zuo that just sounds weird!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming casually smiled and looked at Ye Wei.


    ¡°Sure! If that is okay with you, brother Zuo!¡± Ye Wei smiled.


    ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re being too modest again. If it¡¯sfortable with you, just call me that!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming was not purposefully befriending Ye Wei to be obsequious. Once the news of Ye Wei bing a Seven New Runes spreads, the whole state will know about it, ensuing requests of dubious friendships and uncertain alliances.


    Ye Wei stayed in the elegant room; he wanted to chat with Zuo Qiu Ming more and not just about business. He found out more personal information including Ye Wei¡¯s master as Zuo expressed a heartfelt admiration of Master Yi¡¯s from stories of the master¡¯s youth.


    Although Ye Wei saw his master, day in and day out for three years of training, the master¡¯s past seldom became a subject they spoke about.


    ¡®So master is not a native of Green Moon City...¡¯ Ye Wei began to discover how little he knew.


    Thirty years ago, Master Yi passed his union entry exam in the capital, and during the same year he became a ten-star Runemaster, shocking the whole capital. That was one of the reason why Zuo Qiu Ming and other experienced Runemasters knew about Master Yi¡¯s past.


    ¡°He was a ten-star Runemaster thirty years ago!? Then why is he still on the same level...?¡± Ye Wei asked himself, confused but hesitant to ask out loud.


    Zuo Qiu Ming looked at the badge in Ye Wei¡¯s hand and smiled, ¡°this badge you are holding can save you life. Apart from trading goods and tokens, if you are in the field attacked by demons, wild beasts, you can inject your will-force into it and activate a distress signal function. Once it¡¯s been activated, it will notify all Runemasters within two hundred kilometers, so they coulde to your rescue. Of course it goes both ways.¡±


    ¡®I must take care of it and keep it safe!¡¯ thought Ye Wei. Even though the badge requires a Runemaster¡¯s will-force for activation, it would still be troublesome if it fell into someone else¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Additionally, news and messages from the region¡¯s branch and the main headquarter will update everyday. You can find this information also on your device. That¡¯s the primary way union branchesmunicate with each other. For example, the news of your passing at sixteen-years of age has already spread. It¡¯s reasonable to conclude Master Yi has learned of your position as a three-star Runemaster now. Furthermore, when you officially be a part of the Seven New Runes, all union members will recognize your name!¡± Zuo Qiu Ming smiled and said, ¡°from now on, if you meet a Runemaster, you can just tell them your name. They will know who you are and probably help you with whatever problems you may have. They may even assume you are an object of protection. Now with the questions on the jade walls it¡¯s every man for himself!¡±


    ¡°Can the runic badge receive messages from the Runemaster Union?¡± Ye Wei was dumbfounded, but he regained his reason ¡®if the badge can ry voice messages and holograms from the headquarter far way, receiving messages from the union should not be a difficult thing.¡¯


    ¡°Apart from textual messages, five-star Grand-Runemasters and above can send and receive visual images. Yet, only a few people in the Zhou dynasty are capable of doing so. Normally, this is only done with drastic urrences. asionally we can also receive images from demon emperors!¡±


    ¡°Can do what?¡± Ye Wei asked appalled.


    ¡°Well, you see, the Combat Master designed the badge long ago. It is packed with very powerful runes and runs on the surrounding primal energy. Some demon emperors idently learned how the routing worked. Thus from time to time, they will harass us. However, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. They are strong but usually do not do anything more than just taunt. Of course, we will know instantly if anything bad happens.¡± Zuo Qiu Ming patiently exined.


    ¡°Thank you for exining all the details! Brother Zuo!¡± Ye Wei smiled and made a polite hand gesture.


    ¡°Haha! You are being modest again!¡± Zuo Qiu Mingughed, appreciated Ye Wei¡¯s humility and became even more fond of the young Runemaster.


    After everything that had urred, Ye Wei stayed in a guest room in the Ning City Runemaster branch, studied the runic badge and researched into rules and guidelines of the union.


    Within in the next two days, he saw the most expensive things avable to buy and the cheapest; thankfully, the cheapest items only costed single digit tokens, actually manageable to obtain.


    ¡°Security?¡± One of the columns on the catalog caught Ye Wei¡¯s attention.


    The Runemaster Union recruited powerful cultivators from different dynasties everyday, and union members could hire them as followers with contribution tokens.


    ¡°Hmmm, hiring a five-star condensed prime Warrior would take more than thirty thousand tokens!¡± Ye Wei eximed in his thoughts, thinking that it was actually a reasonable price. If he had enough tokens, he could even hire a god¡¯s prime Warrior. However, hiring a returned prime Warrior would cost a few hundred thousand to millions of contribution tokens. Ye Wei finally decided this was not something he should waste his time looking into right now.


    ¡®If we can get a few returned prime Warriors to look over the family mansion, even the Lu family wouldn¡¯t be able to touch us,¡¯ Ye Wei sighed, he wished he had more tokens to spend.


    Besides mercenaries, Ye Wei was also interested in soul weapons. They were unenchanted weapons made of high quality materials. Every time Runemasters mastered a new stance, they would engrave the respective simplified rune sequence onto their soul weapons. These weapons would eventually be stronger, more suitable for their owners as they were exposed to each Runemaster¡¯s unique will-force and Qi.


    Soul weapons¡¯ power will fade after their owners¡¯ death., making them unable to be passed down.. Although they were high quality weapons, their prices were often less than the cost of mystic arms.


    Ordinary soul weapons were made of thunder-gold, costing a few hundred tokens each. But the superior models made of emperor-jade, ancestor-gold and other more valuable materials could cost up to a few million tokens. The real value of soul weapons was their customizability; the stronger the weapon owner became the more powerful the des and spears of the weapon would be.


    Seeing all these treasures avable, Ye Wei desired them, his inability to buy the sound quality weapons annoyed and upset. He didn¡¯t want the items he could afford only the ones he couldn¡¯t.


    Ye Wei t began nning how he could quickly earn contribution tokens. He recalled what the hologram told him that the quickest and painless way to acquire tokens was to answer the listed questions.


    He decided to turn his desires into reality. Activating the badge, he was immediately surrounded by arge wave of primal energy from the device as runes burst out.


    Questions appeared in Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    ¡°Are these all questions on the jade walls?¡± Ye Wei found many of the questions rtively easy to answer even though he was rewarded rtively low, only two tokens per question. Nevertheless, in a short time he gained around five contribution tokens..


    ¡®It¡¯s way quicker to earn tokens this way than to hunt demons!¡¯ He concluded remembering how close to death he was while fighting the ck mist n demon.


    What Ye Wei didn¡¯t realize was that the demon general he fought was only that powerful because of the ck scale. Otherwise, Ye Wei would have no problem hunting twenty demons of that level.


    So, he just browsed and answered question after question. The further he read, the more difficult they became, and the more tokens they paid out. Although Ye Wei could answer a lot of the questions, he dared not to answer the more difficult ones as he was not quite experienced enough.


    ¡°This is the fifty-third wall, and each of these questions rewards more than ten thousand tokens! But, none can be answered with only simple answers. I need more experience and practical understanding if I want to efficiently earn more tokens!¡±


    ¡°My knowledge is actually very underdeveloped...¡± Ye Wei acknowledged. Slightly discouraged. Although the Mystic Mount¡¯s presence in his Sentient provided him with a lot of answers and runic knowledge, he began to realize that a lot of them were not answerable until he had experience practicing them in reality.


    Ye Wei went through another thirty questions only to discover they were all rted to the applicational aspects of runes. He realized he would be better off answering the easier questions to slowly umte more tokens.


    Just when he was returning to the questions before, a short, simple question grabbed his attention.


    ¡°What is this straightforward question doing here?!¡± The question rted to specialized rune rewards to whoever could answer correctly. ¡°How is this unanswered!?¡± Ye Wei double checked the wording just to make sure he was not imagining things:


    ¡°How is the thirty-second of the thirty-six runes from the Sonic Rune Set constructed?¡±


    ¡®How can the answer to this question be worth two-hundred thousand tokens!?¡¯ Ye Wei thought excitedly; all the other questions on the same section of the jade wall discussed how runes should be assembled with each other in order to maximize their power inbat and in stance creation setting.


    He channeled his will-force and drew forth the rune in the question. Since there were over a billion rune shapes in Ye Wei¡¯s head, answering a basic question like this was rather effortless for him.


    ¡ª


    Over a million miles away in the reign of Sacred Snow dynasty, three Grand-Runemasters sat around a table on the submit of a mountain, drinking and chatting.


    ¡°The Sacred Snow dynasty just keeps bing stronger and stronger! We already have a hundred thousand passing the entry exam this year!¡± Said Yang Shuo. Being the union¡¯s president in his dynasty, Yang Shuo often checked the figures to see how well the country was doing just in case he needed to strategize a n.


    ¡°I have heard! It is a great pleasure to be working aside you and seeing how well our branch is doing!¡± The two Grand-Runemasters smiled and nodded.


    Abruptly, all three of them were rmed by a sudden surge of Qi disturbanceing from Yang Shuo¡¯s runic badge, ¡°Oh! I think someone must have answered one of my jade wall questions!¡± he said surprisingly.


    ¡°Oh no, who was unlucky enough to pick one of your annoying questions!? Haha!¡±


    Yang Shuo lifted his head, took out the device, and frowned. He quickly stood up, shocked, ¡° guys, you need to see this!¡±

 Chapter 145 – Jian Chen

    Chapter 145 ¨C Jian Chen


    ¡°What is it?¡± one of the Grand-Runemasters asked, seeing a buoyant smile on Yang Shuo¡¯s face, ¡°could it be the question regarding the specialized runes?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Yang Shuo nodded heavily. As he was reading the answer his voice broke from pure excitement, ¡°all thirty-six runes in the Sonic Rune Set are very powerful, but the set has been extinct since centuries ago. Recently, there has been a project to rediscover them. Thirty-five of them were recovered by Grand-Runemasters, but the thirty-second rune of the set is still nowhere to be found. I think that rune holds the key to me being able to create the Sonic Lion Roar stance. The stance I have been working on for years!¡±


    All the sources on the Sonic Rune Set the Grand Runemasters have read mention the elusive thirty-second rune. None of the Grand Runemasters could find, so they eventually gave up, ending the project prematurely.


    ¡°This is it! It finally makes sense!¡± Yang Shuo excitedly screamed after carefully inspected the rune Ye Wei drew just moments ago. He could imagine the rune¡¯s simrities and continuity with the rest of the set.


    Yang Shuo¡¯s heart ecstatically raced. He couldn¡¯t believe, after all, this time, the hardest of the three questions listed on the wall had been answered. Especially, the one answer he desperately needed to be answered but did not expect, let alone, be answered correctly. He was more than happy to pay out the two-hundred thousand tokens for him this was no problem.


    ¡°Ha! Maybe I should get in contact with this person... Wait, what!? He¡¯s sixteen years old? And he¡¯s a three-star Runemaster!?¡± His eyes bulged at the knowledge a sixteen-year-old three-star Runemaster answered his unanswerable question. Since he was the president of a branch, he could check the identity of individual members.


    ¡°A teenager!?¡± The other two Grand-Runemasters dropped their jaws, exchanging a look of shock amongst themselves, ¡°maybe he just got lucky and found the rune in his family¡¯s library.¡±


    ¡°This genius of a kid is called Ye Wei. He passed with flying colors. So, I can see here... He didn¡¯t just randomly stumble upon the fifty-third wall. Instead, he answered a few questions before this one. Usually only Grand-Runemasters will browse this far, but still, I don¡¯t think luck yed a part in this,¡± Yang Zhuo said. Clearly, he was interested in Ye Wei and trying to deduce from the information he had, ¡°I always thought Zhou dynasty was weak inparison to us!¡±


    Yang Zhuo memorized the young Runemaster¡¯s name, hoping he would meet Ye Wei one day.


    Basking in blissful joy for earning two hundred thousand contribution tokens, Ye Wei waspletely clueless to how much he impressed a president of a powerful monarchy. Although he was still unable to afford everything that caught his eyes earlier on, the amount was very much impressive. The amount motivated Ye Wei to save up for the most expensive items in the catalog instead of spending the tokens on something more affordable but less useful.


    ¡°I will pause now and take a break from answering questions... Wait, I have been here for two days, I should return now!¡± Ye Wei eximed, realizing how effortlessly he passed the time.


    After bidding farewell to Zuo Qiu Ming, Ye Wei left the union branch and ran towards the Gxy Academy. He remembered that South Star was scheduled to face Zhoutian Sword School today. As well, he knew for a fact if he was not present, South Star would not stand a chance.


    Though Jian Chen was not yet a God¡¯s Seven, it didn¡¯t mean he was not as strong as one. He just hadn¡¯t faced any of the seven yet; therefore, he didn¡¯t have a chance to im the title officially.


    Arriving at the meeting between the two schools, Ye Wei felt an immense Qi disturbance in Jian Chen¡¯s body. Jian Chen¡¯s Qi level could easily equal that of Shi Hun Tian¡¯s Qi at full strength.


    This was why Ye Wei looked forward to fighting with Jian Chen. After fighting three powerful opponents, he had learned a few new stances, improved in cultivation, and could not wait to use his new techniques inbat.


    While Ye Wei was running to the tournament venue, contestants from all the thirty-six school were vigorouslypeting with each other.


    On tform two, Jian Chen of Zhoutian Sword School was wearing his simple white robe, as usual, standing in the middle of the amethyst tform, smiling at the South Star camp.


    ¡°Excuse me by any chance, would any of you know where brother Ye is and when will he be here?¡± The tournament had already started an hour ago, and a lot of matches were even ending soon, but Jian Chen refused to start fighting.


    Jian Chen had yet to see Ye Wei, and the rest of South Star was too weak to fight him. He was not willing to sabotage the good rtionship between Zhoutian Sword School and South Star. He knew he could effortlessly destroy all of South Star¡¯s, so effortlessly, in fact, that would disgrace and embarrass himself. He would be more of a bully than a respectable fighter.


    The understanding was also mutual; Liu Jian, Chen Mo and the rest of South Star were patiently waiting for their ace to show up.


    ¡°If I win without defeating brother Ye, it would be unfair. Don¡¯t be offended, please. I mean no disrespect at all, and I am happy to wait,¡± Jian Chen had been looking forward to this fight ever since he saw Ye Wei¡¯s performance. He did not see the point of fighting with South Star if he wasn¡¯t able to fight Ye Wei.


    The tournament was halfway over. There were only four teams that had not drop one match: Gxy Academy, South Star Academy, Seven Star School, and Zhoutian Sword School.


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen Jian Chen fighting every day for more than two weeks. We know how strong he is; there is no point for South Star to fight without Ye Wei present.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Ye Wei is scared of losing his title? Maybe that¡¯s why he¡¯s not showing up!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You see, cultivators of that caliber take great pride in their cultivation. They are extremelypetitive and will not cowardly skip a fight! We can just watch Gxy fighting Seven Star before Ye Wei shows up. I want to watchst year¡¯s champions ending Seven Star¡¯s winning streak!¡±


    The young cultivators around tform two were all curious and started to get impatient.


    Meanwhile, on the cloud tform, the influential people were looking at each other, confused and frustrated.


    ¡°I have not seen Ye Wei for two days now.¡± The Green Army generals looked unpleased and unimpressed because of Ye Wei¡¯s absence.


    ¡°Generals, I recently heard some news from the Runemaster Union. Two days ago, two cultivators just passed the entry exam and became Runemasters here in Ning City,¡± the City Lord stated calmly to the military personal.


    ¡°So, what has that got to do with anything?¡± one of the generals disdainfully replied back. The general despised talking about the Runemaster Union since the army often found themselvespeting with the union recruiting new blood.


    ¡°Well...actually, it has everything to do with the South Star fight, one of those two youngsters who passed the exam is called Ye Wei, coincidentally,¡± the City Lord continued, grinning.


    ¡°Coincidentally? You mean...¡± the Green Army generals narrowed their eyes and looked at each other; they understood what the City Lord implied.


    Their conversation was interrupted by the noisy crowd below.


    ¡°How could this be!?¡±


    ¡°How did all three of them lose?¡±


    ¡°The three strongest cultivators from Gxy Academy just lost to a nobody from the Seven Star School!¡±


    ¡°The fights took no time at all! What¡¯s the kid¡¯s name from Seven Star again?¡±


    The whole crowd went wild as three of the God¡¯s Seven were defeated within such a short time frame.


    ¡°I asked myself the same question, but that kid defeated them way too fast! I guess those three from Gxy could not see his moves either! No wonder, they couldn¡¯t defend themselves properly!¡±


    The ending result was entirely unexpected. Even the audience watching high up in the clouds did not foresee the oue. They looked down at the dark skinned Tu Fu Sheng. The dark horse¡¯s moves were too fast for the young ones; however, the influential people saw Tu Fu Sheng¡¯s power. They understood that such agility and strength came from a cultivation level over a five-star condensed prime.


    Unfortunately for the trio of Gxy Academy who were by no means weak, they faced an opponent that significantly outssed them.


    Nheless, both young and old were impressed by such a fight; whereas, the City Lord and the generals of the Green Army realized they were looking at a youngster who would be able to rank high even in state-stage.


    Tu Fu Sheng slowly stopped after sorely beating his opponents, ¡°Now, how did you three be God¡¯s Seven, again?¡± Tu Fu Sheng chuckled, looking at his badly defeated opponents from afar.


    The defeated top three cultivators felt humiliated, resentment and bewilderment shown on their faces. None of them imagined themselves losing to this upstart, a neer with no past. It was not just his speed they could not match; it was also his strange fighting style that they could not have prepared for despite all their hard work.


    ¡°I will admit you fought well, but we will beat you next time,¡± Feng Yi said calmly, even in defeat. He then led his teammates away from the amethyst tform.


    Tu Fu Sheng looked towards tform two, right into Jian Chen¡¯s eyes. Both their gaze intensified as they realized they were looking at each other. Moments after, he jumped down the tform and exited with swagger.


    tform two remained quiet while crowds elsewhere screamed at the teams who were finishing their fight.


    Chen Mo decided to break the silence, ¡°brother Jian, we appreciate your gesture, but we shouldn¡¯t make you wait any longer, let¡¯s...¡±


    He was interrupted by the screaming of his schoolmates.


    ¡°He¡¯s back!¡±


    Joe Yin, Cao Ning screamed, and the rest of South Star cheered. Looking towards the entrance, they saw a young man in green robe; his energy condensed into two feathered wings which pped as he quickly headed towards tform two.


    ¡°About time!¡± vice-principal Xu impatiently and excitedly looked at the young maning.


    ¡°Brother Ye, are you okay? After such a long wait, I started to worry about you!¡± a heartfelt smile appeared on Jian Chen¡¯s chiseled face. He stood straight to show respect, greeted Ye Wei, and grabbed his beloved sword.


    Though Jian Chen appeared cold and insensitive, in actuality, he was caring and understanding, maybe too much so, and he just didn¡¯t know how adequately to express his emotions without seeming weak.


    Like Jian Chen, Ye Wei did not think about winning or losing; instead, he just wanted a good,petitive fight where he could learn from his opponent.


    The crowd became louder since this match would decide the second team that remained undefeated and possibly crown a new God¡¯s Seven.

 Chapter 146 – Zhoutian Sword Notion

    Chapter 146 ¨C Zhoutian Sword Notion


    Ye Wei and Jian Chen, smirking and standing in silence, faced one another on opposite ends of the circr tform, anticipating the formidable battle about to take ce.


    Their presence rose and expanded as the anticipation grew in themselves and their audience.


    Jian Chen stood still, allowing his Qi profile to increase. His razor sharp Qi rose towards the heavens, the only ce which allowed such a bone-chilling breeze. As the Qi wrapped around the tform and filled the arena, the onlookers shivered, thinking winter hade.


    In Ye Wei¡¯s eyes there flickered a sh of fear. He discovered his opponents sword was made of runes. This meant Jian Chen¡¯s Qi was powerful enough to keep the integrity of his runes for an extended period.


    Ye Wei emboldened his Sentient, sending a rush of thick, immense will-force throughout his body. He lifted his right hand and wrote a long sequence of runes spraying a mercury-like texture in the air, mingling with Chen¡¯s icy Qi.


    ¡°Brother Ye, I just want to let you know, I respect you greatly, but I will fight you with everything I have, my respect will not make me weak!¡± There was an air of determination on Jian Chen¡¯s childish face. He slowly pointed his sword to the ground at a blunt angle; it sent waves of rippling runes in all directions.


    ¡°It¡¯s Zhoutian Sword Notion!¡± The audience on the clouds quickly recognized Jian Chen¡¯s technique.


    Zhoutian Sword Notion was Jian Shi Yu¡¯s signature move and defining attack. The technique imitated the positioning of three-hundred and sixty-five of the brightest stars in the sky all centered around the sun. It contained an infinite amount of possible routes. No one could be certain of the attack¡¯s direction and without certainty it almost impossible to defend against and escape unthinkable.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing he learned this technique at such a young age. I can envision a bright future ahead of him already!¡± the City Lord eximed; he could not help but to admire young Jian Chen¡¯s achievement.


    ¡°The neers this year are incredible!¡± The cloud¡¯s higher ups cheered and conjectured like they were the school kids again.


    Not every year did they see three young cultivators taking out God¡¯s Seven as was done earlier. Moreover, it was even a rarer sight seeing all three aces of Gxy Academy being taken out.


    ¡°Admirable young ones indeed! We will be reced by them very soon from the looks of it...¡±


    ¡°We should rejoice that mankind is producing such talented new blood!¡±


    ¡°Well, that is a good way to perceive it!!¡±


    Simultaneously, Tu Fu Sheng examined tform two from a distance, his lips slightly curled up. His eyes shed green but immediately faded before anyone caught a glimpse.


    ¡°Huh, you guys think you¡¯re so tough. Well! I will watch to see which one of you is more worthy to fight me!¡± Sheng thought but did not say, only his face revealed the jealousy in his heart.


    Exposed to Jian Chen¡¯s mysterious energy, Ye Wei felt gravity left him floating in the expansiveness of space with the stars.


    ¡°The Zhoutian Sword Notion is a conceptional stance. Meaning, it allows Jian Chen to materialize the weapons he constructs in his mind. Anything you mentally visualize will appear in reality, so I¡¯ll be fighting you in two arenas, one mentally and one physically...¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes lit up Instead of fearing this unknown battle tactic, he weed the new imposing danger with an open mind, letting himself be inspired by Jian Chen.


    ¡®Falling Star form!¡¯


    Ye Wei channeled his energy; the runes in his palms transformed and grew into three sharp runic swords: one red, one blue, and one purple de.


    This technique, Selenic Triple-Primal Sword, was what Ye Wei learned after breaking through to a condensed prime Warrior. Although appearance-wise the two methods differed, Ye Wei¡¯s technique¡¯s runic structure was simr to his opponent¡¯s. Jian Chen¡¯s mentor, Jian Shi Yu observed the simrity. He narrowed his eyes and asked curiously to Xu He who stood next to him, ¡° Who is this kid¡¯s mentor... Could it be Gu Qing?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± vice-principal Xu replied, shook his head, ¡°He is Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice!¡±


    ¡°Oh?! Master Yi¡¯s apprentice? I understand now...¡± Jian Shi Yu nodded, ¡°How else can this kid be so strong yet still so young... Gu Qing is too stiff to mentor such a flexible young cultivator. Mimicking one¡¯s opponent would be thest lesson principal Gu would teach his apprentices. I wonder, was he taught to use the sword or did he naturally chose the sword? Nheless, all of it is impressive.¡±


    Xu He smiled but inwardly felt bitterness towards Jian Shi Yu and his ruthless critique, wondering if his boss should know.


    Jian Chen¡¯s loud grunt captured everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°Brother Ye, are you ready?¡± He stared straight t at Ye Wei; his direct gaze briefly cast his opponent in a trace while the rune array near Jian Chen twinkled and spun around like an astral storm. Zodiac signs were integrated together, bing runic des.


    A silent pause and then a hail-like noise filled the air; the thousand runic des like gctic ice n furiously stormed down upon Ye Wei.


    The fearsome Qi des crackled and broke on the tform, fracturing and marked it with a web of cracks resembling a giant spider web.


    Ye Wei¡¯s gaze focused on his opponent. His three selenic swords expanded, each bing thirty meters long. Particrly, the red one became a long zing fire spear which he shot towards Jian Chen.


    The fire engulfed the air making the fire grow thicker and wider. The impact of Ye Wei¡¯s attack weighed the tform down too much causing the amethyst block to break into two halves.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    The two stance collided in mid-air, breaking the amethyst tform into even smaller debris.


    Of course, the matchup of two gifted cultivators was assumed to be intense, fearsome, and destructive. Nevertheless, the fracturing of the solid stone was iprehensible to the audience. Everyone was stunned to see the devastation urring just from the beginning of the match.


    Apart from the City Lord, everyone sitting on the cloud tform was high-level condensed prime Warriors. However, the two teenagers¡¯ amount of destruction frightened yet awed the elite fighters.


    On the destroyed tform, the raging Qi swords rampaged and whizzed everywhere. After waves and waves of their Qi¡¯s crushing force, the two teenagers were fighting on a bed of sharp stones instead of a smooth surface.


    ¡°This is way too powerful!¡± Ye Wei looked in Jian Chen¡¯s direction; their eyes met.


    The starlight in Jian Chen¡¯s pupils iridescently brightened. The Zodiac des¡¯ presence enhanced as they became one with his Qi. It looked as if Jian Chen was bing a sharp-edged weapon himself! He mentally envisioned himself into reality.


    The growing sharp presence applied significant pressure on Ye Wei.


    ¡®Supernova first evolution!¡¯


    Ye Wei grunted as his Qi presence steeply exploded, empowered, and erged the Selenic Triple-Primal Sword stance, allowing the runes engraved on his bones to shine like the sun. He was absorbing Jian Chen¡¯s Zhoutian Sword Notion.


    The cial Emperor created the Selenic Triple Primal Sword stance. The stance infused three different kinds of energy and the Emperor¡¯s Supreme Sword Notation. Thus, Ye Wei¡¯s technique took advantage of Jian Chen¡¯s rune array, absorbing the bursting energy and strengthening itself.


    The selenic primal swords shed before Ye Wei¡¯s dark eyes. He was studying the movements and patterns of the sword and would soon mimic them.


    Although it was not a high-grade stance, the stance contained infinite unknown sword strikes based on the cial Emperor¡¯s swordsman experience.


    The Supernova evolution¡¯s effect boosted Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation power three times higher.


    ¡°What is going on?!¡± Jian Chen discerningly frowned. He could feel his sword notion being slowly absorbed by Ye Wei¡¯s selenic swords. Additionally, he noticed Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation exploding into a four-star condensed prime level.


    ¡®So, this is his real strength?¡¯ Jian Chen felt threatened as Ye Wei¡¯s Qi fell onto him like a rising tide, ¡®Bloodmoon Tri-Eye stance!¡¯ He grunted from the strain of the massive energy levels require to create a new-moon-shaped third eye. This eye appeared on his forehead while three bolts of sharp, transparent Qi sped towards Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei startlingly felt the density change in the Sword Notation.


    ¡°Fine then, Let¡¯s go!¡± Ye Wei shouted.


    A majestic force wave emerged from the fusion of Ye Wei¡¯s three selenic swords. The wave came rushing towards Jian Chen at an incredible speed.


    Jian Chen¡¯s stance prated Ye Wei¡¯s Qi swords at lightning speed; nheless, its initial momentum was slowed down by Ye Wei¡¯s solid and powerful stance, the fight slowly developed to just a battle of swords.


    ¡®Even if I lose, my sword mustn¡¯t!¡± Jian Chen looked fiercely determined. He began to continuously inject Qi into his Bloodmoon Tri-Eye stance, stubbornly trying to dismantle Ye Wei¡¯s threat.


    ¡°Break!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes glowed hysterical as he screamed.


    ¡°Boom! Boom!¡±


    All three of Jian Chen¡¯s newly formed runic swords imploded and swiftly disappeared; they were incinerated by Ye Wei¡¯s zing sword. The selenic swords then absorbed Jian Chen¡¯s energy, gathering an unstoppable momentum.


    ¡°It¡¯s been broken?¡± A sh of confusion and disappointment appeared in Jian Chen¡¯s eyes. He did not expect Ye Wei to beat him at his own game. The average audience was unable to see the epic battle of their runic powers under all the dust stirred up from the epic sh of energy swords.


    However, Jian Shi Yu, City Lord Chen Yuan, and a few other powerful cultivators could discern the great advantage Ye Wei had due to his strange stance, from what they could understand, he turned Jian Chen¡¯s swords hostile to their user.


    Technically, it was a Machiavellian maneuver to turn opponents¡¯ stances against themselves almost akin to cheating; the technique remained eptable because Ye Wei was essentially empowering his stance.


    Since the tournament began, Ye Wei had disyed an astounding ability to grow and adapt quickly: from learning Qi Xiu¡¯s Starshifter form, to using Jian Chen¡¯s sword notion, the City Lord was shocked by Ye Wei¡¯s speed and his ability to observe and copy.


    Ye Wei was like a dry sponge, soaking all the energy, stances, and forms he fought against in his quest to be stronger.


    Without Jian Chen¡¯s stance infused with his own, Ye Wei¡¯s Selenic Triple-Primal Sword was just an advanced mid-level Myst stance; but, with the sword notion, it became as dominant as forbidden-level.


    Feeling the sharp edges of Ye Wei¡¯s stance, Jian Chen stumbled and leaped backward as Ye Wei¡¯s three selenic swords merged into one and dug a deep scar onto the mountain top.


    Jian Chen dodged the iing attack as fast as he could; however, Ye Wei eventually pushed him to the edge without him realizing it.


    Ye Wei did not appear exhausted after this extraordinary energy disy. Instead, he felt energetic and alive.His runes and stance were shining even brighter, burning even hotter than the beginning of the match.


    Staring admirably at Ye Wei, Jian Chen showed his respect with a slight nod and a soft gaze.


    ¡°Like I told you earlier Ye Wei, I will use all my strength against you as a token of respect, please do the same so that we can learn from each other!¡± Jian Chen said solemnly. Then the moon-shaped third eye on his forehead shone brightly while a pale-red, circr ball of energy slowly formted.


    The whole mountain top was painted red.


    The silenced audience felt like time had stopped flowing, haunted by the stillness and suffocation.


    ¡°What eerie stance is this?! It is an impressive moon-shaped globe of energy!¡±


    ¡°Scary!¡±


    None of the youngsters around could ignore the presence that was now crushing them physically; they all pitied Ye Wei as they could imagine what kind of power he will soon have to confront.

 Chapter 147 – Half Bloodmoon Assassination Sword

    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Wave after wave of force rippled and burst from Jian Chen like a tsunami with each wave bing stronger than thest.


    As the ball of moon-shaped energy becamerger its redness became more vivid and shone brighter.


    ¡°The bloodmoon behind him was filled with aggression. What kind of stance is this?¡± Ye Wei thought, startled from this unknown but impressive stance. A shiver went down his spine as he felt like a leaf floating in the middle of the ocean during a storm and that he could be crushed at any moment.


    Although Ye Wei was under the effect of Supernova stance, his strength that wasparable to a four-star condensed prime Warrior did not make him feel any safer while confronting Jian Chen¡¯s stance.


    Ye Wei was struggling, and on the verge of being brought down to his knees; his bones began to crack, and the runes on his bones circted at an elerated speed.


    ¡®Supernova stance, second evolution!¡¯


    Ye Wei screamed in pain as the energy in his body condensed further, before Jian Chen released the immense surge at the bloodmoon.


    Jian Chen felt the aggressive, rampaging surge of energy and looked concerned. He could never have imagined that Ye Wei was capable of matching the power of his best stance. He slowly lifted the sword up causing the bloodmoon behind him began to rotate.


    The two different colored dark and pale energies expanded and contracted in a cycle. Jian Chen¡¯s stance resembled the various phases of the moon from full to gibbous, to crescent, then to new moon and back again.


    The pulsing moon cycles shocked and impressed the audience high up in the sky.


    ¡°It¡¯s that stance! I never would have thought!¡±


    ¡°He is capable of using this stance... That is incredible! Jian Shi Yu is full of surprises, and I am sure he has created a monster!¡± The lively spection went on.


    Even the City Lord joined in and became uncharacteristically chatty.


    Xu He¡¯s face expressed a sense of wariness. He anxiously looked at Jian Shi Yu, ¡°Principal Jian, please make sure Jian Chen doesn¡¯t be too reckless, he can kill Ye Wei!¡±


    Jian Shi Yu smiled, and replied with a gentle tone, ¡°Rx Xu He, Jian Chen knows where to draw the line¡±


    ¡®Rx!? What do you mean rx?!¡¯ Xu He turned his head back towards the martial tform. His legs shook from just looking at the bloodmoon and feeling its pressure. He nervous for Ye Wei..


    Meanwhile, Ye Wei¡¯s Qi still expanded while his Supernova stance second evolution was reaching its peak. The condensed Qi rushed into his limbs, creating a shrill, cracking sound.


    ¡®Ha, you think you can beat that stance just with Qi? You will need to do more than that if you want to survive! You will drop dead once he has finished channeling the stance!¡¯ The Progenitor suddenlymented, chuckling.


    ¡®Shut up you!¡¯ Ye Wei grunted, secretly acknowledging the truth in the Progenitor¡¯s statement. He looked steadily at the bloodmoon, and he could feel a fearsome presence hidden deep within the flowing, pulsing energy.


    ¡®I will show you the way this one time. This stance is called Skywheel Bloodmoon. You can easily defend against yourself against by activating your Qi and use these runes!¡¯ the demon projected a few shapes in Ye Wei¡¯s mind. His mesmerizing voice echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    Jian Chen pointed his sword towards the sun, ¡°Brother Ye, careful now, this is Blood moon Assassination Sword. The Sword Master during his prime created it. Though it was an unfinished creation, it is so powerful I cannot even fully control it.¡±


    The Progenitor was dumbfounded, ¡®God damn it! The stupidity of humans shocks me; Are you humans really this stupid? You two are opponents. Why in the hell would you tip each other on what stance you will use?!¡¯


    ¡®Well, you are so knowledgeable why does it even matter? It took you no time at all to figure out what stance he was using.¡¯ Ye Wei sarcastically replied.


    ¡®Pfft, if you keep up that attitude than I don¡¯t care! It¡¯s you who will be demolished by the Sword Master¡¯s stance.¡¯ The Progenitor was bing irritated.


    ¡®Blood Moon Assassination Sword?¡¯ Ye Wei narrowed his eyes.


    Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient shed golden. Jian Chen¡¯s stance suddenly slowed down and the runes became clear. The young Runemaster could now see the mystical ways the blood moon was constructed.


    ¡°So this sword stance is simply an extension of the other stance he used earlier!¡± Ye Wei stated. He stared right at Jian Chen¡¯s stance to analyze its structure.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡®The flying wheel covers the sky, the blood moon floats then it sinks, where it starts is where it ends!¡¯ Ye Wei finallyprehended Jian Chen¡¯s stance¡¯s power cycle from the mild new moon phase to the power surge of the full moon phase.


    ¡®Only full moons can be nicked, the rounder an object is, the more stress its surface, the high one gets the faster one falls!¡¯ Ye Wei grunted. His body filled with condensed Qi to a point he overflowed with power. It bursted out in every direction, thickening the air around the martial tforms.


    While most of the spectating crowd thought Ye Wei¡¯s chance to beat Jian Chen¡¯s stance would be at the blood moon¡¯s dimmest phase, Ye Wei favored the opposite.


    ¡®Six, seven, eight-star condensed prime Warrior level.¡¯ As every rune on Ye Wei¡¯s bone glowed golden. The rune cirction strengthened his cultivation from a two-star condensed prime warrior to almost a peak eight-star level warrior.


    His Qi burst like a river,but as the Qi fell into his hands it be swords, using them to fall upon his foe simultaneously.


    Exactly what Ye Wei calcted, the rune structure of Jian Chen¡¯s stance maxed out Jian Chen¡¯s power when the blood moon was at itsrgest. The red moon shape slowly shrunk as some of the bonds between runes were broken by Selenic Triple-Primal Sword.


    The timing of Ye Wei¡¯s strike was perfect.


    Ye We¡¯s Qi crushed the blood moon¡¯s structure, causing its spherical shape to fall apart.


    The Progenitor watched everything that had just urred inside Ye Wei¡¯s head. He was stunned; he couldn¡¯t imagine Ye Wei still concealed aces up his sleeves and how perfect the counter strike¡¯s timing was.


    The Supernova¡¯s stance in second evolution phase granted Ye Wei the power of an eight-star condensed prime Warrior. Jian Chen was lucky to know how to use the Sword Master¡¯s stance, or he would not have stood a chance.


    Jian Chen represents the summit of Qing state when it came to cultivation. The sage¡¯s stance he learned contained power which even exceeding Myst stances. This stance allowed him an edge over most other young cultivators in the region.


    However, Jian Chen¡¯s cultivation was too low; as a result, he could not use the Sword Master¡¯s unfinished stance to its fullest potential. If a returned prime Warrior used the same stance, he could defeat anyone at the same cultivation level. And this was only an unfinished stance, a person who would finish orplete would be able to found their own n.


    After the blood moon disintegrated, the crowd was rendered silent. No one dared to even breath because of such shock and anticipation of what was next toe. could be heard as everyone held their breath in shock.


    ¡°How could that burst of energy be so powerful?! I wouldn¡¯t dare to think the blood moon could be defeated by anyone lesser than a returned prime Warrior! He didn¡¯t use a scroll right?¡± The youngsters al came up with their own spections.


    ¡°Eight-star condensed prime cultivation! How... How is that possible!? The audience high up were not only impressed but concerned as well from Ye Wei¡¯s disy of power.


    ¡°He is just sixteen! I have never seen anyone like that in Ning City... No, actually, I have never seen someone this young as strong as this in the whole of Zhou dynasty.


    ¡°Now, that is a powerful amplification stance!¡± The City Lord stared at Ye Wei¡¯s back while murmuring, ¡°Yi Yan... What did you feed this young monster!¡±


    City Lord Chen Yuan ruled f thirty-six cities in the region. He could gain any information he desired on any person that caught his eye. In fact, he had his men investigat Ye Wei after he saw the fight between South Star and Pris on day one.


    This was how he knew Ye Wei was Master Yi¡¯s apprentice, and Ye Wei was from an old martial family in Green Moon City. It was already unbelievable enough for the City Lord to believe that the Runemaster¡¯s apprentice became a Runemaster. Now, he did not know what to think about the teen¡¯s eight-star condensed prime Warrior cultivation level.


    ¡°So, you were able to push your cultivation through the eight-star condensed prime level, huh? I highly doubt you can use this technique more than once though. Nevertheless,this is getting interesting!¡± Tu Fu Sheng¡¯s pupils dted, impressed by this threatening power.


    While Tu Fu Sheng was visually analyzing Ye Wei, nobody dared to disturb his personal space. He was giving off an intense aura. The alluring girl near him was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Wow, Jian Chen just lost. Truly, Master YI¡¯s apprentice is quite something. Just like his mentor, he defies human logic!¡± Jian Shi Yu disdainfully shook his head while looking at the dispersing blood moon.


    In Jian Shi Yu¡¯s eyes, he had no way to calcte that Ye Wei was actually able to channel the power of a eight-star condensed prime Warrior. Moreover, figuring out the weak spot of a sage¡¯s stance and countering after just a brief look was not expected by Jian Shi Yu at all.


    Xu He¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at Ye Wei¡¯s graceful posture, ¡°this kid is not to be underestimated!¡± He eximed after clearing the thoughts in his head, surprised by the unimaginable talent of Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice.


    Although he did not realize Ye Wei was that powerful, he was now getting used to Ye Wei surprising him.


    ¡°I surrender!¡± Jian Chen was startled and astonished. He could not but help staring at the ce his vanished blood moon had been.Embarrassed by defeat, his face waspletely red, but his eyes shone a light of determination. He muttered to himself, ¡®It is my own fault. Ever since I was toddler, I have been learning this stance, and still after a decade I have notpleted it. I must thank brother Ye He has helped me realize what my next step must be.¡¯


    To Win or to lose was no longer important for Jian Chen.


    Though he felt heartbroken, he still looked graceful; his white robe was flowing in the air, and two faded lines of tears were on his cheeks.


    Hearing Jian Chen¡¯s surrender, Ye Wei pulled his right hand back and canceled his stance. He inwardly thought, ¡®I must give him credit being able to use one of the sages¡¯ stance is indeed impressive. I should thank him for showing me everything.If he had learned the whole stance, I would be the one surrendering right now.¡¯


    In the end, Jian Chen¡¯s age meant a lot, he simplycked experience.


    During the fight, Ye Wei forcefully elerated the Supernova stance¡¯s second evolution to its limit. The runes on his bones were now shining brighter and appeared as a mysterious star system.

 Chapter 148 – Zodiac Sword, Peerless Presence

    Chapter 148 ¨C Zodiac Sword, Peerless Presence


    When the bloodmoon disappeared entirely, Jian Chen¡¯s gaze grew calm again. epting his defeat, he wore a childish smile on his handsome face. ¡®Although I lost, I must thank brother Ye for allowing me to see the defect in my stance. Now, I can figure out the next step to finalize the Sword Master¡¯s stance, and that is more valuable than winning one match!¡¯


    ¡°If there is ever an opportunity, I will definitely fight you again. I hope you won¡¯t mind so that I can learn more from you¡± Jian Chen curled his lips up gently and said.


    ¡°Hahaha! Definitely! I look forward to that moment Let¡¯s reach the peak of our cultivation together! ¡± Ye Wei easily rted to Jian Chen¡¯s eagerness. They smiled both openly, genuinely. Ye Wei and Jian Chen resembled real warriors who did notpete against each other but helped one another in a world dominated by demons and death on all sides.


    ¡°Yes...the peak of cultivation!¡± Jian Chan¡¯s eyes lit up imagining what the peak of cultivation would be like. He looked at Ye Wei with great admiration. ¡°Ye Wei, we¡¯ll make it happen soon! Just you watch! Now, I will not fall behind any further!¡±


    Ye Wei and Jian Chen exchanged smiles, bowed, and stepped away from what was left of the martial tform, officiallypleting the day¡¯sst fight.


    ¡°South Star is victorious again!¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei dominates, and South Star keeps its winning streak!¡±


    ¡°Wow! I could have never imagined the results of this year¡¯s tournament; Zhoutian Sword School lost, and even Gxy Academy lost! Both of the undefeated teams ofst year didn¡¯t even reach the top ten!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that this year¡¯s champion will either be South Star or Seven Star.¡±


    ¡°Nheless, I do look forward to these two dark horses fighting each other! It will surely be exciting even though we haven¡¯t seen much of either school¡¯s big shots!¡±


    ¡°I agree. Even though, Ye Wei only has fought a few times, every time he has outshone himself that even now I don¡¯t know how strong he is! On the other hand, Tu Fu Sheng was just strange, everything, his fighting style, his maneuvers, his attitude...¡±


    ¡°Just thinking about the South Star and Seven Star¡¯s matchup makes me shiver. It will surely be one of the best fights I have seen in my entire life!¡±


    ¡°I totally agree! Actually, when will the fight take ce?¡±


    Although still shocked from Jian Chen and Ye Wei¡¯s epic battle, everyone shifted their focus on the two remaining undefeated teams.


    This enthusiasm circting in the audience extended all the way up to the cloud tform where most of the influential figures were now looking at City Lord Chen Yuan.


    When it came to the tournament schedule, no one truly knew the order, ¡°Your Highness, when will South Star be fighting Seven Star?¡± Most of the elites were at the tournament just for the social aspect and recruitment. Nevertheless, they were all excited and interested in the fight between Ye Wei and Tu Fu Sheng.


    ¡°The thirty-sixth, thest day! What a coincidence!¡± The City Lord said with a smirk. His calm tone exaggerated everyone else¡¯s restlessness. However, beneath his serene exterior, he was, in fact, also very excited, he just didn¡¯t reveal his emotions.


    Overall, this year¡¯s teams have disyed such superior quality fightingpared to all the other years. The four strongest teams, South Star, Seven Star, Zhoutian, and Gxy, were able to ce themselves into the top ten. In the next stage, the state-wide tournament.


    Since the ten years Chen Yuan became City Lord, not once had any of the teams from his region seeding into getting t into the top ten, Thisck of ability had always bothered, haunted him, always been one of his regrets.


    After Ye Wei and Jian Chen returned to their pces; the audience also left the tournament arena to rest and rejuvenate until tomorrow.


    Returning to South Star¡¯s temporary residence, all the youngsters were still feeling ecstatic and on edge as if they had drunk a pot of coffee with sugar. They heatedly discussed and debated the fight between their hero and Jian Chen, turning their faces red.


    Unlike his teammates, Ye Wei¡¯s attention was not focused on his victory; rather, he concentrated on studying the Zodiac Sword stance and the third evolution of Supernova stance alone in his room.


    Out of the fight, Jian Chen was not the only person who grasped more about cultivation. Ye Wei was reying all the moments from this morning¡¯s battle. Now, during this alone time, he memorized and analyzed what he saw and felt. By applying the inspiration he acquired then, Ye Wei hoped to improve his own cultivating and fighting techniques.


    Tu Fu Sheng of Seven Star School was not an ordinary cultivator. Ye Wei easily felt this from the pressure emerging out of Tu Fe Sheng on the few asions they encountered each other. Because Ye Wei could sense such unusual power and strength from Tu Fu Sheng, his eagerness andpetitiveness would not allow him to rx fully.


    Thus, Ye Wei decided to dedicate his attention to the Zodiac Sword.


    ¡®Zodiac Sword phase one, Peerless Presence!¡¯


    Unlike most sword stances, the Zodiac Sword did not require its user to wield a physical sword. Instead, the stance user condenses his Qi, and then turns the energy into the weapon. This was utilizing the same cultivation technique Jian Chen used to create his sword.


    The Zodiac Sword contained three parts. They were the sword¡¯s Qi, sword¡¯s intent and sword¡¯s soul. Each of these aspects were divided into four phases. The chapter obtained by Ye Wei was phase one of aspect one.


    When Ye Wei mastered the Peerless Presence, he would be able to express the technique with a powerful sword array.


    Although Ye Wei¡¯s current cultivation level hindered him from learning this Sky stance, it didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t start learning the basics and principles. In fact, the Peerless Presence was very powerful on its own, and it applied to many other stances and forms.


    ¡°There is only one extreme, one method...¡± Ye Wei read the first chapter out loud, slowly trying to understand the meaning behind thesebinations of abstract words.


    Although the Zodiac Sword¡¯s text was obscure and at times iprehensible for the average mind, Ye Wei, because he had a great cultivation foundation, was able to understand these abstruse concepts that could not be written any other way.


    ¡®Trash, trash, trash! Why do you even bother putting in such effort? It¡¯s just a stupid Sky stance!¡¯ The Progenitor dismissively chuckled, ¡®I was as strong as a human returned prime Warrior when I was born, and after two years of cultivating, I became as powerful as a god¡¯s prime Warrior!¡¯


    Ye Wei rolled his eyes and unwillingly asked ¡®So why did you act so pathetic both times you sensed the Combat Master¡¯s presence in my mind?¡¯


    ¡®Human sages are shameless! As I said before, they take advantage of innocents, and harvest energy from loyal, civilian supporters!¡¯ The Progenitor was irked just by the name of human sages; he could not let the historic defeat go.


    Although there was some truth to what the Progenitor said, demons were born stronger than humans, if the sages did not take advantage of runic magic and use the whole race¡¯s umtive energy, humanity would be extinct.


    ¡®More than a million demons are walking this, theypete against each other, every day they have to fight to survive, the weaker ns quickly died down. Centuries after the first demons were born, natural selection had made strengthened our race. In contrast, look at mankind, toleration, sympathy, all those contributed to your patheticallyfortable lifestyles, and that¡¯s why humanity will eventually be weak, so weak we will consume all of you!¡¯ The Progenitorughed mischievously.


    Ye Weiprehended the logic behind the Progenitor¡¯s argument. He understoodpetition was necessary for growth as a fighter, especially after his battles he fought.


    ¡®Ye Wei, you know, you should convert to us. Stop wasting your time with these pathetic humans. You will get ess to eternal power, and, furthermore, we have a lot of beautiful and exquisite demon females...¡¯ The Progenitor chuckled.


    ¡®Stop patronizing and sugar-coating your disgusting race! Humankind will not go extinct! What weck in strength we make up for in intellect. Moreover, we adopt and learn from our shared history and experience in our quest to be stronger than you demons! Maybe centuries ago demons ruled, but everyone knows demons now fear mankind! So, we don¡¯t have demon blood or stances that contain power already ingrained, but we use our wisdom to manipte the power of runes, creating and using stances. Humanity¡¯s intellect gives it power. Dare I say, it won¡¯t be long until another super stance like the sages¡¯ will be created.¡¯


    ¡®Then, you demons can all beg for your lives!¡¯ Ye Wei argued coldly, ¡®do you know why we are protected by the heavens? That¡¯s because we are wise, and we have empathy, I hope you see how foolish you sounded, I am a teenager, and I am already smarter than you stupid dog!¡¯


    The Progenitor choked on his words. He was confronted with the truth, and could not fight back. Deep inside, he did know that his intellect was notparable to humans¡¯ and this infuriated him. He couldn¡¯t think of a way to win the argument against a mere teenager.


    Ye Wei remained stubborn since he was confident of winning the argument against the Progenitor. So fearless under the protection of the Combat Master, he sarcastically shot back. ¡®You are just the consciousness of an old, stupid dog!¡¯


    The Progenitor did not argue back. He had noticed the recent development of the human race was fast. Contrastly, the very first demon that walked the earth had been a hundred thousand years ago in a primal form. People, on the other hand, had only inhabited the earth a few thousand years ago. Additionally, he observed that the recent attacks against human beings were bing less and less sessful.


    ¡®Okay, whatever wisdom, that¡¯s your advantage, so what?! The Corpse Progenitor has already called upon the six Ghost Emperors who have started invading the human dynasties, and Zhou dynasty is one of their targets.¡¯ After illogically spitting out this ssified information, the Progenitor realized he spoke too much.


    ¡®The Corpse Progenitor? Six Ghost Emperors?¡¯ What does he mean?!


    Ye Wei frowned, worried about the Zhou dynasty he desired to tell someone of importance immediately about what he just heard. Although he did not enjoy talking to the ck scale Progenitor, once in awhile, he was grateful for the tips the Progenitor identally spurted out.


    ¡®Zodiac Sword!¡¯ Ye Wei realized panicking wouldn¡¯t be beneficial to anyone. So, he ignored the ck dog in his Sentient and continued training, learning the Sky stance¡¯s foundation.


    Ye Wei lifted his finger and drew the runes as instructed, forming one Qi sword in the air. Instead of watching the tournament, He focused on his training. None of the remaining fights interested him except the veryst one ¨C his battle against Seven Star.


    In the evening of the second day of training, Ye Wei was able to form two Qi swords.


    Before the sunset on the third day, he was able to create seven Qi swords.


    Although the progress was slow, Ye Wei was none the less satisfied by the speed.


    What Ye Wei did not know was how ridiculous his progress was. A significant portion of the cultivators, lucky enough to learn this stance, formed only Qi Sword from theplex, specialized runes at the end of their lives not during the beginning.


    Ye Wei hit an obstacle as he figured out how to get the tenth sword from the runes. For a change in his environment, he decided to put aside perfecting the Zodiac Sword and spent his time memorizing all his stances he had learned. Then he took notes on runic knowledge for extra benefit.


    After repeating this schedule for some days now, he upgraded his Selenic Triple-Primal Sword with Jian Chen¡¯s Bloodmoon stance.


    The sword dominated and ruled over all the other weapons. Thus the sword was the king over its subjective weapons, and Ye Wei finallyprehended why this was so.

 Chapter 149 – High Level Myst Stance

    Chapter 149 ¨C High Level Myst Stance


    The next opponents South Star Academy faced, after seeing the fight between Ye Wei and Zhoutian Sword School¡¯s Jian Chen, all surrendered. They didn¡¯t even try to fight, and therefore the public did not see Ye Wei on the martial tforms ever since the fight where he defeated the bloodmoon.


    Back at South Star¡¯s pce, Ye Wei sat alone in the courtyard for seven days and seven nights.


    In the courtyard, the moon shown silver and produced a silent but elegant atmosphere; the stars twinkled and garnished the empty night sky in concordance with the moon.The bitingly chill night breeze was pecking Ye Wei on his cheek. The slight drop of temperature touched him on the shoulder, and he slowly opened his eyes.


    ¡®The cial Emperor created the Selenic Seven Stances. Hmmm...and it is also a mid-level Myst stance, refining this will be in no way easy,¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fist and thought to himself.


    Having cultivated and trained behind closed doors for a week, Ye Wei had gained great understanding about the Zhoutian Sword Notion, Blood Moon Assassin Sword. However, when it came to actually infusing the principles and powers of those techniques to strengthen his own; in short, he was going nowhere.


    ¡°I can surely make Selenic Triple-Primal Sword a high-level Myst stance if I manage to infuse Jian Chen¡¯s two stances to it,¡± he mumbled to himself.


    ¡°It would have been nice to aplish this infusion before the next fight since a high-level Myst stance could really win fights on its own.¡± He looked up at the moon, sighed and felt slightly deted


    The stars shone bright in the quiet evening sky. Ye Wei had gazed upon the night sky so long and so much the zodiac star alignments andary arrangement, the inspiration used to create the Selenic stances, had burned into Ye Wei¡¯s mind. Shutting his eyes, his consciousness followed the night sky¡¯s pattern and entered into a zen state.


    ¡°The stars are framing the moon just like a picture.¡± Ye Wei was in awe, murmuring to himself. The scenic view in his mind amused him., Although still stuck in the refinement process, his mood was lightened.


    ¡°Framing the moon...¡± A spark of inspiration suddenly struck him. The understanding of the stance and what he had been practicing for a whole week finally made sense. An idea bombarded his mind.


    ¡°I get it now! I get it now!¡± After a momentary pause, ecstasy swept the air. Any hint of depression on Ye Wei¡¯s face vanished entirely.


    He bent his fingers and flicked them, shooting a screen of runes. The runes lightened the courtyard and turned into Selenic Triple-Primal Sword¡¯s three des.


    ¡°Zhoutian Sword Notion should be the frame!¡± Ye Wei stared at the stance in front of him, smiled and pointed at the pivots of its structure.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The moment the sword notion used by Jian Chen was infused to the cial Emperor¡¯s stance, the rune sequence came alive, the swords deconstructed, and they became a mist of twinkling array of stars.


    And the array began to flow and circte in a mysterious pattern.


    ¡°Bloodmoon sword intent!¡± Ye Wei waved his finger in the air like a sword, shooting out a few more short rune sequences that attached perfectly onto the branches of the original sequence. The rune sequence became a star array that sculpted the stance into a moon shape.


    The courtyard then transformed into a miniature milky way.


    ¡®Selenic Triple-Primal Sword!¡¯ Ye Wei gazed upon the downsized star array, once again activated the stance, transforming the runes into swords again.


    However, the force waves¡¯ frequency waspletely different. It elerated and pulsed like a newborn star.


    ¡°Zhoutian should be its new shape; bloodmoon its new soul, and the Selenic Sword as its new foundation!¡± Ye Wei intensly stared at the shapes in front of him.


    He grunted and stomped the ground. All three spectral des vibrated in the air; they then all quickly merged together by the gravitational pull of the stars in the pattern¡¯s center.


    The runic des integrated to be a ten meters long ancient sword. The ground shook during the same second the transformation finished. The new stance¡¯s energy was pure, dense, and rotated to the other runes¡¯ pull.


    The heavens responded by casting a wide, thick pir of cosmic energy from million miles away, tearing through the sky andnding on Ye Wei andpletely engulfing him.


    Judging from the light pir¡¯s size, Ye Wei could tell the Selenic Triple-Primal Sword just became a peak high-level Myst stance. From continuously absorbing the rush of vast cosmic gift, he could also feel his Sentient and dantian expanding.


    The energy surge was pure and uncontaminated. It tickled Ye Wei¡¯s skin to open up its pores to speed up the absorption.


    ¡®Three-star condensed prime level!¡¯ Under the nourishment, Ye Wei¡¯s body strength reached a new height as the cosmic energy dpressed within him.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The surge lingered in and around Ye Wei¡¯s body. The cosmic energy continued strengthening him even after the breakthrough. By the time his body dealt with the foreign yet familiar energy, Ye Wei was already close to another breakthrough.


    Ye Wei¡¯s refined stance disappeared; his eyes shone brighter than the stars above.


    ¡°A high-level Myst stance! A peak high-level Myst stance!¡± He lifted his head to gaze upon the moon and the night sky that inspired him. His body shook with excitement.


    ¡°That was a great deal of will-force and Qi I just spent. Though I just broke through to be a three-star condensed prime Warrior, I will still need the second evolution of Supernova stance to support this refined Selenic Sword stance¡± Ye Wei smiled as he thought to himself. He knew that the extra Qi and will-force was in no sense wasted. The new stance could transform his energy to power.


    Having achieved a stance refinement and a breakthrough in the same evening, it was almost impossible for him to remain calm. Yet, Ye Wei was still able to sit himself down and began to consolidate his cultivation.


    ¡°All the stances I had refined in the past were simpler stances. I could basically find structural ws and correct them but not this time.¡± thinking to himself, Ye Wei attempted to learn from his experience while the memory was still fresh, ¡°I was getting close to it, but I need some diversion to see more.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless,ing up with a stance structure inparison with shaping one, shaping would still be easier. It¡¯s no wonder the greats always seeked inspiration from Nature and other creatures. Natural existence already makes logical sense.¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s mind gradually broadened, and he became more and more at ease with himself, realising the more he forced himself the wrong way, the less flexible his thoughts would be.


    When Ye Wei was quietly cultivating, a figure sneaked into the courtyard without a sound.


    ¡°Who is it!?¡± Ye Wei shouted. His eyes fell onto a dark silhouette. His hostility evaporated as he recognized who the intruder was.


    The pure moonlight fell onto her as the night breeze pushed away arge cloud. The glossy purple hair reflected the moonlight like the surface of a peaceful pond. Her dress, as white as the moon itself, sculpted her body and transitions seamlessly onto her pale, glittering skin.


    Her brows were graceful, her cheeks rosey, but her looks could not hide from anyone the loneliness disyed, loneliness that resembled the solitary north star in the sky.


    It had been three years since Ye Weist seen this face. She now had the curves of a woman. The child-like features had faded and was reced by an air of mncholy.


    Lin Ziyan looked at Ye Wei, for a moment the sadness vanished in her crystal clear eyes before returning to a calm, emotionless state.


    She did picture their reunion, but it was a different experience than the moment. She could tell that the handsome young man had done a great deal of maturing , more than just the physical aspects. He had matured greatly in his life experience and cultivation.


    ¡°Ziyan...¡± a shiver went down Ye Wei¡¯s spine, he involuntarily stepped forward in sheer excitement.


    As he greeted the girl he remembered his sleepless nights. Suddenly, he felt a wall of invisible force brewing in front of him like a storm. He realized this force was Lin Ziyan¡¯s Qi, stopping him from getting any closer.


    Not only did Lin Ziyan¡¯s raging Qi stopped Ye Wei from getting closer, it knocked him off bnce, causing him to straddle backwards. He could feel her cultivation level was high; so high, he struggled to imagine how she achieved it in a mere three years. He understood their cultivation difference between them didn¡¯t get any smaller.


    For three years, Ye Wei always longed for the day when he could be reunited with Lin Ziyan. Now the time actually came. He realized even after longing for this day, he was not ready for it, and he was saddened by the worry and sorrow he could see between her eyes.


    Having to keep distance with Ye Wei, Lin Ziyan was also saddened, but she knew what she must do, or else the attachment would just hurt them even moreter on.


    ¡°Ye Wei, you should return to Green Moon City as soon as possible! There you will be safer. There have been reports of demonic activity in Ning City, all over Qing State, and even at the capital. They will soon learn your name which means you will be in grave danger.¡± Lin Ziyan said worryingly, her eyes disyed concern.


    ¡°Demons?¡± Ye Wei was abruptly reminded what the Progenitor had said, ¡°Ziyan, I need to tell you something!¡±


    ¡°Ye?¡± She looked into Ye Wei¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I came across some information regarding a demon invasion, the Corpse Progenitor, and six ghost emperors had infiltrated a few dynasties. Apparently, they are looking to takeover Zhou dynasty too!¡± Ye Wei was startled, now the ck Scale Progenitor¡¯s words were more or less confirmed. As well, he was worried if Lin Ziyan was in danger.


    She frowned as she heard the news. Caught in a deep thought, Lin Ziyan wondered. ¡®If the demons are sending someone of that caliber, it¡¯s easy to narrow the targets down and warn them. That exins the amount of vandalism I¡¯ve been hearing about too. The ghost emperors must have recruited humans to destroy the sages¡¯ statues. Otherwise, they had no way to ess those artifacts.¡¯ she snapped out of her deep thought and lifted her head. ¡°Wei, do you still have the piece of jade I gave you?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Ye Wei reached inside his hidden pocket and presented the spirit jade.


    ¡°Good, keep it close to you and don¡¯t show it to anyone. It just might save your life if you¡¯re in danger. Please listen to me, return to Green Moon City, and meet with Master Yi as soon as possible!¡± Li Ziyan looked wary, ready to bid her farewells, not sure when it will be the next time they would meet.


    ¡°Back to Green Moon City?¡± Ye Wei shook his head determinedly, ¡°What does that solve? I¡¯ve chosen this path, I want to be stronger, and I cannot keep running. No matter what danger I might face!¡± He lifted his head and looked at Lin Ziyan, ¡®You cannot be more incorrect if you think I am still the unreliable kid who always needed help from others! I have my goals and I am not afraid to pursue them!¡¯


    ¡°Ye Wei! You don¡¯t understand what kind of enemies you will be facing! Some of them are above returned prime cultivation level!¡± Lin Ziyan was bing more emotional as she exined the reasons why she was concerned, ¡°Furthermore, your enemies will not only be demons, they have human associates too. You will not know who you can trust. Who is a friend and who is a foe will be indistinguishable!¡±


    ¡°As I said Ziyan, I will be stronger, partially because of you. To be good enough for you is my dream; it is my goal! It¡¯s toote for me to back down now!¡± Ye Wei smiled, but the bittersweetness lingered after his purposeful words.


    Lin Ziyan was touched and startled by Ye Wei¡¯s heartfelt confession. Nevertheless, she could not decided on her feelings. She was tracking demons before she reached Ning City, and she unintentionally learned that Ye Wei was taking part in the school tournament. She could not contain herself. She had to see Ye Wei since he was one of the only people who made her feel the warmth of home.


    After three years, Ye Wei grew up to be someone she was physically attracted to, which made it more important for her to cut ties.


    Lin Ziyan turned around and said decisively, ¡°So be it, take care of yourself, and so long.¡±


    Just as she was taking the first step away from him, Ye Wei noticed a trail of blood beside her feet, ¡°You are injured!? Why didn¡¯t you say?¡±


    ¡°Why? Because it¡¯s none of your business!¡± Lin Ziyan then disappeared into night. She left no trace of ever being there in the courtyard a part from the tiny bit of blood.


    Ye Wei thought about chasing after her, but he gave up the idea seeing how quickly Lin Ziyan went away with the speed enhancing stance he had no chance of matching.


    ¡°Is that how you greet an old friend? Ha...¡± Ye Wei felt an ache in his heart. The mental wounds suddenly hurt as much as if they were fresh.


    ¡°Three-star condensed prime level is not enough. I need to be a returned prime Warrior at least!¡± Ye Wei angrily said to himself as he thought about the path before him. The demons and the possible plots from men he would encounter and confront.

 Chapter 150 – Flesh and Bone

    Chapter 150 ¨C Flesh and Bone


    The sun rose from the east as dawn slowly rose the screen of darkness. The soft morning lights dyed the dark curtain of mist in the sky red, and the martial tforms glittered in the morning sun contrasted against the otherwise in mountaintop.


    Today people were squeezing together under the tforms, and hair was flowing in the wind like grass in a field. Today there were more people watching on the cloud tform than even the first day of the tournament. The matchup between South Star and Seven Star, more precisely between Ye Wei and Tu Fusheng, attracted everyone that wanted some entertainment. It also attracted the most powerful men who wished to strengthen their small armies.


    ¡°It¡¯s such a rare asion; I don¡¯t remember thest time when the first, second, and third ce of the tournament were decided on the same day. I could barely sleepst night thinking about what could happen today.


    ¡°South Star Academy and Seven Star School are going to be fighting for the championship on tform one, whereas Zhoutian and Gxy will have their showdown on tform two to determine runner-up!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really see Gxy winning after witnessing the fight between Ye Wei and Jian Chen. The three God¡¯s Seven from Gxy are strong, but Jian Chen showed the power of a six-star condensed prime Warrior!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so certain. I heard that Gxy¡¯s Feng Yi took the defeat very seriously and has been training behind closed doors since the day he lost to Tu Fusheng. Rumour has it that one of the elites from Gxy had a breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s vague. What kind of breakthrough? Feng Yi was already a four-star condensed prime Warrior; therefore, he would need two breakthroughs to stand a chance against Jian Chen!¡±


    ¡°Your discussions are pointless. Don¡¯t act like you care about anything else when South Star and Seven Star are going to be fighting! Ye Wei, that sixteen year old monster, showed the power of an eight-star condensed prime Warrior! Eight-star! He is stronger than the patriarch in my family for crying out loud!¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t count Seven Star¡¯s Tu Fusheng off. His body was so strong that he didn¡¯t even need to use Qi when he single-handedly crushed the Gxy team.¡±


    ¡°That is true... I wonder what kind of training he must have gone through to achieve such bodily strength. His capabilities are almost unnatural.¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei and Fu Tusheng, a matchup between two super geniuses what a perfect ending to this year¡¯s tournament!¡±


    The crowd had gathered long before the fights were going to start. They were specting with undisguised excitement on their faces.


    ¡°I saw you talking to Ye Wei the other day! You have to introduce me after the fight!¡± Said a young and yful-looking cultivator who was standing together with the Golden Wood Academy team. He looked at his sister with his puppy eyes as he begged.


    ¡°Who do you think you are? Why don¡¯t you take a good look at yourself before using me, you two are the same age and you¡¯re still a seven-star Warrior! You are not worthy to know Ye Wei!¡± Xue Yao knocked her brother¡¯s skull while lecturing him.


    ¡®Ye Wei¡¯s power is astonishing! No wonder why he was chosen to be the cial Emperor¡¯s inheritor!¡¯ She thought to herself while trying to remember all the extraordinary attacks he showed throughout the tournament. While thinking this an air of solemnity was visible on her soft face. ¡®He is going to get so many offers from these families...¡¯


    She looked to the cloud tform with a smile, ¡®and maybe even the Green Army or the City Lord, who has Supreme Chen Feng¡¯s blood running through his veins.¡¯


    Under countless pairs of excited eyes, gazes of respect, Ye Wei and the South Star team stepped onto tform one. They looked confident as Fu Tusheng led the Seven Star School team on the opposite side.


    The rest of the teams were less eager to fight than these two top contestants. The City Lord made an announcement after all the teams reached their tforms to kickstart the thirty-sixth andst day of fights of this year¡¯s tournament.


    ¡°Brother Chen Yuan, between Ye Wei and Seven Star¡¯s Fu Tusheng who do you think will win?¡± A bearded, rough-looking man in golden armor spoke enthusiastically as his sharp eyes swept across tform one.


    The bearded man from the military as was returned prime Warriormander Shi Qing. He came all the way from the army¡¯s Qing state headquarters to attend the anticipated fight.


    Although most of the cultivators on the cloud were strong and respected, even the weakest of them was still an eight-star condensed prime Warrior. The bearded man in golden armor was the only person worthy enough to address the City Lord so informally.


    The special patterns on Shi Qing¡¯s golden armor were earned with his blood, sweat, and tears. Only the man who was in charge of the Green Army in the Qing State had such prestigious decoration on his armor tes that protected him from countless lethal strikes from both men and demons.


    ¡°Brother Shi, both these kids are impressive. I really can¡¯t say until the fight ends, I think they both have a few tricks up their sleeves. You will just have to watch the whole fight together with me as it unfolds! Haha!¡± Chen Yuan said while looking at the two unexpected talents and smiling, he was actually surprised the fight attracted someone so high up in the ranks. If it wasn¡¯t for his bloodline, then he would not have the privilege to talk to themander as equals.


    On tform one, South Star Academy and Seven Star School¡¯s representatives stood ring at their opponents.


    Tu Fusheng¡¯s eyes were bright green as he red at South Star line up with a strange, snake-like gaze. They finallynded on Ye Wei, who was standing in front of his teammates. He smiled, and a burst of violent pressure flowed towards Ye Wei like a stream of scorching hot magma.


    Lie Jian, Chen Mo, and the South Star representatives that stood behind Ye Wei became pale and started trembling under the immense pressure imposed by Tu Fusheng.


    Ye Wei saw what his opponent was doing so he took a half step forward. The moment his toesnded again on the amethyst, a screen of Qi rose from the ground blocking the violent pressure helped relieving his teammates from its terrible oppression.


    ¡°All of you get off the tform.¡± Ye Wei said.


    Liu Jian and Chen Mo couldn¡¯t help themselves and had the same thought. ¡®Looks like we won¡¯t be needed again.¡¯ The South Star team jumped off the martial tform while the Seven Star cultivators left Tu Fusheng, the only person on the tform with Ye Wei.


    Although both of them were revered by their teammates, they were also seen as monsters.


    ¡°This is nice. I have honestly lost interest in everyone taking part in this tournament apart from you!¡± Tu Fusheng licked his lips while staring at Ye Wei, admired his opponent¡¯s capability of casually neutralizing the greeting he sent just by taking a step forward. Hidden in his voice was a vicious bloodlust, ¡°I am ready to beat you anytime, just bring it.¡±


    When Tu Fusheng¡¯s insolent voice went quiet, he stomped forward and became a sh of light. He disappeared and reappeared in the middle of the circr amethyst tform. His movement brought a whirlwind to the nearby audience.


    The turbulence fluttered Ye Wei¡¯s robe and hair, but he stood as still and steady as a mountain in a storm; he was untouched and unconcerned. He coldly looked at Tu Fusheng as he calmly strode out to meet his opponent in the circle¡¯s center.


    Ye Wei could feel an indistinct, strange aura around Tu Fusheng. This aura caused him to be cautious as he recognized it as a great threat.


    ¡°Here we go! Show me what you¡¯ve got!¡± Tu Fusheng chuckled and turned into a phantom again. He suddenly appeared in front of Ye Wei clenching his dark fist. He then threw it ferociously.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Tu Fusheng¡¯s fist fell onto Ye Wei like a guided meteorite. Without any signs of him using Qi, his fist tore through the air at incredible speed, and it bombarded the ears of the audience with a shrill sound. A fearsome force wave shortly followed, fracturing the strained amethyst tform.


    Debris was flying around on the tform, and the audience on the cloud tform was shocked. They could all tell that Tu Fusheng¡¯s fist carried the strength to easily topple a six-star condensed prime Warrior.


    In the previous thirty-five fights, Tu Fusheng managed to defeat his opponents with only one punch every time, with no exceptions. Even when he faced Zhoutian Sword School and Gxy Academy, it was just a simple strike but an astonishingly effective one.


    ¡°This it the result of years of body quenching training! I assume all his body parts were strengthened by enhancing stances!¡±


    ¡°I think so too!¡±


    The crowd on the cloud tforms and down below couldn¡¯t help but widen their eyes; they were getting nervous for Ye Wei. They knew it was already toote for Ye Wei to perform a defensive stance because of the sheer speed of Tu Fusheng¡¯s strike.


    ¡°Tu Fusheng can fire this Qi-less strike before his opponent even moved.¡±


    ¡®Zodiac Sword!¡¯ Ye Wei said while calmly staring at the erging fist in front. He lifted his finger and gently touched his opponent¡¯s knuckles.


    Tu Fusheng¡¯s face changed as he felt a sharp prick on his fist followed by immense pain. He reflectively retrieved his fist and stopped the momentum by the tip of his toes. He kicked the ground sending himself flying backwards and brought his back down parallel to the tform to reduce drag.


    Not only did Ye Wei stopped the strike that kept Seven Star¡¯s winning streak alive, but he also just became the first cultivator who was able to knock back the undefeated Tu Fusheng.


    The South Star team let out their breath, relieved to see what they thought to be a good sign; an advantage Ye Wei managed to gain.


    ¡°Zodiac Sword!?¡± City Lord Chen Yuan and Commander Shi Qing eximed in unison. They could not believe what they just felt and saw.


    Both of them were experienced enough, knowledgeable enough, to recognize Ye Wei¡¯s technique. They were surprised to see a partial Sky stance that was pretty much extinct in the dynasty since centuries ago.


    Although unfinished, the best stance the Runemaster Union had ess to was still rare and powerful enough to shock the two strongest men in the audience.


    The audience became lively, they were here expecting a fight but were still shocked to see Ye Wei stopping the strike that had never been sessfully defended throughout the tournament.


    ¡°Ye Wei is too incredible. Even Feng Yi, and the rest ofst year¡¯s winning team were not able to react before they got knocked out!¡±


    ¡°This is more like it, things are going to be interesting I think. I really cannot tell who is going to win now!¡±


    Although nobody else recognized the stance Ye Wei was using, they could tell they were in for a ride seeing him backing Tu Fusheng off with only one finger.


    ¡°How incredibly sharp...¡± Tu Fusheng looked at the scar on his fist, while furiously mumbling.


    ¡°You dare injure me!¡± Tu Fusheng¡¯s expression became aggressive, and the tform began to rattle as his eyes shone green. The debris around him mysteriously began to float.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The green glow within his pupils filled his eyes and leaked into his skin. It spread all over his dark, toned body with a rune-like pattern.


    It did not take long before the green pattern covered his face and made him looked more like a beast, wrapped in raging Qi to match his wild appearance.


    ¡°This time it¡¯s over!¡± Tu Fusheng aggressively rushed towards Ye Wei as the strength of a seven-star condensed prime Warrior behind his fist was decorated by a green, web-like pattern. A cloud of smoke formed around the punch created by friction.


    ¡°How can Tu Fusheng have such strength?¡± Xu He¡¯s face became pale. He was threatened knowing that he himself would struggle to defend against such a powerful strike.


    ¡°This is the scary thing about this kid is that he never needed to use a stance because of his strength. It¡¯s harder to defend against a strike than a stance because it takes no time, no runes to punch giving his opponent less time to react. Why do you think Jian Chen lost? It was obvious, he could not keep up with Tu Fusheng¡¯s speed.¡± Zhoutian Sword School¡¯s principal Jian Shiyu sighed. ¡°The new age of youngsters will soon rece us!¡±


    Ye Wei observed quietly at his rampaging opponent, realized luck and intuition yed a big part in why he could defend himself just in time. Otherwise, he would have been crushed by the punch that could easily knock out a seven-star condensed prime Warrior.

 Chapter 151 – Third

    Chapter 151 ¨C Third


    Tu Fusheng¡¯s second punch disyed his frightening strength that could easily bring any seven-star condensed prime Warrior to their knees; even at a state level, he could be counted as one of the best young cultivators. His fist propelled through the thick air filled with Ye Wei¡¯s and his own Qi. It arrived in front of South Star¡¯s ace in the blink of an eye.


    The chaotic wind was pping Ye Wei on the face but he did not flinch, and he did not look like he was going to bother with dodging either. He just stood still and watched his opponent¡¯s dark fist.


    It wasn¡¯t that he gave up, but that he was so focused on the stance he was charging up.


    While everyone in the audience gasped for air, Ye Wei took a step forward. He wrapped his body with Zodiac Sword Qi ten times strengthening it to a frightening extent whileunching himself right at Tu Fusheng¡¯s strike.


    The spectral swords shrunk and condensed around Ye Wei¡¯s hands, forming a transparent energy around them. He then clenched his fists, threw them out with the momentum a exploding star.


    Theyer of air in front of Ye Wei was crushed by his stance¡¯s impact and it created a conical void filled with his Zodiac Sword Qi.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s empowered punchnded solidly onto Tu Fusheng¡¯s dark, green fists. The crash set off two fearsome recoiling force waves that ended up swapping the tform. The previous fractures on the amethyst tform split even more making them wider and deeper. The whole tform was shaking violently and bing unsteady. It was showing signs ofpletely breaking apart.


    Being in the eye of the storm, neither Ye Wei or Tu Fusheng were affected by this explosion of energy. Both of them levitated to avoid the risk of losing their footing.


    ¡®Supernova stance!¡¯ The Zodiac Sword had taken a toll on the Qi reserve in Ye Wei¡¯s dantian, so he activated the first stage of his amplification stance topensate. The golden runes engraved onto his bones began to shine bright and circted over his skeleton.


    ¡°Boom! Boom!¡±


    All of a sudden, Ye Wei¡¯s Qi violently expanded granting him triple his normal strength. The Supernova stance was one of a kind; its amplification effects increased exponentially in proportion to the user¡¯s cultivation, and now that Ye Wei was a three-star condensed prime Warrior, he was able to reach the body strength of a five-star condensed prime Warrior effortlessly.


    A shrill sound echoed between the raised martial tforms around Ye Wei and Tu Fusheng¡¯s fight, and at the same time the air around tform one was being drained by Supernova stance.


    Benefit from the surge of amplified Qi, the Zodiac Sword became harder and sharper, destroying the green pattern on Tu Fusheng¡¯s fist.


    The moment the green pattern broke, Tu Fusheng¡¯s bodily strength dropped rapidly. He was no longer a match for Ye Wei¡¯s sword Qi. His dark skin was torn, revealing the bones of Tu Fusheng¡¯s knuckles.


    ¡°I want you dead!¡± Tu Fusheng howled The green glow in his eyes shone brighter, and the green pattern covering his body re-lit and expanded in all directions.


    ¡®Starblink Steps!¡¯ Moments before the green energy waves touched Ye Wei, a stream of energy resembling the milky way appeared under his feet.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s movement became unpredictable. His figure blurred, and he rode the glowing light beneath his feet. Dodging wave after wave of Tu Fusheng¡¯s energy burst, he was asionally grazed but the impacts of the waves were constantly redirected.


    ¡°What kind of stance is that?¡± The experienced cultivators on the cloud tform scratched their heads, shocked while admiring the mysterious speed boosting stance.. None of them hade across or recognized a stance simr to Ye Wei¡¯s.


    Tu Fusheng¡¯s strength impressed many but whenpared toYe Wei¡¯s stance, it became less of a feat. As the stance was not high-graded but mysteriously unpredictable.


    ¡°Even I would struggle dodging those bursts of energy, but it doesn¡¯t look to be a problem for Ye Wei at all. It wouldn¡¯t be long until he overtakes me, I think actually in some aspects he is already ahead of me!¡± Xu He, vice-principal of South Star, said startled and concerned. He looked at Ye Wei¡¯s drifting figure, shocked by the level of talent.


    The vice-principal was pleasantly surprised by Ye Wei once again. This time he apuded Ye Wei on another secret techniques, one that was beyond his understanding and knowledge of stances.


    ¡°Ye Wei is the youngest Runemaster Qing State had ever seen. The fact that we know nothing of the stance until now certainly means he created it himself!¡± Chen Yuan looked at Ye Wei and saw Master Yi¡¯s form in the young one¡¯s fighting style, eximed, ¡°Oh Yi Yan, oh Yi Yan, you are a far greater teacher than I am.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of the fight¡¯s oue, I am going to recruit Ye Wei; he is qualified for sure!¡± Shi Qing looked at Ye Wei with his bronze eyes and spoke with great appreciation.


    ¡°Brother Shi Qing, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple. Just because the Green Army wants to recruit him ,doesn¡¯t mean he will oblige.¡±Chen Yuan wiselymented and gave Shi Qing a reproachful look, his lips twitched as his words came out.


    Ye Wei was as good a Runemaster as he was a cultivator. Even though the Green Army was interested, they still needed the Runemaster Union¡¯s approval.


    ¡°What do you mean? Who dares stand against the Green Army?¡± Themander stared at the City Lord, his thick ck brows arched upwards, interrogating in an overbearing tone.


    City Lord Chen Yuan looked at the aggravatedmander, smiled and shook his head. He then casted his attention back onto the amethyst tform. ¡®Not many people can challenge your authority in Qing State,but Ke Bai is one of them. As well, he just so happens to be the President of the Runemaster Union. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he has something to say about the army wanting to recruit Ye Wei.¡¯


    While Ye Wei was in the heat of battle, he felt a chilling tingle go down his spine as he noticed his opponent¡¯s presence was simr to that of the demon who ambushed him weeks ago with the energy of ck scale, currently in Ye Wei¡¯s possession.


    ¡®This is not a enhancing stance, like Ziyan said, probably, the demons are infiltrating right now, and Tu Fusheng could very well be one of them!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself and empowered his sword Qi.


    Due to the Mystic Mount¡¯s presence in his Sentient, Ye Wei had superior demon sensorypared even to returned prime Warriors, making him the only human-being on the venue that knew Tu Fusheng¡¯s true identity.


    ¡®Well done little boy, I didn¡¯t think you would notice. He is a strong one isn¡¯t he? Mastering the Green Corpse technique is quite a rare feat for a young demon like him. Now it¡¯s only just a matter of seconds before he ughters you all like helpless cattle!¡¯ The ck Scale Progenitor¡¯s voice echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    ¡®Thanks for confirming, now I know I don¡¯t have to hold anything back.¡¯ Ye Wei replied, ¡®Old dog, this is Ning City, a human territory! Good luck beating us here.¡¯


    ¡®Pfft, us demons can enter and leave a small city like this anytime we wish!. But the fact that he is here means he came prepared. Don¡¯t bother saving the city kid. It will soon turn to dust anyways I¡¯d just try to stay alive if I were you!¡¯ The Progenitor taunted insolently.


    ¡°Stop, listening to you makes me feel stupid.¡± Ye Wei grunted and channeled his Qi.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Tu Fusheng made a strange noise from his throat and swallowed arge breath of air. The green pattern on his skin moved into his mouth; the ring green glow on him disappeared, but his energy¡¯s presence grew. His wounds began to heal, strands of muscles quickly being synthesized, covered the knuckle bones as his dark skin also regrew.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯ Ye We sensed danger. He stepped on the shining star shapes under his feet, continued to escape from Tu Fusheng¡¯s shockwaves. Ye Wei try to open his mouth wanting to warn others about his opponent¡¯s real identity only to find he could not make a sound. The air around him was dense; so dense, he became contained in an area where his actions were constricted, limited.


    The waves came from all directions, crushing Ye Wei from all angles.


    ¡®Kid, you are in trouble now. He has used the power of his true demon form. Using my scale¡¯s power will be your only way out. If you really want to live you should follow my instructions.¡¯ The Progenitor chuckled.


    ¡®Shut it!¡¯ Ye Wei pinched himself to stay sharp and refocused on Tu Fusheng.


    ¡®Fine, if you want to die, then shutt me off, but you¡¯ll regret it!¡¯ The Progenitor¡¯s words sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    Tu Fusheng¡¯s eyes turned green entirely, the glow was mesmerising, his presence kept expanding, caging the audience in a horrifying atmosphere.


    ¡°Nine-star condensed prime, there is no mistake...¡±


    ¡°Dear Sages! Tu Fusheng is already a nine-star condensed prime Warrior?!¡± The weaker cultivators on the cloud tform were startled, shocked, and slightly ashamed of themselves.


    ¡°How can this kid be a nine-star condensed prime Warrior already?¡± Xu He¡¯s face went pale. He worried for his team, and, most importantly, he worried for Ye Wei. ¡®What am I going to say to Master Yi if his only legacy apprentice got injured under my watch!?¡¯


    The vice-principal¡¯s lips became chapped and dry from the frequent panic-inducing heavy breathing.


    ¡°Xu He, rx, cant you see Ye Wei is still feeling rxed? He always dealt with whatever stood in his way, and he handled the difficult circumstances rather easily with secret techniques we never expected him to know.¡± Jian Shiyufortingly said with a deep voice; he ced his hand on vice-principal Xu¡¯s shoulder while observing Ye Wei¡¯s moves. His eyes light up, brighter than stars in a night sky.


    Jian Shiyu was himself close to bing a returned prime Warrior. Although he appeared calm, he was shocked and worried as well. He thought that the tforms were too weak and small for the fighting on top of it.


    The important figures on the cloud tform looked at each other in silence. They wanted to speak but didn¡¯t quite know what to say. They felt strange as they knew how hard it was, how much effort they spent cultivating just to be as strong as this teenager.


    ¡°Nine-star condensed prime, I did not expect a cultivator of this level could be found in your region! Chen Yuan, you know this Tu Fusheng kid could probably ce in the top thirty if he fights the Qing State tournament right?¡±


    ¡°This is not looking good for Ye Wei!¡± Chen Yuan shook his head, the City Lord was a close friend of Master Yi¡¯s, and he couldn¡¯t help but pick a side. He sympathized about Ye Wei¡¯s troubling predicament as he knew it was going to be at best an uphill battle for the young Runemaster.


    ¡°Tu Fusheng, Ye Wei, Jian Chen, Feng Yi, the standard of this year¡¯s tournament is far higher than any of the other years!¡± Chen Yuan smiled. He was sure that these four prodigies could one day be influential forces.


    While the audience were admiring the quality of this year¡¯s contestants, Ye Wei was caught in a dire situation, a situation that could kill him. He adjusted his breathing pattern, injected Qi into his bones, and aimed to activate the Supernova stance.


    ¡®Second evolution!¡¯ The runes inside Ye Wei¡¯s body shone golden and flowed quickly. His power tripled in the matter of a second.


    As his Qi rushed into of his bones, amplified them, and his strength kept increasing, Ye Wei achieved a nine-star condensed prime level as the Supernova stance reached the second evolution. Although he would be struck by recoiling force once the stance fades, he could not afford to hold anything back during this fatal moment.


    Ye Wei felt the changes in the Qi flow inside his body, but he could not see the tadpole patterned runes developing on his bones which were linking together.

 Chapter 152 – Reveal

    Chapter 152 ¨C Reveal


    Ye Wei and Tu Fesheng unevenly stood on the opposite edges of the bed of amethyst shards and debris. Both of them were releasing a significant amount of Qi and both at nine-star condensed prime Warrior level.


    ¡°Pfft, an amplification stance again, I want to see how long you can keep yourself at that level!¡± Tu Fusheng red at Ye Wei.He stomped the ground andunched himself forward.


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±


    Tu Fusheng punched in quick session, dense like rain in a storm, aggressively tearing throughyers of defensive Qi towards Ye Wei¡¯s heart with the intent to kill him.


    ¡®Peerless Presence!¡¯ Ye Wei channeled his Qi to keep his stance active. His gaze was cold, set on Tu Fusheng. He did not n on dodging him;, instead. He wrapped his fist with the Zodiac Sword Qi. Taking a step forward, he threw punches as he steadied his footing. Every strike had the sharpness and strength to cut through solid steel.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    The figures of the fighters looked like blurs of light, barely touching the bed of broken amethyst pieces. The dust swirling around was taking shapes of fists as Ye Wei, and Tu Fusheng exchanged blows. The loud rumbles shook hearts and the impacted waves rippled. All the audience, at ground level and above, were bing nervous.


    Under the widened eyes of many, Ye Wei and Tu Fusheng exchanged over a couple hundreds of blows within seconds. Both sides had the power of nine-star condensed prime Warrior, and both could have died to one another¡¯s aggressive attacks if they made one mistake.


    Most of the experienced cultivators who thought the fight was over and expected Tu Fusheng to dominate Ye Wei. Once his power exponentially exploded, but they were now shocked to see Ye Wei had the capability to match his opponent¡¯s intensity.


    They had no choice but once again admit Ye Wei was stronger than they had expected.


    ¡°These two young ones are incredibly powerful!¡± Most of the audience on the cloud tform eximed as the fight became something like a death match between a lion and a panther.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    The raging energy from both contestants exploded in the air and cracked like thunder.


    Countless nervous gazes were aimed at the epicenter where the impact had caused an actual storm. The crushing gusts were strong enough to tear condensed prime Warriors to pieces.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The two figures met mid-air. With this exchange of violence came a rippling force-wave that shook the whole mountain, Ye Wei and Tu Fusheng flew backward. After a series of clumsy staggering both regained bnce.


    Though the fight was unforgiving, neither Ye Wei or Tu Fusheng were showing signs of backing down They were both ready to answer their opponent¡¯s next strike even meant it would be theirst.


    ¡°How is this possible? How can youst this long in my ghost freeze zone!?¡± Tu Fusheng¡¯s face darkened. His specialty technique traps whoever is stuck in the zone with power from the spirit realm while at the same time draining their energy. He did not expect Ye Wei would stay strong and have his amplification stancest this long under the pressure.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let this go on any longer!¡± Yu Fusheng by grinding his teeth showed his frustration. He understood the longer the fightsted, the more he risked blowing his human cover. ¡°No matter what stance you are capable of using you are no match for me!¡± His green eyes stared at Ye Wei. His killing intent intensified. Then his hands danced in the air at lightning speed as he made one hand seal after another.


    As Tu Fusheng made countless hand seals, his heart raced, his blood flowed through his body like an overflowing river, rumbling as the live fluid circled through.


    The green light burst out from the tform like waves. The light resonated with the primal energy in the atmosphere from a hundred kilometers radius. Thus, the two forces surged together and expanded.


    Faintly an image of a demon could be seen in Tu Fusheng¡¯s eyes; it was the shape of his real demon form.


    The image was also green, and somehow it showed no signs of being alive. Nheless, the image was still threatening.


    Tu Fusheng was a corpse demon. These demons are the most mysterious species out of the six biggest demon ns. They are capable of harvesting the negative energy of death and utilizing that energy inbat. In turn, they use the void¡¯s power to stun and silence their human prey.


    Within the green light, a ck stone tablet appeared above Tu Fusheng, a dark presence of death grew and drowned the mountaintop.


    All members of the audience began to have trouble breathing as if there were heavy rocks sitting on their chest.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Ye Wei, who was the closest to Tu Fusheng, felt a strange sensation. His body was bing weightless, and it was bing harder for him to think. His soul started drifting away.


    Ye Wei consciousness then began to sway; his head became heavy, and it was increasingly hard for him to stay sharp.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Ye Wei realized his situation was worsening, bit his tongue in hopes that the intense pain will wake himself up. However it was proven to be useless, his eyelids were bing heavier, and his consciousness was bing blurrier.


    ¡°I can engulf mankind¡¯s souls, and you are too weak to get away from me! Now face your death insolent human!¡± Tu Fusheng smiled sinisterly. His figure turned into a green sh and shot towards Ye Wei while he lifted his fist.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?! Ye Wei does not look well; this is not natural!¡± City Lord Chen Yuan¡¯s eyes lit up. He was the first to notice the abnormality.


    ¡°What kind of technique is that? Ye Wei looks startled as if his soul is leaving his body! And, Tu Fusheng¡¯s punch is possibly strong enough to challenge a nine-star condensed prime Warrior. This is not good!¡± Shi Qing, the Green Armymander, disyed a horrified expression. It would be a disaster for humanity if either of the youngsters lost his life fighting.


    ¡°Hahaha! Die!¡± Tu Fusheng radiated a green light. The ck stone tablet above him rattled. His bloodthirsty smile made his appearance even more sinister.


    ¡°No!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s consciousness began to fade, but he was still able to analyze the situation he was in, he could see Tu Fusheng¡¯s fist closing in.


    With Tu Fusheng¡¯s soul constriction, Ye Wei did not have the energy to channel his Qi. He could only watch with despair as the fist closed in.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    Staring at death, Ye Wei remembered what he had learned from the Karma tower when he fought the inner demons.


    ¡®With my heart, I shall master the way of the universe; with my heart, I will calm my mind. I will cultivate my mind and control my heart with my mind!¡¯ As his emotions calmed down, he was able to stabilize his soul, stopping its detached motion.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes widened. His golden will-force rushed out from his Sentient, forming the shape of the holy conservatory. A glint of sacred light burst from inside his pupils shone onto Tu Fusheng.


    Like the first light of the sun, the holy conservatory¡¯s bright golden light shone and reced the dark, green energy Tu Fusheng spread all over the mountaintop.


    Beams of the golden lightnded on Tu Fusheng¡¯s body and began to melt his skin and flesh. He squealed as the excruciating pain intensified, consuming him.


    Ever since Ye Wei became a runemaster, his enchanted will-force was a counter to demons , and this was the second time he had a chance to show it.


    Although Tu Fusheng¡¯s body was disintegrating, he did not back down. Rather, he continued advancing towards Ye Wei with his menacing fist strike.


    ¡®Selenic Triple-Primal Sword!¡¯


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    When Tu Fusheng¡¯s fist was three inches away from Ye Wei¡¯s head, a burst of runes stopped the sharp Qi wave from hitting Ye Wei¡¯s face.


    The runes began to flow. An array of stars appeared in front of Ye Wei¡¯s suppressed body. They intertwined to be a ten meters long spectral sword.


    What Tu Fusheng thought to be his opponent¡¯s final moments, Ye Wei was able to activate the mid-level Myst stance in its peak high-level, refined form.


    Ye Wei¡¯s will-force and Qi rushed out like a sh flood. Under the effect of the Supernova second evolution, the Selenic Triple Sword stance drained his resources regardless of his amplified cultivation.


    The spectral sword vibrated. The edge¡¯s glint resembled a starry night sky, and its energy was directed towards Tu Fusheng¡¯s direction.


    The fist that was powering towards Ye Wei¡¯s head had suddenly stopped. It appeared, three inches between the fighters, there was an invisible and invulnerable wall hindering Tu Fusheng.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The star-like runes conveyed their energy and exploded. Consequently, the amethyst tform turned into a mist of purple dust, shrouding the fighters entirely.


    The audience on the cloud, who understood the scale of destruction and the powered required to create such devastation, gasped because they realized Ye Wei could defeat them in a bare-hand fight.


    Seeing Ye Wei had be the aggressor now, they all shifted their attention to Tu Fusheng, wondering if he could take the hit.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Tu Fusheng¡¯s face became pale. He screamed in pain, tortured by the agony of his skin and muscles peeling off his bones.


    ¡®Back!¡¯ Tu Fusheng horrified tried desperately escaping. He wanted to dodge all the rippling force-waves of Ye Wei¡¯s stance. Even though he was flying through the air at an incredible speed, he could not shake the waves behind his figure.


    ¡°What chances do you have now?¡± Ye Wei coldly questioned. He grabbed his sword and prepared to strike the next strike.


    ¡°Damn it, you filthy human child!¡± Tu Fusheng cursed desperately while considering if he should transform into his demon form so that he could defend himself. However, he knew doing so would make him the target of all the great human cultivators on the cloud tform and those below them.


    ¡°You left me with no choice! I will bring you down even if that means risking my life!¡± Tu Fusheng red at Ye Wei with an eviscerating gaze. The green glow in the demon¡¯s eyes brightened as his voice became hoarse.


    ¡°Kerrrrrr!¡± A strange vibrating noise came out of the demon¡¯s widening mouth as the rest of his body expanded rapidly. Tu Fusheng lifted his head and screamed.

 Chapter 153 – Demon King

    Chapter 153 ¨C Demon King


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Tu Fusheng¡¯s rapidly erging body ripped his clothes into pieces. Under the audience¡¯s awe, his face inhumanly contorted while the widened eyes of the shocked cultivators, old and young, watched the horrifying scene unveil itself.


    The monstrous six meters tall body was muscr. His skin turned from a bronze coloration to a pale white. Two fearsome cyan fangs stuck out of his gigantic mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s a demon!¡±


    ¡°A Corpse demon!¡± The audience on the cloud stood up surprised, terrified by the fanged, towering, levitating abomination.


    ¡°You have some guts to reveal your demon form in my city!¡± Chen Yuan City Lord mmed the table in front of him, dissipating the cloud structure around him as he channeled his energy.


    ¡°A pathetic young demon like you should not have wandered into human territory. You should respect the Green Army and think about the consequences before you reveal your demon form!¡± Commander Shi Qing¡¯s presence expanded, and he was surrounded by a blood red aura.


    ¡°Tu Fusheng is a... a demon!?¡± The audience on ground level were startled. They all felt a chill run down their spines, and their knees went weak. They struggled to ept that the young cultivator they¡¯ve grown to like was a sinister being who infiltrated the tournament.


    ¡°No wonder his body strength is so exceptional!¡± Xu He¡¯s forehead became wet from sweating and questioned himself on why he was not able to make the association before.


    All present wholeheartedly believed demons would never dare to show themselves around Ning City, especially ever since the Battle of the Trapped Beasts.


    ¡°Do you have a death wish? This is human territory! If you reveal your demon form, you won¡¯t just be fighting me!¡± Ye Wei held his sword tight, looked around him then struck Tu Fusheng with his sword.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s sword left a trail resembling the milky way. He nearly blinded the audience as it came crashing down on Tu Fusheng¡¯s head.


    The peak high-level Myst stance¡¯s power erupted, but at the same time draining all of Ye Wei¡¯s will-force and Qi.


    Although Tu Fusheng transformed to his demon form, he was still not sure if he could handle the sword strike. His body glowed ck to summon the spirits from the other side to attack Ye Wei.


    While the spirits were slowing Ye Wei¡¯s sword strike down, Commander Shi Qing made a move. He used a stance to transform himself into a giant gold-armored war golem. Grabbing Tu Fusheng¡®s body, he held it in ce. ¡°How dare you disrespect an armymander!?¡±


    ¡°Pall demon king, please help me, quick!¡± Tu Fusheng did not expect Shi Qing¡¯s swift reaction. He desperately screamed for help as he felt his life under threat.


    ¡°Bang!¡± While the Green Armymander¡¯srge golden palm strike was falling down onto Tu Fusheng, a jade pendant hanging on the demon¡¯s neck turned into dust, activating the teleportation device within.


    Suddenly, a vortex appeared in the sky, and arge ck palm, over a kilometer in length, stretched out of the dimension¡¯s opening. It pressed downwards towards the gold war golem, and covering the sky. Nobody on the mountaintop could see the sun.


    The patterns on the pall demon king¡¯s hand were carved deep into his onyx textured skin, resembling the green shapes on Tu Fusheng¡¯s skin. ck mist formed between the fingers of the over-sized hand


    Themander, in his war golem runic armor was shakened and knocked back by the pressure. At the same time,therge fingers of the demon king¡¯s other hand copsed on Ye Wei¡¯s Selenic Sword stance and broke it into shards.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s face turned pale. He spat out a mouthful of blood as he fell rapidly towards the ground. With his Qi sword broken, his weakened body¡¯s anchor, he lost all of his strength.


    ¡°I am impressed, you are just a teenage boy, but you would have defeated a green corpse demon singlehandedly if I did not intervene. I apologize but I cannot let you live.¡± A dark, hoarse voice sounded, shook the mountaintop, and the demon¡¯s gigantic hand smashed towards Ye Wei.


    ¡°Pall demon king, know your ce!¡± Commander Shi Qing shouted furiously. His voice roared like thunder.


    A burst of energy exploded from themander¡¯s body. His golden fist tore through the thickened air, hoping to knock the ck hand that was on the course to annihte Ye Wei away.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Countless of runes were flowing on the surface of the golden fist. The air close to the impactpressed and then exploded. The shining runes illuminated like the sun, and everyone at the scene closed their eyes not to be blind.


    Only a few were unaffected by the side effects of the returned prime Warrior¡¯s powerful strike.


    ¡°Do you really think we will just sit here and watch you kill a young talent in our territory?¡± The City Lord joined in without hesitation. A dark long sword appeared in his grip out of nowhere.


    The next second the City Lord¡¯s de flew towards the vortex where the demon king¡¯s hand came from.


    ¡°Hahaha! Chen Yuan, Shi Qing, good day to you too! And, may I say that you two are way too slow?¡± The demon king¡¯s hoarse voice crackled and resounded all throughout the arena, knocking many unconscious.


    ¡°Toote!¡±


    Although both themander¡¯s golden fist and the City Lord¡¯s sword strike were swift, their speed were no match to the rampaging ck palm strike.


    Distressed by the demon king¡¯s motive and his merciless execution, the two strongest cultivators shivered since they knew Ye Wei would be crushed within moments.


    Before contact, the fearsome pressure imposed by the ck palm already began to dismantle Ye Wei¡¯s body from the inside. His veins ruptured, and he bled out from the fissures all over his skin.


    While his skin was splitting, and his muscles were tearing, the runic energy on his bones seemed to have its own mind. The rune pattern flowed rapidly; the spaced out tadpole shapes melted into each other due to the pressure.


    Catalyzed by the force of the demon king, the runes on Ye Wei¡¯s bones consolidated and grew into connected ying yang shapes.


    Ye Wei knew how talented he was, but even so he concluded that it will take more than ten years of training and painful process of altering and modifying the runes on his bones before reaching the third stage.


    However under the demon¡¯s pressure, the runes on Ye Wei¡¯s bones were forcefully empowered with the speed thousand times quicker than he had ever expected.


    Ye Wei stared at the demon king who stretched out from the ck void in the sky. He shook his head reluctantly.


    ¡®I can¡¯t wait any longer,¡¯ he thought. He could feel most of the runes on his bones werepressed, and the runic transformation was close to finishing, ¡®if I don¡¯t seed and withstand my ground now, I will get killed by the ck palm!¡¯


    A sudden sh of inspiration filled his mind.


    Ye Wei breathed a sigh of relief as his iron talisman hanging on his waist this whole time, suddenly came to life. Its energy bursted out and became million of strands of silver lights, filling all the space around him. It formed an invisible force field that instantly enveloped and stopped the demon king¡¯s ck palm.


    The ck palm froze abruptly in space; not a single muscle could move or even twitch.


    The talisman Ye Wei found in the Bloodmist valley was not mystic arms, but it was more powerful than one. Once it absorbed enough power, it could create a force field strong enough to freeze a demon king¡¯s full-force strike. Although it was not a pretty or fancy piece of jewelry, its power had just turned the tide.


    Ye Wei had found it three years ago during which he had only used it three times. After every use, the talisman needs more and more energy to restore itself. Unless it was absolutely thest resort, Ye Wei was not willing to use it. Having umted so much energy, the scale of the force-field released by it was never before seen.


    Before today, his iron talisman was his best kept secret weapon. But being in a life or death situation, there was only so much Ye Wei could do than not taking advantage of the talisman¡¯s hidden power.


    ¡°What? What just happened?!¡± A muffled hoarse voice angrily asked The demon king waspletely shocked as his hand was firmly held in ce by a mysterious force.


    The strength of the demon king was far superior to anyone present, however, the iron talisman was able to stop him for a few decisive moments. Although it could only hold the demon¡¯s strike for a second, that one second was all that was needed.


    By the time the demon king broke the talisman¡¯s constricting power, City Lord Chen Yuan¡¯s ck de, with the momentum like a meteor, l decisively cut the huge demon¡¯s arm .


    The demon king¡¯s voice howled within theher. Even he was shocked by the sudden powerful energy, since he did not expect anyone to be able to stop his attack.


    A dull crush noise echoed from the impact. An invisible force wave rippled outwards, knocking everyone down. Though they were standing on the outside of the protective shield made by the City Lord, their bodies weakened and their faces became pale.


    The gusts of wind around the martial tforms intensified.


    ¡°I shall spare your lives this time, mortals!¡± In agony, the demon king¡¯s wounded voice growled from above. Without his real body, he could tell that he would be defeated shortly now that his initiative had been stopped. There was no chance for him to end Ye Wei¡¯s life this time, ¡°Goodbye, mortals!¡±


    The demon king roared to Tu Fusheng to run and hide himself within the voidher.


    ¡°You filthy creature! How dare youe to my city! You disrespect me by crossing the boundaries! And you wish to leave without any consequences?!¡± A mighty voice sounded above everyone¡¯s heads. Chen Yuan was there to avenge the citizens.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape!¡± Yelled Chen Yuan as the sudden burst of energy exploded from his ck Sword.


    The City Lord¡¯s sword Qi heated up. The kilometer long body of energy became a tornado, and its fearsome pressure drowned out the whole mountain.

 Chapter 154 – Qing State’s Seven

    Chapter 154 ¨C Qing State¡¯s Seven


    ¡®Crazed River de!¡¯ Chen Yuan grunted. His cold face and bloodthirsty eyes conveyed his intent to kill the demon. The long ck de buried into the demon¡¯s tough flesh.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    As the City Lord stuck his stance to the Qi tornado, thepressed air transformed into a sword shape.


    ¡°Chen Yuan, when did you learn how to use Supreme Chen Feng¡¯s Void Cleve!?¡± The demon king¡¯s voice furiously echoed into the human realm from the other end of theher. The demon king figured out why the mortal being could cut off his arm, ¡°You better leave my kins alone! Otherwise, I will make sure your people die together with mine!¡±


    The demon¡¯s voice faded while his broken arm on the ground suddenly started pulsing. Scarlet light burst out of the detached limb; every drop of demon blood began to ignite, emitting fearsome energy.


    ¡°Watch out! He is using his necromancy powers! The arm is going to explode!¡± Chen Yuan yelled in shock. He dismissed his Qi de in order to free up his hands, enabling him to make runic seals.


    He didn¡¯t want to let Tu Fusheng escape. Nheless, he couldn¡¯t let the arm explode since it would lead to numerousbustions that the younger cultivators had no chance to survive.


    In this situation Chen Yuan only saw one correct course of action, to prevent the explosion from taking ce by all means necessary.


    Not only did the City Lord, but the rest of the powerful cultivators on the cloud tform agreed as well. They all decided to use suppressing stances against the demon¡¯s broken limb.


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±


    The arm exploded without warning and sent pieces of flesh and blood all over the nearby young cultivators. These pieces incinerated their skin and turned their bones to dust. Fortunately, Chen Yuan suppressed the true might of the outburst, saving numerous lives, otherwise the consequences would have been disastrous.


    ¡°Demon king! We will meet again soon, and next time I will kill you both!¡± Chen Yuan shouted. The demon took Tu Fusheng and vanished, only his lingeringughter could be heard from the wind.


    The tournament ground became chaotic. All of the audience was startled by the bloody scene. The ones who stood closer to the explosion could not believe their friends were now dead and in pieces. They were stunned by the sudden demonic assault, but at the same time, they felt lucky that the explosions were contained.


    Chen Yuan looked at the remains of the void where the demon king and Tu Fusheng disappeared, frowning.


    ¡°I now dere Ning City in a state of emergency due to demon infiltration! I want everyone from the Seven Star School who had contact with Tu Fusheng arrested and interrogated immediately!¡± Ordered Chen Yuan in a cold voice. ¡®Usually demon¡¯s disguised as human beings are easily detected by teacher or even stronger students. This time however, Tu Fusheng was before their eyes for a very long period of time undetected. It is definitely a matter to worry about. Maybe they have mastered better disguise methods.¡¯


    The city guards proceeded without hesitation. They hastefully took Seven Star School¡¯s tutors and students in custody. One by one, they were interrogated. The officials found out Tu Fusheng had a mysterious female associate who happened to disappear around the same time the fight between South Star and Seven Star ended in bloodshed. A number of scouts were sent to track the young girl¡¯s whereabouts.


    The chaos of the earlier events slowly began to calm down. Ye Wei was sent to the medics by the City Lord to make sure that all of his grievous injuries would be attended.


    The guards of the Ning City began to search for traces of demons within the city¡¯s walls.


    ***


    Thousand of miles away, in a huge mysterious cave hidden beneath the mountains, Tu Fusheng was kneeling on the trembling ground before an enormous dark mass of sinister energy that levitated. This sinister energy began to reflect the ghostly glow radiated from the stones in the cave.


    ¡°You insolent creature! You almost ruined my ns! You should have practiced the Empowering Technique instead of wasting your time!¡± A loud grunt echoed in the dark as a surge of negative energy span around Tu Fusheng, ready to harvest his life.


    Tu Fusheng felt the demonic force spirals¡¯ hostility, and his whole body was turned rigid by fear. Scared, but trying to stop his voice from trembling: ¡°Thank you, Demon king, for your gracious mercy!¡±


    The cluster of dark clouds gathered and dissipated slowly over and over, creating runic patterns that shown a dark light onto the demon king¡¯s body.


    A deep thought crossed Tu Fusheng¡¯s mind while seeing the presence of theplex runic patterns. Only human beings are capable of writing, ¡®Maybe the Pall Demon king was human once before! I heard rumors that he was one of the few humans that used ancient spells to transform into a demon...¡¯


    ¡°Please, teach me how to use the empowerment technique! I am willing to work as hard as I can to improve so I can finish the task! I promise, I will not let you down again!¡± Tu Fusheng eximed anxiously.


    ¡°Save your excuses, I sent little Yin to finish what you failed to do. I have another small task for you, you pathetic joke. If you fail me again, this time there will be consequences!¡± The Demon king spoke and let out a heavy, low grunt.


    The loud rumble made Tu Fusheng¡¯s ears bleed. He knew he was in no position to negotiate or to argue, ¡°Your wish is mymand, Your Grace!¡± He hid his insecurities, but secretly he felt envious that the demon king sent someone else to finish what he started.


    After receiving his new instructions, Tu Fusheng carefully left the cave mindful to not turn his back to the demon king while exiting.


    The ck mist suddenly became unstable after Tu Fusheng left the cave, ¡°Chen Yuan, I will not let this go! When I am finished with preparing the ancient moon corpse technique, I will annihte Ning City and cover its ground with dead bodies! Hahaha!¡±


    As the demon kingughed hysterically, a pool of blood started bubbling out of the ground, and a human corpse emerged.


    It was apletely naked corpse of a handsome young man. His hair was ck and long, and his facial features were well defined and proportional. There was a tenderness in his masculinity and a hint of wittiness.


    The body was in perfect shape. His hair was perfectly glossy, and his nose was straight as a gangnk. His smooth skin and thin lips appeared slightly pink, delicate like a young girl.


    He wasying in a pool of blood. His dim grey eyes slightly open, showing great sadness.


    It¡¯s impossible to find out everything the young man experienced in his life; however, there was grief and hopelessness in his eyes.


    The demon king had acquired this ancient corpse from the wild wilderness. It¡¯s soul had long since l had faded away, but the body was in perfect condition. It seemed to have collected a mass amount of spirits and negative energy due to its violent death. If the demon king would be able to integrate himself into this ancient corpse, he would have the chance to be a demon sovereign or even a demon emperor.


    ***


    The City Lord¡¯s mansion, Ning City.


    Gravely injured, Ye Wei finally started to wake up after extensive care of several nurses.


    A slim, beautiful maid was hovering over Ye Wei when he opened his eyes atst. ¡°Little one, are you awake? How do you feel?¡± she worryingly asked she.


    ¡°Where... Where am I?¡± Ye Wei asked in a weak barely audible voice, staring blindly at the nurse.


    ¡°You are at the City Lord¡¯s mansion, his grace sent you here for us to attend your injuries.¡± She smiled gently, still a bit worried about Ye Wei¡¯s condition.


    Pictures of his memory started to appear in his mind. The Demon king and his mighty attacks, the talisman, how he was able to freeze the demon¡¯s arm, Chen Yuan¡¯s efforts of bravely fighting to defend the youngsters. Ye Wei¡¯s heart filled with gratitude towards the City Lord, ¡®if it wasn¡¯t for him, I would be dead by now, crushed by the demon¡¯s arm.¡¯


    ¡°That Demon King held such immense power.¡± Ye Wei was terribly shaken. He remembered the fight and tried not to show how scared he actually felt. His body seemed to be healing; however, his Sentient was full of scars.


    Ye Wei suddenly sat up straight. The nket covering his body slipped, revealing his naked body. His cheeks flushed red and he hurried to cover himself up again.


    Seeing how embarrassed Ye Wei was acting, the maids couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°don¡¯t be shy, we have been taking care of you for days now. We have already seen everything.¡± she said yfully.


    Hearing the words of the maid, Ye Wei felt even more flustered. ¡®You can¡¯t be serious. Was I ina for that long?¡¯


    He looked down at hispletely naked body under the nket to double check. His cheeks now looked like a pair of tomatoes.


    ¡°Would you mind leaving the room for a moment so I can dress myself appropriately!¡± Ye Wei could still not get over his embarrassment.


    ¡°Yes sir, we will be on our way now!¡± The prettiest of them spoke, bowed, and closed the door behind her after leaving Ye Wei alone in thefortable, spacious room.


    Ye Wei took a deep breath.He was relieved as his eyes followed the beautiful maids out of the room. He was not at allfortable with how the maids saw his naked body. He sighed and then began to check his body, only to discover his meridians were partially blocked and his Sentient was cracked. All in all, he was not in good enough condition to cultivate or train.


    He took a few pills and began to nourish his body with the medicines¡¯ effect. After a few moments, he was feeling a lot better. However, his Sentient injuries were still not resolved.


    Ye Wei heard rapid footsteps from the outside while he was trying to cultivate. He wanted to get the best out from the pills.


    Led by City Lord Chen Yuan andmander Shi Qing, a group of people burst into his room, including Xu He, Cao Ning and other rted personales.


    ¡°Ye Wei! How are you feeling?!¡± Cao Ning¡¯s concerned voices sounded from the door as he rushed in to see if his friend was recovering well.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. A few injuries, but nothing too serious.¡± Ye Wei calmly answered. Ensuring, he sounded as energetic as he could.


    ¡°I did not expect Tu Fusheng to be an infiltrated demon. I don¡¯t think anyone understood this fact until the veryst moment. It is our duty to protect all the citizens and guests of this City, and we failed. But I am d that you are alright!¡± Chen Yuan sighed sadly. ming himself for not noticing this demon invasion earlier, he handed a pill bottle to Ye Wei, ¡°These are two Sunfire pills. They can heal injured meridians and provide a Qi boost. I assume you might have some use for them.


    ¡°I owe my life to you and all the City protectors, as well as the people who looked after me here. I do not dare to ept any more gifts from you, Lord.¡± Ye Wei quickly replied, impressed by the extraordinary generosity of the City Lord.


    Chen Yuan smiled, touched by Ye Wei¡¯s modesty, ¡°It¡¯s only two pills. You have way more need for them right now than me.¡±


    ¡°I would find it offensive if you didn¡¯t ept my gift.¡± said the City Lord. Only then, Ye Wei bowed to Chen Yuan and epted the valuable pills, ¡°Thank you so much for your help!¡±


    ¡®These are two Sunfire pills. My meridians will be able to heal and fully recover and perhaps even improve my cultivation. Nevertheless, the Sentient injuries there is nothing much I can do, but just to take it easy and slowly recuperate.¡¯


    ¡°The tournament is officially over! We finished first and even were granted a special reward from the City Lord. Lord Chen Yuan awarded us a que with handwritten inscription!¡± Said Xu He, looking proudly at Ye Wei. This was South Star Academy¡¯s best finish ever in the history of the school¡¯s participation in the tournament.Without Ye Wei, they would have never had a chance.


    ¡°Our school was also rewarded with the prestigious ?College? title in addition to a bunch of new stances, prizes and money. Southern Star will be able to provide so much more for their students!¡±


    Ye Wei nodded, and a smile grewrger on his face. He could not help but feel happy and extremely proud for his school.


    ¡°This is a frozen iron body armor for when you defeated Tu Fusheng. Defeating that filthy demon, you became the highest ranked God¡¯s Seven! There this belongs to you.¡± Chen Yuan spoke as he took the silvery item out of his interspatial bag and handed it over to Ye Wei.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already given me two valuable pills, how can I take more from you?¡± Ye Wei lifted his hand to refuse the City Lord¡¯s offer.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? This is not a gift for you specifically. It is tradition and custom that the strongest God¡¯s Seven own this piece of armor!¡± The City Lordughed, ¡°Well, I would have personally given you something for protection otherwise! Hahaha! On a serious note, you should always be wearing this armor, it can save your life!¡±


    Ye Wei nodded. ¡®Since all of the God¡¯s Seven were awarded with this armor, I cannot refuse¡¯, Ye Wei thought to himself as he took the armor. Upon contact with the armor, he felt a cold chill passing his finger, which flowed through his whole body. The armor, made of cold iron cast, was greatly sophisticated and extremely hard to prate or broken even by returned prime Warriors.


    ¡°Ye Wei, are you interested in joining the Green Army?¡± Commander Shi Qing, who stood on the side. He had no patience left in him. ¡°You and your family will be protected, and the army will provide you will all kinds of resources you need for training!¡±


    Listening to this proposal, Chen Yuan couldn¡¯t help but startedughing. ¡°Commander, I fear that you will be disappointed. Ye Wei has already joined Runemaster Union and is a three star Runemaster, approved to be one of the Seven New Runes!¡±


    ¡°Runemaster? God¡¯s Seven?!¡± The Commander was startled. Even though the army provided a lot of benefits for the troops,he knew his offer couldn¡¯t interest a Runemaster.


    ¡°Three star Runemaster?! The first of God¡¯s Seven?¡± Xu He and others also looked shocked. Cao Ning, Joe Yin and Liu Jian stared at Ye Wei, stunned by the sudden news.


    ¡°He is so young! Only our age and already achieved this much!¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±

 Chapter 155 – Vermillion Essence Runes

    Chapter 155 ¨C Vermillion Essence Runes


    Joe Yin understood Ye Wei was drifting further and further away from her. Nheless, she did not expect it to be so soon, to happen this quickly. She tried to remain positive and quietly wished Ye Wei the best in his future endeavours.


    Commander Shi was feeling slightly embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got another idea. We have a few special openings for honorable instructors. I personally know some runemasters who took the offer. You don¡¯t have to do a lot. Rather, you just have toe and tutor the troops now and then. We offer our instructors great wages and benefits too.¡±


    ¡°Instructor? I am not sure. Will it be appropriate for my age?¡± Ye Wei felt a little bit embarrassed by all the attention he was getting.


    Commander Shi chuckled ¡°What do you mean?! It will be perfect! It is not at all inappropriate considering your cultivation level. Furthermore, you are already a three-star Runemaster! You have more than enough knowledge to teach those young bastards!¡± He was admiring young Ye Wei¡¯s aplishments. ¡®Maybe one day, this kid will be a leader! I need to stay in good rtionship with him.¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°It would be disrespectful if I declined an offer from the Commander himself!¡± Ye Wei smiled shyly.


    ¡°Apart from a fixed sry, the Green Army gives their honorable instructors each a silver token. This token gives them clearance tomand troops wherever they are.¡± Themander then exined the obligation Ye Wei was expected to follow. He could obtain higher leveled tokens if he was promoted. The Commander also exined what clearance yellow tokens, ck tokens or even the renowned purple tokens would grant.


    Each token has different authorization levels and functions. Only a handful of people were in possession of purple tokens in the whole of Green Army.


    ¡°What are you going to do now, Ye Wei? Will you go back to Green Moon City?¡± Asked Chen Yuan while he examined Ye Wei¡¯s face. Even though Ye Wei was more than qualified to enter the next stage of the tournament at Qing state¡¯s capital, he was already crowned the number one of God¡¯s Seven, a three star Runemaster and a Green Army instructor, attending the next tournament would not help him achieve much.


    ¡°You deserve arger stage than what the state-wide tournament has to offer...¡±


    Ye Wei, however, was determined to meet his master and family as soon as possible, ¡®I definitely want to go back to Green Moon City! Even though I do not n to spend my entire life there, I need to meet with my Master first, then we will travel together to Qing State¡¯s capital through a transportation array!¡±


    Chen Yuan was silent for a moment worried about the dangers that might have been waiting on the other side of the city¡¯s wall. He nodded and said: ¡°If this is what you wish to do, you need to be careful! Even though the demon king was injured and he probably won¡¯t dare to cross the boundaries any time soon, he is still dangerous and he will be looking for you, seeking revenge.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lord, for your concerns.¡± Ye Wei responded thankfully and thought, ¡®as of now, there are more demons wandering in human territory than usual as Ziyan said. I have to quickly improve my cultivation for the sake of my own safety and also for the people around me, people that I care about.¡¯


    Ye Wei suddenly remembered something he read while browsing the Runemaster Union¡¯s inventory using his runic badge, ¡®I think I should try to get my hands on deception scrolls. With those specialized mystic scrolls it will be much easier to hide my tracks, but they cost three hundred thousand contribution tokens each! I have to think of ways to earn more tokens quickly and efficiently.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hurry home. I can arrange for you to stay here for a few days, so you can rest and gain strength before going on the road again. Once all of the other students returned to where they came from, I can send my men to escort you back to Green Moon City. Just for safety!¡± Said Chen Yuan sincerely while looking at Xu He and the South Star team.


    ¡°Thank you, Lord, that would be very kind of you.¡± Xu He quickly expressed his appreciation and bowed.


    ¡°Ye Wei, you should get some rest! We will leave you be!¡± Everyone started to back out from the room, giving the weakened runemaster space.


    Ye Wei, finally alone in his room, sat himselffortably in lotus position, swallowed one of the two Sunfire pills given to him by the City Lord and began to cultivate.


    A surge of scorching energy flowed down his throat, absorbed, it entered his meridians, spreading across his entire body. He felt like he swallowed burning magma. One by one, the blockages on his meridians were slowly unclogged by the heat.


    ¡®This Sunfire pill is unbelievably good!¡¯


    Ye Wei though that after mending his meridians he could make good use of the residual energy from the pill, and that he should channel the heat into his dantian where the energy will eventually be absorbed, bing his own.


    Half an hourter all the energy of the pill ceased to exist in his meridians. He did a well converting the surges as they reached his dantian.


    Like a needle dropped in a haystack, no trace of energy could be find.


    Ye Wei was shocked, dumbfounded. He originally thought that one Sunfire Pill would be greatly beneficial, that it would be enough to enhance his cultivation and fill his diantian with much needed Qi. Ye Wei came to the conclusion that the pill was ineffective because he was oblivious about his dantian being over-sizedparing to other cultivators at his level, that it required an absurd amount of energy to fill up. Hence the effect of the sunfire pill wasn¡¯t noticeable in Ye Wei¡¯s case.


    Ye Wei swallowed another Sunfire pill. This time he took more time to refine the pill¡¯s energy, therefore he umted a little bit more Qi.


    ¡°It seems that one or two sunfire pills have no effect on me and soon I will require more and more pills to be able to sustain my dantian. The perfect solution would be Cosmic energy but it¡¯s not so simple to obtain. I can refine low level stances but the cosmic energy received from them would be minimal. I need to refine higher level¡¯s stances to be able to obtain the needed energy¡±, murmured Ye Wei angrily.


    ¡®The meridians were restored, but my fractured Sentient will need much more time to heal... But there might still be powerful demons around the city, I am never safe untilpletely recovered from my injuries.¡¯


    Even though Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient was slowly healing it was still not quick enough, and it was very difficult to get pills that would have any effect on fractured Sentients, even the mighty City Lord himself did not possess anything that like it.


    ¡®Oh, maybe I can get it from the Runemaster Union¡¯s inventory!¡¯ The idea shed across Ye Wei¡¯s mind. He quickly took the Runic Badge out from his bag and began to look for the pills that could aid his current condition.


    ¡°Condense Soul pill, Nourish Soul pill, Holy Spirit pill... This is it!¡± Ye Wei found the category he needed, he looked at the description and figured out his Sentient injury could be healed by just a Condense Soul pill, the more expensive options were meant for cultivators with more dire injuries. He then checked the cost of the item he needed, gasped for air in shock as he found out just one pill will cost him three hundred thousand contribution tokens.


    The pill that helps to restore a fractured Sentient was quite rare, as it required arge amount of unique and limited herbs. In addition, these pills usually had no harmful side effects, hence why their value was so high. Condense Soul pill costed three hundred thousand contribution tokens; while the Nourish Soul pill five hundred thousand contribution tokens; and the Holy Spirit pill at six million contribution tokens.


    If a Holy Spirit pill is avable for a cultivator to take before arge battle or even a war, the Sentient will gain extraordinary strength, making it almost impossible to break. Unfortunately the pill is too expensive, out of Ye Wei¡¯s reach for now.


    ¡®I need to get some of these pills to restore my Sentient quicker, and also to recharge the iron talisman. It saved my life too many times to not have it prepared for another possible dangerous encounter.¡¯


    Thinking about the different ways to earn contribution tokens, Ye Wei remembered that he could try and answer some of the questions from the jade wall. The practical problems that rewarded well were unfortunately out of his reach, however he could try himself at theoretical questions. After answering just one question correctly, he already collected fifty thousand contribution tokens.


    Ye Wei continued to flip the pages, looking for any question he would be able to try put his knowledge to good use, his eyes widened as one of the questions caught his attention.


    ¡°This couldn¡¯t be... Someone submitted a question with a reward of two hundred and ten million contribution tokens?!¡± Murmured Ye Wei, shocked by the amount of tokens he could get from just one question. ¡°Who would have put it here...


    ¡®It is actually a very simple question!¡¯ Surprise was all over Ye Wei¡¯s face, while he wondered what kind of people would be resourceful enough to offer that much.


    ¡®I can only see basic runes and seals in this rune sequence...¡¯ Surprised to find out what the question was on.


    What Ye Wei didn¡¯t take into ount is that the runes are way more profound andplicated. The pattern of certain runes can create a basic rune sequence, however every rune can be used differently ording to how you pair them together. There were infinite amount of possibilities.


    To be a Runemaster, one had to master the runic system, and learn how to make stances but to be a Grand-Runemaster, Runemasters would have to create their own runes, all runes as cultivators knew them, were created by Sages and Grand-Runemasters after years or even decades of research.


    Ye Wei looked worryingly at the question, checked every word to make sure he read it correctly.


    ¡®In the ancient book of life, there were a total of sixty thousand runes... What were the seven vermilion essence runes mentioned in the volume? Prove your answer.¡¯

 Chapter 156 – The First Rune

    Chapter 156 ¨C The First Rune


    Ye Wei frowned, although the question seemed simple, he didn¡¯t know anything about the Vermilion Essence Runes, after all these seven runes were created, named and categorized in a system that he had minimal knowledge on.


    Rumors had it that the seven Vermilion Essence Runes were created by a prime while observing the Mystic Mountain. He was surrounded by demons but managed to escape. He was gravely injured in the battle and didn¡¯t survive, but before he took hisst breath, he managed to write down the seven Vermilion Essence Runes, inspired by the demons¡¯ strength.


    The book he wrote in was the ancient book of life, that kept record of more than sixty thousand basic runes, contained more than ten million pages with detailed description of each rune and respective sequence. Looking for just seven runes in the sea of shapes waspletely intangible task.


    It was known, though, that the power of these seven essential runes were exceptional. They could greatly enhance any stance, thus making their significance truly remarkable, and therefore they meant a lot to the human race.


    ¡®I can read the whole volume from the badge, but I¡¯m guessing it won¡¯t be simple to find seven specific runes from therge collection...¡¯ Ye Wei stared at the image of the book on top of the runic badge, caught in a deep thought.


    ¡®I can receive five million contribution tokens just for finding the first essence rune and proving its existence! The second one will grant me ten million contribution points! If I will be able to find them all I can receive a total of two hundred and ten million contribution tokens!¡¯


    Ye Wei was enthusiastic, but he was soon going to find out the difficulty of excuting this task, having to iste seven runes from a pool of sixty thousand. The question had been listed on the fifty-sixth wall for sixty years now. There were many Runemasters and Grand-Runemasters that read the book of life everyday for referencing purposes, who knew the existence of the question but none of them was able to answer it.


    ¡°Seven Vermilion Essence runes, where are you?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes were closed, dug deep into his mind, the Mystic Mount presence in his Sentient meant that he had an enormous library of runes in his head, but they were not necessarily arranged nor named.


    Ye Wei was not particrly looking to find all seven, he was just interested in getting enough tokens to heal his Sentient, but the challenge itself was bing interesting for him.


    ¡®The question is ¨C how do I identify them? How am I going to differentiate them from the rest?¡¯ Ye Wei realized that it would take a lot of time and effort to study the runes and even then he would struggle to answer the question without a clear definition.


    ¡®Maybe he left clues when he jotted the runes down...¡¯


    Ye Wei kept flipping through the pages, tried to search for clues, imagining where the creator of the runes would ce the, trying to think alike.


    ¡®The first of the seven... It shouldn¡¯t be too far back in the book, right? Unless he didn¡¯t want anyone to find it...¡¯ Ye Wei was getting frustrated, and decided to take a closer look at the beginning chapters. He never thought looking at runes would be such a confusing thing to do.


    Behind every existent rune there was an inspiration, they could be from other runes, nature or even philosophy.


    Countless cultivators dedicated their life and wisdom on runes theory and its application. It was said that their effort, the stances and runes they created, would eventually be a part of erged Mystic Mount, in return, they would be given cosmic energy stored in the mountain that was now nowhere to be found.


    Few pages into the book, Ye Wei was still struggling to identify anything even slightly rted to what he was looking for. He could only find description and record of a lot of basic runes that were used for low-level Spirit stances.


    Ye Wei¡¯s hope was diminishing with the flip of each page.


    ¡®I cannot find anything... ¡® Ye Wei thought sadly after looking through more than seven hundred runes. More than seven hundred runes were now deeply engraved in Ye Wei¡¯s mind, however there was still no trace of the vermillion essence runes.


    ¡°Seven vermilion essence runes, seven runes...¡± He murmured.


    Ye Wei thought for a moment to continue searching through the pages. He wasn¡¯t someone who would give up easily. However, a thought crossed his mind, what if he would try to explore his mind and see if the Mystic Mount would be of any help, as any runes he sees or learns will be engraved in his mind forever. It was just a matter of getting to it.


    Thousands of runes shed in Ye Wei¡¯s mind. An idea quickly passed through but his mind was too slow to react to it, to get hold of the knowledge deep inside.


    ¡®It¡¯s still not enough!¡¯ Ye Wei thought in disdain and kept looking through the pages, trying to remember as many runes as he could. By the time he made another break from reading, he was able to learn eight thousand new runes.


    The eight thousand runes continuously reassembled, sparks of inspiration and imagination rose and died, Ye Wei was drowning in this mysterious sensation. He didn¡¯t even notice that two days had passed.


    The Mystic Mount presence suddenly shone bright gold, differentbinations of small parts of the eight thousand runes throughout the first chapters had now formed seventy-six thousand low-level Spirit stances, Ye Wei was surprised to discover that there was a rune that repeated itself ten thousand times in the strongest stances that was formed in his head.


    ¡°This rune is very special!¡± Eximed Ye Wei, excited about what he discovered. He could see the energy within this rune was far more intense than in an ordinary rune, and its simplicity doubled the stronger Spirit stances¡¯ effectiveness.


    ¡®Although only a basic rune, its effect is far from simple...¡¯ Ye Wei began to think that only an extremely skilled and experienced Grand-Runemaster could have created this.


    Ye Wei was immediately overwhelmed by a rush of joy, feeling euphoric, certain that this rune was the first of the fabled seven, ¡®This makes sense right?¡¯ He began to feel tired. Even though his investigation was almost automated, hisck of sleep did not make his over-worked brain any more rxed.


    There were so many runes in the volume, making a huge amount of knowledge and persistence necessary if he wished to find the single right rune. Nheless he was able to find the first. To find the second, third and proceeding further would be increasingly difficult if he was to employ the same method, as the pool of runes he had to process would just keep increasing.


    ¡®I will send this in for now, and maybe revisit the question when I have time in the future!¡¯ Thought Ye Wei, while writing down in details how the rune he found was an intrinsic ingredient to many powerful stances.


    The jade walls of questions had always been the focus of Runemasters across all dynasties, most of them would find themselves using it either to solve the problems they face while cultivating or they would use the walls as the main way of earning contribution tokens.


    The more difficult the questions got, the less attention they eventually receive. People who bothered to check any of the walls Ye Wei was on were mainly Grand-Runemasters.


    Over at Sky Flood dynasty, a few Grand-Runemasters gathered at the union¡¯s branch as they have been doing habitually for years, they were chatting over sses of wine and one of then flipped over to the fifty-sixth jade wall¡¯s content.


    ¡°Have you seen this? Someone actually answered the question!¡± Eximed one of the Grand-Runemaster, surprised to see an answer to the question for the first time in sixty years.


    A lot of Runemasters tried to solve this problem as the reward for it was rather high, but for sixty years there was no onepetent of doing so; nobody came remotely close to solving this question. Everyone assumed that it was put on the jade wall by someone incredibly powerful and it slowly turned to an enigma among the most powerful Grand-Runemasters.


    It had been sixty years, but nobody ever found out who it was that listed such question.


    ¡°Are you kidding? How could this simple rune be one of the seven?¡±


    ¡°Look! There are some exnations!¡±


    ¡°What? Eight thousand stances? And this Runemaster arranged them into over seventy thousand stances? I mean it¡¯s impressive that he or she went this far and found out that this one rune repeated itself in the stronger of stances... How long must it have taken? Ten years? I admire the dedication of doing such a repetitive project!¡±


    They didn¡¯t know that someone with a presence of Mystic Mount in his mind didn¡¯t actually need to create his own stances but rather look through the knowledge already inside him, go through the original memories, which is much more easier than creating stances and runes from scratch.


    ¡°Haha, these seven runes... Some people think all of this is a myth, but if they do exist I guess it was worth this Runemaster¡¯s effort and time! Just because we think it¡¯s impossible, doesn¡¯t mean others don¡¯t have a way, right? I respect it if his answer proves itself to be correct!¡± The President of the dynasty¡¯s union branch, Hu Yanzhuo paused to look at what Ye Wei wrote, and he began to realized the rune¡¯s subtle but genius functions that had been ignored by themunity for longer than he could care.


    At the same moment another Runemaster eximed loudly.


    ¡°The person who answered the question already received the reward! His answer was epted!¡±


    ¡°Are you certain? Well, that pretty much proves it! The person who was knowledgeable enough to post the question probably knows best, as he studied this subject thoroughly!¡±


    ¡°The first vermillion essence rune has been discovered! Should we try using the same system to find the other ones?¡±


    ¡°Forget about it! It probably took at least a decade for someone to learn eight thousand runes and go through all the Spirit stances to find the first vermillion essence rune! I am afraid that looking for the second rune will take double the time!¡±


    Hu Yanzhuo could not check who posted the question but his clearance allowed him to check the identity of the union member who answer the questions from the jade wall.


    ¡°I am not sure I know who Master Ye is... ¡° murmured Hu Yanzhuo. ¡°But if he was able to discover the first rune he must be a veteran.¡±


    Hu Yanzhuo kept looking down to find out more about the mysterious Runemaster ¡°He is sixteen years old and three star Runemaster?! What is this madness, is someone using him as a middleman?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe that someone who just discovered the first vermillion essence rune was a young boy!


    ¡°Are you sure mister President? There must be some kind of a mistake? How could a sixteen year old...¡± ¡° The Grand-Runemasters stared at each other in awe.


    At around the same time, the branch president of the Sacred Snow dynasty, Yang Shuo also learned the news.


    ¡°Ye Wei... This Ye Wei Kid again? God! He found a vermilion rune!? Who the hell is he?¡± Yang Shou waspletely shocked by the answer he was reading: ¡®How can a teenage boy managed to do something that would take a Grand-Runemaster at least a decade to achieve...¡¯


    The president quickly dismissed the possibilities of any mistakes being made regarding the authenticity of the small essay Ye Wei wrote as he saw the transaction confirmation. ¡®I don¡¯t see a problem in his proving method and he just earned five million tokens... This is unbelievable! I think we will have a very young new leader in the union soon!¡¯ The thought sent a shiver down the president¡¯s spine.


    Everyone in the Runemaster Union across thends were talking about this breaking news, that someone was finally able to give the correct answer to a high profile question on the jade wall.

 Chapter 157 – Exchange

    Chapter 157 ¨C Exchange


    Ye Wei couldn¡¯t even imagine how big of an impact his answer made. In every Runemaster Union¡¯s branch, Runemasters and Grand-Runemasters gathered together to discuss this news. The word spread quickly from city to city and even from region to region. The name of Ye Wei was in everyone¡¯s minds and on everyone¡¯s lips.


    ¡°This fellow Runemaster Ye Wei possesses great amount of knowledge! If the opportunityes up, we should definitely ask him for some advices!¡± A group of Runemasters were discussing the recent news through their badges.


    ¡°This question was on the jade wall for so many years and no one was able to solve it. After this breakthrough, someone will eventually be able to find all seven vermillion essence runes left by the Vermilion Emperor!? Do you think the rumor is true regarding the powerful stance these seven runes together would make?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure that this Ye Wei will be able to find the second rune so easily.¡±


    ¡°I wish I would be able to solve this problem, but it would require so much time to learn all the runes from the book, to go through each one of them. Just to find the first one it probably took almost ten years. The second one will be even harder and more time consuming!¡±


    ¡°Maybe Ye Wei has a different method? Maybe he found another way? We need to just wait and see.¡±


    ¡°Zhou dynasty? That is like, the countryside? That is thest ce I would expect to see a skilled Runemaster... I heard that there are only a handful of Grand-Runemasters are based there.¡±


    ¡°Well, have you forgotten about the ck Cloud dynasty? It was less developed than Zhou dynasty is now, before that person surfaced, and now that ce is swarmed by Grand-Runemasters, it is basically the capital of Runemasters...¡±


    ¡°The younger generation of Runemasters is really talented, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Ye Wei was not aware of all the talks, confusion and excitement that were going on around his newfound fame and the answer submitted by him. He was more delighted with the reward that he got from finding just one rune.


    ¡®What can I buy with five million contribution tokens?¡¯


    ¡®It is not enough for me to get the powerful stances, forms... Damn, not even these pills... I need more contribution tokens!¡¯ Ye Wei was not interested in things on the list that he could afford.


    ¡®First, I should probably spent my contribution tokens on Nourish Soul pills as they only cost five hundred thousands token each. I need them to restore my Sentient. But I also need to save some tokens and spend them on either practical gadgets or Qi stones to charge the iron talisman!¡¯ Thought Ye Wei, trying to make the best out of the reward he earned.


    Suddenly a girl in a white silk dress appeared in front of Ye Wei¡¯s eyes. Her smile was warmer thanst time. Ye Wei however didn¡¯t realise right away that it was not a hologram and actually a real person in front of him, sent from the union¡¯s headquarter, she was the dedicated contact person for Ye Wei.


    Ye Wei¡¯s sudden influx of contribution tokens also had effect on her. She was aware that the richer the Runemasters the more powerful they were.


    ¡°Hello!¡± said Ye Wei, a little bit surprised by the new face and sudden gentleness.


    ¡°You can call me, Xiao Ying,¡± answered girl in a sweet, friendly voice.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Xiao Ying. I would like to buy few things with my contribution tokens, please.¡± Said Ye Wei while browsing through the avable items.


    ¡°I will be d to assist you. What do you wish to purchase?¡± Smiled Xiao Ying, showcased her cute dimples, and lightly nodded.


    ¡°I need one Nourish Soul pill, fifty of high grade Qi stones... I will also be needing two deception scrolls... And...¡±


    ¡®Yea! It makes more and more sense for me to get a deception scrolls, not only will I be able escape under its effect, I can even perform a counterstrike if I pair it with the iron talisman...¡¯ Ye Wei was already calcting how he could deal with more powerful demons if he was to run into one.


    While he was browsing through the various scrolls, one of them caught his attention, ¡®Instant Shadow Scroll!?¡¯


    The Instant Shadow Scroll contained a specialized stance, its power was blood-bound, could only be used by the person who bought the scroll.


    Intrigued by the scroll¡¯s name, Ye Wei took the time to read the item¡¯s description. ¡°Instant Shadow Scroll: upon activation, the scroll will create an energy vortex, an interspatial gateway. The user will be able to re-enter the normal realm anywhere within two hundred kilometers distance from where the scroll was activated.¡±


    ¡®The stance contained by this type of scrolls are going to be useful if I ever get hunted by demon kings or maybe even demon sovereigns...¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know I needed this scroll before now! I¡¯ll take one of these, thank you!¡±


    Ye Wei shifted his focus onto the price of the scroll. It was way more than he expected, one point five million contribution tokens.


    He felt a little bit uneasy, he just received the tokens and didn¡¯t want to spend all of them at once.


    Although the scroll was very expensive, for Ye Wei it represented a great importance to obtain something like Instant Shadow scroll, and he was actually willing to spend as many tokens for it as needed, for the fact that this stance could be a true lifesaver in dangerous situations.


    ¡°Also an Instant Shadow scroll, please!¡±


    ¡°A Nourish Soul pill for five hundred thousand tokens, fifty high grade Qi stones for five hundred thousand contribution tokens, two deception scrolls for six hundred thousand contribution tokens, and one Instant Shadow scroll for one point five million tokens. Do you wish to purchase anything else?¡± Xiao Ying listed all of the ordered goods.


    ¡°No, thank you. I wish to keep the remaining two million contribution tokens for when I need them.¡± Answered Ye Wei thoughtfully. ¡°Xiao Ying, how long will it take for me to receive my order?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean how long?¡± Xiao Ying froze for a moment in surprise.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ye Wei became confused.


    Xiao Ying chuckled apologetically, ¡°I am sorry. I forgot to tell you that when you make an order for more than one million contribution tokens and the total weight does not exceed thirty pounds, the Runemaster Union can send it to you through our teleportation system. You only need to inject your Qi into the badge for identification and enable the locating system. After pressing the purple button on the bottom right of the badge, a portal will open up on your end and the shipment will be with you in just a blink of an eye.¡± She patiently exined, aware that it was the first time Ye Wei ordered expensive items.


    His mouth dropped in surprise. ¡®Who could have imagined that the Runemaster Union¡¯s badge had such feature.¡¯ Following Xiao Ying¡¯s directions, Ye Wei was able to ess the runic teleportation array.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡± The purple runes from the badge flew forth and continuously transformed, shining in bright blinding light.


    The airpressed, became thicker, twisting and twirling, and suddenly the items appeared inside.


    They were the items Ye Wei just ordered, the scroll, the stones and the pills.


    ¡°That was quick! Thank you for your aid Xiao Ying!¡± Ye Wei said politely, he then bade farewell and closed down his badge.


    ***


    Thousands of miles away, a magnificent conglomeration of pces stretched across the vale. The headquarter of Runamester¡¯s Union was one of the most beautiful ces visited by numerous people.


    Billions of people were heading to different directions between tables and chairs, trying to coexist, coordinate themselves in the pce, rushing around to process affairs of different dynasty¡¯s union branch.


    Inside one of the pces, a group of youngdies spoke continuously to their badges and asionally smiled politely, there were a thousand of these girls.


    Inside the crowd, one of the youngdies was wearing a white silk dress, wrapped in ribbons. Her glossy ck hair reached down to her waist. She stretched her back, extended her slim but curvy body, her perky breasts popped out while smiling.


    ¡°Xiao Ying, what are you so happy about?¡± the girl on Xiao Ying¡¯s left asked, surprised her friend¡¯s sudden positive outburst.


    ¡°I met today a three star Runemaster that all of a sudden spent almost three million contribution tokens! Can¡¯t believe I was assigned to help someone so resourceful!¡± A smile spread widely across Xiao Ying¡¯s cheerful face. Even though she was also a Runemaster, clerking at the Runemaster Union headquarters and helping other fellow colleagues was her part-time job.


    ¡°A three star Runemaster that spent three million contribution tokens in one go? You are so lucky!¡± The girl in green was struggling to keep her face straight from envy. ¡°And I was assigned to help a seven star Runemaster who doesn¡¯t spend more than fifty thousand contribution tokens like... ever. Every trade with him takes at least half a day toplete... I wish I would be assigned to someone less boring than this...¡±


    ¡°Can you imagine that he was only sixteen years old? It was truly an amazing work shift!¡± Xiao Ying wrapped her slender arm around her friend in green with a smile, ¡°How do you feel about having lunch together? My treat!¡±


    ¡°Sixteen year old? Three star Runemaster? Isn¡¯t it the one everyone is talking about? Who was able to find the first vermillion rune essence? He is truly talented! What does he look like? Is he cute?¡± The girls kept gossiping as they wiggled their way through the crowd.


    Xiao Ying smiled shyly while being dragged out of the building by her friend.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the City Lord¡¯s mansion, Ye Wei went through all the items that he purchased, swallowed the Nourish Sou pill and began to cultivate. He needed to heal his sentient as soon as possible, there was no time to spare.


    The essence from the Nourish Soul pill slowly entered his system, spreading through his body, healing his Sentient¡¯s injuries.


    As Ye Wei expected, the Nourish Soul pill mended, strengthened his Sentient swiftly and effectively.


    ¡®The five-hundred contribution tokens were not wasted, I can feel how this is different to all other pills I have been taking.¡¯ Thought Ye Wei as he noticed that his cultivation was improving and his body was taking in the primal energy from the surroundings.


    After more than two hours of cultivation, Ye Wei finally felt fully recovered. He felt more powerful than before the fight with Tu Fusheng, furthermore the Mystic Mount¡¯s presence in his Sentient also became stronger. The fatigue he felt after searching for the vermilion essence rune evaporated, Ye Wei was feeling refreshed and healed.


    Although feeling fresh, he decided to not spend his energy looking for the second rune, as he knew how difficult it will be and he needed all his strength for now.


    Ye Wei started recharging the iron talisman with the fifty Qi stones that he just acquired.


    The grooves on the iron talisman slowly lit up, as more and more Qi was consumed by it under Ye Wei¡¯s guidance.


    ¡®The amount of Qi required to charge the talisman fully increased after every discharge. This is the fourth time I charge the talisman and I don¡¯t think I will be able to charge it without using these high grade Qi stones. They are quite expensive and difficult to find, and even then one high grade Qi stone only fills in two or three grooves. I need to be more careful with this.¡¯


    ¡®It will take more than thirty high grade Qi stones this time. I need to save up some contribution tokens. Who knows how much more I will need in the future...¡¯

 Chapter 158 – Lu Family, Qing State

    Chapter 158 ¨C Lu Family, Qing State


    Ye Wei remained in the City Lord¡¯s mansion for few more days, until the other participants were sent back to their schools and academies. Chen Yuan called the South Star students for a farewell meeting atst.


    ¡°I will send my men to escort you home, and don¡¯t worry, I will keep it on the down low. Please be careful when you are back in Green Moon City! Stay safe!¡± The City Lord sincerely reminded Ye Wei the threats from demons were still unresolved.


    ¡°Thank you, My Lord, for everything you¡¯ve done for me, for your concerns.¡± Ye Wei was thankful for the treatment and care he received. It warmed his heart to know that someone as influential as Chen Yuan was not only very powerful, but also had a gentle and caring temperament.


    The vice-principal, Xu He and the rest of the South Star tournament team bade farewell to Chen Yuan. The whole team then quietly left the city under the personal supervision of the City Lord and themander.


    Jian Chen, from Zhoutian Sword School, as well as the three strongest young cultivators from Gxy Academy were all approached bymander Shi for further interview and rounds of screening process.


    As for Xue Yao, she didn¡¯t have any more opportunities to see Ye Wei since the day when her brother was fighting in the tournament. She was trying to get in touch with him afterwards, but all the students were getting sent back and so she headed to the capital to spectate the next stage of the tournament, hoping to meet him there. As for the other school teams, the ones who ranked high celebrated their sess while the young cultivators that didn¡¯t do well went into a bit of a depressive state.


    But with the results aside, everyone were still d to have attended the tournament. Where there was death, there was also hope. They kept talking about the fight between Ye Wei and Tu Fusheng, the fight that became almost a local legend, something the spectators will be telling their children and grandchildren about.


    How Ye Wei was able to be the strongest God¡¯s Seven, that his final opponent turned about to be a demon... Many of the details were something people still couldn¡¯tpletely wrap their minds around. Everyone was fascinated by his level of cultivation at such young age, and thought that he had a promising, very bright future ahead of him. Also the news about Ye Wei being a Runemaster quickly spread among the participants and spectators, that only contributed to the local¡¯s admiration to a fanatical level.


    After the tournament Ye Wei became a celebrity among the thirty-six outskirt cities region. The younger kids from the schools that participated wished to be like him one day, the older ones secretly envied and admired his power, trying to learn from his sess. Because nobody had seen Ye Wei after the tournament was over, people started specting about his disappearance. The most popr believe was that he was sent to the Green Army¡¯s secret training camp, that he had already been sent to Qing state¡¯s capital by Commander Shi.


    They were hoping that perhaps one day they will hear about Ye Wei again and maybe even get to see him in person, and that, when that day came, he will be someone even more powerful.


    Two figures, with prodigious presence, were standing silently on the wall of the Ning City, looking at the vehicles slowly disappearing on the road that led into the mountains.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Grunted Commander Shi, ¡°I am still disappointed that I wasn¡¯t able to convince him to join our ranks! He would certainly have been a great addition!¡±


    The other figure, Chen Yuan,ughed with slight regret, patting his dear friend on the shoulder: ¡°Still having problems letting this one go, Commander? He will serve well in Runemaster Union. He is now bound to them and hopefully we will hear about his aplishments. With talents like his we can just try to guide him so he will stay on the good side....¡±


    Commander Shi Qing nodded slightly, still regretful but his mind wished a bright future for Ye Wei.


    The vehicle, slowly drifting away, finally disappeared over the horizon.


    ***


    Green Moon City


    Ye Wei and the rest were finally back to familiar surroundings, stylishly returning home in arge, secure runicle loaned to them by Chen Yuan.


    The gates of the city were heavily protected by more than a dozen soldiers. Their silver armor shone bright, reflecting the afternoon¡¯s sun. No one was allowed to enter before being inspected thoroughly by the guards at the checkpoints set up by Green Moon City¡¯s City Lord, as a precaution, security check to prevent demon infiltration.


    Next to the guards stood two men dressed in white, talking to the city guard officer. The uniformed man was constantly nodding and bowing.


    Both men in white were fairly young, in their twenties, dressed invish wear, both wearing thin silver crowns on their heads, standing pridefully next to themon guards and looked down on the ordinary citizens passing through.


    Xu He furrowed his brows, disliking the two strange faces he was seeing, and thought that something was definitely not in order.


    The runicle slowly stopped in front of the tightly shut gates. Xu He walked out from the vehicle to speak with the guards.


    ¡°Hey, Vice-Principle is that you? You are back from the tournament!¡± The head of the city guard immediately recognised Xu He, humbly bowed before the respected figure.


    ¡°Officer Lei, all of my students are in the runicle. Would you let us through? They could really use some rest!¡± Xu He nced at the guards patrolling the gate, thinking that it had been a while since the city was this alert.


    ¡°Yes, of course, sir!¡± Shouted Officer Lei, ordering to the guards to clear the pass and open the gate. ¡°Quickly, let the Vice Principal through!¡±


    Several guards immediately hurried to the gate to lift the barricades to let the runicle in.


    The two young men in white decided to approach the runicle, strode slowly while staring at Xu He.


    ¡°People are only allowed into the city once they have been inspected and have their belonging examined! I don¡¯t see why there should be any exception made for you or your students! As far as we know the demon that caused trouble a few days ago was disguised as a student! Now, search them!¡± One of them stepped forward, his cold tone carried over his pride.


    Xu He¡¯s face went pale with anger. South Star Academy was one of the three most powerful establishment in Green Moon City, even the City Lord would not dare to close the doors in normal circumstances. ¡°This is our home! We just put Green Moon City on the map because of these youngsters¡¯ efforts! How dare you disrespect us!?¡±


    ¡°Lu Ruoshan, Lu Chang, this is actually the vice-principal of South Star Academy...¡± Whispered Officer Lei. Xu He¡¯s gloomy face, gave Officer Lei a headache, ¡®Am I supposed to choose a side here?¡¯


    Lu Ruoshan and Lu Chang were the two of the stronger youngsters of Lu family. They both were in theirte twenties and were already eight star Condensed prime Warriors. Considering their cultivation level and family background, they did not care about the Green Moon City official, and they were never going to bow before South Star Academy either.


    ¡°Have you forgotten about your orders, officer?! No one questions mymands!¡± Yelled Lu Ruoshan furiously. He quickly lifted his hand and pped the Commander on his cheek.


    The head officer jerked back, a tiny drop of blood was running down his jaw from the corner of his mouth while he tried to keep himself on his feet.


    ¡°Officer Lei!¡±


    The guards at the gate hastily hurried to their chief, caught him before he fell, and stared angrily at the two young men. However, they didn¡¯t dare to speak. The Lu¡¯s strength was intimidating, the guards didn¡¯t dare provoking them.


    Meanwhile the students in the runicle started toe out one by one, annoyed by being held for so long and puzzled to see two arrogant youngsters, the strange faces at the gates by the guards who watched them grow up.


    ¡°Vice Principal, who are those two?¡± Asked Ye Wei worryingly.


    ¡°They are from Lu family. I am not even sure what these Lu youngsters are doing here... ¡° Frowned Xu He, he recognized the golden crest on the white coats.


    ¡®Lu family? Could it be rted to Lu Feng?¡¯ Ye Wei didn¡¯t like this at all, he gently shook his head, ¡®No, it can¡¯t be. Lu Feng is just a love child. There is no possible way he sent these two condensed prime Warriors here, I don¡¯t see the reason why he would do so either.¡¯¡¯


    All of a sudden, Lu Chang shouted arrogantly, ¡°Our elders gave us orders! Green Moon City had been taken over by our family. Everyone who wishes to enter or exit must have their identity confirmed and recorded. If you do not open the runicle right now, we will have to enter by force!¡±


    ¡®Green Moon City had been taken over?¡¯ Ye Wei frowned. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing, ¡®What interest has the Lu family in this City?!¡¯. His chest ached as a bad feeling overtook his body: ¡®What have happened while I was away!?¡¯


    ¡°I can vouch for everyone in this runicle, they are all my students! As I said, we just returned from Ning City. They left with me to participate in the tournament and now they are back. This runicle you are looking at, was given to us by Ning City Lord¡¯s, Chen Yuan, and Green Army Commander Shi!¡± Said Xu He angrily, the air around became heavy as his energy burst out. The eight star condensed prime Warrior¡¯s wrath turned the barricade into dust.


    Recognized Commander Shi¡¯s and Chen Yuan¡¯s names, the Lu youngsters¡¯ eyes shed with a trace of fear, but they were able to rpose themselves quickly. ¡°Commander Shi is not here and he has no jurisdiction to overrule my family¡¯s authority here in Green Moon City!¡±


    Lu Ruoshan and Lu Chang took a step forward simultaneously. The pressure of two eight star condensed prime Warriors merged together, bursted towards Xu He.


    ¡°Vice Principal Xu, we were ordered to act upon a misconduct. Don¡¯t make us use force!¡° The vibration of their voices echoed, shook the city walls and fluttered the vice-principal¡¯s robe.


    Xu He¡¯s face suddenly became paler. He didn¡¯t think that these youngsters would be a match to him. They looked so young, but both were actually eight star condensed prime Warriors. He could not defeat either of them separately and it was not easier having to fight them at the same time.


    Xu He was forced to step back, puzzled and surprised to see that such powerful youngsters guarded the city. Only one thought was currently in his head. ¡®What have happened here?!¡¯


    Seeing that Xu He was having trouble standing against these two Lu family youngsters, Ye Wei walked out from the runicle, and used his enchanted will-force to relieve the pressure that was suppressing the vice-principal.


    ¡°Being one of the Lu¡¯s does not give you any privileges here in Green Moon City!¡± Grunted Ye Wei through his teeth, staring coldly at the white-robed cultivators.


    ¡°How dare you?!¡±


    ¡°A kid dares speaking to us, Lu¡¯s, in this tone?! Fine, I am now officially suspecting you, are a demon? On your knees! Don¡¯t resist or we will kill you on this very spot!¡± Lu Ruoshan¡¯s bloodthirsty gaze was casted onto Ye Wei¡¯s face.


    They couldn¡¯t sense Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation level, so they didn¡¯t know how strong he actually was. All they saw was a sixteen year old boy spitting bold insults at them.


    ¡®These Lu youngsters are acting like the city belongs to them!¡¯ Ye Wei narrowed his eyes and clenched his hand in fists. ¡®I can¡¯t get rid of you but I can surely teach you two a lesson.¡¯


    ¡°You are in Green Moon City right now and here in Green Moon City, dogs wear muzzles.¡± as Ye Wei spoke, a star like array appeared underneath his feet, he rode the wave of energy and turned into a sh.


    In a blink of an eye, Ye Wei emerged in front of Lu Ruoshan and Lu Chang, his Zodiac Sword Qi was already on their necks before they could react.


    The sharp Qi swords were in a threatening position, they bother knew their heads will be cut off if they were to move even just an inch.


    Fear suddenly dominated the youngsters, horror in their eyes as they stared at Ye Wei, and didn¡¯t dare to blink. They never expected a sixteen year old to be so strong, especially after they couldn¡¯t sense any Qi disturbance from him.


    Ye Wei just disyed the speed and strength of someone much stronger than an average eight star condensed prime Warrior. Besides, Lu Ruoshan seriously underestimated his enemy, not prepared to his powerful attack, and they were now on a teenager¡¯s leash, with drops of cold sweat on his forehead.


    ¡°But... Lu Ruoshan and Lu Chang are both eight star condensed prime Warriors! Even so they lost to this boy!? This kid is terrifyingly strong!¡± Eximed Officer Lei looking over shocked faces of the guards.

 Chapter 159 – Forgotten Treasure

    Chapter 159 ¨C Forgotten Treasure


    Lu Chang kept his headpletely still, rolled his eyes down and saw Ye Wei¡¯s Qi sword on his neck. He gulped, nervous, tried to sound as calm as possible, ¡°Kid, don¡¯t make a mistake! We are from The Lu family. Think twice before you identally end your own life.¡±


    Lu Chang and Lu Ruoshan were slightly scared but they have not been challenged enough throughout the entirety of their lives to feel too threatened.


    ¡°Oh, is that so? Now, please, define the word mistake for me.¡± Ye Wei said coldly in Lu duo¡¯s ears. He pressed his sword Qi harder onto their necks, the blood they were so proud of began to run down their necks. If Ye Wei was to apply more pressure, both Lu¡¯s heads would be cut off clean.


    ¡®This kid is out of his mind!¡¯ Lu Ruoshan¡¯s face turned ashen, shocked to by the young boy that was powerful enough to kill him, ¡®He might not be bluffing... How could anyone be that strong without powerful and influential family behind him...¡¯


    Knowing better than to throw his live away, Lu Ruoshan took a deep breath and spoke reluctantly, ¡°It¡¯s our fault, we should have known better than to be disrespectful.¡±


    Lu Chang, on his side, lowered his head too, refusing to let himself die young.


    Ye Wei grunted as he saw the two softening up, and slowly deactivated the stance thinking, ¡®Killing these two won¡¯t do me any good. Instead it might just bring trouble upon my family...¡¯


    Officer Lei rubbed the blood off the corner of his lips and ordered the soldiers to tidy up the mess. ¡°Vice-Principal, please!¡± He gave Ye Wei a good, respectful look, then turned his focus onto Xu He.


    ¡°We are leaving!¡± Xu He looked over at Ye Wei and Lu¡¯s duo, returned into the runicle, and they began to move through the city gate.


    All the students that werepletely silent while watching the fight unrolling, started to talk all at once, curious about what just happened.


    ¡°Why would the Lu family send people to Green Moon City? What happened?¡±


    ¡°The Lu family is so obnoxious! Talking like if they owned this city!¡±


    Liu Jian and a few students in the team were members of martial families. They were wary, listening while the other talked, sensed that something bad had happened while they were away and that they needed to hurry back to their families in case the Lu¡¯s were indeed nning to take over.


    Ye Wei¡¯s heart fell into his feet, ¡®What if the Lu family is actually looking to take over our ancestralnd at North Hill Bay? Do they n on controlling the entire city now? What the hell had happened in here?!¡¯


    Lu Ruoshan and Lu Chang were slowly recovering from the shock as they watched the runicle drive into the city.


    Lu Chang¡¯s eyes shed with anger, ¡°So we just let them go like this?¡± He wiped blood off his neck, still slightly startled and also overwhelmed by rage.


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Lu Ruoshan looked curiously at his brother.


    ¡°We need to let the elders know about this. They will be able to deal with this kid without any problem!¡± said Lu Chang, infuriated.


    Lu Ruoshan shook his head in disagreement, ¡°No! You are not thinking straight. The elders are busy as they are. They barely have time to eat. Besides, it was just a teenage boy. How do you think we will look in our family¡¯s eyes when they find out about this? If you really want to kill the boy, we need to n it carefully and make it look like an ident to not provoke anyone!¡±


    After hearing Lu Ruoshan¡¯s sinister sharing, the anger in Lu Chang¡¯s eyes slowly subsided. He couldn¡¯t deny his brother¡¯s words. Even though they were offended by Ye Wei¡¯s actions, they would need to not act hotheaded.


    Meanwhile, Ye Wei had entered the city together with Xu He and the rest of his team. ¡°Vice Principal, I need to get back to my family as soon as possible. I hope you don¡¯t mind if I leave you here.¡±


    Xu He nodded solidly, he too felt that he had important matters in need of his immediate attention back in South Star. ¡°If the Lu family really took over the city, I need to rush back to school now. If you or your family need anything you can find me there. South Star will never be under their jurisdiction and we will do anything to protect our students!¡±


    Ye Wei was now one of the most valuable student of South Star, and Xu He was aware of it.


    ¡°Thank you, Vice Principal!¡± Ye Wei bowed respectfully and rushed home after bidding farewell.


    On his way back, Ye Wei met few of his family members but none of them mentioned the Lu¡¯s taking over the Ye family. He felt a bit relieved but was also concerned about Green Moon City as he finally heard some first hand information regarding its current state.


    From the information he was able to gather, the Lu family entered the city shortly after Ye Wei left for the tournament and even the Green Moon City Lord did not have enough influence to say no to a family as powerful as the Lu¡¯s. It was not long after the soft invasion when the City Lord gave up his men to instead be managed by the Lu¡¯s, and after they took control over the forces, two Lu¡¯s were sent to each of the martial families in Green Moon City for ¡®administrational aid¡¯.


    ¡®Right after I left for the tournament... that means Lu Feng is not rted to this invasion?¡¯ Ye Wei frowned, frustrated as he couldn¡¯t yet to put the pieces together.


    ¡°Do you know what the Lu family is after?¡± Asked Ye Wei while looking at the group of young Ye¡¯s with an interrogating gaze.


    ¡°We really don¡¯t know...¡± they all shook their head, dazed.


    ¡°I heard that Lu family requested few people from each martial family to help them search for something in the mountains all around Green Moon City, but no one could work out what it is they were looking for.¡±


    ¡°They are searching for something?¡± Ye Wei frowned, ¡®Is it rted to the North Hill Bay? Lu Feng must have discovered something three years ago... There was nothing special about that plot ofnd though, as far as the family knows it¡¯s just where our ancestors were buried...¡¯


    ¡®But if Lu Feng knew that something was hidden at North Hill Bay, why didn¡¯t he tell his family..¡¯


    ¡®If my theory is correct, what is hidden in North Hill Bay is very valuable, so much that Lu Feng is not willing to give it up for the Lu family¡¯s recognition...¡¯


    ¡®Everything is pointing towards the ancestralnd! That¡¯s where I should investigate...¡¯


    Ye Wei arrived at the Ye Mansion while still in a deep thought, after nearly tripping on the door frame he realized he was home. He ran straight into the hall, looking for his parents or anyone he could talk to.


    The family¡¯s butler was the first one to notice Ye Wei as he entered the hall. ¡°Ye Wei is back!¡±


    Hearing the old butler, Ye Zhengqing stood up abruptly, a smile of joy spread across his face, ¡°Little Wei! You are finally back!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa! It¡¯s so good to see you again!¡± Eximed Ye Wei walking into the room happy to see the Patriarch healthy and well. Only moments after he recognized another figure standing on the side. Ye Wei froze for a second then quickly bowed, ¡°Master Yi!¡±


    Master Yi chuckled and smiled back at him, his eyes full of love, ¡°Good to see that you are back alive and healthy!¡±


    Master Yi had spent three years training Ye Wei. During that time they became as close as family. He sent Ye Wei to take the Runemaster test not expecting Ye Wei to pass, he thought his apprentice could benefit from failure, could learn how to be patient. He was worried when he let Ye Wei leave to participate in the tournament and although he knew his apprentice will make him proud he could never imagine how much Ye Wei would aplish ¨C a three star Runemaster, one of the Seven New Runes and God¡¯s Seven. It was a great honor to be the mentor of someone like Ye Wei.


    There was so much Ye Wei wanted to tell his granddad and Master Yi, but he was also impatient, could not wait to see his parents again.


    Ye Wei casted his eyes to the other side of the room and only then noticed two middle aged beard men in white robes, looking curiously at Ye Wei.


    Their white robes were the same style and had exactly the same crest as the other Lu¡¯s duo at the gate. Ye Wei¡¯s heart sank, ¡®They are here!¡¯


    It was bing apparent now that Ye Wei won¡¯t let them speak. The two men¡¯s impatience grew.


    ¡°Ye Patriarch, so what do you say to our request?¡± One of the men asked Ye Zhengqing in a grave, blunt tone.


    Ye¡¯s family patriarch¡¯s displeasure was clear, written all over his face, but he made an effort to cover it up, ¡°I have given you more than one hundred people to aid your search in the mountains, now youe here and ask for more? We are a fairly small family, I cannot spare more people. My best offer to you would be twenty extra. We cannot do any better than that!¡±


    Ye Zhengqing¡¯s words were loud and clear, but they were not what those two man expected to hear.


    ¡°Ye Zhengqing, we treated you with great respect and this is your response?¡± Lu De grunted, annoyed, ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have expected that much from a small family like yours anyway...¡¯


    ¡°Master, what is this all about?!¡° asked Ye Weil with the voice transmission technique.


    He needed to know more about this invasion.


    ¡°Your family already sent hundred people to help the Lu¡¯s in their search in the mountains next to Green Moon City, but they are still not satisfied.¡± Whispered Master Yi to Ye Wei, clearly feeling unpleasant with everything that had been happening around him.


    ¡®This is definitely rted to North Hill Bay! But how did the Lu family know there is something there and what can I do now...¡¯ Ye Wei thought.


    ¡®My ancestors are buried there, North Hill Bay had always belonged to the Ye family. Whatever is hidden there belongs to my family!¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fist and decided that he should not wait any longer, that he needed to go tonight to North Hill Bay.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can fool us! We are aware that Ye family is not less powerful than the Du¡¯s and they were able to give us two hundred and twenty people, and you offered hundred less! Do you think me and my brother here are blind or stupid?!¡± Lu De¡¯s brother mmed his fist on the table and stood up aggressively.


    The solid sandalwood table did not even shake but his palm print was now deep in the table. Not a drop of water had been spilled from any of the cups that rested on the antique furniture, showing off his incredible strength.


    Ye Wei nced at the table, ¡®He seems to be at least a ten star condensed prime Warrior judging by his physical strength...The other men isn¡¯t showing that much aggression but he is probably just as strong...¡¯


    ¡°The Lu family sent us two ten star condensed prime Warriors? Aren¡¯t we just the luckiest household in all of Green Moon City?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes lit up, thought that he had a chance to uncover something of great value if he beats the Lu¡¯s to North Hill Bay.

 Chapter 160 – Supreme Dragon Ridge

    Chapter 160 ¨C Supreme Dragon Ridge


    ¡°Lu Ren, young one, you have misunderstood what I have said. In no way am I undermining the Lu family¡¯s authority. Yes, it is true what you have said about us. Currently, we are in our best and strongest form since a long time. Nevertheless, we are still insignificantpared to the city¡¯s Big Three. The Ye family is simply incapable of giving you more people! We need our Warriors!¡± Ye Zheng Qing was frustrated. Lu Ren and Lu De were showing no signs of backing off, and the Ye family was far from strong enough to challenge the Lu¡¯s.


    Only few days ago, twenty more ten-star condensed prime warriors from the Lu family arrived at Green Moon City. Thetest addition of two returned prime Warriors of the Lu family quickly established themselves in the city. So much so, Ye Patriarch knew better than to anger them.


    ¡°Mister patriarch, we are just following orders. This is not easy for us at all. Please, understand. I am sorry we have to be this pushy.¡± Lu De exined.


    Both Lu Ren and Lu De were ten-star condensed prime Warrior. One of them acted tough while the other acted considerate. Their tactics appeared to be persuasive in the most subtle, suggestive way.


    ¡°Pfft, do you realize that the rest of the top ten families other than yours were able to send two hundred Warriors to help us with our project? Ye Zheng Qing, please, don¡¯t say one thing and do the other! I don¡¯t care for your excuses! If you don¡¯t have two hundred men by noon tomorrow, my brother and I will show no mercy!¡± Lu Ren stared coldly at Ye Zhengqing. He threatened him even though they knew the Ye¡¯s were running a tight ship; it was most likely than not the Ye family was unable to provide that many men.


    ¡®I am still too weak!¡¯ Ye Wei angrily thought. He clenched his fists angrily, feeling helpless.


    Ye Wei was powerless before the Lu family. ¡®I still cannot protect my family from them! There are too many of them in the city, and they all seem incredibly strong. Yet,I cannot just sit here and let them humiliate my family!¡¯


    ¡°Sir, we really do not have that many Warriors in the Ye family. The best we can do is to send thirty more men. One hundred and fifty is a nice, round number, and it is the best we can offer. Please understand the situation we are in!,¡± Ye Wei slowly lifted his head. He looked at the two Lu family ten-star condensed prime Warriors. Lu De narrowed his eyes in response; he tried analyzing the cocky teenager who stood in front of him.


    ¡°Please consider my words even though I am young.¡± Ye Wei sincerely spoke as he took out the Runemaster badge and shed it to the two Lu¡¯s.


    ¡°Three-star Runemaster?!¡± Lu Ren was stunned, ¡®This boy looks not a day older than sixteen, but he is already a Runemaster?!¡¯


    The men didn¡¯t really care about a three-star Runemaster, it was not enough to surprise them. However, achieving that position at Ye Wei¡¯s age was definitely something extraordinary.


    ¡°I think the Ye¡¯s are trying their best. Will you two just be reasonable?¡± The older runemaster in the hall looked at the two Lu¡¯s andmented.


    ¡°Okay then, if you say so Master Yi. Fine, one hundred and fifty it is!¡± Lu De smirked then thought to himself, ¡®Where did all these Runemasterse from?¡¯


    ¡®A teenaged one and the old one. We were told by the elders, specifically, not to mess with Master Yi. This is a bit of a sticky situation.¡¯ Lu Ren thought again.


    ¡°Thank you for your flexibility. Now, would you like to stay here and have dinner with us?¡± Ye Zhengqing made a polite hand gesture, nning to get closer and see if he could get some useful information from the brothers.


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, but there are other things that need our attention,¡±Lu De and Lu Ren stood up simultaneously. They took another look at Ye Wei, so they could recognize his faceter on. Not long after the negotiation, they left the mansion.


    They hurried to report to their family elders that the Ye family had a sixteen-year-old three star Runemaster.


    Ye Patriarch felt relieved as he watched Lu Ren and Lu De leaving his family¡¯s mansion. The news about Ye Wei¡¯s aplishments quickly spread across the mansion, and the family held a great feast in his honor.


    After dinner, when everyone went back to their rooms to get ready to sleep, Ye Wei quietly snuck out of the window. He wanted to look at the mountains and valleys, which spread wide outside the city.


    ¡°North Hill Bay.¡± He murmured to himself as he casted his gaze afar.


    Standing on top of the oldest tree in the city, he saw distant mountains across the river, bathed in moonlight.


    North Hill Bay was arge wastnd full of rugged rocks on the further side of the riverbank.


    ¡°When was Ist there? Ten, maybe, maybe?¡± Ye Wei gazed upon his family¡¯s ancestralnd from a distance. ¡®I would like to know what hidden treasure the Lu¡¯s are searching for; especially, since they want to take over an entire city just to uncover it.¡¯ Ye Wei muttered to himself while shivering in the chilly night wind.


    Even though Ye Wei stood on the tip of a tree during a windy night, he was steady as a mountain. His recently improved Qi and will-force made him agile, strong, and bnced.


    ¡°If our family records are correct, we did have a Supreme Warrior in the founding generations.Thus, if there will be any treasure hidden in North Hill Bay, there is arge possibility the treasure would be rted to that specific great ¨C great ¨C great ¨C great granddad of mine!¡±


    The blood of a Supreme contained mysterious power. It was an inherited power, simr to Ning City¡¯s City Lord who was the descendant of a Supreme. Although the power has been diluted, lost in following generations, Chen Yuan was still able to use that power to do what a lot of people his generation thought impossible.


    The power of the Supreme¡¯s blood had faded through generations without any worthy young cultivators being able to discover the extraordinary potential hidden within their blood. This was partially the reason why the Ye family began to decline centuries ago.


    The knowledge about the Supreme Warrior had as well been forgotten through generations. No one was able to put the Supreme¡¯s teaching to use. There was no way Ye Wei could have known about this, but after his Sentient began to host the Mystic Mount, he spent a great amount of time researching more about his family¡¯s lineage and how the mysterious book ended up in their possession. He started to suspect a connection between the mysterious volume and their fabled ancestor.


    ¡®The Lu family spent many resources investigating what could be hidden at North Hill Bay. Even if this has nothing to do with the fabled Ye Supreme, this could be a great discovery!¡¯ Ye Wei shook his head to stop himself from getting too deep into his own mind. He leaped forth, channeled his Qi to his back, and glided across the night sky like a falcon, flying over the river into the Ye¡¯s ancestralnd.


    ¡®I can sense a disturbance in the air,¡¯ thought Ye Wei as hended on North Hill Bay¡¯s ground.


    Abruptly, the Progenitor¡¯s hoarse voice sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s mind. ¡®Thend of the Supreme...¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s brows twitched and arched, his eyes shone bright, and, although, he was not sure what the term meant, he was able to gather that it was indeed rted to a Supreme.


    ¡®Who was the Supreme of thisnd?¡¯ An air of adventurous curiosity swept over Ye Wei¡¯s face. He reached into his bag and touched the scale.


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t you like to know that! Hmph...Why should I tell you?¡¯


    Like I care?! You stupid dog, pfft!¡± Ye Wei heard the insolence in the Progenitor¡¯s words and ignored the demon¡¯s voice entirely.


    ¡®Hahaha, you can say whatever you want! I am still not going to tell you!¡± The Progenitor just discovered a new way to annoy Ye Wei, and he wasn¡¯t going to back down that easily.


    ¡®Well, ugly monster, I think you are forgetting that I am a three-star Runemaster who has all the ess to books and information imaginable.¡¯ Ye Wei turned his Runic Badge in his hand, ¡®I can find anything in here, like I need a dog¡¯s help!¡¯


    ¡®Damn you, mortal!¡¯ Disappointment and anger poured from the Progenitor¡¯s consciousness, ¡®And damn that Combat Master as well! He couldn¡¯t even cultivate properly, and, instead, wasted his time developing gadgets and pathetic devices.¡¯


    Ye Weipletely ignored the demon¡¯s words; he was already busy searching through the information avable to him. Most of the information was free, but some a Runemaster needed to pay contribution tokens to acquire it. The information Ye Wei was looking for costed only one thousand tokens. ¡®It¡¯s good that I saved some contribution tokens! This is cheap!¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought!¡± Ye Wei eximed. He was in shock after reading the information which confirmed his intuition. He looked down at North Hill Bay¡¯s mountain range, a range that pertained to him.


    The passages read:


    ¡°When a Supreme dies, his flesh bes soil and his spine bes rocks. Sometimes a Supreme¡¯s death can give birth to mountains. These mountains are often charged with concentrated primal energy.


    ¡°After a millennia, these agglomeration of mountains will be Supreme Dragon Ridge.¡±


    ¡°There are three parts to each Dragon ridge, the Drakehead, Draketorsal and Draketail. A Draketaill contains runic arrays. Formed naturally, they are able to absorb primal energy from the skies and the earth and store thend¡¯s essence distribute it within the Dragon ridge.


    ¡°The Draketorsal is the longest part of the ridge. It stretches over a thousand kilometers. Nourished by the Supreme¡¯s residual energy, the soil and rocks are often denser, catalyzing the process of formation of rocks and minerals crystals. Qi stones and primal minerals are abundant within these mountains. Furthermore, materials needed for the crafting of soul weapons, like Ancestor gold and Purple gold, are harvested exclusively from these mountains. Emperor jades can also be found, but they are much rarer.¡±


    ¡®But Emperor jades are not avable inmon markets and can¡¯t be bought from ordinary traders!? They cost as much as sky stances do!¡¯ Ye Wei switched his focus from the text projected to the mountain range around North Hill Bay. He felt euphoric as he traced the mountains¡¯ ridge with his eyes.


    ¡°Draketail absorbs energy; Draketorsal contains treasures, but the Drakeheads are the most significant phenomenon, especially for cultivators.¡±


    ¡°The energy gravitation at a Drakehead is different to the outside world. When a person cultivates at such ce, his effort will be amplified ten times more. Drakehead is also part of the Dragon ridge that contains clues regarding where the Dragon ridge¡¯s treasures are located.¡±


    ¡°So, there was a Supreme in my family! As well, my family was buried at the ce where he died.¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself. A shiver went down his spine, ¡°If the Supreme was a Ye, then all of this belongs to my family!¡±


    ¡°...The treasures of the Draketorsal are deep under the surface. They won¡¯t be exposed until the Dragon ridge explorers activate a runic array at the Drakehead.¡±

 Chapter 161 – A Young Runemaster’s Past

    Chapter 161 ¨C A Young Runemaster¡¯s Past


    ¡®So, now you know that the Prime Dragon ridge is located on the North Hill Bay, what are you going to do? Do you even know where to start searching for the treasures? The Draketail is over ten kilometers long, and the Draketorsal is around a thousand kilometers long. Without my help, searching for a ten meters long and wide Drakehead in the wide terrain of North Hill Bay is like searching for a needle in a haystack!¡¯


    ¡®Besides, you don¡¯t even know what a Drakehead looks like. You might even step on it and never know that it¡¯s right under your feet!¡¯


    ¡®Now, if you kneel obediently, boy, and proim me the greatest Progenitor, I might be merciful enough to tell you how to find the Drakehead.¡¯ The demon chuckled. He definitely had an edge up on Ye Wei this time since he possessed the knowledge the young Runemaster desired so badly. His real intention, however, was hidden from Ye Wei¡¯s mind. He wasn¡¯t going to give him any information at all, even if Ye Wei bowed and kneeled a thousand times.


    ¡®Do you think I am stupid enough, old piece of scale, to believe your filthy lies?!¡¯ Ye Wei disdainfully replied.


    ¡®This Prime Dragon ridge contains my family¡¯s fortune. Of course, it would be nice to im it but I have standards. Why would I trade with you? I would not deserve the treasures if I betray my morals for it!¡¯


    ¡®The Lu¡¯s don¡¯t even know where to search for it, and I assume all they know was that the Ye Supreme died somewhere close to Green Moon City. With only that to work on, even if they had twenty thousand men to order around, they still would have no way of finding the Drakehead. I would be able to find the first treasure before them. All I need are some clues.¡¯ Concerned, Ye Wei was hoping for Lu¡¯s men to spend more time further away from North Hill Bay. ¡®The more time they spend away from here, the more time there is for me to look around freely!¡¯


    ¡®If the Lu family is lucky enough, they might be able to find the Dragon¡¯s ridge treasure in less than three years time.¡¯ Ye Wei approximated how much time it would take for the Lu¡¯s troops to get to North Hill Bay. He guessed from the information the Ye¡¯s scouts reported that the search team was reaching outwards from the center of Green Moon City.


    Lu family acted smart. They didn¡¯t send their own troops to Green Moon City, instead they were being cautious and sly by controlling the martial families of the city and use their resources to search for the treasures; thus, other rivaling families in the region would not be rmed.


    Another advantage of such devious methods was the Lu¡¯s did not have to spend their resources on the search. If they were lucky enough to find the Drakehead in a decade, the only losers would be the martial families in Green Moon City. The Green Moon city¡¯s martial families would have wasted all the efforts and resources and would not even get a share of the treasure. On the other hand, the Lu¡¯s, having control over the Supreme Dragon ridge¡¯s treasures, would be a superpower, even rivaling Zhou dynasty¡¯s three royal families.


    ¡®I sense some strong disturbances originating from a distant. I guess it doesn¡¯t hurt to try.¡¯ Ye Wei thought as he sat in the lotus position. He gently closed his eyes and started to absorb primal energy using his Falling Star Form, tried to figure out the precise direction where the energy came from.


    While the energy was going through his meridians, suddenly a runic lotus slowly appeared between his brow without his notice. He did not realize the Combat Master left him the lotus.


    Without Ye Wei knowing, the effect of his Falling Star Form was amplified and acted as an antenna. The pull of his form reached further with the lotus at the vortex¡¯s center. The vortex was grew and spun slowly.


    Before, the Falling Star Form was only a cultivating form, but, now, it was reacting to the small energy disturbances of the Supreme Dragon ridge with the aid of the golden lotus.


    ¡®Ehm?¡¯ Ye Wei suddenly opened his eyes and curiously looked to the left. ¡®There is an energy surgeing from that direction.¡¯


    The Supreme Dragon ridge was a Ye¡¯s flesh and bones, and the Falling Star From was also created centuries ago by a powerful Ye. Although the disturbance was minimal due to the distance it originated from, it somehow resonated with the technique Ye Wei used.


    ¡°The Supreme Dragon ridge might be left by my ancestor, and I was using our family¡¯s form. People always said ancestralnd is the best ce to cultivate.¡± Ye Wei uttered to himself. He stood up abruptly, thinking, he might be onto something.


    Ye Wei, slightly shaking under the night breeze, leaped to his left hand side and sat down again a few hundred meters. He sat down again and activated the Falling Star Form. He felt a slight disturbance in the air and on the ground around him.


    ¡®The power of the disturbance seems to be stronger at this spot!¡¯


    Ye Wei smiled and opened his eyes.


    In the faint moonlight, Ye Wei started to follow the trace of energy, kept himself on the move, sat down every hundred feet and utilizing the Form to investigate, to be able to sense the directions of the strange energy¡¯s source.


    ¡®This kid won¡¯t find anything! Absolutely no one is capable of detecting the energy fluctuation of a Supreme Dragon ridge!¡¯ The Progenitor thought. ¡®The Dragon ridges¡¯ energy disturbance is subtle there is no way anyone under the god¡¯s prime cultivation be able to sense it.¡¯


    Ye Wei was moving slowly but methodically, following the energy trace and getting closer and closer towards the Drakehead. He did not know he was heading to the right direction, but the demon in his head did.


    The Progenitor felt more surprised. Although Ye Wei was still far from the Drakehead, with each of Ye Wei¡¯s stops, it became apparent to the ancient demon that he was being brought closer and close to the exact spot where a supreme died.


    Six hours passed and the sky slowly lit golden pink as the sun was rising over the horizon. The Progenitor was bbergasted by Ye Wei¡¯s progress, and could actually feel that the energy of the Drakehead was now only ten kilometers away.


    ¡®With such speed and determination this kid will reach the Drakehead in less than two hours.¡¯


    ¡®How can this be possible?¡¯ The demon was deeply shocked, ¡®How can this kid sense the energy of the Dragon ridge from so far away?!¡¯


    What the Progenitor didn¡¯t know was that the Supreme¡¯s blood deep within the mountains was resonating to the energy through the Dragon¡¯s ridge, guiding and aiding Ye Wei in his quest.


    The blood of his ancestors was also in Ye Wei¡¯s veins, although the blood¡¯s power had been diluted through time and generations, it was recognised and respected by thend itself now that it was amplified by the Combat Master¡¯s gift and the original Falling Star Form.


    ¡®The energy fluctuation is getting stronger. I can almost feel the power of thisnd boiling under my feet!¡¯ Ye Wei had no idea how shocked the demon was, but he was happy that the demon kept himself quite as he didn¡¯t need any distraction now he needed to execute precise detective work.


    ¡°If my theory is right, judging by the energy I sense, the Drakehead is not very far away from here!¡± eximed, energized, Ye Wei looked excitedly at the rising sun.


    ¡°I shall carry on!¡±


    It was bing easier and easier to follow the energy as Ye Wei got closer and closer to the source of thend¡¯s energy.


    ***


    Meanwhile, ten kilometers away, Lu Feng slowly opened his eyes, he sat on the side of a hundred meter wide pond, in the lotus position.


    ¡°With this speed, I shall breakthrough to be a five-star condensed prime Warrior! Lu Feng smiled, satisfied, stood up and looked at the sky as it was quickly lit bright.


    ¡°This ce is mine, I don¡¯t care if I am one of the Lu¡¯s...¡± He mumbled to himself furiously.


    ¡°Mom, just wait a little longer, give me three years, when I be more influential and powerful I will make the Lu¡¯s pay for the humiliation they made you endure! I will make them suffer ten, no, a hundred times worse than what they made you go through!¡± Lu Feng¡¯s gaze turned evil, he stomped the ground, became a sh of light, headed straight to Green Moon City.


    Five years ago, when Lu Feng found out that he was a bastard, he felt ashamed and closed himself up.


    The very evening he learned the truth regarding his past and his heritage, he ran out into the rain, to the wilderness north of Green Moon City.


    He alone wandered into the forests and ended up at a pond close to North Hill Bay, where he cried the whole evening to let out his frustration, the moonlight and heavy drops of rain were his onlypany.


    Lu Feng foundfort in thepany of the peaceful nature, ever since then, he habitually came to the forest, to the wildend of North Hill Bay, whenever he felt down, whenever he was bullied, mocked because of his identity.


    He began to meditate and cultivate by the pond the more time he got to spend by the pond, when he noticed that he was cultivating much quickly than his usual speed, that¡¯s when he decided to cultivate at the spot whenever he got the time to.


    He was able toe by the pond everyday, to cultivate. Day after day, year after year, Lu Feng had been training by the Drakehead for the entirety of five years.


    Lu Feng then did some research, although he had no luck to finding out exactly what was so special about the pond, he was not going to share the special piece ofnd to anyone else, which is why he used his influence as a runemaster¡¯s apprentice, looked to rake over North Hill Bay.


    ¡®The Ye¡¯s are getting stronger, and the Lu¡¯s have surely stumbled upon some history records and found out something regarding this ce...¡¯ Thought Lu Feng, ¡®I have to be extra careful and cover my tracks well. Hopefully I will be able to somehow distract them and drive them away from the pond!

 Chapter 162 – Cultivate

    Chapter 162 ¨C Cultivate


    Not long after Lu Feng¡¯s departure, a figure flew past the woods and appeared right next to the pond.


    ¡°This should be it.¡± The warm morning sunlight kissed Ye Wei on his cheeks. He panted for air and stared at the small pool of water. A glimmer of joy shone from his eyes, as his heart raced.


    ¡®If I train next to the Drakehead, my cultivating speed will increase ten times quicker!¡¯ Ye Wei, still excited, remembered what he had read about the Supreme Dragon Ridge.


    ¡°More than ten times the speed, so,if I stay here to train and cultivate for the next two weeks... No, not even that! If I train here for the next ten days, I will surely breakthrough to a four-star condensed prime Warrior!¡± Ye Wei exined to himself.


    He clenched his fists tightly. Although he knew there was no time to waste, he was, nheless, too excited to even move.


    ¡®This will be the perfect proof! Under normal circumstances, with my talent, even with no shortage of resources, it would take me more than four months to breakthrough as of now. However, I will see very soon if this ce really is what I think it is!¡¯


    The Progenitor saw all of it through Ye Wei¡¯s eyes, confused, shocked, and a little angered Ye Wei was able to find the Drakehead so effortlessly. ¡®It can¡¯t be luck. There is no luck on earth that can lead a man to a Drakehead just in one night!¡¯


    ¡®What else is this kid hiding? He must have some secret methods. Secrets that could benefit even me!¡¯ The Progenitor had no idea that the Supreme¡¯s blood flowed in Ye Wei¡¯s veins, and that Ye Wei subconsciously used the Supreme¡¯s form.


    ¡®Kid, how did you find this ce?¡¯ The Progenitor was insatiably curious. He had never witnessed such effective detective work.


    ¡®Go on, tell me. I will even reward you with a Sky stance. We can even do a heavenly oath; I promise. I will not cheat you in any way!¡¯ The ck Scale Progenitor was one of the most powerful beings. It was a rarity something interested him at all. However, with Ye Wei, the Progenitor was willing to gift a powerful creation of his own in exchange of as many of the boy¡¯s secrets he could discover.


    ¡®I do not care for your stupid stances! The fact that you want to know means that I am not going to tell!¡¯ Ye Wei replied coldly, unmoved.


    Ye Wei was obliviously toying with the Progenitor. Although he was able to find the pond, he was far from knowledgeable enough to exin how his detection system¡¯s intricate workings led him to where he was.


    Ye Wei was just following the disturbance of Qi in the surrounding area and went to the direction where it felt the strongest. He did not know why and how the Drakehead¡¯s Qi disturbance resonated with his own.


    ¡®You disrespectful idiot! If you keep up with that attitude, I will tear you into pieces!¡¯ The Progenitor became furious. ¡®I am the origin of an entire demon n! How dare you!¡¯


    ¡®Old dog, how many times have you told me that you were going to kill me? And, yet, I am still alive. Somehow I really doubt that you are capable of tearing me into pieces.¡¯ Ye Wei rolled his eyes.


    ¡®You.. you!¡¯ The progenitor frustrated. It seemed luring clearly didn¡¯t work, and he currently had no way of doing anything to his human host.


    The Progenitor grunted angrily and went back to silence.


    Ye Wei didn¡¯t want to waste his time arguing either. He knew that cultivating was more important at that point, he needed to prove immediately that he was at the Drakehead and he would rather be stronger than to anger a consciousness in his Sentient by winning pointless arguments.


    ¡°Good luck finding this ce. I will cultivate while your lot wastes the time on ordering people around aimlessly!¡± Ye Wei murmured to himself, feeling angry that the Lu¡¯s decided to use the cultivators from Green Moon City as veborers. ¡®I am now one of the strongest cultivators of my family but if we want to keep the Dragon ridge within the family, I have to get stronger, I will have to defend this very spot from the possible intruders...¡¯


    The memory of Lu Ren and Lu De, two ten-star condensed prime Warrior threatening the Ye family, was still fresh in Ye Wei¡¯s mind. If he was strong enough to send the Lu¡¯s out of the mansion, he would have.


    ¡®If I was a returned prime Warrior, I could have driven the Lu¡¯s out of Green Moon City all together...¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes shone a determined glow.


    ¡®Be patient, I will be stronger, and I will do it quickly!¡¯


    ¡®Falling Star Form!¡¯ Ye Wei bent his knees, sat next to the pond and adjusted his breathing. He cleared his mind and ran the Ye¡¯s form entering a zen state.


    As Ye Wei¡¯s Falling Star Form elerated to its full speed, dense surges of primal energy from the sky and the earth were drawn to him, absorbed into his body through the pores on his skin.


    The raging primal energy circted through Ye Wei¡¯s meridians a few times, the surges then were purified, stored into Ye Wei¡¯s dantian as pure and dense Qi. The three cracks on his dantian were pulsing, seemed to be excited to receive the condensed energy.


    Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation was improving at incredible rate, as his dantian absorbed Qi at the speed he never before experienced.


    The intensity of the Supreme Dragon ridge is not good for weaker cultivators. They normally had to slow down the surges before their body could absorb them, but Supreme who died there used the exact same form Ye Wei was now using. The form synergized with the Supreme blood in Ye Wei¡¯s veins, he was therefore able to absorb and convert the primal energy. Furthermore, Ye Wei¡¯s Qi had the qualities simr to the Supreme¡¯s, meaning that the energy was flowing smoothly inside his body.


    Time flew without Ye Wei noticing, it was already the dead of night when he lifted his head and opened his eyes again. He was already seeing bright stars hung in the night sky. He took a deep breath, he could feel the atmosphere was heavier than usual because of the busy Qi flow around the area.


    Ye Wei only spent one day cultivating at the ce, what he thought was a Drakehead, and his dantian was already filled up.


    As his dantian became full, there was little point to absorb any more energy before the Qi in his dantian had been consolidated.


    ¡®This is certainly the Drakehead! It was only one day of cultivating and my dantian felt as full as if I have been cultivating continuously for half a month!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s excited eyes stared at the moon¡¯s reflection on the pond¡¯s calm surface. He slowly stretched his back and limbs.


    ¡°The ancestral graveyard is close by. My ancestors must have established this area as the family¡¯s resting ce after the Supreme¡¯s death!¡± After muttering to himself, Ye Wei¡¯s figure became a blur, ghostly under the pale moonlight. He leaped onto the tip of a tree erected next to the Drakehead pond and overlooked the terrain, the mountain range he knew like the back of his hand.


    ¡®No Lu will take charge of this if I live. None of you will even get to know about this ce under my watch, I swear. I, the kin of a Supreme has now officially rediscovered my ancestor¡¯s treasure! It has been forgotten but it was nheless left here by a Ye and now it belongs to one!¡¯ Ye Wei was infuriated just thinking about the Lu¡¯s plots. ¡®There is no time to waste...¡¯ His foot pressed against the tree¡¯s tip, rode the rebound of the tough tree truck. Ye Weiunched his body back to Green Moon City¡¯s direction, ready to return to the Ye mansion and n the defence to detail.


    Ye Wei was not going to interfere with the Lu¡¯s search but now that he knew what was at stake and where the Drakehead was, he was not going to stand on the side while the Lu¡¯s men wandered into North Hill Bay. Although it was unlikely for them to find the pond, he was still ready to take precautions in order to avoid it from happening.


    Ye Wei finally left the pond. Few hours passed before a dark figure slowly and carefully approached. The person hidden under the ck robe was Lu Feng. Once again he came back to his favourite spot to cultivate, to be stronger, to get a little bit closer to his dream of avenging his mother.


    Lu Feng was only twenty two years old and he already achieved more than any ordinary cultivator could even hope for. A two-star Runemaster, a four-star condensed prime Warrior, he was far ahead of everyone his age because of the exceptional effort he put into cultivating.


    Cultivator¡¯s Qi is very limited and Lu Feng spent most of his Qi on learning more runes and more stances which contributed to his early rise as a Runemaster. This was without any doubts benefit of having discovered such powerful cultivation spot.


    The fact that training efficiency was higher at the Drakehead meant that Lu Feng¡¯s great efforts were multiplied, which resulted in his cultivation level being more advanced than most of the cultivators his own age.


    Lu Feng discovered the Drakehead out of pure coincidence, Ye Wei was guided here by his ancestors¡¯ blood, both of them found the point of interest but neither of them were aware the other¡¯s knowledge of the pond¡¯s power.


    Next morning, one hundred and fifty men gathered at the Ye mansion. All of them Warriors, foundation of the Ye family.


    The forests and mountains around Green Moon City were very dangerous. Often packs of wild beasts would attack and kill wanders who weren¡¯t careful enough to get away. In order to ensure his people¡¯s safety, Ye Zhengqing had his grandson, Ye Zhong, leading the force.


    Ye Zhong was the strongest young cultivator in Green Moon City. At only twenty five, he was already a condensed prime Warrior.


    Together with Ye Wei, he was one of the youngest people to achieve condensed prime level in his family in thest century.


    Since Ye Zhong achieved condensed prime level, his cultivation rate had slowed down a bit as cultivating would be harder the further one went. Taking into ount his excellent talent, Ye Zhong was still far from breaking through to the two-star level. Even now that the Ye¡¯s were not short of resources, nobody expected him to be a two-star condensed prime Warrior in less than two years.


    In the end, when it came to cultivating, resources were not everything. Sentient strength¡¯s importance ounted for more as it was directly proportional to how fast one could absorb, purify and consolidate primal energy.


    Ironically the only way to strengthen one¡¯s Sentient was to cultivate.


    ¡°Zhong, these men are the family¡¯s elite, the family¡¯s foundation. Whatever happens in the wild, you are still these men¡¯s leader, you have to stay strong and consider their safety even under stress!¡± Ye Zhengqing patted his grandson on the shoulder and advised solemnly.


    ¡°Grandpa, please don¡¯t worry, I will not let our men put their lives at risk for the Lu¡¯s at any point of the expedition!¡± Ye Zhong nodded determinedly. His eyes lingered on the hundred and fifty cultivators and made sure everyone heard his words.


    ¡°Grandpa, I would like to go with cousin Zhong!¡± Ye Wei stepped forward and said out of the blue.


    ¡°You should stay here and keep cultivating,¡± Ye Zhengqing hesitated, then shook his head, ¡®I am sorry Wei, but I can¡¯t have you both risking your lives...¡¯


    Ye Wei understood the patriarch¡¯s intentions, softened and did not bother arguing.


    ¡°Be safe!¡± Ye Zhengqing gave Ye Zhong a hug, then waved as the group headed off, ¡®The beasts in the woods are just ordinary beasts.You have a condensed prime Warrior as a leader, and it¡¯s not just any condensed prime Warrior, it¡¯s me little Zhong, you should be fine...¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Ye Zhong waved and turned around, leading one hundred and fifty strong men towards the city¡¯s gate.


    ¡°Just as I thought the Ye family is bing stronger and more respectable in the high society, the Lu¡¯s show up... I hope the kids don¡¯t me me for making this hard decision...¡± It was difficult for Ye Zhengqing to see them leave. He signed and slowly looked away.

 Chapter 163 – Slippery

    Chapter 163 ¨C Slippery


    ¡®Considering cousin Zhong¡¯s cultivation, the team shouldn¡¯t have any problems, unless they get attacked by a rare wild beast...¡¯ Ye Wei thought, while looking at Ye Zhong¡¯s silhouette exiting the mansion¡¯s gate, ¡®But... It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry!¡¯


    ¡®If I follow cousin Zhong, I might be able to spy on the Lu¡¯s and find out what their ns are. Furthermore, I can put the matter of protecting my family into my own hands. Like grandpa said, they are the foundation of the family¡¯s future and I just can¡¯t leave anything to chance!¡¯


    Led by a ten-star condensed prime Warrior sent by the Lu¡¯s, the group of two thousand Warriors, assembled from the ten most powerful martial family of Green Moon City, left civilization and began to search the wilderness and the mountains at an extremely slow pace.


    Wild beasts usually do not hunt during hours of daylight. Therefore Ye Wei decided to spend his days at the Drakehead, and his nights hidden in the dark wilderness, watching over his family¡¯s squad. When there were wild beasts approaching to their camps, Ye Wei was able to finish them off without anybody noticing.


    Nine days had passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Wei was cultivating all this time at the pond before sunset, trying to improve as quickly as he possibly could. With the help of this sacred ce, he was only a few steps away from his breakthrough to the four-star level.


    The Ye family had been keeping themselves save in the mansion. There was no unannounced Lu¡¯s visits recently; the Ye¡¯s were also save, watched over, guarded by their family¡¯s dedicated young Runemaster.


    On the ninth day since the Ye patriarch sent the squad for the search, Ye Wei routinely stretched his body after a half day of cultivating. The sun was setting over the horizon and then, as usual, he hurried towards his family squad¡¯s camp.


    Part of the troops led by the Lu family finally reached North Hill Bay. Ye Wei became more anxious with each day, scared that they might intrude his family¡¯s sacred ground.


    At the foothill of the Ye¡¯s ancestral burial hill, a dispute was brewing, and the Ye¡¯s were heated. The resting ce of the family¡¯s ancestor was a prohibited area.


    The Du family insisted to help with the search and were very pleased to finally have a reason to invade the Ye¡¯s ancestralnd. The two families still remembered their fight for this plot ofnd and the Ye¡¯s were not happy to see their enemies so close.


    The Du¡¯s had two hundred and twenty Warriors led by their Patriarch¡¯s brothers, Du Ji, a five star condensed prime Warrior. The pressure of their force was hanging over Ye¡¯s.


    ¡°Get out of my way, kid!¡± Yelled Du Ji as his cold gaze swept over the one hundred and fifty men the Ye¡¯s assembled and finally stopped on Ye Zhong¡¯s face.


    ¡°I, Du Ji, am here under themand of the Lu family! We are here to explore thisnd and report to them if there is any hidden abnormalities! Obstructing me to my task is the same as disrespecting the Lu, kid! Your pathetic family won¡¯t be able to deal with the consequences!¡± He suddenly took a step forward, his mighty Qi presence, like a massive boulder, solidly pressed towards the Ye¡¯s men and Ye Zhong.


    The might of a five star condensed prime Warrior was fierce. All one hundred and fifty Warriors involuntarily took a step back. Ye Zhong was barely able to stand steadily, marginally withstood Du Ji¡¯s offensive Qi burst.


    ¡°Du Ji, this is my family¡¯s ancestralnd! All of my forefathers were buried under the surface of this very hill. It is a sacred ground and I won¡¯t let anyone disturb the peace where their souls rest eternally!¡±


    ¡°I will never allow anyone set foot on the hill! If you wish to do so you will have to step over my dead body!¡± Shouted Ye Zhong as he channeled his Qi, struggling to resist Du Ji¡¯s force, but determined to protect his family¡¯s burial hill with his life if needed.


    During the past three years, due to the protection of Master Yi, the Du¡¯s never dared to offend Ye family. However now the tides had changed, as they had the Lu family¡¯s support they were no longer scared of the possibilities of Master Yi¡¯s interference.


    The Du family¡¯s assets were irreversibly damaged by the rapid expansion of Ye family¡¯s business, especially in the trades of scrolls and mystic arms. The Du¡¯s were no longer a family everyone was scared of, and none of them were happy about the downfall and the suppression.


    Therefore, even though the North Hill Bay area spread wide across more than thousands of miles, the Du¡¯s deliberately set their eyes on the burial hill of the Ye family.


    ¡°Ye Zhong, I think your are overstepping yourself. As I have said, we are here under the Lu family¡¯smand to explore this mountain. You have no other choice but to let us pass through, unless you want to deal with them instead of us!¡± sneered Du Ji, smiling viciously after he shamelessly name-dropping.


    ¡°As an established cultivator and reasonable man, I really do not want to fight you. I am no bully. But if you are going to be difficult, that leaves me no choice but to do exactly that! Well, I guess you can use a lesson on being respectful if you are dumb enough to mess with the Du family and the Lu family!¡± Du Ji threatened, grunting coldly.


    ¡®Now with the Lu¡¯s support, we are in the right. None of the Ye¡¯s can do anything about it, even if I decide to paralyze Ye Zhong right here and right now. Obstructing the Lu¡¯s search is not a small matter, if they hear about how the Ye¡¯s are trying to sabotage their search, they might even reward me for my bravery!¡¯


    Du Ji¡¯s eyes shone a sinister glow, he had actually been nning to start a fight with the Ye¡¯s. Ever since the Lu¡¯s came into the picture, the Du¡¯s have been doing whatever they could to befriend the representatives from the state-renowned martial family, hoping that their new ally could help them with their revenge against the Ye¡¯s.


    It was clear to everyone in the Du family that once Ye Wei and Ye Zhong grew up to fulfil their cultivation potential, Green Moon City will no longer have space for the Du¡¯s.


    Aware of that fact, the Du family wanted nothing more than to get rid of the two youngsters, However, it was impossible for them to do so when the Ye family was under Master Yi¡¯s watch and because the Ye¡¯s influence was growing non-stop throughout the past three years.


    ¡®This is the moment we¡¯ve been waiting for! We can start the fight and the Lu¡¯s can finish them for us!¡¯


    Currently the Ye family was in no position and simply was not on the level the Lu¡¯s were on. With the Lu¡¯s wide web of connections, even Master Yi was in no position to challenge one of the most influential force in the Qing state.


    ¡°Brother Zhong, Du Ji is just looking for trouble here. Let¡¯s fight them!¡±


    ¡°Zhong, they do have two hundred and twenty, but I don¡¯t think we will lose the fight!¡± All the Ye¡¯s were overwhelmed by resentment, stood forth and unsheathed their weapons


    Although the Ye¡¯s were outnumbered, they were still better equipped than the Du¡¯s, and a lot of them were even holding mystic scrolls and mystic arms.


    The Ye¡¯s were aware they were not at a disadvantage.


    Three years ago, Ye Wei acquired arge amount of treasures from Bloodmist Valley, most of which he gave to his family. Since then, his family was actually richer than the Big Three and had more treasures in their vault than even Green Moon City¡¯s City Lord.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s body became tense, he lifted his arm and signaled his men to stand down. He knew the situation was moreplicated and delicate than it appeared to most. Although he was aware that the Ye¡¯s might win, it was a risk he dared not to take.


    ¡®Grandpa put these people¡¯s lives in my hands! Every single one of these one hundred and fifty Warriors is a part of the family¡¯s foundation, we cannot afford to lose any of them. Du Ji was a five star condensed prime Warrior, if the Ye¡¯s were to win, they would have to keep the Du squad¡¯s leader under control, which could not be done without sacrificing lives for it .


    The consequence was too dire, Ye Zhong had no way to afford the loss, nor could the family afford to lose the loved ones they¡¯ve invested time, care and resources on. After a fight like that, it would take the family more than thirty years to recover.


    ¡®The Du family is clearly trying to turn the Lu¡¯s against us. I can not make their wishe true and I shall not start a bloodshed here, right by where my ancestors were buried. They shall not step foot on the hill and they shall not shed their filthy blood here!¡¯


    Ye Zhong coldly stared at Du Ji, calcting, trying to figure out ways to counter the threat.


    ¡°Ye Zhong, kid, the Du family will not vite the the Lu¡¯s orders, however I do know that we right now are standing on rightfully belongs to your family.¡± Du Ji¡¯s rolled his eyes, chuckled and said: ¡°I am going to give you one chance for you to prove your worthiness. If you are serious about protecting your ancestors¡¯ resting ce, I want you to take three punches for me! If you agree, I will order my men to back off and leave this hill alone! If the Lu¡¯s will ask us what happened I will make something up so they would let you off.¡±


    ¡°So, what is it gonna be? Will you take three punches?¡± Du Ji strode forward and red at Ye Zhong, putting him under more pressure in the tight situation.


    The burial hill was the Ye¡¯snd, Du Ji could feel that Ye Zhong would not decline the offer. ¡®Ye Zhong would not refuse the only easy way out for the Ye if they wanted to keep their ancestralnd¡¯s integrity without harming anyone of the Ye¡¯s Warriors.¡¯


    Du Ji¡¯s smug smile was growing wider, he had already calcted the next steps. When Ye Zhong agreed, he was going to strike the young cultivator with no mercy.


    ¡®I can pretty much destroy your body with one punch! You will never walk again!¡¯ There was nothing more the five-star condensed prime Warrior wanted than to destroy their rival family¡¯s future.


    ¡°Fine, you¡¯ve got yourself a deal!¡± Said Ye Zhong in a low tone. He nodded heavily, sighed and stepped forward


    ¡°Brother Zhong, don¡¯t fall for this trap! He just wants you dead! Don¡¯t forget that he is a lot stronger than you are! Don¡¯t expose yourself to danger like this!¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhong, I know it¡¯s important to guard the family¡¯s ancestralnd, but don¡¯t sacrifice yourself like that, guarding what the forefathers left us is a duty all of us must oblige.¡±


    None of the Ye¡¯s could stay calm, they talked over one another after Ye Zhong spoke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything!¡± Ye Zhong grunted low and loud to catch everyone¡¯s attention. He was aware of Du Ji¡¯s intentions and had sent a messenger back to the Ye mansion since the Du¡¯s started troubles at the bottom of the burial hill. He was now just buying time, hoping the messenger had already reached the Patriarch and that help was on the way.


    ¡°Good boy, I admire your courage. Herees the first punch!¡± A grim smile appeared on Du Ji¡¯s face. He opened his hand wide and casually flicked his fingers, his Qi rushed out together with sequences of runes.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The runes flickered faintly as a huge fiery red fist appeared. The air began to ripple while waves of heat emanated from the fist.


    Under Du Ji¡¯smand, the fist flew towards Ye Zhong, dropping on top of him like a burning meteor.


    ¡®Low-level Myst stance, Scarlet me Fist!¡¯ The cold brutal smile on Du Ji became bigger.


    Du Ji, the five-star condensed prime Warrior was much stronger than Ye Zhong and he knew that, but even so, he decided to use one of his strongest attacks right away.


    A low-level Myst stance used by a five-star condensed prime Warrior was not something Ye Zhong could defend himself against.

 Chapter 164 – Ye Wei Strikes Back

    Chapter 164 ¨C Ye Wei Strikes Back


    The fist gained more and more momentum while it was falling fiercely at Ye Zhong. As the fist was approaching its target, the whistling in the air intensified and became a loud rumble.


    All the fallen leaves on the ground dried outpletely and turned to powder.


    Ye Zhong frowned at the roaring me wrapped around the fist. He knew that Du Ji was much stronger than him; nevertheless, he didn¡¯t expect him to use such a powerful stance.


    ¡®Du Ji is using his full force. If this heavy Myst stance strike hits me, I will be gravely injured; that is if I manage to live!¡¯ Ye Zhong anxiously thought.


    ¡®High-level Spirit stance ¨C White Tiger¡¯s Assault!¡¯ Ye Zhong bit his lips until he tasted hints of metallic sparkles in his blood. There were no signs of reinforcements on the horizon. He had no other choice but to rely on himself.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    Sequences of runic patterns lit up, intertwined, and suddenly, a spectral tiger appeared in the air.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    The spectral tiger roared at the sky. The tiger swiftly stretched his legs and promptly lunged forward at the approaching fiery fist in the air.


    Although the tiger¡¯s strike was ferocious, its power was stopped the exact moment Du Ji¡¯s fiery fist connected. The spectral beast faded and crumbled in the incinerating heatwave.


    Ye Zhong¡¯s White Tiger Assault and Du Ji¡¯s were both low-level Myst stances. However, powered by a five-star condensed prime Warrior, the Scarlet me Fist reigned superior. The unreserved lethal punch did not slow down at all after crushing the big cat.


    The me fist continued to erge in Ye Zhong¡¯s eyes while approaching with unbelievable speed. Ye Zhong quickly leaped backwards. Using a protecting stance to envelop his whole body, he was ready to face this attack. He would never let the Du¡¯s set foot on his family¡¯s grounds.


    Just as the fist was about tond on Ye Zhong¡¯s chest, a blurred figure appeared in mid-air. It brought Ye Zhong ten meters away from the fist¡¯s course and saved him from the horrifying attack.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The fiery fist fiercely struck the dust. A loud rumble echoed throughout the mountains. The whole forest shook, birds flew in fear, andnd animals ran for cover. When the debris settled, a ten meters wide pit appeared on the ground.


    ¡°Ye Wei!¡± Du Ji¡¯s face turned ashen. He coldly stared at the shadowy figure next to Ye Zhong.


    Ye Wei interfered at the absolutest moment. His cousin Ye Zhong would have been lying dead in that pit right now if he was just a tenth of a second slower.


    Ye Wei, being Master Yi¡¯s only legacy apprentice and being the hero who fought a powerful demon at the Ning City tournament, was a renowned person in Green Moon City. His aplishments spread so fast Du Ji heard all of the news surrounding Ye Wei at a restaurant. Through other guests¡¯ chitchat, he gained an understanding of Ye Wei before he was told the news by the Du family¡¯s scouts.


    While the smoke and dust settled down, Ye Wei casually removed the dirt from his robe. He then red fiercely at Du Ji.


    The Ye family were always the top priority for Ye Wei. All of his heart belonged to his roots. At the threat of the Lu family, he had to be cautious and patient, but he would not tolerate Du¡¯s terrorizing.


    ¡°Ye Wei, like I said to your cousin, I was ordered by the Lu family to check these grounds! Are you sure you want to confront the Lu¡¯s?!¡± Shouted Du Ji. He was irritated by the youngster¡¯s interruption.


    Du Ji shivered under Ye Wei¡¯s cold gaze. He knew he could not stop Ye Wei by force, therefore resorted to threatening his family. ¡®Hmph, it seems this kid doesn¡¯t dare to mess with the Lu¡¯s¡¯, Du Ji mischievously concluded.


    ¡°It was the Lu¡¯s elders order. We are not going to disobey, and we are going to explore thisnd even if it¡¯s your family¡¯s burial hill. You can¡¯t afford to be responsible for holding us down here, can you?¡±


    Du Ji stood still as Ye Wei slowly approached him step by step. ¡®What if those rumors are right, and this kid was able to defeat that demon?!¡¯ A trace of fear shed in his eyes, ¡®I once fought a demon at the same level too, and if it wasn¡¯t for the Patriarch¡¯s intervene, I would surely have died.¡¯


    Feeling threatened, Du Ji spoke unwillingly in a soft voice, ¡°Us Du¡¯s, just like your family, are from Green Moon City, ordered and used by Lu family. We are forced to do this just as you are. If you let us continue on we give you our promise that everything will be left intact on your grounds. If you decide to stand in the way, we have no other choice but to report your disobedience to the Lu¡¯s.¡±


    ¡®So you are respecting us now?¡¯ Ye Wei surmised. He was disgusted by Du Ji¡¯s attitude. Smiling disdainfully, Ye Wei stated, ¡®If you really did respect us, how do you exin what you tried to do to my cousin?¡¯


    ¡®Ye Zhong is just a one-star condensed prime Warrior. Du Ji clearly wanted to kill him and then immediately retreat, so he could bring the Lu¡¯s to exterminate my family!¡¯


    ¡®Respect? You wouldn¡¯t even think about respecting anyone if I was not here, opportunistic snake!¡¯


    Ye Zhong was smart enough to understand Du¡¯s intentions. He used the voice transmission technique to talk to Ye Wei in private, ¡°They want to destroy our family; this won¡¯t end neatly. If I let Du JI go, the first thing he will do is toin to the Lu¡¯s! That means they might bring havoc to the burial hill.¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s head was spinning. He tried to think a way out of this mess. His ultimate duty was to defend his ancestral grounds for future generations of Ye family.


    Suddenly, Ye Zhong voice sounded in his mind, ¡°Ye Wei, if you take Du Ji, I will be able to take out the rest. We have some powerful men with us. They won¡¯t just stand and watch. These are our ancestral grounds, and we must defend them!¡± Ye Zhong had heard about Ye Wei¡¯s achievements in Ning City and believed his cousin, surely the strongest cultivator of the family, was strong enough to take control of the situation.


    Ye Wei was uncertain, ¡®Cousin Zhong, You want us to kill all the witnesses?¡¯


    Ye Wei had never killed an innocent before. He was hesitant. Even though it was Du family members in front of him, it would still be murder. Furthermore,mitting a sinister act of that scale would leave marks on his mind, a dark chapter will never be beneficial to his ability to focus when he would cultivate.


    The situation was urgent. Ye Wei knew he couldn¡¯t just keep thinking about the consequences. One Du escapee would mean the end of his family. He had to help his cousin, ¡°No, this isn¡¯t fair. If we have to kill, I cannot let you do all the dirty work,¡± Ye Wei looked determined. It appeared there was no other choice.


    ¡°Ye Wei, let me do this. Your talent is extraordinary, and you are the hope and future of our family. As long as you deal with Du Ji, I should be able to take care of the rest. You don¡¯t even need to kill him, rather, just keep him under control. I am ready to do the rest.¡¯ Ye Zhong said earnestly. He made a hand signal, and Ye¡¯s men who surrounded the Du¡¯s squad dispersed.


    ¡°Little Wei, don¡¯t give Du Ji a hard time. He¡¯s almost peeing his pants; in the end, he is in a way innocent. He is just following his patriarch and the Lu¡¯s orders. I would do something simr in his position.¡±


    ¡®This has to be done clean! No one, absolutely no one, can escape!¡¯ Ye Zhongughed. Then he spoke to Du Ji, ¡°Hey, we understand the Du family¡¯s situation, and you can¡¯t really just leave our ancestralnd unsearched.¡±


    Ye Zhong was trying to gain some time and draw Du Ji¡¯s attention away from Ye Wei.


    ¡°But there is a requisite,¡± Ye Zhong smiled. He narrowed his eyes as he started to approach Du Ji, ¡°You have to withstand three blows, from my little cousin, to prove that you are worthy, then I will let you search the...¡±


    Du Ji was not a fool. Seeing both Ye Wei and Ye Zhong approach, he was aware something was up. ¡®They want to kill us all. These Ye brothers are ruthless, like the patriarch warned me.¡¯ He felt threatened, however, the five-star condensed prime Warrior knew better than to panic.


    ¡°I will let the Lu¡¯s decide!¡± Du Ji responded before Ye Zhong finished his sentence. Ye Wei and Ye Zhong heard a sound of a scroll being torn.


    ¡°Woosh!¡± hundreds of runes burst out of the scroll. Empowered by Du Ji¡¯s Qi, the runes formed a yellow beam of light that broke through the thin night mist. The beams transformed into two huge letter. The surname ?Lu? appeared in a starry sky in an eye-catching shade of gold.


    Du Ji used one of the scrolls provided by the Lu family. The re is visible within a radius of one hundred miles. All the leaders of the martial family squads were given one, including Ye Zhong. If someone would use it, it would notify one of the Lu¡¯s ten-star condensed prime Warrior on guard around the area.


    At this very moment, Lu Zhong was sitting on one of the tree branches many miles away from the Ye¡¯s burial grounds when he noticed the letters. He stood up abruptly, surprised, and hopeful.


    ¡°Did they find the Drakehead?!¡± eximed Lu Zhong excitedly. He hurriedly used a transportation stance and turned into a sh of light. He moved instantly towards the spot indicated by the signal.


    Lu Feng¡¯s cultivating was disturbed by a small explosion. He opened his eyes. ¡°Ehm...?¡± At the quiet pond, he was also able to see his family name spelled in the starry sky.


    He frowned, slowly stood up still, and stared at the golden letters in the sky. He as well turned into a blurred figure in the dark forest and hurried in the same direction.


    ¡®I would like to see what happened.¡¯ Thought Lu Feng while flying through the mountains.


    While the two Lu¡¯s headed to the foothills where the Du¡¯s and Ye¡¯s stood off, Ye Wei and his cousin ufortably stared at the night sky, frowning.


    The Ye cousins nned to neutralize Du Ji quietly and swiftly. They wanted to attack the whole squad before anyone could notify anyone. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t expect him to be so alert. It would not be wise for the Ye¡¯s to make a move now the Lu family would be rushing over.


    ¡®Du Ji almost killed my cousin. I cannot let him walk free.¡¯


    ¡®Fortunately, it won¡¯t take me long to destroy this conniving snake.¡¯ Ye Wei curled his fingers. Before Du Ji even saw one rune being drawn, five Peerless Qi Swords were already en route.

 Chapter 165 – Line

    Chapter 165 ¨C Line


    The peerless Qi Swords was building blocks of a Sky stance. Although Ye Wei was far from finishing the Zodiac Sword stance, Du Ji still had no way of defending himself against it.


    ¡°The Lu¡¯s men are about to arrive, and you dare to aim your stance at me? You are out of your mind!¡± Panic shed in Du Ji¡¯s eyes while he watched the five Qi Sword rapidlying towards him. ¡®You will pay for this when they are here!¡¯


    Confronted by sharp edges, Du Ji¡¯s pupils shrunk in sheer nervousness. He reacted quickly and channeled his Qi to defend himself. ¡®Low-level Myst stance, Cyan Light Shield.¡¯ His hands were shing in the air drawing rune after rune, forming a defensive stance. Soon, the rune sequence glowed and transformed its shape; arge light shield appeared in front of his body.


    The Du family was once one of Green Moon City¡¯s Big Three. They had a total of four Myst stances, which they passed down through generations since their rise. Two of them were low-level Myst stances and the other two were mid-level. These stances were avable only to the patriarch.


    Du Ji, a five-star condensed prime Warrior, was in a rtively high position in the Du family. He was able to master both the low-level Myst stances that he could ess such as the Scarlet me Fist and the defensive Cyan Light Shield.


    He was renowned in the city, both as a very powerful cultivator and a master of the two Myst stances. Even if he was only a five-star condensed prime level, his shield was powerful enough to withstand a six-star condensed prime Warrior¡¯s attack.


    However, under the edge of Ye Wei¡¯s Peerless Qi Swords, the stance that had stopped countless powerful cultivators, was no more protective than a piece of paper. Ye Wei¡¯s Qi bolts prated the green shield effortlessly, dug into Du Ji¡¯s arms, legs and his dantian while the shield was stillpletely intact.


    Ye Wei was showing no mercy for someone who threatened to wiped his entire family from the face of the earth.


    ¡°Aaah!¡± the horrifying sound of Du Ji¡¯s screams sent chills through everyone¡¯s body. His arms, legs, and dantian were ripped, spilling blood all over while Du Ji fell to his knees. The ground beneath him waspletely dyed in red.


    ¡°I thought we made a deal? You shouldn¡¯t have agreed to my cousin¡¯s suggestion if you are not strong enough to take just one blow?¡± Ye Wei calmy but sarcastically questioned Du Ji. He had to deal with Du Ji quickly before the Lu¡¯s arrived. ¡®He tried to hurt Ye Zhong. It¡¯s only fair he tastes his own medicine!¡¯


    ¡®So, when the Lu¡¯se I can tell them he agreed to this...¡¯ Ye Wei decided.


    Du Ji heard Ye Wei¡¯s words, but he was to weak to react. He finally dropped on the ground and fainted.


    ¡®The Du¡¯s were shocked. Judging from Du Ji¡¯s injuries, they could see that their leader was unlikely to ever stand on his feet again.


    This defeat just ruined any chances for Du Ji to continue cultivating. He would be casted aside because of his defeat. His cultivation would wither, and he would be a burden for his family from now on.


    ¡®You deserve every bit of this suffering you will taste for the rest of your pitiful life!¡¯ Ye Wei looked at the Du Ji who was paralyzed on the ground. ¡®The moment you wanted to kill my cousin Zhong was the moment you should have been prepared to get killed yourself.¡¯


    ¡®The Ye family was left to the Du¡¯s mercy three years ago.If it wasn¡¯t for Master Yi, we would have been wiped out. However, we are no longer like we were at that time!¡¯ Suddenly, a thunderous rumble sounded. It grew louder and louder as a shadowy figure approached. It was Lu Zhong, a ten-star condensed prime Warrior the Lu family sent to coordinate the search.


    Lu Zhong thought that someone had found the Drakehead, so he rushed as if his life depended on it . He didn¡¯t expect to see two troops standing off under the moonlight by a hill.


    An angry cry resonated within the night, ¡°My family sent you here to look for treasure not to fight each other!¡±


    ¡°Sir, you have to give us justice! The Ye¡¯s disobeyed yourmands! They were preventing us from entering the area! They also attacked Du Ji!¡± One of the Du¡¯s Warriors stood forth and kneeled before Lu Zhong, ¡°I don¡¯t think Du Ji will live if he doesn¡¯t get medical attention immediately¡± he cried as he pointed to his fallen leader.


    Lu Zhong surveyed the scene. He could tell he was not at the Drakehead. All he could see was the Du¡¯s in a pitiful state, kneeling before him. Seeing Ye Wei, his face ashened and his gaze was sharp as daggers.


    ¡°What the hell did you do to him?! He is here under mymand!¡± Lu Zhong¡¯s fierce roar froze the Ye¡¯s in ce and stopped their hearts. His presence oozed anger and crushed towards the Ye¡¯s squad.


    ¡°If you do not give me a reasonable exnation for these bold and stupid acts, your family will cease to exist in a day¡¯s time!¡± Lu Zhong¡¯s eyes finally rested on the Ye cousins standing in front of their men.


    ¡®That¡¯s Ye Wei!¡¯ Murmured Lu Feng, watching the scene unfold from the wilderness. The memory of the Runamaster¡¯s exam suddenly appeared in his mind.


    ¡®This kid is really talented. Maybe I still can recruit him afterall and fit him into my n.¡¯ Lu Feng¡¯s revenge was always the first thought in his mind. The humiliation his mother suffered was not easily forgotten.


    Lu family was influential inside and outside Qing state. Lu Feng knew everything these people were capable of, ¡®I can¡¯t stand against them alone. They are capable of sending returned prime Warriors here if they do find the ce. However, maybe if this kid joins my side...¡¯ Lu Feng was thinking, plotting. He was afraid his family¡¯s men would find the Drakehead soon. He needed powerful reinforcement to distract and send people away from the pond. He could not bear the thought of losing it.


    Lu Feng needed someone as talented as Ye Wei. Nevertheless, he knew since the Runemaster Union entry exam that Ye Wei still held a grudge for what happened three years ago.


    ¡°Ye Wei, you are aplete idiot to challenge Lu Zhong. He might be only a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, but he was known for his madness! He would even interrupt an elder if he heard something he didn¡¯t agree with,¡± Lu Feng mumbled to himself. He was curious to see how this would unroll.


    Lu Zhong¡¯s sister, Lu Rong, was one of the elders and one of the strongest cultivators in the family. She was the reason Lu Zhong was bold, crazy but uncontested by the council of the well established family. She was also the person who vouched for him to be in charge of the operation around North Hill Bay, the area which the Lu¡¯s intel told the council the Drakehead was likely to be.


    Lu Rong wanted the council to trust her brother. Thus, if he was sessful in locating the Drakehead, he would gain a better, more solid reputation.


    ¡®This time I might be able to get him on my side. I will wait for a good opportunity to reveal myself and help him when he gets in trouble!¡¯ Lu Feng concluded while he watched the Ye¡¯s.


    ¡°Wipe out Ye family?!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes filled with burning rage. Nheless, he reminded himself that he must be patient for now. He must handle this situation without causing any casualties to ur. He could always make Lu Zhong pay for those disrespectful words once he became stronger.


    ¡°Mister, please be reasonable and listen to what I have to say before reacting hastefully. There is no reason for the Ye¡¯s to slow the Lu¡¯s operation down. We were trying to carry out the search carefully at our ancestor¡¯s resting ce! I promise you, the Du¡¯s are trying to frame us on the spot.¡± Ye Wei said calmly.


    ¡°Is it so?¡± Lu Zhong gloomy face slowly turned towards Du Ji, who wasying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.


    ¡°This lone hill is my family¡¯s burial ground. The Du¡¯s always kept a grudge against my family due to some recent dispute. They took the chance to make a mess at our ancestor¡¯s graves while they were up there, so we asked them down to talk it out peacefully!¡±


    ¡°There would be no way we let them on our sacred grounds just to watch them destroy everything as they do a rough job! Besides, he almost killed my cousin when my cousin was trying to reason with him. I was then lucky enough to stop him right before my innocent cousin would have lost his life!¡± Said Ye Wei, doing a great job to sound shakened.


    Hearing Ye Wei¡¯s speech, Ye Zhong¡¯s face lit up. The situation wasn¡¯t so bad presented the way his young cousin did. ¡®Maybe our ancestral grounds won¡¯t be tainted after all.¡¯


    Ye Zhong bowed before Lu Zhong saying ¡°Please, Mister. We just wanted to do a thorough job the most respectful way, for the Lu family¡¯s and for the Ye family¡¯s honor. We had to stand against the Du¡¯s and their unreasonable ims!¡±


    ¡°Please, give us justice!¡± The rest of the Ye¡¯s joined in.


    ¡°The Du family clearly wants to take advantage of the Lu¡¯s. You should remove the ck sheep from the herd.¡± Ye Zhong was trying to sound as indignified as he could, ying along with Ye Wei¡¯s speech. ¡°You don¡¯t want innocent blood on your family¡¯s name right? You have to make an example or people like the Du¡¯s will just bring shame and injustice to our doorsteps!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even touch the hill because you didn¡¯t let us! Don¡¯t let them fool you!¡± The Du¡¯s replied, angered by the lies.


    Lu Zhong cautiously looked over the two families¡¯ squad standing opposite to each other. He sensed that something strange was going on and though one of the sides wanted to fool him, he did not have any useful evidence to make a fair decision.


    Peeking from the side, Lu Feng was amused by this whole situation, ¡®This Ye Wei is quite a character. Lu Zhong usually isn¡¯t easily deceived.¡¯


    ¡°I will not interfere with the dispute between you! Our task must bepleted, so stop wasting my precious time! All of you,e up the hill with me to search this area once more!¡± Lu Zhong pondered for just a moment then gave his orders, ¡°I want every inch of the bay area dug three feet deep!¡±


    Lu Zhong decided to stay out of the argument, he did not care who was buried under the ground if it was not the Supreme who died around the region centuries ago.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s a wise decision, Mister!¡± The Du¡¯s were ecstatic. With the Lu¡¯s backing their cause, they marched up the hill while scornfully looking down on the Ye¡¯s.


    Ye Wei, Ye Zhong and the rest were looking somber.


    ¡°This hill belongs to the Ye¡¯s, our history and pride were buried on this hill!¡± Ye Wei said furiously, paused and ground his teeth after saying each word.


    Lu Zhong cried out, ¡°I do not care who is buried here. How dare you blocking my way?! He is interrupting a Lu family operation! Kill him!¡±


    Du¡¯s were waiting for this moment, excited to see the Ye family getting destroyed by the Lu¡¯s.


    The Ye squad¡¯s eyes went bloodshot, Ye Wei in particr was ready to charge forth. Knowing that their ancestral burial grounds will be stepped on by the enemies, none of them could remain calm.


    The Ye¡¯s did not take a move, they all stood still and looked towards Ye Wei.


    Although Ye Wei was seldom home, they were all aware that throughout the years Ye Wei had be the family¡¯s soul, a person they all admired.


    To everyone on the squad, Ye Wei was as influential as the Ye Patriarch.


    Ye Wei extended his fingers, with his Qi Sword he drew a three feet wide line on the dirt between the Du¡¯s and the hill. ¡°Who crosses this line, will be dead!¡± He shouted.

 Chapter 166 – Madman

    Chapter 166 ¨C Madman


    The gust of sharp Qi-fused breeze hit the Du¡¯s who stood close by and left fine lines of red marks on the exposed areas of their bodies. Stunned, no one dared to cross the line on the ground.


    They didn¡¯t think Ye Wei would dare to use force against them in front of a Lu.


    ¡°You ignorant kid! Do you want to die?!¡± Lu Zhong¡¯s face twitched in anger, ¡°Like I said. All of you,e up the hill with me to search this area once more!¡±


    Bloodlust was overtaking Lu Zhong¡¯s consciousness, his Qi rushed out, fluttered his long robe. Both of his hands disappeared, sequences of runes surged in the air while his hands shed in the shape of mysterious hand seals.


    Rumble!


    Lu Zhong¡¯s Qi was flowing through the hundreds of runes. Immense surge of power was building up between the earth and the sky, so powerful that all the trees around fell at once, cut to their roots, gigantic rocks floated around.


    A spectral giant bird of prey flew out from the explosion of the runes. Its cyan wings pped rapidly. Tornadoes of primal energy swept the ground at the foot of the Ye¡¯s ancestral burial hill.


    ¡°Could this be?¡± Lu Feng gasped, still hidden in the dark, shocked by the sight of the shadowy shape. ¡°The Seal of Cyan Hawk, high-level Myst stance!¡± Lu Feng mumbled, looking horrified, ¡°He used this stance once to defeat a peak ten-star condensed prime Warrior with ease. Should I really intervene before it¡¯s toote for Ye Wei?¡±


    ¡°Lu Zhong going in for the kill!¡¯ Lu Feng always knew that Lu Zhong was an old maniac but didn¡¯t expect him to act this hysterically, the level of ruthlessness was beyond hisprehension.


    ¡®All the Lu¡¯s that have been sent to Green Moon City were warned not to mess with Master Yi. Even the elders seem to be afraid of what he might do. Doesn¡¯t he know Ye Wei is Master Yi¡¯s only legacy apprentice?!¡¯


    ¡®The pond is nearby, to let the Lu¡¯s draw their men here would mean uncovering the Drakehead! This madness needs to stop! We can¡¯t have Master Yi and the Lu elders here!¡¯ Thought Lu Feng as he rushed out from his cover to stop.


    ¡®I acted toote!¡¯


    The cyan hawk gradually gathered his full strength, pped its cyan wings to climb higher into the sky. Its beak suddenly opened and, after a few piercing trills, spewed out round after around of a silver lightning.


    Rumble!


    The silver lightning rained down mercilessly onto Ye Wei and the Ye¡¯s men. The earth crumbled while the silvery energy bolts were still mid-air. The cracks on the ground rapidly grew outwards as the hawk¡¯s strike elerated, the whole burial hill shook to the ten-star condensed prime Warrior¡¯s powerful stance.


    While others were weak on their knees, Ye Wei did not even flinch. When confronted by the bolts of lightning, Ye Wei stomped the ground, and clouds of runes appeared at the bottom of his feet. Riding the clouds of star-shaped rune sequences, Ye Wei¡¯s movements became unpredictable. He then fearlessly leaped right into the storm without a second of hesitation.


    ¡®These men behind me are my family¡¯s foundation and future, I have to protect them!¡¯ thought Ye Wei. He was aware that even the edge of Lu Zhong¡¯s powerful high-level Myst stance would end the lives of many of these weaker Warriors.


    Therefore, Ye Wei couldn¡¯t just hide. He was there to defend his family¡¯s past, present and future.


    ¡®Supernova stance, Second Evolution!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s earnest gaze was set on the lightning storm¡¯s center. His body shone golden, Ye Wei¡¯s Qi was amplified, burst out of the runes on his bones.


    ¡®Nine-star condensed prime level!?¡¯ Lu Feng¡¯s jaws dropped.


    Amplified by the Supernova stance, Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation exploded instantly. The presence of a three-star condensed prime Warrior intensified,pressed and expanded to three times its original size and strength.


    ¡®Now, Selenic Triple-Primal Sword.¡¯


    Although inside the lightning storm, Ye Wei was protected by the thickyer of primal energy that oozed out from his skin, his hands danced in the air, guiding his dense Qi into the runes he just drew. From just spots of scattered energy the runes merged and grew, taking the shape of an ancient sword.


    Ye Wei barely hesitated, he assessed the situation quickly and figured out that it was necessary to use the cial Emperor¡¯s stance.


    The ten meters Qi Sword was now infused with the power of Zhoutian Sword Notion and Pris Academy¡¯s Starshifter Form, the stance now belonged to peak high-level Myst grade.


    As the long sword began to shine brighter, Ye Wei¡¯s will-force and Qi were drainedpletely.


    Only returned prime Warriors or above were able to use high-level Myst stances without emptying their Sentients and dantians. Ye Wei was able to use it but it was in no means an easy task for the young cultivator.


    ¡®The rumors were true! This kid is as powerful as a ten star condensed prime Warrior!¡¯ Lu Feng held himself back, stared at the Qi sword in the sky as it fell down and defensively covered his body with a thinyer of energy. His widened eyes were struggling to even blink. ¡®Ten-star condensed prime level... But the reports say he was only a three-star condensed prime Warrior!?¡¯


    Both the Ye¡¯s and the Du¡¯s were stunned by the teenager¡¯s disy of power Open-mouthed, their heads were swinging from left to right and back, trying to track Ye Wei¡¯s figure.


    The Qi sword was surrounded by runes arranged in star constetions patterns. Ye Wei controlled it telepathically, made it tear through the night sky, and the sword, together with the runes, sped towards the silvery lightning storm.


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±


    The star-like runes crashed onto the lightning bolts mid-air. A burst of explosive light blinded everyone at the bottom of the hill.


    The silvery bolts vanished together with the star-like runes. With fear in his eyes, Lu Zhong watched the Qi sword prate the spectral beast like a hot knife into butter.


    ¡°Meet your maker!¡± Ye Wei ground his teeth and watched his Qi Sword as it sank into the cyan hawk.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    A destructive rippling force wave grew and filled the space, as the entire hilt disappeared into the bird. The mountains shook and the ground cracked. All the rocks and stones began to float, the trees that broke off started levitating.


    All the cultivators were shivering, they huddled up in fear, confused, speechless.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    Inside the blinding globe of light, the spectral bird and the Qi sword disintegrated. The mix of scattered runes and energy reacted with each other and vigorously exploded.


    Both Ye Wei and Lu Zhong were hit heavily by the explosion and sent flying backwards.


    Ye Wei¡¯s face became pale, a line of blood dripped out of the corner of his lips. Although Selenic Triple-Primal Sword was no weaker than the Seal of Cyan Hawk, the ten-star condensed prime Warrior was good at his favourite stance. Ye Wei sustained some minor injuries.


    On the other side, Lu Zhong was shocked by the intense agony, his body was covered with gashes. His clothes were soaked in blood, ¡®How did a kid hurt me this bad!?¡¯


    ¡°How can a small city like Green Moon City produce a youngster that powerful!?¡± Lu Zhong¡¯s eyes glittered, his face turned dark, realizing he might actually lose, ¡®The strongest youngster in the Lu family cannot evenpare to this kid here...¡¯


    ¡®If I retreat now, I will be a joke!¡¯


    ¡°Looks like you need some help!¡± Lu Feng revealed himself.


    ¡°What? Why are you here!?¡± Lu Zhong frowned, not please to see the bastard child. He never liked that the family decided to recognize Lu Feng¡¯s existence, how the board decided to include the two-star Runemaster as a part of the family.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face waspletely pale, he red coldly, exhausted. ¡°Are you here to cause trouble again?¡± ¡®This is the man responsible for cousin Zhong¡¯sa!¡¯


    ¡®Ye Wei, if I assume correctly, your Qi and will-force have been drained? Let me be honest with you, kid, your opponent here, is famous for his recklessness. He once fought a returned prime level elder just because he wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen. You could have been killed here.1 Lu Feng established eye contact with Ye Wei, his voice transformed into thin strands of Qi and the words sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s mind..


    ¡°Pfft, then I will kill as much as I can before I fall!¡± Ye Wei replied with the same voice transmission technique, ¡®What are you nning now, Lu Feng!¡¯


    ¡°Stop being stubborn, what do you get out of your family¡¯s demise!? I can actually help you here!¡± Lu Feng shook his head and said.


    ¡°You? Help? Like how you helped the Du family three years ago? You are a Lu, just state your damn intention!¡± Ye Wei sneered.


    ¡°Ye Wei, I admire you. With your talent, it is just a matter of time before you be a returned prime Warrior. I am sure by now you¡¯ve heard how the Lu¡¯s exiled my mother. I hate them as much as you do!¡± Lu Feng sincerely looked at Ye Wei, ¡°I n to wipe out the Lu¡¯s in the frame of three years, and I can¡¯t do it all on my own.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, I will offer you one of my secrets. I know a spot where you can cultivate more efficiently. I am the only person who knows the exact location of a Drakehead very close to where we are right now!¡± Lu Feng was desperate, he replied quickly.


    ¡°You know of a Drakehead?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s pupils dted, ¡®So that¡¯s why you wanted to take over North Hill Bay!¡¯


    ¡°I do and I am willing to share that information with you if you are to join force with me. Just one condition, you will have to make a heavenly oath and swear you will not tell anyone about the Drakehead!¡± Lu Feng was talking quickly. ¡®Just say yes you idiot, you are going to die otherwise!¡¯


    Lu Feng knew that if he was to team up with a strong cultivator like Ye Wei, the Lu¡¯s might not ever find what they were looking for. ¡®As much as they hate saying it, even the Lu¡¯s are a bit scared of Master Yi and the Runemaster Union behind him. Come on Ye Wei, just do what is right!¡¯

 Chapter 167 – Joint Force

    Chapter 167 ¨C Joint Force


    ¡°Lu Feng, I do not wish to follow you! However, you are wee to hold back the Lu family if you hate them this much!¡± Ye Wei had to make the right decision here. ¡°I will aid you. But I do not wish to have anything to do with Du¡¯s! I feel like I¡¯ve betrayed what¡¯s good in me just having to consider siding with you!¡±


    ¡°Since the Lu¡¯s came to Green Moon City, the Du¡¯s decided they should be the two Lu elders¡¯ dogs, I would love to get rid of these cowards, just let me deal with the Du family! And, if we are going to work together in anyway, I need us to make a heavenly oath as soon as possible!¡± Lu Feng¡¯s brows rose and continued: ¡°Because I can¡¯t trust you either!¡±


    Lu Feng also knew how valuable Ye Wei was to him. ¡®A sixteen years old three-star Runemaster, a kid who can fight a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, one of the God¡¯s Seven, we willplement each other and no one will be able to stand in or way after the heavenly oath!¡¯


    ¡°Okay, but let¡¯s not waste time, as soon as we deal with this madman, we will make a heavenly oath.¡± Ye Wei nodded, although him and Lu Feng had an unfriendly past, he was ready to put it behind him, ¡®Desperate time calls for desperate measure, there are more important things than revenge. I will have to put my grudges to the side for now to live.¡¯


    Ye Wei nodded gently. This wasn¡¯t exactly what he wanted, but the Lu¡¯s were theirmon enemy after all.


    ¡®Good that he agrees... This kid is too talented and with the aid of the Drakehead he will be even more powerful! But as long as we are bound by the oath I have nothing to be afraid of when he bes something I have no chance of controlling!¡¯ thought Lu Feng, excited and at the same time terrified.


    They quickly finished their conversation through the voice transmission technique.


    Lu Feng paced slowly towards Lu Zhong and whispered just three things, ¡°A three-star Runemaster. One of the God¡¯s Seven. Master Yi¡¯s only legacy apprentice.¡±


    ¡°What?! What did you just say? He is who¡¯s what?¡± Lu Zhong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He frowned, and his eyebrows almost stuck together.


    During the fight, it became clear to Lu Zhong that the Ye Wei had been trained well, he could see the teeanger¡¯s fighting techniques were advanced, but he never realized he was fighting a Runemaster.


    Just the titles were enough to provoke Lu Zhong¡¯s fear. If he had harmed Ye Wei there, he would have had to stand trial not only in front of the Green Army but also the Runemaster Union for the untolerated crime of harming a potential leader of mankind. ¡®Even if I ignore all these people behind the kid, am I really able to kill him? I¡¯ve never bled this much in a fight.¡¯


    Lu Feng saw how Lu Zhong¡¯s face changed. He decided to strike the iron while it¡¯s hot. He chuckled and said in aughing voice, ¡°You can beat this kid easily, I mean, you are a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, that¡¯s exactly why the Du¡¯s want to use you to deal with the Ye¡¯s! I can take over and do the search myself with the Ye¡¯s to make sure that the job is done properly while the Du¡¯s will stay down here! You can take the time to rest and recover from your injuries and watch over these cowards.¡±


    ¡®I guess I should give this bastard a try, he seems knowledgeable.¡¯ Lu Zhong liked what he was hearing. He patted Lu Feng trustingly on the shoulder, ¡°Indeed. Like you said, this kid is very talented. You may take care of your ancestralnds.This young Runemaster earned it.¡±


    His sight finally fell onto the Du¡¯s, ¡°All of you are now under themand of Lu Feng. Do not dare disobey him! Or you will have to deal with me!¡±


    Lu Zhong knew that if the fight went on, he would anger a lot of powerful men and probably even face exile. He therefore took his opportunity to step down and pass the responsibility over to Lu Feng, stepping away from the heat as quick as he could. ¡®I never thought I could trust this lovechild kid, I would have dug myself in a hole if he didn¡¯t help me in time!¡¯


    ¡°I would like to apologize. I hope, you and your family can forgive my recklessness¡±, Ye Wei casted his eyes towards Lu Feng, ying along.


    ¡°It was my privilege to fight such a talented youngster! And that was enough fighting for today! Come join me and Lu Feng for a drink, we should celebrate instead!¡± Lu Zhong was trying to unkink the misunderstandings. Knowing Ye Wei could one day be an influential person, he didn¡¯t want or need more conflicts.


    ¡°Such hospitality and this is not even your home, I wouldn¡¯t dare declining,¡± smiled Ye Wei. He then looked to the side and winked at his cousin, ¡°Ye Zhong, would you please take the rest of the Ye¡¯s and also Lu Feng with you so we can finish the search of this hill. Be quick, we don¡¯t want to miss the Lu¡¯s family feast and Lu Feng needs to join us for a drink before eating!¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s go!¡± Ye Zhong was confused by sudden request from Ye Wei to let Lu Feng help them search the grounds. But he knew his cousin would know better than put their family at risk, so he faithfully followed the lead.


    ¡°Lu Zhong! Are you going to leave Du Ji here? He was attacked by the Ye¡¯s! We demand justice!¡± The Du¡¯s were dumbfounded by the development, craved revenge.


    Do Ji was a great cultivator and one of the strongest in the Du family. Besides, the Du¡¯s used to be the Big Three of this city, they had never been treated like this.


    ¡°Humpf, I have heard about the shady things your family did three years ago when the elders briefed us about Green Moon City. Furthermore, it¡¯s none of my business if this useless puppet decided to mess with someone he can¡¯t handle!¡± Said Lu Zhong and chuckled disdainfully. His cold re like daggersnded on the Du¡¯s squad.


    Ye Wei looked at the Du¡¯s. ¡®I had to show my strength and had Lu Feng talk this out for me, if not for him I would have been in trouble now! Ha, why do you Du¡¯s think you can convince this madman at all? Lu Zhong would not show mercy, not to puppets.¡¯


    ¡°No, not puppet, more like a dog.¡± Said Ye Wei. The Du stared back at Ye Wei, but didn¡¯t dare to say anything further.¡¯ The Lu family is clearly favouring us. If the Du¡¯s won¡¯tt stand back right now, they might lose more than their squad leader.¡¯


    Du¡¯s cold res were piercing Ye Wei, the sole reason why they didn¡¯t seed in their mission and the man who paralyzed a valuable asset of the Du family.


    Ye Zhong and the rest started moving towards the hill. This storm had finally passed.


    Ye Wei then told his cousin to return to the camp and he followed Lu Feng, away from the burial hill.


    The two young Runemasters found a quiet spot close by, stood together on a peak and made sure they weren¡¯t followed. Neither of them spoke a word. Lu Feng¡¯s robe ttered, the cold breezes whistled between the hills and the mountains.


    Ye Wei looked calmly towards Lu Feng, ¡®He wasn¡¯t lying about the Drakehead. But how did he find it in the first ce?¡¯ He appeared calm but his mind was restless, trying to find answers, exnations.


    ¡®I guess it doesn¡¯t matter as long as the Lu¡¯s cannot find the Drakehead. Me and Lu Feng will be able to control the Lu¡¯s for now. I think I made the right decision¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want me to tell you more about the Drakehead?¡± Lu Feng seemed to read Ye Wei¡¯s mind with his cold nce, ¡°As soon as we¡¯ve made the heavenly oath, I will take you there.¡±


    ¡®Ye Wei¡¯s strength wasparable to a ten-star condensed prime Warrior. I cannot match him,¡¯ Lu Feng remembered how he couldn¡¯t sense Ye Wei¡¯s Qi and wondered if the teenager had already recovered from fighting Du Ji.


    ¡°What are we waiting for then?¡± Ye Wei replied


    ¡°We solemnly dere, that we mean well to each other!¡± They said in unison and held each other¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I shall not expose the location of the Drakehead in any way.¡± Ye Wei swore.


    ¡°I shall not harm the Ye¡¯s in any way.¡± Lu Feng followed.


    ¡°Come with me!¡± Lu Feng felt reassured and led the way.


    Ye Wei effortlessly kept up, the closer they were to the pond the more Ye Wei appreciated his old rival¡¯s honesty, ¡®Lu Feng really knows!¡¯


    As they were reaching the pond, an incredulous look spread over Ye Wei¡¯s face, ¡°How did you find this ce?!¡± He said.


    ¡°A few years ago, I was told about my past, I ran away from what I thought was my family, just to have some time and space so I could clear my mind. I identally wandered into North Hill Bay, and found the Drakehead.¡± Lu Feng answered, pointing at the pond.


    ¡°These past years I have been investing my time and effort onto rune knowledge, not much onto actually cultivating. However I was able to breakthrough to be a four-star condensed prime Warrior, which I am actually very proud of, considering my age.¡± Lu Feng looked at the small ripples on the pond, his lips curled up to a self-disapproving smile, ¡°It¡¯s nothingpared to what you¡¯ve achieved of course...¡±


    Lu Feng had always been confident with his talent, especially since he discovered the Drakehead, nobody in his circle could challenge him.


    But when he met Ye Wei, his world turned upside down. Meeting a sixteen year old boy, who was able to better him at the Runemaster Union entry exam, made him reevaluate life. Meeting Ye Wei for the second time, Lu Feng waspletely humble before the three-star Runemaster who managed to go even while fighting a ten-star condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡®Ye Wei, the boy with red Sentient... You deserve the Drakehead more than I do,¡¯ thought Lu Feng. Comparing himself to Ye Wei, he suddenly felt unworthy. He could no longer be proud of any of his aplishments.


    Although Lu Feng had nned his revenge for long, he realized he was still not ready to take on the Lu¡¯s, ¡®Is three years really enough? Can I keep the Drakehead from the Lu¡¯s while trying to assemble my own crew?¡¯


    If the Lu¡¯s were not desperately trying to discover the Drakehead, Lu Feng would have had all the time he needed to harvest its power and, as he nned, be an influential figure within the family.


    However, even though the Lu¡¯s didn¡¯t know the exact location of the Supreme¡¯s resting ce, they were still aware that it was nearby Green Moon City. It would not take them more than two or three years to figure out the rest with the resources they had ess to.


    Once they found the sacred ce, Lu Feng would have lost his only way to avenge his mother.


    His desire to recruit Ye Wei was based on his fear of not being able to achieve his goal on his own, so he would rather share the sacred ce with the powerful kid that would be his ally, if the kid too, wished to keep it a secret.


    ¡°You and I are like Yin and Yan, dark and light! We willplement each other and will be able to dy their search for at least a year, maybe two if we are lucky.¡±


    ¡°Even I don¡¯t n to mess them up before three years of preparation. It¡¯s impossible for me to be strong enough to physically challenge the Lu¡¯s elders. They were the people that made my mother suffer!¡±


    ¡°I was lucky to meet you! Ye Wei, you are the most talented person I¡¯ve ever seen. Even the best cultivators in Lu¡¯s family are not superior to you.¡±


    ¡°Within three year, I definitely think that you will be able to challenge the Lu¡¯s! I don¡¯t want much for myself. I just want to avenge my mother. I can¡¯t let them torture her any longer! The Lu¡¯s have to pay for what they did!¡± Lu Feng fiercely ground his teeth.


    ¡°Do not worry. We have made a heavenly oath. If you decide to challenge Lu¡¯s in three years, I won¡¯t just stand and watch.¡± Ye Wei was feeling Lu Feng¡¯s hatred towards the Lu¡¯s.


    ¡®He did save our family¡¯s squad today. Is it fair? Should I just let the past go?¡¯ Ye Wei suddenly realized.

 Chapter 168 – Depth

    Chapter 168 ¨C Depth


    Ye Wei and Lu Feng went on and discussed ways they could manipte the Lu family, and how they should keep the search teams out of the heart of North Hill Bay. After briefly agreeing, they initiated their n and began to cultivate.


    Ye Wei negotiated to retain his recently established schedule; he would train by the pond during the daytime while tracking the Lu¡¯s movements, andstly he would kept an eye on the Ye¡¯s squad during the nights. Lu Feng would do the opposite. When either of the partners saw signs of the Lu¡¯s men nearing the Drakehead, they would set up diversions, even releasing wild beasts they captured, near the Lu¡¯s camps; as a result, Lu¡¯s men would alter their paths.


    A few days time drifted past in a blink, Ye Wei had consolidated his cultivation, so that he could focus on his next breakthrough to four-star condensed prime level.


    Lu Feng admired Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation speed. He was envious of the talent he saw before him. Nheless, he was oblivious to the fact that the Supreme¡¯s cultivating form was in y. Ye Wei¡¯s talent didn¡¯t really affect his cultivation speed inparison.


    ¡°Hey Lu Feng, you have been cultivating here for four years now, right? Be honest, have you ever seen the sacred mark?¡± Ye Wei sat next to the pond and sincerely asked Lu Feng as he wasing to the Drakehead for his turn to watch the pond..


    ¡°I tried looking for it, but I have had no luck.¡± Lu Feng shook his head. He then pointed at the pond, ¡°however, try going closer to the pond.¡±


    ¡®My body is absorbing primal energy the quicker I get close to it?!¡¯ Ye Wei stared curiously at the calm surface, ¡°could the center of the Drakehead be inside the pond?¡±


    ¡°I had the same exact thought. This pond looks ordinary but actually it is not.¡± Lu Feng spoke as he walked towards the body of water, ¡°I have dived in many times, more than I could remember. The first hundred feet was easy to dive into, but the deeper I swam things got scary. The water below that mark was drastically colder. I felt as if my soul was freezing!¡± Lu Feng exined solemnly to Ye Wei.


    ¡®Your soul was freezing? What do you mean?¡¯ Ye Wei frowned. His face showed an air of confusion. He could see that the pond water was flowing, ¡®it¡¯s not frozen, and even if it was, a condensed prime Warrior like you could easily resist cold temperature.¡¯


    The setting sun caught Ye Wei¡¯s attention. The Ye¡¯s men were in North Hill Bay where frequent reports of wild beast were spotted. He began to worry about Ye Zhong¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Lu Feng, would you mind watching over the Ye¡¯s men just for tonight?¡± Ye Wei quickly nced at the darkening sky and spoke to Lu Feng on the other side of the pond.


    ¡°Okay, just be careful though.¡± Lu Feng understood Ye Wei¡¯s intention. The two could read each other much better now because they trained and saw each other everyday.


    ¡°Ye! Of course.¡± Ye Wei gently nodded. ¡°We¡¯re sitting on the Drakehead. I would like to learn more about this ce. If we could find the sacred mark, we could start collecting and hiding the treasures before anyone else does.¡±


    A sacred mark would appear in each Drakehead after a Supreme Dragon Belt¡¯s birth. This mark, the key to unlock the Draketorsal¡¯s treasures, was however nowhere to be found, not even by Lu Feng, a sharp young mind with a powerful body to match.


    ¡°You can rx and do your thing. I promise no beasts and no men will touch a hair on any of the Ye¡¯s head under my watch!¡± Lu Feng readily assured Ye Wei. ¡°Just remember to cut me a share if you find out where the treasures are. I don¡¯t ask for much, just thirty percent is all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, You can rx too! I will count you in. what am I going to do with all the treasure anyway?¡± Ye Wei replied calmly. ¡°We are working together now, so we should be fair. If we keep thinking selfishly we will never be efficient in the time of our coboration.¡±


    ¡®There are no eternal enemies. As long as we can find a way to benefit each other, we should continue helping each other.¡¯


    When the night finally fell, Lu Feng left the pond. With the starlight¡¯s guidance, he tracked down the Ye¡¯s squad and began his duty as the silent guardian.


    At the Drakehead, Ye Wei took off his robe. He grabbed arge green boulder between his arms and dove into the pond.


    ¡°Slosh!¡±


    Ye Wei held tight onto the boulder. He rapidly sank deeper and deeper into the watery unknown, causing some turbulence in the pond.


    ¡®I must be around hundred feet deep now.¡¯ Ye Wei pondered. Everything was still rather normal; though, it was so dark he could not even see the boulder he was holding. However, he was still able to navigate with his extraordinary soul sensitivity.


    Ye Wei continued diving down deeper into the pond. The boulder¡¯s weight elerated his descent. Just as he broke the hundred feet mark, a sharp, overwhelming freezing sensation attacked every inch of his skin.


    ¡°How could the water be this freezing cold just like that? This is colder than sea water during the frozen winters! How can this water even stay liquid? Ye Wei¡¯s brows tightly locked. The three golden cracks on his dantian began vibrating and released a vast surge of Qi, filling and warming his entire body, erasing the numbness from the cold.


    ¡®There is something strange in this pond, and I need to go deeper to investigate!¡¯


    Ye Wei dived deeper and deeper while continually holding onto the weight of the boulder.


    ¡®Hundred and ten feet!¡¯


    ¡®Hundred and twenty!¡¯


    Once he reached thirteen feet deep, the boulder froze. It started to shake, and in a few seconds, it was covered with cracks,Finally, the stone boulder shattered and disintegrated.


    Ye Wei slightly moved from side to side. ¡®It¡¯s impossible to maneuver in this depth and temperature, even the boulder froze and cracked from the pressure!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s face was paler than ever; his lips became blue from the blistering cold. He tried to keep his body warm, but his blood flow was drastically slowing down. Somehow, even the body of a three-star condensed prime Warrior was not strong enough tobat this cold.


    ¡®I don¡¯t believe it! I am stronger than this!¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his teeth even harder and drew a sequence of runes with his shaking fingers.


    ¡®Supernova stance, first evolution!¡¯ The golden light on Ye Wei¡¯s bones flowed, shone through his body and lit up the pond¡¯s frozen depths. He gained the body strength of a seven-star condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡®I need to keep on going!¡¯


    The Qi in Ye Wei¡¯s body was elerating, within his meridian systems. In turn, it marginally kept up with how quickly his body was freezing.


    ¡®One hundred and thirty feet!¡¯


    ¡®One hundred and forty feet!¡¯


    ¡®One hundred and fifty feet!¡¯


    When Ye Wei reached one hundred and fifty feet, the water temperature suddenly dropped again.His joints showed signs of freezing since the Qi flow in his meridians slowed down aswell. The energy began to solidify; at the same time, Ye Wei¡¯s skin was glowing in an unusual purple colour.


    ¡®My body is at the same state as a seven-star condensed prime Warrior, and I still cannot resist the temperature. What is the source of this cold?¡¯ Ye Wei narrowed his eyes.


    Now, Ye Wei¡¯s bones became rigid fromyers of frost umting on the surfaces of his internal organs. A dull pain throbbed over his whole body.


    ¡®If I keep going like this, I will definitely freeze to death!¡¯


    ¡®Supernova stance, second evolution!¡¯ Nevertheless, he refused to give in.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    His Qi was furtherpressed and amplified, strengthening his body to that of a nine-star condensed prime Warrior.


    ¡®Much better!¡¯


    Wrapped in coats of thick primal energy, Ye Wei was able to dive even deeper despite the increasing pressure.


    After the second evolution, Ye Wei descended all the way to one hundred and seventy feet depth before his Qi started to solidify once again.


    ¡®I think I am still far from the bottom!¡¯ and I still haven¡¯t found anything. I don¡¯t think I can keep going on like this.¡¯ Ye Wei shook his head and took a hard turn to the opposite direction. He swam towards the sky and the fresh air.


    Once he reached about one hundred and twenty feet below the pond¡¯s surface, Ye Wei canceled the Supernova stance and his body returned to the state of a three-star condensed prime level.


    Feeling threatened by the water¡¯s chilling temperature, Ye Wei elerated his Qi flow to warm up his meridians and therefore his body. The quicker his Qi circted his body the thicker and denser it eventually became.


    ¡®The pond is bone chilling. I think I can attempt a breakthrough down here where my Qi flows quicker.¡¯ During this time, Ye Wei was close to breaking through; how he could cultivate most efficiently was always one of his main concerns.


    ¡®If I could breakthrough to be a four-star condensed Warrior, I would be as strong as a ten-star condensed prime Warrior under the effect of Supernova stance second evolution!¡¯


    ¡®Before my next breakthrough, I am not confident about being able to defeat a ten-star condensed prime Warrior. Although Lu Zhong was heavily wounded, Ye Wei¡¯s resources were drained. If they were to fight a longer fight, Ye Wei would not havested long since he put all of his strength behind the Selenic Triple-Primal Sword.


    ¡®After my break through, my Sword stance will reach a different level entirely. When that dayes, I should be able to take on even ten-star condensed prime Warriors with the cial Emperor¡¯s stances.¡¯


    ¡®Falling Star Form!¡¯ Ye Wei steadied his body deep inside the pond, used the form to further elerate the fast-flowing Qi, the energy tamped by the cold, into his dantian.


    ¡®I think my body is absorbing Qi twenty time faster than normal speed! My Sentient is being expanded as well by this freezing surges!¡¯ Ye Wei eximed. He sincerely believed the Drakehead was close to the bottom of the pond.


    ¡®I have to breakthrough before I am good enough for any task in my path.¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fist in the depth of the dark, freezing pond. He used the form once again, this time to overload his meridians.


    The silver moon hung high. It¡¯s soft light could not reach where Ye Wei was, but it certainly acted as a torch in the dark for Lu Feng.


    Lu Feng had located the Ye¡¯s and decided he should head back to the Drakehead once he took care of the beasts around the area.


    While he was on the way back to Ye Wei, he discovered that the Lu¡¯s had assigned a ten-star condensed prime Warrior to North Hill Bay.


    ¡°Why did they assign the Du¡¯s to Lu Ren?¡± Lu Feng mumbled to himself high up a tree. Incognito due to the night sky, a man near Lu Feng was inconspicuous. It took a couple of seconds before Lu Feng recognized a bearded middle-aged man near him.


    ¡°Ye Wei, the Lu¡¯s sent another ten-star condensed prime Warrior your way. I am not sure if I will be able to stop this one, please be aware!¡±


    Lu Feng sent Ye Wei a message through his runic badge.


    However, Ye Wei being too focused on breaking through, was not aware that Lu Feng tried to contact him.


    It was not long before sunrise, Lu Feng became increasingly anxious as he still hadn¡¯t received a reply from Ye Wei. ¡®What are you doing, don¡¯t tell me you got yourself killed. The Lu¡¯s just sent two hundred Du¡¯s towards the Drakehead¡¯s direction! I need you right now Ye Wei!¡¯

 Chapter 169 – Four

    Chapter 169 ¨C Four


    ¡°The Lu¡¯s must have discovered or the Du¡¯s have snitched on the Ye¡¯s! Come on Ye Wei, we can¡¯t afford you to be quiet right now!¡± Lu Feng could not run the distraction show on his own. North Hill Bay was not the widest stretch ofnd but it wasrge. It took the duo a lot of creativity and precise coordination from two separate locations in order to herd the search teams away from the Drakehead in the past few days.


    ¡®Judging by these people¡¯s decisive movement, they do have a clear target! What can I do alone!?¡¯ Lu Feng held his runic badge tight, anxiously checking every ten seconds if Ye Wei had replied.


    It was not long before Lu Feng realized he couldn¡¯t just spectate in the dark. He ground his teeth, took a deep breath and revealed himself, ¡°Oh Lu Ren! What are you doing here?¡± He said, acting surprised.


    ¡°I could ask you the same question!¡± Lu Ren frowned and replied. ¡®What is this bastard doing here?¡¯ He thought to himself.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were assigned to any task for this mission?¡± The bearded man asked, almost sounding like he was interrogating.


    ¡°Incorrect. I was ordered by Lu Zhong to watch over this area. So what brought you here? To my knowledge you were assigned to the east side.¡± Lu Feng smiled diplomatically and used the information he gathered to his advantage.


    Lu Feng continued ¡°I just want the elders to recognize me, so I volunteered and spoke to Lu Zhong. North Hill Bay was my yground when I was a child, I thought I could help. I was tracking a powerful wild beast nearby and came to warn you once I could sense you and your squad¡¯s presence. But if you rather have me gone, I am happy to just mind my own business.¡±


    Lu Feng turned around and continued in a convincingly sad tone, ¡°It¡¯s discouraging sometimes when you just want the best for your family but being treated like dirt instead of being appreciated, I will be on my way. Just take care of yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Did you say there is a wild beast? Was it a wild beast or a pact?¡± Lu Ren was concerned, ¡®Maybe he¡¯d know where the nests are!¡¯


    ¡°Lu Feng! Wait!¡± The rough appearance of the bearded man did not match his nervous voice. ¡®If it¡¯s a rare wild beast, I can¡¯t deal with it while babysitting these Du idiots!¡¯


    Lu Feng was surprised by how well his hook worked. He wiped his cunning smile off his face before turning around to Lu Ren. ¡®I¡¯m d I came through to you, I was going to ask one of the elders to deal with the rare beast if you would have ignored me...¡¯ He then tried to remember the location of beast nest close, but there was nowhere he could think of.


    Lu Feng appeared calm, but he knew there was no way he could make his lie convincing without Ye Wei.


    Lu Ren looked at Lu Feng, slightly suspicious, if there were a rare wild beast around this area he had to be cautious. ¡®A rare beast can wipe us all out, but shouldn¡¯t I have been briefed about it?¡¯


    ¡°Hahaha, Lu Feng, nephew, hold on! You are here anyway, would you lead the way for us to avoid the beast?¡± Lu Ren hid his cold eyes under a fake smile, just in case Lu Feng was right.


    ¡°If there is a need for my services, I will of course assist my family.¡± nodded Lu Feng, as he replied making himself sound as sincere as possible. ¡®Hah, I¡¯ve been waiting to say this line since a minute ago.¡¯


    Leading the way gave Lu Feng the opportunity to take Lu Ren and the Du¡¯s squad further away from the Drakehead and also investigate how much Lu¡¯s knew about the position of the Drakehead or if they had a clue at all.


    ¡°After you, uncle Ren!¡± Lu Feng led the two hundred Warriors and started walking away from the Drakehead deviated from their original route. Lu Feng was cautious, he couldn¡¯t just lead them in thepletely opposite direction, so he had to go around, inrge circles, making sure Lu Ren did not get suspicious while he took them on a sightseeing tour.


    ¡°Halt!¡± After about twenty or thirty miles Lu Feng was immediately stopped by Lu Ren as he was about to take a turn to make the squad go the opposite direction of where the pond was.


    ¡°Thump!¡± a muffled noise sounded as Lu Ren¡¯s handnded on Lu Feng¡¯s shoulder, stopping him to walk further away.


    Lu Feng¡¯s heart sank, his face went pale, scared to turn around. ¡®He knows!?¡¯


    ¡°Lu Feng, nephew, you need to adjust our pathing. Of course we want to avoid the wild beast but we need to move towards that direction¡±, said Lu Ren and pointed towards the burial hill again. The hill that was less than ten miles away from the pond.


    ¡°Very well then¡±. It took all his effort to not sound nervous, while his heart was beating like crazy, ¡®Do Lu¡¯s know about this or is it just Lu Ren¡¯s intuition? I hope it¡¯s thetter.¡¯


    ¡®If it¡¯s just Lu Ren¡¯s senses, we can kill him and no one else will find out. But if it was the former, killing him will just trigger the Lu¡¯s.¡¯


    Hundreds thoughts shed through Lu Feng¡¯s mind, pondering every possibility, trying to find a way out, ¡®He is a ten-star condensed prime Warrior. Killing him will be difficult, but I think it is possible.¡¯


    ¡®Possible if the kid is here. What is taking him that long?¡¯ Lu Feng got to know Ye Wei better in the few days since they made the oath. He hoped blunt stubbornness did not drown his new ally.


    ¡®No, he should be fine. He is the most talented cultivator I¡¯ve ever met.¡¯ Lu Feng¡¯s cold gazed turned towards the Du¡¯s marching behind them, ¡®When Ye Weies we will be able to kill Lu Ren, but that means innocent witnesses will have to die.¡¯


    ¡®Maybe they deserve to die. I¡¯ve treated them well throughout the year, but now the Lu¡¯s are here, they justpletely disregarded my existence!¡¯


    Under Lu Ren¡¯s pressure, he had no other choice but to take them towards the Drakehead, marching slowly and in circles to avoid the fictional wild beast.


    At the pond, the water suddenly became agitated, ripples appeared on its surface, growing bigger and bigger every second. The whole pond trembled as a huge water torrent broke the surface, flew towards the night sky carrying a dark figure.


    Ye Wei stood on top of the pir of water, protected by a bubble of Qi around him, his body waspletely dry.


    Schmoosch!


    The water torrent suddenly exploded, filled the sky with droplets of water, as if a storm just broke out. Ye Wei kept himself in the air, levitating, a hint of smile passed across his face.


    ¡°Four-star condensed prime Warrior!¡± Eximed Ye Wei, d to be alive and excited to have broken through. ¡®But let¡¯s not do that again.¡¯


    ¡®Now, when I use the second evolution of Supernova stance, I will be able to get to the level of ten-star condensed prime Warrior easily! There won¡¯t be a lot of people below returned prime level who can rival me in strength!¡¯ Ye Wei smiled, ¡®I would like to see Lu Zhong try to fight me now! Ha!¡¯


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Ye Wei slowlynded next to the pond and put his light blue robe on.


    ¡®I broke through in less than ten days here at the Drakehead! This ce is magical!¡¯ Ye Wei could now feel a fourth crack on his silver Qi ball within his dantian, smiled joyfully.


    ¡®The Runic badge is shaking, was Master looking for me? Oh, could it be Lu Feng!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s low clearance meant that he could only use his badge to speak with people whose will-force was directly registered to his device. The badge allowed Runemasters tomunicate using the voice transmission technique but ryed across muchrger distances without the need to be in close proximity with the other person.


    ¡°Ye Wei! The Lu¡¯s sent a ten-star condensed prime Warrior and they are approaching the Drakehead! Reply immediately as you see this!¡¯ Ye Wei was shocked to hear panic in Lu Feng¡¯s voice.


    Ye Wei frowned, nervous, ¡®The Lu¡¯s sent a ten-star condensed prime Warrior? Wasn¡¯t Lu Zhong responsible for this area?¡¯


    ¡°What is the situation right now? Where are you?¡± Ye Wei quickly replied using the voice transmission technique through his badge.


    ¡°It¡¯s not good. The Lu¡¯s seem to know something. I am afraid we might need to kill Lu Ren. Are you ready?¡± After just a second, Ye Wei¡¯s Runic badge shook and Lu Feng¡¯s voice sounded in his mind.


    ¡°Lu Ren?¡± Ye Wei frowned, ¡®He was one of the two who gave the Ye mansion a warm visit ten days ago.¡¯


    ¡®Lu Ren is just a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, with my current level I should be able to beat him¡¯, thought Ye Wei, tightening his fists.


    ¡®We cannot let the Lu¡¯s find the Drakehead!¡¯


    ¡°I am on my way! Good job for holding them there thus far.¡± said Ye Wei to his runic badge as a pair of huge wings appeared on his back. The primal feathers shook, and he sped towards the location given to him by Lu Feng.


    About fifty miles away from the pond, Lu Feng, Lu Ren and two hundred Du¡¯s kept their search in a valley.


    ¡°Uncle Ren, looking for something like this tiny in the wilderness is not an easy task. It surely cannot be done in just one night. Don¡¯t you think we should take a break? We will be more efficient when we feel fresh!¡± Said Lu Feng after receiving Ye Wei¡¯sst message.


    Lu Ren nced towards the tired faces of Du¡¯s and slightly nodded. The treasure they were looking for was invisible to human eye, they had to spend a lot of their Qi and strength to be able to scan the surroundings for energy disruptions, which was extremely draining, but also necessary.


    Having to go through the vast area during all day and most of the night, the Du¡¯s were exhausted as they were told to sit down and sense the surrounding with their cultivation forms every hundred feet they walked.


    One of the Du¡¯s strongest Warrior, sat himself immediately on the ground after seeing Lu Ren nod to Lu Feng¡¯s suggestion and the rest followed. Breathing heavily, they took out their provisions, dried meat and sks of water, to regain some strength and rest.


    The owls were hooting in the forests around the valley, the moonlight casted shadows on the ground. Lu Feng also sat himself down, his eyes slightly squinted, his sharp sense registered the tiniest disturbance in his surroundings


    ¡®Ye Wei is nearby!¡¯


    Through the runic badge Lu Feng could guess that Ye Wei would be arriving and would be hiding behind the nearby woods. Lu Feng took a deep breath, stood up, took out a sk of wine and with a fake smile on his face walked towards Lu Ren.


    Lu Feng took a gulp of wine and offered the sk, ¡°Wine?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lu Ren shook his head.


    ¡°Fine by me!¡± Lu Feng smiled, pretended to be embarrassed by the decline and drank sk empty in mere seconds.


    ¡°Good wine!¡±


    Lu Feng wiped his mouth and tossed the sk away.


    Lu Ren did not suspect anything, sat himself downfortably to rest.


    The broken bottle was the signal for Ye Wei. He agreed to ambush Lu Ren while Lu Feng would deal with two hundred Du Warriors.


    ¡°ng!¡±


    The sk hit the ground and shattered into small pieces. A crisp loud noise echoed through the valley.

 Chapter 170 – Spirit Flame

    Chapter 170 ¨C Spirit me


    Lu Feng turned into a phantom; he rushed towards the Du¡¯s two hundred strong men, whizzed through them, and left trails of countless rune sequences in the air.


    ¡°Mountain Grasp!¡± Lu Feng struck without warning. He summoned huge boulders in the shape of a fist, which fell from the sky right onto the Du¡¯s. Some of them were still rxing and sitting down; and even though, they noticed the sudden attack, they were too slow and exhausted to react.


    ¡°Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!¡±


    The giant boulders fell on the two hundred warriors. A quarter of them were immediately crushed by the stance. Lu Feng was a peak four-star condensed prime Warrior, and he used all of his strength by trying to eliminate the Du¡¯s all at once. Most of them were lucky enough to escape the first wave of such a powerful and unpredictable attack.


    ¡°Lu Feng, are you out of your mind?!¡± Lu Ren widened his eyes in disbelief. ¡°I don¡¯t like those dogs either, but they are our family¡¯s dogs!¡±


    Over half of the Du¡¯s died within seconds of the impact. ¡°What have you done?!¡± Lu Ren was too slow to react. He could not defend the Du¡¯s. Furiously he casted his cold eyes onto Lu Feng. Grunting, he quickly drew runes around himself and turned into a lightning bolt, leaving zig-zags in the dark sky.


    Lu Feng¡¯s attack was too unpredictable. Even Lu Ren was unable to read the stance in time not to mention the slower and less powerful Du¡¯s.


    ¡°Stop right now or I will break your limbs!¡± Lu Ren rushed towards Lu Feng, but his path was suddenly blocked by another figure.


    ¡°Ye Wei?!¡± Lu Ren¡¯s lips twitched. His eyes opened wide in awe and confusion. ¡®Why are you defending Lu Feng!?¡¯


    ¡°Just when I thought you were loyal to us, Lu Feng! Thanks for the demonstration of your betrayal!¡± Lu Ren roared furiously as he figured out Lu Feng was hiding something with the aid of Ye Wei, ¡°I will torture you until you tell me what is happening!¡±


    His rage passed through his body as he looked down at the smashed corpses of the Du¡¯s; a great surge of powerful Qi burst from his hands and turned into an energy tornado.


    The Qi storm swept the ground, the earth cracked in a spider web pattern, and shook the whole valley violently.


    ¡®Lu Ren is much stronger than Lu Zhong!¡¯ Lu Feng¡¯s face suddenly changed as he felt the Lu Ren¡¯s strike grow stronger; he looked worriedly towards Ye Wei, wondering, ¡®will this kid be able to defeat him?¡¯


    ¡®Oh well, now there was no turning back. We have to kill all of them. No one can escape; it¡¯s us or them, all or nothing!¡¯


    ¡°Take care of the remaining Du¡¯s! I will handle this!¡± Ye Wei looked quickly towards Lu Feng. His words gave the exiled great assurance.


    The runes on Ye Wei¡¯s bones glowed bright, another monstrous burst of Qi swept the valley.


    ¡®What was that? Just a few weeks ago he showed the strength of a nine-star condensed prime Warrior. How did he break through?! I don¡¯t understand. How can this be?¡¯ Lu Feng¡¯s jaws dropped as his body shivered in the dense force-wave emitted by Ye Wei.


    ¡®This kid is just unpredictable in every way!¡¯ Lu Feng was scared of his ally, but he knew there was no time to spare. He produced nine energy globes with another stance.


    The balls of Qi turned into nine shadows and surrounded the escaping flocks of Du¡¯s men, quickly killing them off one by one.


    ¡°No, you are not running away! Not under my watch!¡±


    Lu Feng was effectively cleaning up the dispersed flock, eliminating the defenseless and panicking Du¡¯s. Meanwhile, Ye Wei was standing against Lu Ren on his own.


    ¡®I need to be quick!¡¯ Ye Wei waved his hands, ten des of Peerless Qi words burst out from the tip of his fingers. ¡®There are more squads around North Hill Bay if they hear or sense anything we won¡¯t survive.¡¯


    The Peerless Sword Qi des was a powerful technique on its own, now, that Ye Wei had the strength of a ten-star condensed prime Warrior. The edge of these des could easily prate the Qi armor of Lu Ren even that they were both at the same cultivation level.


    Lu Ren¡¯s eyes shed with terror. He never expected such power toe from a sixteen year old.


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    The des were approaching Lu Ren. Nevertheless, he did not underestimate his opponent. ¡®I have to treat him as someone one of my own level or I might die.¡¯ His hands started dancing in circles, strands ofplex, curved rune sequences appeared and in just a second a shadowy object emerged from theher.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    In just a blink of an eye, a huge eight cornered prism was created from his Qi. The sharp edges and mirrored sides were reflecting the moonlight, emitting an immense wave of Qi.


    The dark prism encaged Lu Ren¡¯s body, all ten of Ye Wei¡¯s Qi Swords were sucked towards the mirrors on prism sides.


    The Qi Swords struck onto the smooth mirror but the prism didn¡¯t shatter, instead the swords were stuck onto shining surface. The mirror trapped them like quicksand, nullifying Ye Wei¡¯s attack.


    Lu Ren slowly exhaled and hid behind therge spectral prism. He felt relieved that he was able to defend himself. ¡®This kid is very strong!¡¯ He thought as he recuperated from the stress brought by the Peerless Sword Qi.


    ¡®Lu Ren is afterall a ten-star condensed prime Warrior. I shouldn¡¯t expect to kill him right away. At least I pressured him enough, so he already spent a lot of Qi!¡¯ Ye Wei told himself as he finished drawing the runes for his next strike.


    Ye Wei had another card up his sleeve, the peak high-level Myst stance. He had been practising it for the past three years and even though it still wasn¡¯t perfected, he needed it to be able to kill Lu Ren.


    Ye Wei needed time to prepare for his ace, therefore he used the Peerless Qi Swords to keep Lu Ren busy, as he did not want the ten-star Warrior to use a re scroll while he drew the runes for Selenic Triple-Primal Sword.


    If Lu Ren used his scroll, everything would be over. Ye Wei, Lu Feng and even the entire Ye family would not survive the Lu¡¯s family wrath.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    Ye Wei injected his Qi into the sequence. The runes turned into a constetion-shapedwork, flew high up in the sky, and lit up the whole valley. It then transformed into a three feet long sharp-edged sword.


    ¡°Die!¡± Ye Wei pointed his finger towards his opponent and yelled. His cold voice sent chills over Lu Ren¡¯s body. The Qi Sword surrounded by star constetions rushed towards the enemy all at once at an incredible speed.


    Supported by Ye Wei¡¯s amplified Qi, the long ancient sword¡¯s energy presence was twice as strong as when he used it before the recent breakthrough.


    Lu Ren gasped in panic, as the sword closed its distance from him. A hundred feet wide pit appeared around his body and kept growing as the sword fell lower. The stance created arge web of fissures as it dug the pit deeper and wider.


    ¡°This Sword stance is a high-level myst stance!¡± Lu Ren was standing right in the middle of the pit. His face lost all of its colour, surprised by incredible strength of Ye Wei¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The long Qi Sword with hundreds of runic constetions reached its target. It seemed to everyone at the valley that the whole world shook. A dusty smoke cloud shrouded the space, and thunderclouds emerged in the night sky. Ye Wei¡¯s attack just created a storm.


    ¡°Ye Wei¡¯s sword attracted the violent energy of nature!¡±


    ¡°A sixteen year old boy¡¯s Qi did all of this?! Even the strongest youngster in my Family, Lu Fan, didn¡¯t reach this level at the same age!¡± Lu Ren heart was filled with horror as he felt and saw what Ye Wei was capable of.


    Lu Fan wasn¡¯t just a strongest youngster in the Lu family, but also the strongest in the whole Qing State. He was known all across Zhou dynasty¡¯s reign for being smart and powerful, a true genius. But even he was not capable of using a stance of this scale at the age of sixteen.


    ¡°He is way stronger than Lu Fan! How is this even possible?!¡±


    Lu Ren did not expect such a small city like Green Moon to be the birthce of a terrifying genius. ¡®I didn¡¯t think anyone outside of the three royal families could be this strong, this young...¡¯


    To maximize the Selenic Sword¡¯s destructive power Ye Wei used the Falling Star form, and guided the primal energy from the surroundings into his strike. ¡®Falling Star form became a lot stronger since I started training at the Drakehead...¡¯ He thought.


    Few Du¡¯s that were trying to flee from the valley were stunned by the Qi storm, swept off their feet. They knew their doom was near, trembled in fear, ¡®How could he be so strong?!¡¯


    ¡°I remember him! He was the joke between martial families, the red Sentient Student who everyone! What did they feed him?!¡± The remaining Du¡¯s finally realised what a big mistake they made to mess with the Ye family.


    In theirst moments they hated Lu Feng for turning the Du¡¯s against the Ye family three years ago, frustrated that now he was wiping out the Du¡¯s with a Ye, oblivious about the fact that they were just coteral damage.


    ¡°This guy! He doesn¡¯t really need me here!¡± Lu Feng also saw the Qi storm created by Ye Wei¡¯s stance. He was d that they didn¡¯t remain enemies.


    Ye Wei¡¯s intense re fell onto Lu Ren.


    ¡°No survivors!¡± Ye Wei channeled his whole strength, all his Qi went into the Qi Sword that he held so tight.


    The sword¡¯s size made the strike look much slower than it was. Lu Ren saw the sword¡¯s trail but couldn¡¯t react in time. Itnded right onto the spectral prism.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡± The prism cracked from where the ten sword struck, quickly shattering under the pressure of Ye Wei¡¯s stance.


    ¡°I¡¯ve underestimated him!¡± Lu Ren widened his eyes in shock.


    The raging Qi was pressing against Lu Ren, his pupils shrunk to the size of a needle¡¯s tip. It was toote to defend himself with a stance. His ten-star condensed prime cultivation level was useless against Ye Wei¡¯s speed. Instead he took a few scrolls out of his sleeve and immediately tore all of them.


    Screens of runes appeared around Lu Ren, forming numerous defensive stances.


    However, put before the edge of the long Qi Sword, Lu Ren¡¯sst line of defense was almost non-existent. Although slowed by theyers, the sharp edge managed to pierce through all of the protective stances. Lu Ren helplessly watched as it mercilessly burrowed into his body.


    ¡°Plop!¡± Lu Ren¡¯s face was pale as a piece of paper, his blood gushed out from his mouth and the bone deep wounds on his body.


    Bones were broken, flesh was torn, Lu Ren was coverd in blood, barely alive. Although the sword was strong, the defensive stances did absorb a fraction of the sword¡¯s momentum.


    Ye Wei was levitating, staring at Lu Ren from above. He was panting, his face pale. Even under the effect of supernova stance second evolution, his Qi and will force were drained by the use of this devastating strike.


    ¡°Ye Wei! Stop!¡±


    Lu Feng leaped forth,nded next to Lu Ren before Ye Wei was going to finish his opponent.


    ¡°What? Are you changing sides again?¡± Ye Wei was confused.


    ¡°In the Lu family, once a cultivator reaches ten-star condensed prime level, they will be asked to light up a candle light in the n¡¯s ancestral hall.¡±


    ¡°If the cultivator dies, the fire will die, and the smoke of the dying me will be the image of what the deceased cultivator saw before death.¡± Lu Feng looked at Ye Wei and said.


    ¡°That was close... Couldn¡¯t you have told me this earlier? My family could be wiped out because of this!¡± Ye Wei sighed as he pulled back his fist.

 Chapter 171 – No Survivors

    Chapter 171 ¨C No Survivors


    ¡°Before we kill any Lu¡¯s who are above ten-star condensed prime level, we have to take care of a spirit token.¡± Lu Feng exined while taking a small, green sandalwood box out of his bag.


    Lu Feng then reached into Lu Ren¡¯s inside pocket and found what he was looking for, ¡°this sandalwood box can temporarily disrupt the link between the spirit me in the ancestral hall and the token these Lu¡¯s carry.¡± He held the small, glowing jade token up high, so Ye Wei could see it.


    ¡°You, you cannot kill me!¡± Lu Ren coughed up blood. His eyes were filled with fear even though he made that bold statement.


    Lu Feng curled his lips up and carefully ced the spirit token into the wooden box. His gaze became ice cold. ¡°This is only the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡± The next second, Lu Feng¡¯s fist was inside his uncle¡¯s chest; blood spattered everywhere, especially on Lu Feng. Even at this gruesome, Lu Feng¡¯s bloodstained smile only grewrger.


    Ye Wei was not told what exactly the Lu family did to Lu Feng¡¯s mother but from his new partner¡¯s twisted face he could see how much it horribly affected Lu Feng.


    ¡°How are we going to do this?¡± Ye Wei thought. He looked at Lu Feng and could feel the darkness in his partner¡¯s heart, ¡®he can see a few steps ahead of me in many things, but I don¡¯t know if I can be friends with him in the long term.¡¯


    Ye Wei was not going to leave anything to chance. ¡°The Lu¡¯s cannot know anything about tonight!¡±


    ¡°The sandalwood box works for a month. We¡¯ll say the Du¡¯s were ambushed by wild beasts. In Lu Ren¡¯s case, he had gone missing since the attack.¡± Lu Feng scanned across the corpses covering the valley¡¯s ground. He spoke coldly.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Wei nodded and mumbled to himself. ¡°A month? What about after that? You know the Lu¡¯s are efficient. They will eventually trace it back to us.¡±


    ¡°I know what you are thinking, but we can¡¯t do much more.¡± Lu Feng looked at Ye Wei, exining solemnly. ¡°We should instead be thinking about how we can deceive the Lu¡¯s. They were obviously heading to the Drakehead¡¯s direction.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t really care about the Du¡¯s, but if they have an idea where the Drakehead is, they will keep sending stronger cultivators there, especially now that Lu Ren is ¡®missing¡¯.¡± Lu Feng paused and continued, ¡°they might even send the returned prime Warriors this way! If worsees to worst, we will have to let them take the Drakehead for now. Then we would somehow trap and eradicate them at once.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that is good idea. They will just be stronger if they take control over the Drakehead. I think I have a way to deal with the returned prime level elders. Will you go and spy on the Lu¡¯s while I prepare myself?¡± Ye Wei frowned as he spoke. He lifted his head and looked at the frustrated Lu Feng.¡±


    ¡°There is no way back now. We should get ahead instead of wasting time to cover our tracks.¡± Ye Wei clenched his fist and said, ¡°the next few days are critical, so make sure you gather as much information as you can!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will be on my way!¡± Ye Wei channeled his Qi. He pped his primal feather wings and rushed towards the Drakehead pond.


    ¡°We are still in the dark. We will have slight advantage since the element of surprise is on our side. We just have to be careful, so the Lu¡¯s don¡¯t know what we are putting into action!¡±


    Lu Feng watched his partner flying away. There was a glint of hope in his eyes. ¡°Please, win this bet. We will all die if we lose.¡±


    Lu Feng understood that he could not take on the Lu¡¯s soon even if he spent all his time training and cultivating. On the other hand, he knew Ye Wei could. ¡®He¡¯s right though. With my identity, I can get more information than he.¡¯ The heavenly oath they made gave him assurance. After arranging the crime scene to look like the aftermath of a wild beast attack, Lu Feng sped towards the Lu¡¯s base.


    A few hours after the incident, two of the Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors investigated the area around North Hill Bay.


    ¡°What in the world! What the hell is with Lu Ren?! He was suppose to send someone back to base. He knows better than to be this irresponsible!¡±


    ¡°I know right? This is just outrageous!¡±


    A stinking metallic smell caught both the Warriors¡¯ attention. They frowned and entered the bloodstained valley. Both of them began to shake in fear as they found the source of the reeking, overwhelming stench. They saw bits of stomach-turning, ravaged bodies covering the ground together with a few beasts¡¯ dead bodies.


    ¡°What the hell happened here!?¡±


    ¡°Where is Lu Ren?!¡±


    They investigated the valley thoroughly but could not find Lu Ren¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t see him either?¡±


    ¡°No, but even if he is here, I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to recognize him..¡±


    ¡°The beast might still be around. We have to be on our feet! Let¡¯s go back!¡± One of the condensed prime Warrior said, ¡°if Lu Ren couldn¡¯t deal with it, neither can we!¡±


    After doing a brief headcount, the two warriors nervously left the way they came.


    ***


    Green Moon City, City Lord¡¯s castle.


    Two returned prime Warriors were sitting still, cultivating. One of them was thin while the other chubby. They were both cultivating using the Lu¡¯s specialized form. When they inhaled,rge vacuum bubbles formed around them, and when they exhaled a faint thundering rumble echoed the whole courtyard.


    ¡°Sir, Arge pack of wild beasts attacked the Lu Ren¡¯s squad. There were no survivors! As well, Lu Ren was missing!¡± The two condensed prime level scouts reported. They shivered as they remembered what they saw.


    ¡°Did I hear you correctly? No survivors you said?!¡± The chubby elder¡¯s eyes became bloodshot. Both scouts immediately bowed down, avoided eye contact, and became tongue tied under the immense pressure.


    The thinner elder also opened his eyes. He interrogated with his cold voice. ¡°That can¡¯t be right. Lu Ren could have used a re scroll. He knows better than to die without warning the others. Did you two see anything else?¡±


    The scouts shook their heads; they were too scared to talk.


    ¡°Exactly, someone is trying to mess with our mission.¡± The chubby elder murmured to himself. He then rose his voice and ordered to the scouts, ¡°send a message to the family. I want someone to check on Lu Ren¡¯s spirit me. I need to know who is responsible for this as soon as possible! Assemble a team to search for Lu Ren. I want him in front of me in a day! Dead or alive!¡±


    ¡°Sir, how about the search? Should we keep looking for the Drakehead before finding out who is behind this?¡± One of the scouts gathered his courage and spoke up.


    ¡°Keep running the search!? Brother, do you mind overwatching the base alone while I lead the search team into North Hill Bay myself!¡± The chubby elder narrowed his eyes. He replied to the scout slowly but aggressively, ¡°the council said they are pretty certain that the Drakehead is close to the bay area. Now, this incidence might be the proof of their assumption.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, it could have been an inside job.¡± Said the thinner elder. He then nodded and thought, ¡®I have to lock this city down. There will be chaos if the other big families find out about the Drakehead!¡¯


    Since Ye Wei returned to the Drakehead, he had been cultivating deep down in the pond in its freezing water. Like all condensed prime Warriors, he was able to stay in water for an extensive period of time. He cultivated non-stop for five days; he refreshed for a lungful of air every few hours.


    Now that he was able to use his will-force and the Qi in his meridians being condensed by the cold water, he could speed up the Falling Star form even more. His body efficiently absorbed and purified the energy that came from the bottom of the pond.


    Within five days of intensive training Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation level quickly escted. He was close to a five-star condensed prime level. After the breakthrough, he would be able to have the body strength of a peak ten-star condensed prime Warrior under the effect of his Supernova stance second evolution.


    ¡®When I breakthrough, I should be able to fight two ten-star condensed prime Warrior at the same time!¡¯


    ¡°Slosh!¡±


    A pir of water broke through the surface. Ye Wei shortly followed.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be long now before I am a five-star condensed prime Warrior, but how should I do it?¡± Ye Wei stood by the pond, muttering to himself. His body had been filled with Qi for days, but he could not find an opportunity to advance.


    He decided to take his mind off cultivating and study the Zodiac Sword stance instead. Ye Wei pointed his fingers at the pond, thirty six Qi swords nimbly flew across the pond¡¯s calm surface akin to a group of dragonflies.


    ¡°These Qi swords are looking better and better!¡± Ye Wei proudly eximed. His tightened face smiled while looking at the ripples.


    ¡®These Qi swords¡¯ movements are unpredictable. I can easily catch a ten-star condensed prime Warrior off guard if I find the right timing to use them.¡¯ Ye Wei closed his eyes to simte a fight.


    ¡®The Selenic Sword is still more powerful. However, if I have to fight a group of enemies, the Qi swords would be more effective.¡¯ He waved his arms around, ordering the Qi swords to elerate and curve; in his imagination, he shredded his i opponents into pieces.

 Chapter 172 – Five

    Chapter 172 - Five


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Ye Wei spoke using Runic badge. Ye Wei and Lu Feng had not seen each other for a few days, but they kept updating each other.


    The badge in Ye Wei¡¯s hand gently vibrated. Lu Feng¡¯s voice sounded in his head. ¡°I am safe here at the Lu¡¯s, but one of the returned prime level elders is missing, and reliable sources informed me that they are sending eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors from the headquarters to Green Moon City for reinforcement.¡±


    Lu Feng¡¯s voice conveyed his anxiousness, ¡°I assume they will be going straight to North Hill Bay.¡±


    ¡°Eight of them...¡± Ye Wei grumbled and frowned. He was tightly clenching onto the Runic Badge. ¡®I can deal with one but eight of them!? I don¡¯t think I am prepared for that.¡¯


    ¡°A returned prime Warrior is missing?¡± Ye Wei felt slightly concerned. His mind was clouded by the potential threats. ¡®I have to breakthrough before any of them enter the North Hill Bay area; or else, I¡¯m afraid their arrival will be the end of our mission.¡¯


    Ye Wei paused and continued, ¡°how about the Du¡¯s? How did they react after learning about their people¡¯s deaths?¡±


    Lu Feng heard a noise close to him. After moving to a quieter spot, he replied. ¡°The Du¡¯s? Pfft, I will deal with the Du¡¯s. Don¡¯t worry about that for now. They didn¡¯t link it to the Ye¡¯s; your family is fine!¡±


    His gaze became cold. ¡®Since three years ago, the Du family knew more than they should have. I guess I have to take them out altogether just to be safe.¡¯


    After briefly bidding their farewells, Ye Wei put his badge back into his inside pocket and continued practising the Peerless Sword Qi. When dawn arose and dyed the sky orange again, Ye Wei jumped into the water to cultivate again.


    ¡®Time is of the essence!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself. He was feeling insecure. He wondered whether the Lu¡¯s would send their elites to North Hill Bay, and he suspected the returned prime Warrior was also on his way.


    While Ye Wei was cultivating; he trying his best to breakthrough. The news of Lu Ren being missing, and the Du¡¯s death spread quickly in Green Moon City.


    Of course, the citizens all believed it was the result of a wild beast attack. They all surmised a pact of powerful, vicious rare beasts were involved. The wild beasts¡¯ attack logically exined the state of the Du¡¯s when they were found and the disappearance of Lu Ren. All the martial family squads sent to search North Hill Bay felt nervous and demoralized. They were too scared to even enter the woods. Every time they heard the howling wind, they flinched thinking a beast woulde and attack them.


    After a few days of regrouping and nning, the Lu¡¯s interrupted the awkward atmosphere lingering in Green Moon City. Their reinforcement, eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors, were immediately deployed to the North Hill Bay area by the Lu¡¯s elder based in the City Lord¡¯s castle. The Lu¡¯s reinstatement of authority restored the locals¡¯ confidence.


    Now that the Lu¡¯s had over thirty condensed prime Warriors, in total, patrolling the North Hill Bay area including the local martial families¡¯ cultivators, the Lu¡¯s could actually manage a high-grade rare beast attack.


    All the squads eventually overcame their fear. They became more efficient in their search again, feeling safe under the watch of the extra eight ten-star Warriors.


    ¡°Finally! They are here!¡± Lu Feng stood high up on a tree. He was watching the Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors from a distance. Despair appeared in his eyes.


    ¡®All eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors, and their puppets are heading to the Dreakhead¡¯s direction!¡¯ Lu Feng was feeling more and more helpless. ¡®I don¡¯t see how Ye Wei can deal with all of them.¡¯


    ¡®They are covering this area as if Lu Zhong doesn¡¯t exist. I guess it makes sense. The two elders in charge of the operation here won¡¯t be happy if Lu Yong¡¯s brother gets all the credit for uncovering the Drakehead.¡¯ Lu Feng smiled bitterly and mumbled to himself, ¡°four weeks... No, two weeks at most until they will find the pond or in less than half a month at this rate.¡±


    ¡°I cannot just give up like this!¡± He bit his lips. ¡°Dad might be able to buy me more time!¡±


    Since Lu Feng began cultivating by the pond, he saw the Drakehead area as his own hideout and became attached. He knew better than to let his emotion takeover, however. He began to look for other ways out. He was ready to put his pride down for a greater cause. ¡®Eight more ten-star condensed prime Warriors, the Lu¡¯s are using all the stronger cultivators in the region! Who can I count on now?¡¯


    Ye Wei was fifty feet deep in the pond, cultivating, he felt the badge vibrating, took it out and activated it with his will-force. Lu Feng¡¯s grave voice sound in his mind.


    ¡°Ye Wei, the Lu¡¯s men are here, We don¡¯t have more than half a month. They will find the Drakehead in three weeks time at most if we don¡¯t do something now to slow them down. I can confirm they have sent eight extra ten-star condensed prime Warriors to North Hill Bay!¡± Lu Feng held his Runic Badge and spoke urgently. ¡°With this many powerful cultivators, they will be able to secure the Drakehead. We will have no way to regain control of the pond once they found it and figured out what it is!¡±


    ¡°Also, in a month¡¯s time the sandalwood box is going to stop working. When Lu Ren¡¯s jade token reconnects with his spirit candle me, the Lu¡¯s will know about his death and North Hill Bay will be swarmed with their force.¡±


    ¡®Half a month. I have to be prepared in half a month. I have the iron talisman fully charged, but I need more than that to fight that many!¡± Ye Wei though of the vermilion runes, thought about the cial Temple, but soon realized he did not have enough time to seek solutions from these directions while he had to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible.


    ¡®Cultivating here means I am absorbing and processing primal energy twenty times than usual, but that is not enough.¡¯ Ye Wei looked down into the darkness as he thought to himself.


    It was clear to him since he investigated the pond that the deeper he was, the quicker his body absorbs the surrounding energy. He also workout out that forty-five feet was his body¡¯s limit without Supernova stance.


    ¡®The runes are ready.¡¯ Ye Wei ground his teeth, and activated the amplification stance, to endure pain and cultivate in the blistering cold was the most efficient way to be stronger.


    ¡°Bang¡±


    The rumbling burst of Qi was muffled by the water pressure, Ye Wei swam downwards, carried by the water current his stance created.


    Sixty feet.


    Ny feet.


    Hundred and twenty feet.


    ¡®This is the limit!¡¯ The cold and the pressure stung every inch of Ye Wei¡¯s skin, his lips were turning purple and his body began to shiver.


    ¡®The Supernova stance will onlyst half an hour, I will have to think of a way to make the best out of it.¡¯ Ye Wei closed his eyes, used the Falling Star form in the dark and quiet.


    Ye Wei was trying to push his cultivation speed, surprised to know how much quicker he was it was now for him to fill up his meridian space. ¡®Thirty-three times quicker!¡¯


    ¡®Ten days, with this speed I will definately breakthrough!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes shone a determined glint. ¡®If I be a five-star Warrior my, the Peerless Qi Sword should work effectively even if I have to fight eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors on my own, given that I use the stance under the second evolution¡¯s effect.


    Excited by the possibilities, Ye Wei began to train non-stop with a new interval, half an hour at hundred and twenty feet under, two hours at forty-five feet and finally half an hour of resting and consolidating his cultivation onnd.


    On the seventh day of training, Ye Wei could feel the significance of his intense routine, he felt the Qi in his body did not only get denser, but also warmer.


    His Qi eventually burst out. Span around his body, creating a vigorous whirlpool in the otherwise calm body of water.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei could feel his Sentient expanding, the excruciating pain was twisting his face. The Mystic Mount presence shone bright, helped processing the energy surges Ye Wei overloaded himself with.


    Three days before schedule, Ye Wei had broke through with the extrapression he pushed upon himself.


    The Progenitor had be watching all along, thought that he had to let the n know about the threat somehow, as one of the best human cultivators he had encountered in terms of cultivating speed.


    ¡®Five-star condensed prime level!¡¯ The exhaustion on Ye Wei¡¯s face vanished, reced by an air of curiosity. ¡®Now I can see how deep this pond goes!¡¯ His eyes shone bright as he said.


    Thest time Ye Wei heard from Lu Feng, he was told that the Lu¡¯s were sacrifising speed for thoroughness, and that it would have taken the Lu¡¯s one more week until they reach the pond. Ye Wei was therefore retively rxed, knew that he had until the night to consolidate his cultivation. And then he could tell Lu Feng the good news, n how they should work to slow the Lu¡¯s.


    ¡®I just broke though, there is nothing much I can do on the cultivation end that will make a more powerful fighter, I should be at peak ten-star condensed prime level when I use Supernova stance.¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, calcting. ¡®However the second evolution is not going to do a lot now.¡¯


    ¡®Even if I be a six or even seven-star condensed prime Warrior, the amplification effect won¡¯t be able to push me through to returned prime Warrior level.¡¯


    Condensed prime Warriors¡¯ Qi, silvery ball in their dantian and their life energy will transform once they breakthrough to be a returned prime Warrior.


    While the Qi of Warriors and condensed prime Warriors glow silver, returned prime Warriors¡¯ Qi glow gold. Thetter is ten times denser.


    That difference seperated thebat power of returned prime Warriors to the lower ranked. Cultivators.


    ¡®I will need to evolve the Supernova stance again to make an impact, I will not be able to deal with the Lu¡¯s elders in charge in Green Moon City otherwise.¡¯


    Pu Yuan had once told Ye Wei that he it will take more than ten years for him to learn the third Supernova stance evolution. However, when Ye Wei¡¯s body went through great pressure when he was struck by a demon king, during which the eighty percent of the runes on his bones were transformed.


    Ye Wei revisited his memories, of how strong Commander Shi and Ning City¡¯s Lord Chen were. ¡®I will study the Supernova stance now, that is the only way, to possess the power a returned prime Warrior! Even just for thirty minutes!¡¯


    Chapter 172 - Five


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Ye Wei spoke using Runic badge. Ye Wei and Lu Feng had not seen each other for a few days, but they kept updating each other.


    The badge in Ye Wei¡¯s hand gently vibrated. Lu Feng¡¯s voice sounded in his head. ¡°I am safe here at the Lu¡¯s, but one of the returned prime level elders is missing, and reliable sources informed me that they are sending eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors from the headquarters to Green Moon City for reinforcement.¡±


    Lu Feng¡¯s voice conveyed his anxiousness, ¡°I assume they will be going straight to North Hill Bay.¡±


    ¡°Eight of them...¡± Ye Wei grumbled and frowned. He was tightly clenching onto the Runic Badge. ¡®I can deal with one but eight of them!? I don¡¯t think I am prepared for that.¡¯


    ¡°A returned prime Warrior is missing?¡± Ye Wei felt slightly concerned. His mind was clouded by the potential threats. ¡®I have to breakthrough before any of them enter the North Hill Bay area; or else, I¡¯m afraid their arrival will be the end of our mission.¡¯


    Ye Wei paused and continued, ¡°how about the Du¡¯s? How did they react after learning about their people¡¯s deaths?¡±


    Lu Feng heard a noise close to him. After moving to a quieter spot, he replied. ¡°The Du¡¯s? Pfft, I will deal with the Du¡¯s. Don¡¯t worry about that for now. They didn¡¯t link it to the Ye¡¯s; your family is fine!¡±


    His gaze became cold. ¡®Since three years ago, the Du family knew more than they should have. I guess I have to take them out altogether just to be safe.¡¯


    After briefly bidding their farewells, Ye Wei put his badge back into his inside pocket and continued practising the Peerless Sword Qi. When dawn arose and dyed the sky orange again, Ye Wei jumped into the water to cultivate again.


    ¡®Time is of the essence!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself. He was feeling insecure. He wondered whether the Lu¡¯s would send their elites to North Hill Bay, and he suspected the returned prime Warrior was also on his way.


    While Ye Wei was cultivating; he trying his best to breakthrough. The news of Lu Ren being missing, and the Du¡¯s death spread quickly in Green Moon City.


    Of course, the citizens all believed it was the result of a wild beast attack. They all surmised a pact of powerful, vicious rare beasts were involved. The wild beasts¡¯ attack logically exined the state of the Du¡¯s when they were found and the disappearance of Lu Ren. All the martial family squads sent to search North Hill Bay felt nervous and demoralized. They were too scared to even enter the woods. Every time they heard the howling wind, they flinched thinking a beast woulde and attack them.


    After a few days of regrouping and nning, the Lu¡¯s interrupted the awkward atmosphere lingering in Green Moon City. Their reinforcement, eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors, were immediately deployed to the North Hill Bay area by the Lu¡¯s elder based in the City Lord¡¯s castle. The Lu¡¯s reinstatement of authority restored the locals¡¯ confidence.


    Now that the Lu¡¯s had over thirty condensed prime Warriors, in total, patrolling the North Hill Bay area including the local martial families¡¯ cultivators, the Lu¡¯s could actually manage a high-grade rare beast attack.


    All the squads eventually overcame their fear. They became more efficient in their search again, feeling safe under the watch of the extra eight ten-star Warriors.


    ¡°Finally! They are here!¡± Lu Feng stood high up on a tree. He was watching the Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors from a distance. Despair appeared in his eyes.


    ¡®All eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors, and their puppets are heading to the Dreakhead¡¯s direction!¡¯ Lu Feng was feeling more and more helpless. ¡®I don¡¯t see how Ye Wei can deal with all of them.¡¯


    ¡®They are covering this area as if Lu Zhong doesn¡¯t exist. I guess it makes sense. The two elders in charge of the operation here won¡¯t be happy if Lu Yong¡¯s brother gets all the credit for uncovering the Drakehead.¡¯ Lu Feng smiled bitterly and mumbled to himself, ¡°four weeks... No, two weeks at most until they will find the pond or in less than half a month at this rate.¡±


    ¡°I cannot just give up like this!¡± He bit his lips. ¡°Dad might be able to buy me more time!¡±


    Since Lu Feng began cultivating by the pond, he saw the Drakehead area as his own hideout and became attached. He knew better than to let his emotion takeover, however. He began to look for other ways out. He was ready to put his pride down for a greater cause. ¡®Eight more ten-star condensed prime Warriors, the Lu¡¯s are using all the stronger cultivators in the region! Who can I count on now?¡¯


    Ye Wei was fifty feet deep in the pond, cultivating, he felt the badge vibrating, took it out and activated it with his will-force. Lu Feng¡¯s grave voice sound in his mind.


    ¡°Ye Wei, the Lu¡¯s men are here, We don¡¯t have more than half a month. They will find the Drakehead in three weeks time at most if we don¡¯t do something now to slow them down. I can confirm they have sent eight extra ten-star condensed prime Warriors to North Hill Bay!¡± Lu Feng held his Runic Badge and spoke urgently. ¡°With this many powerful cultivators, they will be able to secure the Drakehead. We will have no way to regain control of the pond once they found it and figured out what it is!¡±


    ¡°Also, in a month¡¯s time the sandalwood box is going to stop working. When Lu Ren¡¯s jade token reconnects with his spirit candle me, the Lu¡¯s will know about his death and North Hill Bay will be swarmed with their force.¡±


    ¡®Half a month. I have to be prepared in half a month. I have the iron talisman fully charged, but I need more than that to fight that many!¡± Ye Wei though of the vermilion runes, thought about the cial Temple, but soon realized he did not have enough time to seek solutions from these directions while he had to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible.


    ¡®Cultivating here means I am absorbing and processing primal energy twenty times than usual, but that is not enough.¡¯ Ye Wei looked down into the darkness as he thought to himself.


    It was clear to him since he investigated the pond that the deeper he was, the quicker his body absorbs the surrounding energy. He also workout out that forty-five feet was his body¡¯s limit without Supernova stance.


    ¡®The runes are ready.¡¯ Ye Wei ground his teeth, and activated the amplification stance, to endure pain and cultivate in the blistering cold was the most efficient way to be stronger.


    ¡°Bang¡±


    The rumbling burst of Qi was muffled by the water pressure, Ye Wei swam downwards, carried by the water current his stance created.


    Sixty feet.


    Ny feet.


    Hundred and twenty feet.


    ¡®This is the limit!¡¯ The cold and the pressure stung every inch of Ye Wei¡¯s skin, his lips were turning purple and his body began to shiver.


    ¡®The Supernova stance will onlyst half an hour, I will have to think of a way to make the best out of it.¡¯ Ye Wei closed his eyes, used the Falling Star form in the dark and quiet.


    Ye Wei was trying to push his cultivation speed, surprised to know how much quicker he was it was now for him to fill up his meridian space. ¡®Thirty-three times quicker!¡¯


    ¡®Ten days, with this speed I will definately breakthrough!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes shone a determined glint. ¡®If I be a five-star Warrior my, the Peerless Qi Sword should work effectively even if I have to fight eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors on my own, given that I use the stance under the second evolution¡¯s effect.


    Excited by the possibilities, Ye Wei began to train non-stop with a new interval, half an hour at hundred and twenty feet under, two hours at forty-five feet and finally half an hour of resting and consolidating his cultivation onnd.


    On the seventh day of training, Ye Wei could feel the significance of his intense routine, he felt the Qi in his body did not only get denser, but also warmer.


    His Qi eventually burst out. Span around his body, creating a vigorous whirlpool in the otherwise calm body of water.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei could feel his Sentient expanding, the excruciating pain was twisting his face. The Mystic Mount presence shone bright, helped processing the energy surges Ye Wei overloaded himself with.


    Three days before schedule, Ye Wei had broke through with the extrapression he pushed upon himself.


    The Progenitor had be watching all along, thought that he had to let the n know about the threat somehow, as one of the best human cultivators he had encountered in terms of cultivating speed.


    ¡®Five-star condensed prime level!¡¯ The exhaustion on Ye Wei¡¯s face vanished, reced by an air of curiosity. ¡®Now I can see how deep this pond goes!¡¯ His eyes shone bright as he said.


    Thest time Ye Wei heard from Lu Feng, he was told that the Lu¡¯s were sacrifising speed for thoroughness, and that it would have taken the Lu¡¯s one more week until they reach the pond. Ye Wei was therefore retively rxed, knew that he had until the night to consolidate his cultivation. And then he could tell Lu Feng the good news, n how they should work to slow the Lu¡¯s.


    ¡®I just broke though, there is nothing much I can do on the cultivation end that will make a more powerful fighter, I should be at peak ten-star condensed prime level when I use Supernova stance.¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, calcting. ¡®However the second evolution is not going to do a lot now.¡¯


    ¡®Even if I be a six or even seven-star condensed prime Warrior, the amplification effect won¡¯t be able to push me through to returned prime Warrior level.¡¯


    Condensed prime Warriors¡¯ Qi, silvery ball in their dantian and their life energy will transform once they breakthrough to be a returned prime Warrior.


    While the Qi of Warriors and condensed prime Warriors glow silver, returned prime Warriors¡¯ Qi glow gold. Thetter is ten times denser.


    That difference seperated thebat power of returned prime Warriors to the lower ranked. Cultivators.


    ¡®I will need to evolve the Supernova stance again to make an impact, I will not be able to deal with the Lu¡¯s elders in charge in Green Moon City otherwise.¡¯


    Pu Yuan had once told Ye Wei that he it will take more than ten years for him to learn the third Supernova stance evolution. However, when Ye Wei¡¯s body went through great pressure when he was struck by a demon king, during which the eighty percent of the runes on his bones were transformed.


    Ye Wei revisited his memories, of how strong Commander Shi and Ning City¡¯s Lord Chen were. ¡®I will study the Supernova stance now, that is the only way, to possess the power a returned prime Warrior! Even just for thirty minutes!¡¯

 Chapter 173 – Supreme Palace

    Chapter 173 - Supreme Pce


    ¡®The deeper I dive into the pond, the stronger the pressure will be, together will the freezing cold, I should be able topress my Qi enough. Then I will use the Falling Star form at full speed to heat up my body, my meridians should be able to expand that way! I¡¯m just going to try it!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes shone a glimmer of determination, he activated the runes on his bones, his Qi amplified, strengthened his body to ten-star condensed prime level.


    Ten-star Runemaster, Master Yi, South Star Academy¡¯s principal Gu Qing and the City Lord were the strongest cultivators in Green Moon City, all three of them were peak ten-star condensed prime Warriors.


    Now Ye Wei could consistently use the Supernova stance second evolution, he had joined the three in terms ofbat power, there were only a handful of cultivators below return prime level that could threaten him.


    ¡®I really need a hot bath after this!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself as he dove in.


    With the aid of Spindrift Steps, Ye Wei focused on shielding his body, navigated the deeper parts of the pond with rtive ease.


    ¡®Hundred and twenty feet!¡¯


    ¡®Hundred and thirty feet!¡¯


    ¡®Two hundred and fifty feet!¡¯


    ¡®Am I finally at the bottom?¡¯ The freezing temperature caused Ye Wei¡¯s muscles to spasm, he ground his teeth and sped up his Qi flow. So his body does not stiffen up. The water current Ye Wei¡¯s Qi flow created stirred up the sand and mud at the pond¡¯s bed.


    ¡®This pressure is vast, but it¡¯s still nothingparing to the demon king¡¯s grip, I need more pressure on my body, this will notpress the runes on my bones enough to transform them.¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s thought, his feet were touching the soft, muddy pond bed.


    ¡®Eh? What is that?¡¯ A faint blue light caught his attention. Surrounded in darkness, a spark of hope lit up in Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    After a few propelling strokes, Ye Wei was only an arm¡¯s length away from the luminant blue pebbles that lit up the dark depth.


    ¡®So this is the real Drakehead!?¡¯ Ye Wei frowned, examined the bright pebbles that covered pond bed, the freezing cold and the crushing water pressure felt less agonizing now his focus had been shifted.


    ¡®I should try cultivating right here!¡¯ Ye Wei sat himself on the bottom of the pond, the vast energy in his body weighed him down, he couldn¡¯t tell if he was shivering from the cold or the excitement.


    ¡®I am cultivating nearly forty times quicker than usual, just one day of cultivating here makes up for more than a month of training anywhere else!¡¯


    ¡®If I can stay here all the time I can even be a returned prime Warior in merely a week.¡¯ Ye Wei shook his head and thought, ¡®only if the Supernova stance¡¯s effect couldst longer...¡¯


    ¡®Could this be the scared mark?¡¯


    Ye Wei swam around to investigate but nothing really stood out.


    ¡®But I can¡¯t get any deeper, where is the Dreakhead if this isn¡¯t it!?¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, confused.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯ While feeling frustrated, Ye Wei felt a turbulence of chilling water crashing onto his back.


    He looked behind, to the left, realized the current came from a two meters wide crack at the corner of the pond


    ¡®There is a tunnel!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes brightened up, eager to find out what what was at the other end.


    ¡®I have to hurry!¡¯ Ye Wei grit his teeth, ignore the cold and swam slithered into the confined space like an eel.


    The pressure increased and the temperature dropped even lower as he reached further into the tunnel. The runes on his bones were wiggling, shining gold and the remaining tadpole shaped patterns were turning into yin yang shapes.


    ¡®This is it! I cane down here to evolve the Supernova runes after I¡¯ve rested!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself as he felt the vibration from the transforming energy on his bones.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯ Ye Wei had reached the end of the tunnel, he could see a chamber in front of him, made visible by the same shade of blue glow as the pebbles on pond¡¯s bottom.


    But instead of pebbles, he could see a ten feet tall, thirty feet wide small pce. The bricks and stones were covered by algae and mud, dimmed out the ghostly blue glow.


    ¡®This building is draining the heat, I can feel it!¡¯


    Ye Wei shivered, his veins were bing purple, his muscles tightened up, his jaw was shaking, a knocking sound went through his skull.


    ¡®I can¡¯t get closer!¡¯ Ye Wei wanted to evolve his Supernova stance but he knew better than to damage his body irreversibly by the freezing cold.


    The nine hundred feet between him and the building structure was so close but yet so far.


    ¡®I need to know what I am looking at!¡¯ Ye Wei was determined though in agony, he waved his palm, sent forth a dense Qi strike.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Apressed water current flowed quickly from Ye Wei¡¯s hand to the pce, ridding the vegetation and dirt off the blue structure.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The burst of water revealed the blue runic engravings, the temple resembled a runicle, onlyrger and the rune sequences were moreplex.


    ¡®Supreme Yu Pce! The name Ye Yu does ring a bell!¡¯ Ye Wei read the letters on the entrance and thought to himself, ¡®this is the Drakehead, there is no mistaking!¡¯


    Ye Wei was eager to explore but he could not deal with the cold, he could only look at the pce from distance. ¡®


    ¡®Supernova stance¡¯s effect is fading, it¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t train here any longer...¡¯ He knew he would have to rest before he could dive down again. Ye Wei gave the pce ast nce before finding his way back out and up.


    ¡°Slosh!¡±


    Ye Wei broke through the pond¡¯s surface, the ssh of water refracted the setting sun, projected a colour spectrum onto his cheek/


    Ye Wei¡¯s runic badge was twinkling, notifying him about Lu Feng¡¯s message.


    ¡®Wei, I can¡¯t doing anything now, they have developed a method to track energy disturbance, it will not be long before they figure out the Drakehead¡¯s location.


    Ye Wei frowned after he processed Lu Feng¡¯s words, ¡®we have to act now, before they tell their superiors, otherwise we won¡¯t have a way to protect the spot when they send even more reinforcement.¡¯


    ¡°Lu Feng, I need you toe to the pond now, so that we can make a move tonight!¡± Ye Wei sent the message through his badge.


    ¡°Are you sure about this? We will have to deal with eight ten-star condensed prime Warriors and some weaker cultivators also at condensed prime level! Ye Wei, this is a serious matter, and there will be no going back if we decide to fight them. Since they have not found the ce yet, shouldn¡¯t we wait a little longer? We are still not strong enough.¡± Lu Feng¡¯s voice was shaking, he was nervous and it could be heard even through the badge.


    Lu Feng shook his head on the other side. ¡®I¡¯ve told him that all eight of them are stronger than Lu Ren, why is he acting so stubborn?¡¯


    ¡°You have defeated Lu Ren swiftly but that drained everything out of you, that was a week ago, have you even recovered yet?¡±


    ¡°No more waiting, we will do it tonight! I told you, it had been all or nothing ever since we decided to kill Lu Ren and the Du¡¯s.¡± Ye Wei¡¯s determined voice came through the badge again, ¡®I have not been training so I could watch while they raid my family¡¯s sacred ce. With my Qi at peak ten-star condensed prime level, I can fight many at once or even win if we manage to set up an ambush.¡¯


    ¡°Okay then, if you say so! I will be on my way!¡± Lu Feng put away the runic badge and rushed towards the pond.


    Although the duo had made a heavenly oath and decided to work as a team, the leading role had been shifting towards Ye Wei without either of them noticing.


    ***


    Lu Feng arrived at the pond to see Ye Wei calmly sitting on the grass, resting, after a brief moment he broke the silence.


    ¡°Ye Wei so what is the n?¡± Lu Feng could not wipe the concern off his face although his partner seemed at peace. ¡°Or do you have a n at all?! You might lose your life!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, I am not stupid, I will not risk our lives,¡± Ye Wei patted Lu Feng¡¯s shoulder, smiled and said: ¡°We will attack from the dark, they will not even know who we are if we execute my n correctly.¡±

 Chapter 174 – Ambush

    Chapter 174 - Ambush


    "Okay," Lu Feng grunted and said, "what do you need me to do? I just have to rify, I am not willing to die for this, I know I am not strong enough to help!" He was sure that he would just be a burden in abat with the Lu¡¯s powerful reinforcement.


    "We are an alliance, I know I should be encouraging you right now but I think your decision to fight them is questionable." He continued, "well, frankly, I would call it recklessness."


    "I did not expect you to help me fight them off, and that is okay, I will need you to lookout for me, if you see danger from a distance while I am attacking, I need you to send me a message on the badge," Ye Wei spoke each word clearly, "of course, you can fight them if you feel confident, just do it as clean as possible whether it be an escape or an ambush, we can¡¯t let them know who we are!"


    "I will just kill as many as possible, make them panic, use the element of surprise, avoid them frommunicating with one another."


    Ye Wei paused for a while, watched the ripples spread on the pond¡¯s surface as the breeze swept across."What about Lu Ren, have you heard anything from the returned prime level elders?" He frowned, "actually, could this be a trap, maybe they want to lure the people responsible for his disappearance with the reinforcement?"


    "Not possible, they are suspecting something yes, but as long as they cannot confirm Lu Ren¡¯s death, they have better things to worry about, you have to remember they are managing the Lu¡¯s all around the area," Lu Feng grunted and chuckled, "we have another week before the sandalwood box¡¯s effect wears off."


    Lu Feng ced his hand onto his chest to make sure the box was still in his possession."After his spirit me dies down, we will have a few days before the news reaches Green Moon City, only then should we worry about the two elders."


    ¡°If they do find out about Lu Ren¡¯s death, will they interfere?¡± Ye Wei paused slightly and then spoke.


    ¡°The two returned prime level elders only care about the Drakehead, they will probably see Lu Ren¡¯s death as a necessary sacrifice to get to the Drakehead.¡± Lu Feng just tried his best to summarize, retell what he saw and heard ¡°When Ist met them they were busy shouting at the other Lu¡¯s, making sure they would keep the secret.¡±


    ¡®As long as the returned prime Warriors are not there to help I should be able to make an impact one way or another.¡¯ thought Ye Wei, his eyes brightened up, ¡°However, the returned prime elders wille after I kill more of the ten-star condensed prime Warriors.¡±


    ¡®So he is serious about it!? Are we going to have to fight the elders?¡¯ Lu Feng¡¯s face turned ashen, he did not think that far.


    Lu Feng¡¯s concern was written all over his face as he realized his partner¡¯s intentions. They both became silent.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t want my help. He summoned me here to talk about how we should clean up after he ambushed the Lu¡¯s force on his own!¡¯


    The Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warrior reinforcements were now close to the Drakehead, if left alive, they would be at the Drakehead in ten days; if killed, the the elders stationed at Green Moon City might intervene.


    Ye Wei and Lu Feng¡¯s operation was caught in a dilemma.


    ¡°I have one way to mess with the Lu¡¯s and that would be announcing the Drakehead¡¯s location, and let the other martial families fight.¡± Lu Feng¡¯s lips were bing pale, his frown grew deeper, We will crush the Lu¡¯s at their weakest!¡±


    ¡°I will not allow that! It will do us no good, I am not going to risk losing control over the Drakehead, it¡¯s my family¡¯snd, my ancestor¡¯s treasure!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s gaze intensified. ¡°Green Moon City is going to be a mess, would you like to see your home bing a war zone?¡±


    ¡°Pfft! Do you think your n is better than mine?¡± Lu Feng grunted, he was more interested in revenge than anything else, to sabotage than to be constructive.


    ¡°Any n is better than your n!¡± Ye Wei stared at Lu Feng, surprised how someone could be affected by rage and revenge to such extend. ¡°We are alive because of we are in control of the ce, if they took over we won¡¯t stand a chance to fight them by force.¡±


    ¡°As I suggested, I will assassinate as much of them as I can, I will buy us time and we shall improvise from there, be patient!¡± Ye Wei replied, he believed the underwater pce held the key to him evolving Supernova stance.


    When Ye Wei managed to evolve the Supernova stance, he would have the power to fight a returned prime Warrior, if he then acquired gadgets and tricks from the Runemaster Union and the cial Temple, he would even be able to stand his ground while fighting against the best cultivators in the Lu family regardless of age.


    As Ye Wei realized he there were more imporant matters to focus on, he decided not to tell Lu Feng about the underwater pce he discovered.


    ¡°I guess that is for the best.¡± Lu Feng nodded, realized Ye Wei¡¯s decision was the sensible one. He decided to trust his calm and collected partner, to protect their secret.


    The sun set into the west sea, darkness descended, the thick clouds covered the silvery moon, Ye Wei stood up, freshened by the cool evening breeze.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡± After covering his face by a ck disguise, his ghostly figure shot out, headed straight towards where the Lu¡¯s men set camp.


    ¡°Hope it will all goes ording to n!¡± Lu Feng ground his teeth and followed. He kept a distance, tried to remember all the little things he was told to do.


    The woods were silence expect the noise of dried leaves dancing, the duo went past a few beast nests in the windy night. They eventually arrived at a t site filled with tents, looking intimidated as they were lit by the wiggling fire.


    The fact that they set up campfires meant they were either amateurs or not afraid of the beasts and other cultivators knowing their location. All of them who stayed up guarding the camps had incredible Qi persense, both Ye Wei and Lu Feng could feel the guards were at least condensed prime Warriors.


    Ye Wei was standing on a bushy tree branch, surveilled the men dressed in white robes from afar. He could tell they were his target from the golden family crest on embroidered in front of their chests.


    He could tell from the Qi disturbance that all three of them were condensed prime Warriors, and that their leaders were in the camps, resting.


    The infiltration was done slowly and cautiously, Ye Wei had to wait for the perfect moment to strike, to make sure these condensed prime guards take theirst breath before they could send their superiors a distress signal.


    The gusts of winds grew stronger as the night got darker, the clouds dispersed and the moonlight showered onto the woods. The wild beasts were bing more active but they avoided tents as they could smell and feel danger where the campfires were.


    Next to the swishing trees, the three guards were jealously looking at a shaking tent.


    ¡°These Du women are surely energetic, Lu Li is going to be drained after this!¡± One of them licked his lips and said vulgarly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t me him, he is still young, he can¡¯t really say no to this kind of temptation, good for him that he gets a night off, haha!¡±


    ¡°Good for him maybe, how is any of us going to sleep if they are going to be this noisy the whole evening?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to be young!¡± All three of them took a sip of wine,ughing while they excitedly talked about women.


    While they were all keeping quiet, distracted by what was happening inside the tent, Ye Wei rushed out of the side bush, three Qi Swords flew out as he approached the trio.


    ¡°Plop! Plop! Plop!¡±


    The Peerless Swords slit all three condensed Warriors¡¯ throats, their white robes were dyed red.


    Their consciousness faded before they knew what took their lives and their eyes became dull and dim. Ye Wei quickly channeled his QI to hold them before they hit the ground, their bodies softened. He gently ced their bodies down, made it look as if they were falling asleep.


    The campfire flickered in the night breeze.


    Having been through numerous life-threatening battles, Ye Wei was less and less emotional than he once was, thepassion in him had turned to apromised heartlessness.


    ¡®These guys were guarding him while he does this!? He has got to be someone important in the Lu family...¡¯ Thought Ye Wei.


    ¡®He must have trained nonstop at the Drakehead,¡¯ Lu Feng was shocked to see Ye Wei¡¯s decisive and lethal moves, ¡®and what stance was that? It took him less than a second to put them to sleep...¡¯


    ¡®This monster, I can¡¯t believe he got this much stronger just in a few days!¡¯ Lu Feng was trying topare Ye Wei with other young cultivators but he couldn¡¯t think or anyoneparable.


    ¡®Even within the, Lu Fan, the strongest youngster of this generation of Lu would be no match for Ye Wei...¡¯ Lu Feng had always looked up to his young cousin and used it as a reference point, to know what he could improve on in terms of cultivation. ¡°I had been blind, I should have realized I only saw a small fraction of Ye Wei¡¯s talent when I was in Ning City.¡±


    Ye Wei sneaked close to the tent inplete silence after he gentlyid the dead bodies next to the campfire.


    ¡®How can he not notice I am here?¡¯ Ye Wei chuckled as he heard the man¡¯s pant and the woman¡¯s moan. ¡®This man is a ten-star condensed prime Warrior but a sloppy cultivator, I guess that¡¯s what it¡¯s like to be born into a big family, you get all the pills you need and your senses be blunt.¡¯


    Ten minutes past, the man in the tent groaned breathed deep and slow.


    ¡®This is it, he is not alert at all!¡¯ Ye Wei reached for a scroll from his sleeve, tore it to deploy a runic array. The sound of the man and the woman in the tent suddenly became inaudible.


    At the same time as Ye Wei tore the scroll, his Qi sword struck towards Lu Li¡¯s neck.


    Lu Li was startled, his pleasure evaporated, reced by a sharp sense of pain.

 Chapter 175 – Brutal

    Chapter 175 - Brutal


    Although Lu Li was not the most alert cultivator, he was a powerful fighter. His ten-star condensed prime level body strength saved him. His tough skin and muscles allowed him enough time to defend himself. Identifying the source of the pain, he bent his body backwards to avoid decapitation.


    "Who is it that dares to assault me!?" He grabbed his bag next to him and took out a scroll.


    "Zoom!"


    He tore the scroll without hesitation. A golden Qi armor appeared on top of his whole body. The scroll lost its green glow as the stance was activated. ¡¯High-level Myst stance, Golden Light Chainmail!¡¯


    "ng! ng! ng!


    Ye Wei did not wait nor did he stop. As Lu Li was injecting his Qi into the armor to strengthen it, Ye Wei kept striking. The Qi Swords mercilessly rained onto Lu Li¡¯s armor, denting and chipping it.


    "Crack!"


    The dents became fissures and the Golden Light Chainmail stance disintegrated. Ye Wei¡¯s strikes thennded on Lu Li¡¯s left shoulder. He was bleeding out like a fountain while the residue energy from the swords and the armor hit the half naked woman striking her unconscious.


    Ye Wei frowned. He quickly approached his mark. ¡¯He reacted so quickly. Have I underestimated him!?¡¯


    "Who are you!? And how dare you make me bleed? I am a Lu elder¡¯s grandson!" Lu Li panicked. He screamed as he took another scroll out from his bag.


    He never thought he would be ambushed with so many guards protecting his camp. If the Qi swords were just a split second quicker, they would have pierced through his neck.


    Lu Li held tight onto the two scrolls. He took a step back and channeled his Qi to strengthen his body, ¡°Who are you!?¡± He stared at his assassin who was dressed in a ck disguise. All the while, Lu Li looked for a way to escape. He knew a sound barrier had been made around the tent. Thus, he shouts for help would not be heard; therefore, he desperately strove to escape.


    ¡°So you are the direct sessor of the Lu¡¯s bloodline?!¡± said Ye Wei coldly, looking calmly at the topless young man.


    ¡°What do you want? If you keep me alive, I will reward you! I will even tell you a secret, do you know what a Drakehead is?¡± Lu Li trode backwards as Ye Wei approached. His hands were shaking, but his grip was tight. He was ready to tear the scroll if Ye Wei got any closer.


    ¡°What about a Drakehead?¡± Ye Wei was startled but immediately realized he just heard a bluff, ¡®if he knows where the Drakehead is, then the Lu¡¯s wouldn¡¯t be here!¡¯


    A second was all Lu Li needed. He smiled mischievously as he tore the scroll in his hand.


    ¡°Hmpft!¡± Ye Wei grunted and sent forth his Qi swords. His reflexes were superior to Lu Li¡¯s. His Qi sword nicked Lu Li¡¯s fingers and prated his palm.


    ¡°You sneaky man!¡± Ye Wei grunted and created five more Qi swords on each of fingers. With a palm strike, he directed the sharp spectral des towards Lu Li¡¯s chest.


    Lu Li flinched and dropped the mystic scrolls on the floor. Nevertheless, he managed to inject Qi into a dark green ring he was wearing. Numerousyers of green energy shield appeared between him and Ye Wei.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s powerful strike toppled the tent but failed to prate the defensive forbidden Myst stance.


    ¡®Cyan Lightshield! Lu Li has mystic arms!¡¯ Ye Wei felt sloppy that he didn¡¯t notice the green glow on his mark¡¯s finger.


    ¡°Naive, do you really think that can save you?¡± The green shield began to crack under Ye Wei¡¯s continuous strikes.


    Lu Li chuckled. He broke the tent and the runic sound barrier while Ye Wei was busy dealing with the green shield.


    ¡°Kid, nobody can save you now! You will learn what a mistake it is to mess with a Lu!¡±


    The campsite suddenly became chaotic.


    ¡°What is happening here!?¡±


    ¡°Intruder! We have an intruder!¡± The cultivators woke up to the sound of explosion.


    ¡®Damn it. This is exactly what I didn¡¯t want to happen.¡¯ Ye Wei grumbled, finally shattering the green shield with the Peerless Sword Qi.


    Lu Li roared. His muscles bulged up, and his skin gained a metallic glow. ¡°Good luck escaping!¡± His beastial eyes were set right on Ye Wei¡¯s dark figure. With a heavy step, he lunged forward.


    ¡®Body stance!?¡¯ Ye Wei narrowed his eyes, and his lips curled into a cruel smile. ¡°Well I didn¡¯te here to mess with the Lu¡¯s, I came here to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Five Qi swords cut through air andnded on Lu Li¡¯s bare chest with a whirling Qi trail.


    Lu Li¡¯s bloodthirsty smile froze at the sound of impact. He quickly slid backwards as if he was hit by a sledgehammer. Two long trails appeared on the ground under his feet, but not a single mark was left on his body.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Lu Li ced his hand on his chest; his body twitched in agony.


    ¡°Master Lu, are you okay?¡± A group of condensed prime Warriorsnded around Lu Li. Seven of them were at ten-star level. After checking their leader, they all put their eyes on Ye Wei.


    ¡°I am fine, but this kid has a trick or two up his sleeves. Be careful and don¡¯t let him get away! I want him captured and tortured!¡± Lu Li said ferociously as he deactivated his body strengthening stance. His wounds began to bleed quickly as he rxed his body. Therefore, he took an injury controlling pill.


    The seven ten-star condensed prime cultivators surrounded Ye Wei in no time. While the Warriors from Green Moon City¡¯s martial families stood further behind. The locals were just there as a formality; none of them really wanted to risk themselves for the Lu¡¯s.


    ¡°Whoever captures this kid will be rewarded with ten Myst scrolls and a three star mystic arm!¡± Lu Li scream loud enough for the whole camp to hear.


    ¡®The Warriors standing at the back can be ignored. Not only are they weak, I can sense that they don¡¯t even n to fight!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes scanned across, ¡®these seven though, are willing to fight me!¡¯ he quickly made a long sequence of hand seals based off his decisive assessment. Numerous rune sequences bursted out and turned into eight Qi swords, flying straight to the enemy¡¯s frontline.


    ¡°Careful!¡± Lu Li¡¯s pupils dted, haunted by his recent experience of Ye Wei¡¯s technique. However it was toote. Although every one of the seven heard him, they had no idea how careful they should be.


    ¡°You should have listened to your leader.¡± Ye Wei said callously.


    The condensed prime Warriors¡¯ attacks surrounded Ye Wei from all directions. All of them used the same form to strengthen their bodies; thus, the cultivators became small storms of energy.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡± Ye Wei identified the threat. He guided his Qi swords to the two cultivators at the front.


    Both of them heard a popping sound and felt a hold in theyers of Qi spinning around their bodies.


    ¡°How can it be so sharp?¡± The two ten-star condensed prime Warriors¡¯ faces turned pale, regretting their decisions to be in front.


    Even though Ye Wei¡¯s Peerless Swords was still not a mature stance, the fact that the technique was the foundation of a rare sky stance meant the Qi swords were as strange to the Lu¡¯s men as they were powerful.


    The Qi swords raged towards their target in less time it took an advanced cultivator to react. The two vanguards standing in the front could only watch and wait for their to end toe.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s finger swiftly swiped to the left.


    The Qi sword flew towards one of the two. It prated his chest and immediately burrowed through his heart, sending him backwards.


    ¡®Root Prison.¡¯ Ye We clenched his fist and rooted the other guard on the spot


    This Lu was a little quicker to react, but not entirely. Lifting his arm up in hopes that it would save him, it was only to be cleanly sliced off.


    The other five ten-star condensed prime Warriors cursed and shivered; each one of them was startled by the casualties.


    ¡°Damn it! I warned them! Useless rubbish!¡± Lu Li frustratedly shouted. He realized he would have to fight Ye Wei on his own. He took another pill to enhance his body and Qi and braced himself for this fatal fight.

 Chapter 176 – Escape

    Chapter 176 - Escape


    After neutralizing the two vanguards, Ye Wei did not stop his attack, his hands danced in the air, created thirty-six Qi swords, and flung them to the five condensed prime Warriors trying to surround him.


    It seemed reckless to Lu Feng that Ye Wei killed in cold blood, but he soon realized his partner¡¯s intention, ¡®the less people he had to control, the better.¡¯


    ¡®High-level Myst stance, Rippling Armor!¡¯


    ¡®High-level Myst stance, Gold Body te!¡¯


    ¡®High-level Myst stance, Lc Wisteria!¡¯


    The remaining five ten-star condensed prime Warriors did not want to leave anything to chance, they quickly lit up the night sky with a sea of runes. The sequences turned into defensive stances and when the shields were activated the cultivators drew more runes that became attacking stances.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    Ye Wei answered the Lu¡¯s wave of stances by his own, his fingers were whizzing and his Qi swords spread wide, crashed onto the five ten-star condensed prime Warrior¡¯s strikes.


    ¡°Who sent this masked man? He is ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°He killed of of the ten-star condensed prime Warriors and gravely injured another in a brief exchange, there is no more than three cultivators in Green Moon City who are capable of doing that to my knowledge!¡± The martial families¡¯ cultivators stepped back, leaving the Lu¡¯s on their own.


    Although they were promised Myst scrolls and a mystic arm, they knew their limits. Ye Wei didn¡¯t want to hurt the cultivators from his home town, but he didn¡¯t have to do more than what he already was doing, they were all stunned by Ye Wei¡¯s disy, reluctant to help the Lu¡¯s.


    Ye Zhong was in the crowd, to represent the Ye family. He was just watching on the side, not willing to risk his life for the tyrants. ¡°The assassin¡¯s figure... This is a young one, simr age to little Wei I¡¯m guessing, but stronger, much stronger!¡± He mumbled to himself, couldn¡¯t help but topare the disguised person with his precious cousin.


    Ye Zhong knew Ye Wei was strong, to him, his kid cousin was strong enough to fight even with a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, but not strong enough to do what this assassin did.


    Lu Feng was shocked, he watched everything from a mile away, on the top of a tree. ¡®When he fought Lu Zhong, he struggled. But this time, he is dealing with the ten-star condensed prime Warriors in his own pace!¡¯


    After a few moments, Lu Li absorbed the energy and was nourished by the healing effects of the pills he took. Now in better condition, he red at Ye Wei with anger.


    ¡®One of them dead, one of them gravely injured. There are only six ten-star condensed prime Warriors left standing who can fight including myself. How could he have done so much without getting hurt himself!? I will not be embarassed like this!¡¯


    ¡°Useless idiots! Stop standing there and watch! Kill him!¡±


    ¡°Someone has to die for what he¡¯s done today! I will send him to the torture dungeons, but if he escaped all of you will be sent there instead!¡± Lu Li¡¯s face turned ashen, his veins buldged up, growled at the ten-star condensed prime Warriors who were suppose to protect him.


    The ten-star condensed prime level cultivators shivered and their eyes twitched when they heard the torture dungeons being mentions, that¡¯s when they knew their master was undoubtedly furious.


    They would rather die fighting than to spend a second in the torture dungeons as a victim.


    All five of them gained a second wind, and they decided to use their best stances, scrolls and mystic arms to get the job done.


    Within seconds after Lu Li¡¯s chant, a wall of stances was crushing towards Ye Wei, swiftly and mercilessly.


    Felt the trembling earth and blinded by bursts the runic light in the sky, all the Green Moon City cultivators spectating were bing pale and weak on their knees.


    Under the pressure of this many stances, any condensed prime Warrior, would be reduced to dust, even peak ten-star Warriors would be paralyzed by the immense pressure.


    ¡®Starblink Steps!¡¯ Intimidated by the different stances crashing towards him, Ye Wei¡¯s face turned dark, his figure became nimble and unpredictable.


    His stance used the force of the his opponents¡¯ fierce attacks to create openings at the weaker spots, allowing him to escape the seemingly undodgeable wall of stance, with paths and movements none of the spectators expected to see.


    ¡®Selenic Armor!¡¯


    ¡®Selenic Levitation!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s gaze intensified, he was not going to let his guard down while facing more than ten Myst stance on his own, some of the ten-star condensed prime Warriors were even using high-level Myst stances.


    Although Starblink Steps was powerful but it being a Spirit stance meant that Ye Wei could not just count on it to neglect the powerful Myst stances.


    ¡°Humph!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face was tensed but his eyes were calm and cold, he exhaled slowly his Selenic Levitation stance altered gravitational force within ten meters radius around him, slowing the wall of stances copsing onto him.


    ¡®Peerless Swords!¡¯ While the iing stances were held in the air, slowed down, Ye Wei flung thirty-six Qi swords towards his enemies.


    ¡°What!?¡± None of the Lu¡¯s expected the assassin could fight back in such dire situation. They saw the Qi swordsing, but they couldn¡¯t predict the swords¡¯ path.


    Only two out of five managed to dodge the Qi des with luck¡¯s aid, the rest of the guards¡¯ bodies were prated by Ye Wei¡¯s attack, died at the spot and flew backwards.


    Ye Wei did not reserve his Qi, he used all his tricks in hopes that he could take control of the situation.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I have ever been humiliated like this!¡± Lu Li¡¯s eyes becamepletely red, with his pulsating hand he took a scroll out of his bag.


    ¡°Ttts!¡±


    ¡®You brought this to yourself, let¡¯s see if you can slither out of this forbidden Myst stance!¡¯ Lu Li looked at the scroll in his hand, his eye twitched. Felt slightly uneasy having to use something costy. ¡®This was myst forbidden high-level Myst scroll! I can¡¯t believe I have to use what grandpa left me all those years ago on a situation like this!¡¯


    ¡®Ivy Prison!¡¯ Lu Li ground his teeth, numerous sequence of dark, glowing runes burst outs the moment the scroll was torn and became dim.


    The runes formed eighteen vines of runic ivies, thick like a giant python it grew and flew towards Ye Wei.


    The vines caught up with Ye Wei¡¯s speed. chased him down, intertwined and linked together, forming a circr prison around him despite his best efforts to escape.


    Just momentster, Ye Wei was caged.


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    Lu Li¡¯s bloodthirsty smile grew wider as he saw the trouble making assassin being trapped.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    Lu Li spread his fingers, created a tiny opening on the ivy prison. The Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors followed their leader¡¯s lead, fired their best stances at Ye Wei.


    mes, Qi swords, spectral beasts, were forming in the sky, alongside the runic ivy, tens of stances were crushing against Ye Wei simultaneously.


    ¡°You¡¯ve killed a lot of our men, and you made me waste two of my forbidden high-level Myst scrolls, I really want to get some information from you but I also want you do die!¡± Lu Li shouted.


    The runic ivy cage was no wider than three meters, and it was the target of over thirty Lu¡¯s Warriors.


    Even if Ye Wei grew wings on his back, there was no way he could escape the impending doom.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the assasin can¡¯t do more but I guess that is that is good, I don¡¯t want trouble. It will probably draw more Lu¡¯s to the city ultimately.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t you want to fight? Don¡¯t you want our city back?¡± The cultivators from Green Moon City¡¯s martial families began to specte


    Inside the prison, Ye Wei created a spectral selenic beast and was still under the effect of starblink steps, he tried both to break and to escape the constriction but did not have any luck. He frowned, focused on trying to break the prison while his selenic armor was still holding together.


    ¡®This is too tough, I just can¡¯t...¡¯ Ye Wei could probably break the prison if he had more time but he was pressure by a number of stances that could soon take his life.


    ¡°Ye Wei! The Lu¡¯s returned prime Warrior ising, get out of there!¡± The runic badge vibrated, Lu Feng¡¯s panicking voice sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    ¡®Why is Lu Qianyin here!?¡¯ Lu Feng recognized the approaching Lu elder, not by the blurred face but by the speed enhancing stance he was using.


    ¡®Returned prime!?¡¯ Ye Wei gasped, he did not n to be trapped, and certainly did not n to fight a returned prime Warrior in such condition.


    ¡®I need to get out of here!¡¯


    Ye Wei flicked his sleeve, and a dark scroll appeared in his palm.


    At the price of three hundred thousand, the Instant Shadow Scrolls were not used by many, upon activation, Ye Wei became a mist, escaped the prison in vapor form.


    ¡°I will be back to kill the rest of you!¡± Ye Wei taunted as he reappeared briefly in human form, shot out thirty-six more Qi swords at some of the Lu¡¯s weaker men. The cultivator did not have the power to defend themselves against Ye Wei¡¯s swift strikes.


    Ye Wei turned into a thin mist again, reappeared a few hundred yards from the tents inside the woods, as the scroll¡¯s effect fell off, he used the Starblink Steps again, turned into a sh and melted into North Hill Bay¡¯s dense vegetation.

 Chapter 177 – North Barren Mountains

    Chapter 177 - North Barren Mountains


    ¡°No!¡± As the Qi swords came closing in, the condensed prime Warriors could only watch. They were not quick enough to react nor were they able to do so due to the mass pressure waves Ye Wei¡¯s attack imposed. There was no time for stances or scrolls, only their demise.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    When despair was the only feeling these condensed prime Warriors felt, seconds before their deaths, tens of golden bolts of Qi caught up with Ye Wei¡¯s swords.


    With great precision, the finger-shaped bolts struck each of the thirty-six swords right before the Lu¡¯s men were killed.


    The Lu¡¯s looked in awe at the golden fireworks in front of them; their robes and hair were wet from sweating.


    Most of them felt numb and stunned since they were about to die.


    Lu Li on the other hand, was relieved. If more of his men were to die, he would have to be punished even if his grandfather was an elder. ¡®Even if he can¡¯t help, he would be able to the witness to prove how strong this assassin is in front of the council, I don¡¯t think they would believe tonight¡¯s attack otherwise.¡¯


    ¡°Chase Him!¡± Lu Li ordered in a low voice as he leaped forth towards the direction Ye Wei escaped in.


    The cultivators from different martial families were hesitant. After giving each other a look, they all decided to follow, but just slow enough so the distance between them and Lu Li kept lengthening.


    ¡®Returned prime Warrior¡¯s strength, he just casually crushed Ye Wei¡¯s strikes from miles away!¡¯ Lu Feng made an even greater effort to hide his Qi presence; there was an undisguised sense of fear and shock in his eyes.


    Being a cultivator himself, he knew how impressive the returned prime Warrior¡¯s finger strike was.


    A cold glint shed in Lu Feng¡¯s eyes. His figure shook and he disappeared into the shadow projected by moonlight onto the ancient branches.


    ¡®You will need more speed if you want to chase me down!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself as he channeled his Qi and transformed it into runes under his feet. With the Starblink Steps, he became lighter on his feet, pulled ahead of the Lu¡¯s chasing him.


    Knowing that the returned prime level elder was going to catch up, Ye Wei leaped into the dense bushes and sped up while keepingpletely quiet, ¡®if you want to catch me, you will have to find me first.¡¯


    As Ye Wei stood on thend registry, North Hill Bay only covered sixty square miles, but the mountain range that began inside the area stretched a thousand miles northward, giving Ye Wei abyrinth of trees and rocks for cover.


    However, even it was within Ye Wei¡¯s n to utilize the mountain to shake the Lu¡¯s. He, like a lot of returned prime Warriors, did not wish to enter too deeply into the North Barren Mountains, which was the home of numerous wild beasts and demon hordes


    Four miles away from Ye Wei, a white-robed, chubby older man was elerating. His fire red hair fluttered in the wind.


    His belly wobbled as he sped through the woods. His movements were slow, but his legs were strong, and each of his steps produced a thousand feet distance between them.


    Within five breaths¡¯ time, the red haired elder, Lu Qianying, had already covered miles. He watched over Lu Li and the rest from above. His presence filled the woods.


    His red hair illuminated the dark. It was bright as daylight radiating three hundred feet around him. His Qi presence was affecting people¡¯s consciousness on a primal level.


    ¡®That is someone special!¡¯


    The Lu¡¯s and martial family cultivators following were startled. They could not help but admire and worship the old chubby man running above the clouds.


    ¡°Elder Qianying!¡± The Lu¡¯snded and went down on their knees.


    ¡°Elder Qianying!¡± Lu Li quickly stopped and bowed with the utmost respect. Being the head elder¡¯s grandson meant that he did not have to get on his knees. Nevertheless, he was not going to waste his time on etiquette when he was busy chasing the assassin.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think someone would dare interfere with our search!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯sedic face darkened. His cold eyes scanned the dense woods below him, trying to spot any abnormalities.


    ¡°Any idea who it was?¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s prating gaze was set onto Lu Li.


    ¡°Sir, I am not sure; he was masked, and a lot stronger than I am. He has some mysterious tricks up his sleeves!¡± There was no chance that Lu Li would tell the elder he was ambushed when he was in thepany of a woman.


    ¡°All the ten-star condensed prime Warriors and the locals we recruited fought him at the same time, but it didn¡¯t seem to be enough. Out of Green Moon City, I think only the City Lord, Principal Gu and Master Yi are capable of doing what the assassin did. However judging by height, the attacker should be a teenager. Therefore, I assume whoever we are chasing, is not from around the area.¡±


    ¡°Not someone from Green Moon City?¡± Lu Qianying frowned. He wondered if his nightmare had be reality, ¡®had other families found out about the Drakehead?¡¯ The Lu¡¯s were powerful in Qing state, but in a grander scale, they were not considered as influential.


    The reason why the Lu¡¯s sent two returned prime Warriors to Green Moon City was primarily to contain the information about the Drakehead from spreading.


    ¡°Stop all other operations! Lock down the North Hill Bay area. Pause the search before this is settled.¡± Lu Qianying said with determination, ¡°now, get up and keep chasing you fools!¡±


    The chubby elder narrowed his eyes and red towards the mountains, ¡®this hignd is known to be the nest of wild beasts and demons. If this reckless assassin decided to run, it would be towards the bay area, not the mountains!¡¯


    Lu Qianying headed in the direction where Ye Wei disappeared into. He spread his will-force and used it as a detection tool, ¡®I am too old to y hide and seek, but I will make an exception for you!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s Qi was hidden in his bones at rest; therefore, he was able to hide his presence. If he was not a Supernova stance user, his neck would have been snapped by Lu Qianying already.


    As the elder ordered, Lu Li and the five ten-star condensed prime Warriors each took seven weaker cultivators with them to search the bay area thoroughly.


    If the search teams saw anything, they were ordered to immediately fire their re scrolls to notify Lu Qianying. The bay area was vast, but for a returned prime Warrior from one end to the other was just fifty steps reach.


    Shrouded by darkness, Ye Wei slowed down and covered his tracks entirely. He lifted his head and looked towards the Drakehead that was twenty miles away from where he was, making his choices of escape path very limited.


    The Lu¡¯s elder was on his way, and there was not a chance he would let Ye Wei live.


    ***


    At the hour of dawn, the slumbering trees were woken up by morning breeze. When the gust died down, the bay area returned to silence.


    A nimbe figure sneaked out of the dense branched. The disturbed birds pped their wings and flew off.


    It was Ye Wei.


    ¡®These people are persistent!¡¯ Ye Wei turned to look behind him, confirming the Lu¡¯s men were still looking for him. They were chasing after him like packs of dogs tailing a fox.


    Ye Wei had already took the Lu¡¯s on a tour around the bay area, but he still could not shake them. To make things worse, he could sense the returned prime Warrior was closing in on him.


    ¡®This is the bay area¡¯s edge, if I go any further I will be in the North Barren Mountains.¡¯ Ye Wei looked at the high rise hesitantly and frowned. ¡®This is basically an enormous beast nest. There are rare and even emperor grade beasts roaming these mountains.¡¯


    ¡°Stop running and I will consider let you die a less painful death!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s voice rumbled the woods.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    A few Qi bolts flew right at Ye Wei as the loud, threatening words acted as a diversion.


    ¡°Fu*k, he knows where I am!?¡± Ye Wei could hardly hear the wind breaking sound, but he sensed the elder¡¯s strike. He grunted and used the Peerless Swords to defend himself.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The Qi swords crashed onto the finger-shaped bolts; both stances disintegrated in a burst of light and a shrill sound.


    The chubby elder¡¯s will-force picked up Ye Wei¡¯s Qi sword.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hide!¡± Lu Qianying was more or less sure about Ye Wei¡¯s location. His figure turned into a sh towards where the shatters runes were.


    ¡°Fatty, follow me into the mountains if you dare!¡± Ye Wei taunted as he rushed away from the Drakehead.


    ¡®He will be able to catch me in a few seconds if I slow down even though I am a few miles ahead.¡¯ Ye Wei channeled his Qi down to his feet. With Starblink Steps, his movements were light and nimble; he used the wind and the branches¡¯ bounce to speed himself up.


    There was no way back, Ye Wei ground his teeth and leaped past the stone tablet that marked the edge of North Hill Bay area.

 Chapter 178 – Pack

    Chapter 178 - Pack


    Even though Ye Wei spent all of his energy trying to run from his pursuer, the distance between him and the returned prime Warrior elder was not getting any farther but, on the contrary, closer.


    If the situation persisted, it would only be a matter of time when Ye Wei would be caught.


    He sensed the returned prime Warrior¡¯s killing intent. The terrifying presence kept closing in from behind. Therefore, he took out the only remaining Instant Shadow Scroll he had.


    ¡®When the cubby elder will catch up, the only way out will be to use this scroll. I will have to stay in shadow form for as long as I can. I should aim for at least another hundred miles.¡¯


    At one point five million contribution tokens each, Instance Shadow Scrolls were considered treasures. Ye Wei was aware of its value, refusing to use it before thest possible moment.


    He was confident that the Mystic Mount presence in his Sentient would be able to sense danger. Thus, if the Lu elder ever decided to lead his men into the North Barren Mountains, he could utilize it to lead his pursuers to wild beasts and demons


    ¡°Damn it, this kid is reckless!¡± The chubby one-star returned prime Warrior could vaguely feel Ye Wei¡¯s energy entering the barren mountains, his face became dark as a starless night.


    The North Barren Mountains was the home to a variety of nts and animals; the abundant environment made it the perfect ce for dangerous wild beasts to live.


    The high grade wild beasts that resided at the mountains made Lu Qianying hesitant about entering. The more self-absorbed one is,, the more they treasure their own life. He was not sure if Ye Wei was stupid or brave.


    ¡°Elder Qianying, what should we do now?¡± Lu Li and the other Lu¡¯s men all looked at the chubby returned prime Warrior, waiting for the next order.


    All of the chasers lost their enthusiasm and anger as they realized the assassin had entered the North Barren Mountains.


    ¡°We will continue to chase him!¡± Lu Qianying gritted his teeth and said. His gaze became cold as he ced his eyes onto the seemingly endless mountain range.


    ¡°Are you sure...?¡± Lu Li and the rest looked at the towering mountains. They were incapable of imagining a positive oue if they entered the danger zone.


    ¡°What are you cowards so scared of? There are beast nests in these mountains and I am sure that kid knows it too.¡± Lu Qianying stared at the scared men. He shouted. ¡°Even I will struggle to stay safe deeper in the mountains, do you really think the kid will dare go to were I can¡¯t reach?¡±


    ¡°Nobody can know why we are here. Even I might get into trouble with the council if this doesn¡¯t work out I will be treading on thin ice!¡± Lu Qianying clenched his fist.


    Lu Li and the others stoppedining and reluctantly followed the superior¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Get moving! That kid is very good at hiding his Qi presence. I am using a detection stance now, but I think I will not be able to sense him very soon!¡± Lu Qianying became tense. He had been chasing for the whole evening without any luck. He was no longer underestimating Ye Wei as he struggled to keep up throughout the whole evening.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lu Li and the other condensed prime Warriors knew the importance of keeping the operation a secret.They knew keeping it a secret was also one of their top priorities.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡± Motivated by the elder¡¯s words, they channeled their entire strength and followed the chubby figure into the mountains at top speed.


    Lead by Lu Qianying¡¯s sharp sensing stance, the search team was able to pick up on the weak trace left by Ye Wei, maneuvering in his direction.


    ¡®How did they manage to follow me? Are they actually daring to wander into the mountains?¡¯ Ye Wei frowned and thought to himself.


    Lu Qianying¡¯s stance was able to pick up Ye Wei¡¯s location, but Ye Wei¡¯s soul sensitivity was superior to the Lu elder¡¯s detection. He was able to determine the search team¡¯s location from a further distance.


    Lu Qianying could only vaguely pick up Ye Wei¡¯s location while Ye Wei¡¯s sensed all the living creatures that were giving of even the smallest life energy.


    On the edges of the North Barren Mountain, Ye Wei¡¯s figure shed between trees and rock, looking for paw prints and tracking marks.


    Beast nests were a rarer sight on the mountain range¡¯s outskirt. Ye Wei had been able to sense a few beasts while he was running, but it would have taken more than a few beasts to strand a returned prime Warrior supported by arge group of condensed prime Warriors.


    Ye Wei was looking for arge pack of wild beasts that could potentially upy or even eliminate his chasers.


    ¡®It¡¯s harder than I thought it would be. People make the North Barren Mountains sound a lot more dangerous than they really are.¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself while nimbly navigating the range at an extraordinary speed.


    ¡®They are half a mile closer!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s brows furrowed, remembered how the chubby elder¡¯s finger strikes were strong enough to be life threatening from miles away.


    Knowing the elder¡¯s extraordinary close range pressured Ye Wei. He, out of sheer nervousness, actually sacrificed a bit of his speed to keep track of the distance between him and the elder¡¯s lethal finger strikes.


    ¡®There is only around four miles between me and them. I have to find a pack of beasts soon or I will have to run deeper into the mountain range where then I would have to avoid getting surrounded by packs!¡¯ Ye Wei looked towards the high rise and the valleys and lead to the hills. He shook his head, shivering.


    ¡®Where are you when I need you!?¡¯ Ye Wei stomped heavily on a giant rock, propelling him and elerating his speed.


    The corroding rock split in half and cracked into rubble within seconds.


    ¡°Ha, desperate kid!¡± Lu Xianyingnded. He looked at the rubble thirty seconds after Ye Wei broke the rock. His cruel smile grewrger.


    ¡°Speed up! We are getting closer!¡± Lu Qianying swiped his arm and ordered his men to run towards where Ye Wei went.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    Ye Wei knew his life depends on how quick he ran; while Lu Qianying felt his family¡¯s uprising could be sabotaged by whatever power order the lone assassin to attack the Lu¡¯s camp.


    The distance between the two parties kept bing closer. When the sun had faintly bleached the clouds light pink, the distance between Ye Wei and Lu Qianying shortened to less than two miles. The distance a returned prime Warrior could cover in less than ten seconds.


    ¡®One and a half mile, I am so close my speed enhancing stance could bring me right to you.¡¯ A cold glint appeared in Lu Qianying¡¯s eyes as he chuckled and thought.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ye Wei could sense the Lu¡¯s closing in. The hair on his back stood up as he felt threatened by the returned prime Warrior¡¯s fearsome presence.


    Ye Wei would much rather head deeper into the mountains than confront the Lu elder.


    Another hour passed, the sun was entirely above the skyline. It lit up the long and winding mountain ridge.


    Sunlight shed through the branches of the trees. Ye Wei was camouged by the variegated shadows. He just crossed over a valley, entering the hignd and the dense woods.


    ¡°A wild beast pack!¡± As Ye Wei entered the dense forest, his Sentient shook. He smiled as he picked up their fierce presence.


    ¡®Hahaha, finally!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, ¡®enjoy your meal!¡¯ The mystic mount presence sensed the exact location of the wild blood wolves. He was ready to lead the Lu¡¯s right into the beasts¡¯ jaws.


    ¡°Three high-grade general bloodwolves, twelve mid-grade, forty low-grade.¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself as he counted. His enchanted will-force diffused from him and filled the valley. This gave him a detailed mind image of the location and even the thick hair of the beasts.


    ¡°Kid, today¡¯s date will be on your headstone!¡± Lu Qianying growled. He was now exactly one and a half miles away from Ye Wei.


    ¡®High-level Myst stance, Slidesh!¡¯ Lu Qianying smiled as a yellow-glowing rune sequence appeared under his feet.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Lu Qianying¡¯s figure became blurry. He elerated to the speed of a two-star condensed prime Warrior.


    In a blink of an eye, a chubby, red-haired old man appeared in front of Ye Wei. ¡°You can¡¯t run now!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s fingers curled into a w shape, aimed right at Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    A surge of primal energy rushed from Lu Qianying¡¯s dantian to his hand. A burst of runes appeared in the air and transformed into a twenty feet long and wide spectral palm. It flew straight to Ye Wei¡¯s skull.


    ¡°Oh, hello!¡± Ye Wei stared above as the giant palm fell onto him. His lips curled up as he swiped his hand to the side, shooting a rain of Qi swords from his palm towards the valley.


    Concurrently, a tearing sound came out of Ye Wei¡¯s left hand. A faint green hue wrapped around his body instantaneously.


    ¡°Phewm!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s figure faded. He turned into thin gray smoke and was carried by a strong gust of wind. he pulled a whole mile ahead of Lu Qianying, going into the valley.


    There was no pause in Ye Wei actions. It was apparent to the chubby elder that his target had calcted being caught.

 Chapter 179 – Split

    Chapter 179 - Split


    Ye Wei, the inheritor of the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy, had an almost unlimited supply of weaponry. What others deemed rare and precious he cared little for.


    Unless they contained earth stances, there were not a lot of scrolls that interested him, except, of course, rare scrolls that had functions other than standard offensive or defensive stances.


    ¡°You little prick!¡± Lu Qianying had chased Ye Wei for the entire evening. He could even feel the fabric on Ye Wei¡¯s face mask. He felt outraged, his target had so casually slipped away.


    Lu Qianying nced at the valley and grunted heavily. He decided to enter with slight hesitation in his eyes and hindrance in his movements.


    Lu Li and the rest of the Lu¡¯s men entered the valley following the elder¡¯s lead.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Just as Lu Qianying and his men entered the valley, the Qi swords fired by Ye Wei had entered a cave at the bottom of the valley. These golden energy des crashed onto the cave¡¯s sides and exploded.


    ¡®Howl! Howl!¡±


    The explosion shook the cave. When the explosion quieted, there emerged a few hundred pairs of eyes; they opened simultaneously, furious and blood-thirsty.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Inside the dark cave, the pack of wolves¡¯ eyes resembled hundreds of fierce yellow lights. Their eyes glowing like the moon in the dark morning air.


    ¡°Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!¡±


    At the exact moment Lu Xianying, Lu Li and the other ten-star condensed prime level pursuers entered the valley, a few hundred blood wolves rushed out of the cave. The sound was like a stampede of nearly a thousand paws stomping heavily. All the trees shook, and the stones on the ground loosened and rumbled.


    ¡°Shit! Blood wolves, arge pack of them!¡± the Lu¡¯s heard the deafening howl. They were terrified to see the glowing red-yellow eyes between the branches.


    ¡°Sweet Sages, there are hundreds of them!¡±


    The Warriors¡¯ legs shook and their guts churned; intimidated by the blood wolves¡¯ sinister reputation, they were told since they were young that these wolves would kill you or die trying.


    ¡°You little bastard! I will cut you into little pieces whenever I find you!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s face paled. His veins bulged up and his bloodshot eyes were as red as a beet. He looked in Ye Wei¡¯s direction imagining he was killing right then.


    Being tricked by a kid was more than just humiliating for a returned prime Warrior, it was shameful. Furthermore, Lu Qianying was struggling to stay calm after a restless night.


    Lu Qianying¡¯s sensing stance was blocked by the thick rocks while Ye Wei¡¯s will-force went into the caves and detected the wolves before any of the Lu¡¯s did.


    Lu Qianying was raging. He felt like a seasoned hunter being humiliated by its prey. He stopped and stood still. His golden Qi rushed out of his dantian, the pressure of the energy burst dug a three hundred feet wide and three feet deep pit; the fissure on the ground spread across half of the valley.


    ¡®High-level Myst stance, Golden Mountain Seal!¡¯ Lu Qianying¡¯s bloodshot eyes spotted Ye Wei, who was hiding next to a cliff.


    He ignored the charging wolves and did not bother to protect Lu Li and the other Warriors. He swiped his hand forth and made a few rune sequences.


    The cubby elder was more than ready to lose a few of his men if that ensured Ye Wei¡¯s death. For him, it was more important to keep the secret about the Drakehead safe than a few lives. It was for the greater good.


    The burst of golden runic light condensed in the sky. It formed a sixty foot tall pyramid shape. The sheer mass of the runes gave it a force of attraction as well as an immense pressure.


    The pyramid crushed andpressed the air, a rumbling sound echoed throughout the valley while tens of blood wolves were smashed and pressed into a meat paste.


    ¡°Awoo!¡±


    ¡°Awoo!¡±


    The three high-grade blood wolf leaders saw the violent death of their allies. With their superior and almost human-like intellect, they identified the murderer to be Lu Qianying. The leaders of the pack howled furiously. The runes on their bones began to flow; they sought revenge.


    The seven mid-grade blood wolves followed their leaders. Their bloodthirsty eyes were set on the enormous pyramid.


    The stronger ones of the pack elerated and turned into trails of blood in the sky.


    The wolves jumped. Their bodies shed beside Ye Wei, but his Qi-less presence was not their target. Their revenge filled noses pointed at Lu Quianying.


    ¡°Awoo!¡±


    Hundreds of wolves howled. Their heads pointed up towards the sky, mourning but also cursing. They were angered by the human intruders and their violent murderous act.


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±


    The trails of red proceeded in astonishing speed, crushing into the runic pyramid.


    The pyramid¡¯s fearsome force knocked the mid-grade blood wolves back. They fell on the ground and were paralyzed by the jagged rocks. The three pack leaders were bleeding out from their mouths.


    The wolf pack leaders were a bit stronger than the ten-star condensed prime Warriors. However, the forbidden high-level Myst stance used by a returned prime Warrior was not something they could defeat or defend themselves from.


    The pack did not stop the pyramid from falling, but its path had been altered.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The pyramid flew right next to Ye Wei. It shadowed his face beforending on the rocky cliff. The pyramid¡¯s raging energy exploded, and the cliff copsed. All hundred feet of the cliff slid down, the east side of the valley was now ttened.


    ¡°Is this the power of returned prime Warrior with only a flick of his finger!?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s pupils dted. His back was soaked with sweat. All the hair on his arm and legs stood up from his goosebumps. ¡®The returned prime Warrior¡¯s power was unnatural!¡¯


    Recently, Ye Wei began to be more confident with his cultivation level, but he now realized how vulnerable he truly was. He saw the wrath of the returned prime Warrior with his own eyes. He was not sure if he had enough time to avoid the pyramid strike even with the aid of scrolls. He needed to escape quickly as possible.


    ¡°Lu¡¯s you can have fun with the blood wolves, I am out of here!¡± Ye Wei inhaled long and deep. After calming down, he stomped the floor, leaving a trail of star-like runes behind him as he escaped to the outskirts of the mountains.


    After witnessing the power of the chubby elder, Ye Wei just wanted to be as far away from the fatal danger.


    ¡°You brat! Where do you think you are going? You¡¯re staying here with us!¡± Lu Qianying could see Ye Wei was trying to get away. He grunted and tried to leap towards the disguised kid¡¯s direction. However just as he was going to leap forth, he found himself surrounded by hundreds of wolves.


    The fanged beasts were violent and reckless. Although they could not threaten Lu Qianying¡¯s life, they were capable of immobilizing him momentarily. When he managed to free himself, Ye Wei was out of his sight entirely.


    Furious and crazed, Lu Qianying once again activated his sensing stance. Nevertheless, this time, it was all toote. He could not sense the tiny amount of energy the mysterious assassin gave off.


    ¡°This kid wouldn¡¯t dare enter the mountain range. He has to be hiding somewhere in the outskirt area. Now, go and search for him!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s face waspletely red, ¡°I want the ten-star condensed prime Warriors to lead a team of five each. Cover every inch of ground back towards the bay area. Bring me that kid dead or alive!¡±


    ¡°And if you don¡¯t bring me that kid, consider yourselves exiled!¡± he irately shouted. His red hair fluttered in the breeze as he forcefully tried to scan around.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Each and every one of the Lu¡¯s bent down, bowing to Lu Qianying¡¯s supremacy.


    Though the teams were all condensed prime Warriors, they did not feel entirely safe being in the area. They just had a near death experience involving therge pack of blood wolves. They would rather leave and remain alive.


    ¡°Come, take a jade amulet, each of you. If you see that kid or feel like you are in danger, break it. The kid we are chasing is armed with many rare scrolls. I fear he has more tricks up his sleeves.¡± Lu Qianying spoke as he handed each of the team leaders a forbidden high-level Myst scroll.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have to sacrifice your lives, or even your teammates¡¯. Just stay alive long enough to keep the kid there for twenty seconds, and I will be there. The amulet will help me locate you.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± shouted Lu Li. This morning the head elder¡¯s grandchild had acted his most subservient he had ever done in his entire life or would ever.

 Chapter 180 – Thundercrack Stamp

    Chapter 180 - Thundercrack Stamp


    Lu Li, Lu Hai and the other four ten-star condensed prime Warriors each took five cultivators with them in their search for Ye Wei on the outskirts of North Barren Mountains.


    All of them, even Lu Li were afraid of the consequence of failing their assignment, and they feared facing the powerful assassin as well. Lu Li just fiercely wanted to annihte him.


    Ye Wei flew through the woods as he expanded the range of his will-force¡¯s reach. He knew the returned prime Warrior¡¯s senses given by their will-force was potent enough to detect energy from more than ten miles away.


    Five miles was the limit of Ye Wei¡¯s will-force reach. Any further Ye Wei could not sense if if the object or person was farther from him. ¡®This is dangerous. They can set a trap if they know my location while I am oblivious on theirs!¡¯ Ye Wei gritted his teeth and continued to channel his will-force.


    ¡®Six miles...¡¯


    ¡®Seven miles...¡¯ His veins bulged up, and his Sentient rattled as he reached his limit.


    ¡°No! This is still not enough!¡± He injected Qi into his Sentient and dug deep to the mystic mount within.


    The golden presence of the mystic mount shone bright; Ye Wei could feel his will-force thickening.


    ¡®Ten miles... Twenty, thirty!¡¯


    Ye Wei could finally sense his pursuers He felt the Lu¡¯s movements Judging by what he could sense, none of the small teams, not even Lu Qianying himself, had any idea on Ye Wei¡¯s whereabouts.


    ¡®The returned prime Warrior and the teams of condensed prime Warriors slowed down. I might even be able to sneak back to the Drakehead and train a bit more if I am careful!¡¯


    ¡°They¡¯ve just split up!¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself as he sensed the slight change in Qi disturbance, ¡®that¡¯s a good sign. It means they don¡¯t know where I am!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes glistened Although coordinated, the Lu¡¯s every single move was read by Ye Wei. He noticed they were split farther and farther from each other. ¡®I¡¯ve been chased for an entire night, I think it¡¯s time to turn the tables.¡¯


    ¡®But how should I do it?¡¯ He was still haunted by the scene of the valley copsing because of just one strike from the returned prime Warrior.


    ¡°I can¡¯t defend myself against a forbidden high-level Myst stance, not when it is used by a returned prime Warrior.¡± Ye Wei muttered.


    ¡®Though it will be hard to find a chance like this, when the all the teams are closer to each other again.¡¯ Ye Wei decided tounch a counter attack. ¡®I have been feeling anxious the entire night. Now it¡¯s my turn for you to feel anxious. I need to kill a couple of you to send a clear, direct message!¡¯


    Taking advantage of the Lu¡¯s split search, Ye Wei quietly tracked down one of the weaker teams. He was ready to silence all of them. He hid all his Qi presence. While sensing where the returned prime Warriors were, he calcted the best time and ce for the surprise attack.


    On the other hand, Lu Qianying was clear that his men were no match for Ye Wei. He was trying his best to keep an equal distance between himself and each of the search teams.


    The seasoned elder knew he was looking for a needle in a haystack, so he kept his distance. It was his intention all along to use the six teams as bait. He correctly assumed that it was in the assassin¡¯s interest to eliminate as many Lu¡¯s as possible.


    However, he was one step behind since he had no knowledge about Ye Wei¡¯s sensory capabilities.


    ¡®One of the search teams is closing in, six of them in total, the strongest one of them is a ten-star condensed prime Warrior...¡¯ Ye Wei was constantly assessing the situation. He waited patiently for his timing, though.


    After hours of stalking, Ye Wei saw his window of opportunity. He took a scroll out of his bag and sped towards the team furthest away from Lu Qianying.


    ¡°Rip!¡±


    The enchanted scroll was torn; sequences of runes bursted out from the tear. Ye Wei was suddenly wrapped in a green runic light. He rushed towards the isted team with speed of a returned prime Warrior.


    Both of them being forbidden high-level Myst stances, the Green Shade stance within the scroll was at least as quick as Lu Qianying¡¯s Slidesh stance.


    Ye Wei took more than one of these scrolls from the cial Emperor. Although he preferred using them defensively, he believed using them offensively also would gain him tempo.


    ¡°Swoosh...¡±


    Ye Wei became a cyan sh.He quietly advanced two miles distance. His gaze was hysterical, and he attentively looked forward to seeing his victims.


    ¡®Lu Li?¡¯ Ye Wei was close enough to identify the energy source, ¡®a direct descendant of the Lu¡¯s bloodline! This was worth the hours of stalking!¡¯


    ¡®Goodbye!¡¯ Ye Wei rushed forward, activated the second evolution of Supernova stance as he shot six Peerless Swords to his targets.


    ¡°Plop!¡±


    ¡°ng!¡±


    The Qi Swords hit simultaneously five condensed prime Warriors. Their bodies were prated from behind. None of them could even see their killer¡¯s ice cold eyes before they died.


    The dead bodies flew backwards from the Ye Wei¡¯s powerful sword¡¯s force. They were eventually stopped by the trees.


    It did note to a surprise for Ye Wei that he was able to kill five condensed prime Warrior from the dark, but the man left standing did startle him.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Lu Li saw his dead teammates. He turned around and recognized the familiar figure. ¡°How dare you! This time I am ready for your cowardly ambush! You won¡¯t be able to run this time!¡±


    Lu Li quickly leaped away from Ye Wei; he crushed the jade amulet with hisrge muscr hands. He was still injured; consequently, he concluded before he started the search that he would not fight, but instead just buy time until Lu Qianying arrived to finish the assassin off.


    ¡°Ha, and you call me a coward?¡± Ye Wei immediately guessed the Lu Li¡¯s intention. He narrowed his eyes and shot ten more Qi swords right at Lu Li¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Gotcha!¡± Lu Qianying felt the burst of energy released by the broken amulet from forty miles away.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Lu Qianying levitated, and he flew towards Lu Li¡¯s current location at a fearsome speed.


    ¡°Same trick? How naive!¡± Lu Li chuckled. He clenched his fist and channeled his Qi to strengthen his body further. His muscles bulged up, and his skin gained a mysterious metallic shine.


    ¡°Titanic form is the most defensive out of the Lu¡¯s three earth grade cultivation forms!¡± Lu Li¡¯s disdainful smile grew wide. His fist flew towards Ye Wei.


    ¡°ng! ng ng!¡±


    After a deafening sharp noise, the Qi swords dispersed. Lu Li was unharmed expect a few shallow scratches on his fist.


    ¡°Eh!?¡± Both Lu Li and Ye Wei were surprised. They both underestimated their opponent.


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Lu Li¡¯s face darkened. He grunted and stomped the ground; his Qi swept the ground, sending a shockwave straight at Ye Wei.


    ¡®He is stronger than me, but I don¡¯t need to beat him. I just need to by my time until the elderes!¡¯ Lu Li was bold but notpletely dumb. He knew what to expect.


    ¡®Starblink Steps!¡¯


    Ye Wei frowned. He quickly channeled his Qi to his feet; the star-like rune sequences under his feet buffered the shockwave while he was charging towards Lu Li.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Lu Li was struggling to follow Ye Wei¡¯s ghostly figure. He threw his fist forth repeatedly to create a safe zone in front of him. However, before his eyes registered where his opponent was he felt a cold breeze behind his head.


    Ye Wei aimed right at the back of Lu Li¡¯s skull. His fist was infused with Peerless Sword energy and traveled at the speed of lightning.


    ¡°ng!¡±


    The sound of an iron hammer striking a rock sounded when Ye Wei¡¯s fist crushed against Lu Li¡¯s head. ¡°What a tough body! I don¡¯t think I have enough time to destroy him before the return prime Warriores!¡±


    Ye Wei stared at Lu Li, counting the time in his heart, ¡®I¡¯vended all my Qi swords onto the back of his head, at the human body¡¯s weak spot, I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ He didn¡¯t even hurt Lu Li, and Lu Li¡¯s strikes didn¡¯t hit Ye Wei even once. It seemed they were at a stand still.


    ¡°You are still not strong enough to hurt me! Just surrender now before I tear you apart!¡± Lu Li screamed andughed. His heavy fists fell onto Ye Wei like a rain of meteors.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s Qi Swords and Lu Li¡¯s metallic fist shed against each other. The impact turned stones into dust and sent a rippling energy wave through the woods, snapping the tree trunks in its path.


    The enormous recoil stunned Ye Wei slightly. He absorbed the main impact with a backflip while the star-like runes under his feet kept his body steady.


    ¡°Earth grade form, huh?¡± Ye Wei shook off the numbing tingle in his shoulder. He noticed the simrities between Lu Li¡¯s technique and the Pris Academy¡¯s form.


    ¡®His form can redirect impact too! It¡¯s a shame the falling star form is unfinished. I am sure the Ye Supreme had worked on it, and I can feel its potential.¡¯ Ye Wei again tried to learn his


    opponent¡¯s tricks inbat.


    ¡®Any moment now, though elder Qianying should be here! I have to keep this kid with me!¡¯ Lu Li red at Ye Wei, like a wolf about to feast on his prey. He clenched his fist, his muscles bulged up, and his hair hardened and stood up like rows of steel needles, a metallic texture appeared in his eyes.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    Lu Li¡¯s arms were now twice their original size; the muscles rattled as he groaned.


    ¡®High-level Myst stance, Thundercrack Stamp!¡¯ Lu Li¡¯s Qi turned into runes. The runes were wrapping around his arm, and it became electrically charged. He leaped up and struck at Ye Wei. He covered all his escape routes with bolts of runic lightning.

 Chapter 181 – Mind Compass

    Chapter 181 Mind Compass


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The raging energy from Lu Li¡¯s stance pressed Ye Wei into the ground. A palm-shaped mass of runes blocked all of Ye Wei¡¯s escape routes while sharp arcing bolts asionally struck fissures on the solid rocks close by.


    ¡®Shit, I¡¯m running out of time!¡¯ Ye Wei panicked. He was worried about the returned prime Warrior catching up.


    ¡°The Zodiac Sword is as sharp as my mind is when I draw the runes to it.¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself. His years of training shed before him, and he felt inspired by the Lu¡¯s Myst stance.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes went cold; his Qi surged out like a flooding river. ¡°Let me show you what you just taught me!¡± With will-force on his fingertips, he shaped his Qi to runes, and transformed them into thirty-six Peerless Qi Swords. ¡®You can stop a sword, but you can¡¯t stop a damn flooding river!¡¯


    The final form of the Peerless Sword consisted of three hundred and sixty Qi swords. It consisted of a fearsome river of refined, sharp bolts of energy. Although Ye Wei was not close to understanding the sky stance¡¯splete form, he was able imitate the essence of the Zodiac Sword.


    Ye Wei rxed his body and stretched his arms. Both of them straight as a sword, both of them aimed at Lu Li¡¯s stance above his head.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    All thirty-six Qi swords intertwined, glided upwards smoothly against the gravitating lightning palm.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The bound Qi sword struck the center of Lu Li¡¯s stance. The falling in momentum became an advantage for Ye Wei; the slowness in Lu Li¡¯s attack made it easier to prate the lightning palm.


    ¡°Plop!¡±


    The connection of the stances was brief. Lu Li was paralyzed by a shrill sound of the Qi sword tearing through his best stance.


    ¡°How is this possible!?¡± The elder¡¯s grandson could not do a thing. He hopelessly watched the runes fall apart. Lu Li never doubted Ye Wei¡¯s strength. He genuinely thought he found a way to defend himself, but he realized he was outssed.


    ¡®I¡¯ve disappointed you, elder Qianying...¡¯ Lu Li¡¯s body was drowning in the massive stream of Qi created by Ye Wei. His body began to chip and crackle, it was soon covered with bright red. The metallic glow on his skin faded, and a rusty smell grew intense as his blood evaporated.


    The young Lu fell before he could even use the scroll he was given.


    Ye Wei breathed heavily, imitating a sky stance¡¯s Qi flow at his cultivation level had taken an immense toll on him. His body was weakened, and his face went pale. Though, he managed to drop his opponent.


    ¡®I still have time!¡¯ Ye Wei took Lu Li¡¯s interspatial bag before he reached into his own to find a Green Shade scroll.


    ¡°Rip!¡±


    A faint green light wrapped around Ye Wei; he instantly travelled two miles in a sh and headed back into the mountains without hesitation.


    ¡®Ten miles, this is how much I need to keep the distance between me and him. He is faster and stronger than me, I can¡¯t take any risks.¡¯ Ye Wei thought while looking towards the Lu Qianying¡¯s direction. He sensed the warrior¡¯s Qi. He finally felt a safe distance away, but he didn¡¯t entirely feel safe.


    ¡°Imbecile!¡± Lu Qianying screamed. He arrived at the scene five seconds after Ye Wei took off. His bloodshot eyes widened as he saw all the dead bodies. His gaze eventually set on Lu Li¡¯s ravaged corpse. ¡°Don¡¯t you know your limits!? What am I going to tell your granddad!?¡±


    The elder furiously looked around to see if the assassin left and clues. Yet, there was nothing but woond critters.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Lu Qianying turned around and rushed back to the direction he came from.


    ¡°You like ying games, huh!?¡± He noticed the Qi presence of the other teams fading, but he was toote. He was infuriated by lifeless bodies he saw while departing.


    ¡°Useless... F**king, useless!¡± He counted a dozen more dead bodies. None of them seemed to have struggled before they died.


    Lu Qianying lifted his head and clenched his fists. He cried and howled like a crazed animal. His Qi bursted out in all directions.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The golden energy surge swept the woods. It turned trees into logs and dirt into a thick screen of smoke. All of a sudden, the beautiful nature became a wastnd as if it was stampeded by a pack of king grade wild beasts.


    Lu Qianying harshly exhaled and carefully took a scroll from his inside pocket. His eyes twitched regretfully.


    The whole scroll was dark. There was a subtle pulsing glow, synchronized with its slow but pressuring aura.


    The scroll containing an earth stance was the most valuable possession Lu Qianying carried with him. It was given to him as a gift by the Lu Patriarch when he broke through to be a returned prime Warrior. It contained the Mind Compass stance.


    Although the stance was not aggressive at all, its unique function gave it an unmatchable value.


    Considering one of the victims was the head elder¡¯s grandson, he could possibly be facing capital punishment if he did not capture the person responsible for this outrage.


    Lu Qianying ground his teeth. He opened the scroll and tore it swiftly.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    A long rune sequence appeared in the sky. There was a touch of gold to its vivid hue. It kept stretching and eventually covered a hundred miles radius around Lu Xianying.


    ¡°Whizz!¡±


    The runes shrank quickly into Lu Qianying¡¯s head. He was suddenly able to see in his mind the life energy of all creatures within a hundred miles. While his Qi energy became undetectable.


    ¡°I will catch you this time, you little bastard!¡± Lu Qianying muttered. He quickly located Ye Wei through the image in his mind. With a heavy stomp, he became a shadow. This shadow zoomed towards Ye Wei like an arrow whizzing through air; nothing stopped him pursuing his target now.


    Ye Wei was over thirty miles away from Lu Qianying. He was not aware of the danger he was in.


    ¡®This is a warning. North Hill Bay is the Ye¡¯snd, and the Drakehead is therefore the Ye¡¯s property!¡¯ He was proud of his secret mission. ¡®This is not enough, though. I have to kill as many of them as I can. The more time they have to rethink their strategy the better.¡¯


    ¡®There are only three teams left. I should be able to finish them.¡¯ Ye Wei was constantly calcting the best execution for his next move. ¡®It¡¯s good that cousin Zhong did not follow, less to worry about when I strike.¡¯


    With his extraordinary soul sensitivity, Ye Wei stalked the Lu¡¯s like an opportunistic predator who waited for the best window to strike.


    Ye Wei was heading back into the mountain range, avoiding the wild beasts, ¡®My revenge has just begun! I will kill everyst one of you, one at a time. I will look into your eyes before I crush your hearts!¡¯ He sat next to a tall rock. He took a pill and began to use the Falling Star form.


    The Supernova stance was taking a toll on Ye Wei. His Qi was drained and his body was exhausted. He was desperate to recover quickly, so he could finish what he started earlier.


    Ye Wei expanded his detection range as he recharged his will-force, but he could not sense Lu Qianying¡¯s iing. He focused on recuperating rather than being on guard since he already left the dangerous scene.


    Ye Wei had his eyes closed. The setting sun warmed his cheeks. He was rxing and resting in the quiet wilderness for the first time after more than half a day of running.


    Less than half a minute after he sat down, he felt a strange chilling breeze. He opened his eyes.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    The breeze intensified; the trees around Ye Wei began to bend towards him.


    ¡°Shit! How did I not feel any of this?!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face changed. He stood up and quickly grabbed the iron talisman from his belt.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    A pressuring presence froze Ye Wei in ce. A chubby figure appeared right in front of him.


    The elder¡¯s hair was fluttering in the wind. The runes under his feet were condensed into small golden clouds after each step he took, thus leaving a trail of golden mist behind him.


    There was no primal feathers behind Lu Qianying¡¯s back. The returned prime was levitating by his own power; his mastery over natural primal energy.


    ¡°Anyst words?¡± Lu Qianying stared furiously down onto Ye Wei. His demeaning gaze intimidated and startled the unsuspecting Ye Wei.

 Chapter 182 – The Gathering

    Chapter 182 - The Gathering


    Lu Qianying¡¯s fearsome presence encaged Ye Wei. While Lu Qianying approached Ye Wei, sequences of runes surged out of his body.


    ¡®It¡¯s not even a stance yet!¡¯ Ye Wei ground his teeth. He could not move an inch. He was bewildered by the returned prime Warrior¡¯s control over him.


    ¡®Wait, I can take advantage of this!¡¯ Ye Wei rxed his body. Dropping his defenses, he allowed the Lu elder¡¯s Qi to prate his body. Then he directed the energy to his bones, using it to help transform the runes on his bones.


    ¡®I guess this will be good for now, but I needeto stay alive!¡¯ Ye Wei was enduring the excruciating pain. He held tightly onto his iron talisman, waiting for the best moment to strike back.


    Ye Wei slowly lifted his head to take a good look at his returned prime level opponent. His eyes lit up and his mouth opened to speak, ¡°the Drakehead is not something you Lu¡¯s can monopolize for your own profit! I¡¯ve ordered my men to spread the news regarding the Drakehead¡¯s location if I didn¡¯t return back tonight. I would love to know the royal families would react! If they found out your family was not nning to share the treasures, they will kill you all!¡±


    ¡°What!? Who are you!? How do you know this much!?¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s face drastically changed. He slightly held back his Qi and stared cautiously at Ye Wei.


    It was not difficult for Lu Qianying to kill Ye Wei,. However, having everyone learn about the Drakehead,and keeping the Lu¡¯s family¡¯s trustworthy image and influence, would be..


    ILu Qingying couldn¡¯t tell if the assassin was bluffing or not. He stared coldly at the masked man, calcting the most appropriate response.


    ¡°You are a liar! Show me some kind of identification. Give me a reason not to kill you!¡± Lu Qianying screamed his ultimatum. His golden Qi be thicker and grasped Ye Wei harder.


    Meanwhile, he casted his will-force upon the assassin. Lu Qianying attempted to extract information by mental torture.


    However, the returned primed Warrior¡¯s specialty was not effective, Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient vibrated and shone golden, rendering Lu Qianying¡¯s will-force useless.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen this trick before. Even then I was not impressed by it!¡± Ye Wei chuckled. He hoped by angering the elder would allow him some time toe up with an escape n.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lu Qianying was concerned. He was surprised Ye Wei was not affected by his presence. It confirmed his suspicion that this assassin was indeed likely rted to a powerful martial family.


    The Lu family¡¯s power reigned supreme in the Qing state, but in Lu Qianying¡¯s eyes, the assassin could very well be rted to one of the royal families¡¯ rivals. He was therefore afraid to get himself involved in something he would not be able to handle. He hesitated to kill Ye Wei because he didn¡¯t want his family¡¯s future to be in peril.


    Furthermore, he could not risk potentially exposing the Lu¡¯s secret mission to the rest of the world.


    Thankfully for Ye Wei, a moments hesitation was all that he needed. He quickly leaped forth with the aid of the Starblink stance, ¡®this is good, if I feel him approaching I will just use another scroll!¡¯


    ¡°You cheeky little...¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s cold gaze lit up, ¡®if I can¡¯t catch you, Lu Li¡¯s death will be my responsibility!¡¯


    ¡°Kid, I wouldn¡¯t be annoying now if I were you. In the end, I will be the one torturing you, so you better cooperative.¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s Qi transformed to a massive hand-shape. It fiercely shot forth towards Ye Wei.


    ¡®My life is worth more than this scroll I guess.¡¯ Ye Wei was startled and unsure. He kept advancing, not willing to tear the scroll unless absolutely necessary.


    ¡°The North Barren Mountains is not men¡¯s territory!¡± A low, screeching voice sounded. Lu Qianying turned his head. Ye Wei decided against tearing the scroll and instead he observed who wasing towards them.


    There was a cruel tone to the shrill voice. Ye Wei ears felt a piercing pain. He was consumed by an unexinable sense of fear. From what he could feel, the person who just came was at least ten times stronger than Lu Qianying.


    Ye Wei¡¯s face became pale. He even cked out for a second. Thankfully his Sentient was enforced by the mystic mount.


    ¡°It¡¯s a demon king...¡± Lu Qianying gasped. He shivered as he witnessed the disintegration of his runic golden palm. He lifted his head to look at the darkening sky. ¡®F**k, I shouldn¡¯t have followed him this deep into the mountains...¡¯


    ¡°I knew what you¡¯ve done to the bloodwolves, I was nice enough to ignore how you disturbed the peace... Growl! How dare youe to our home! Are you trying to rub it in my face?¡± Another rough voice sounded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a king grade wild beast!¡± Lu Qianying eximed. His face turned sheet white,and his feet were uncontrobly shaking. He knew he was staring at death itself.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    A pulse of primal energy shook the sky while a creature that was asrge as a small hill stopped by. It was a king grade beast, and its mile long body was covered by dark moss green scales. On top of its armor-guarded spine were four golden wings.


    ¡°Quadwing Barren Beast!?¡± Lu Qianying was unable to remain calm. He took a few clumsy steps back beforepletely freezing up. He stood as still as a statue in front of all beasts residing in the mountain range.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    Thirty-six arcs of fog bows brightened the dark sky. Each of the arcs quickly condensed to lotus paddle shapes and together formed arge rosette seat. A surge of energy created an opening in the middle of the rosette. A man came forth the from the dimension within the mysterious structure.


    This pale man stood on top of the rosette, nced at Ye Wei and chuckled. He then scornfully moved his attention to the returned prime Warrior.


    Lu Qianying crossed the demon¡¯s gaze. His pupils shrunk to the size of a needle¡¯s eye. The demon king was in humanoid form. He looked not a day older than twenty-four years of age.His perfectly proportionate face made his sinister presence slightly less repulsive. Yet, the strange glow in his eyes sucked his victim in a captivating, foreboding darkness.


    Three more demon king and six more king grade beasts arrived. The demons stood behind the rosette seat while the wild beast were levitating in the shadow of their leader¡¯s wings.


    ¡®This is the Skeleton Demon King. He is the third and strongest son of the Nightfall Demon Emperor.¡¯ Lu Qianying was uncontrobly stuttering and shivering. He wondered what attracted all these wild beasts and demons when any single one of them could have easily killed him.


    ¡®The Skeleton Demon King possessed the strength of a eight-star returned prime Warrior, meaning even the Patriarch could not do anything...¡¯ Lu Qianying was spasming.


    The Skeleton Demon King stared at Lu Qianying. He was calm; it looked like he had no intention to fight; thought, that did not matter since Lu Qianying was unable to move..


    Released from Lu Qianying¡¯s enchanted will-force, Ye Wei was free to move. He could not see any difference between a normal human being and the demon before him, but his stomach acted like it was eating him from the inside. He knew he was looking at something evil; therefore, he clenched tighter to the iron talisman and the scroll in his other hand.


    Ye Wei had no idea if the gadgets were going to save his life or not. Nevertheless, he had no other choices.


    ¡°A one-star returned prime Warrior who dares to wander this deep into the North Barren Mountains, are you insane or just suicidal? You know more than well that this is no ce for the living!¡± The Demon King spoke. He snickered at Lu Qianying¡¯s idiocy. He then nodded at the Quadwing Barren Beast.


    ¡°When I heard that some bloodwolves were killed, I thought we were attacked by the Royal Huyan family! Oh well, you can be the appetizer of the night for the young ones.¡± The winged beast spoke human tongue again. It inhaled air as it lifted its head. Arge golden beam of moltenva erupted out from the dark deep abyss of the beast¡¯s mouth.


    Lu Qianying was telling his body to move, but it did not work. He defensively watched as the beam flew at him. ¡®What is he talking about? Are the royals around? If so, I might have a chance of living!¡¯


    The elder did not want to die, thus he bit his tongue. The intense pain reawakened his senses; he then quickly moved out of the impact zone.


    Once hended on the ground and steadied his footing, he channeled his Qi and shaped it into runes with his fingers as quick as he could. Never did he think he would use his best stance for the chance to survive.


    ¡®Forbidden high-level Myst stance, Frozen Goldsplit Sword!¡¯

 Chapter 183 – Huyan

    Chapter 183 - Huyan


    The Sky Freeze Form was not only the precursor to Frozen Goldsplit Sword, it also synergized to forbidden high-level Myst stance, making the cultivator momentarily stronger while using the stance.


    Motivated by the will to live, Lu Qianying¡¯s Qi flowed faster than usual. He quickly drew thousands of runes. The temperature around his chubby body dropped drastically, and the ground began to frost over, quickly turning white.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The returned prime Warrior¡¯s runes turned into white kes. They then gravitated towards Lu Qianying¡¯s hand, forming a white Qi de. Lu Qianying thought he dodged theva pir, but he soon realized that the beast¡¯s incinerating breath was following him.


    He lifted the sword and struck theva. He knew that he had to somehow deflect the iing attack since he did not have the speed to avoid it.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The white Qi sword melted; it evaporated before it even touched theva. The runes were reduced into a thinyer of scattered energy.


    The Quadwing Barren Beast had the strength equivalent to a seven-star returned prime Warrior. Lu Qianying, the one-star returned prime Warrior, was aware his resistance was futile. Nheless, he did all he could in hopes that his effort would help him survive.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    Theva pir fell onto Lu Qianying. It engulfed him and burrowed him into the ground. The impact caused a brief earthquake. The elder¡¯s bloody and burnt body was left motionless in the pit created by the beast¡¯s breath.


    ¡°How is he still breathing!?¡± The Quadwing Barren Beast frowned in shame. The scales on his face made a sizzling sound. He was afraid his allies would doubt his capabilities since he did not kill Lu Qianying as nned.


    ¡°Pfft!¡± The Quadwing Barren Beast grunted. He lifted his hoofs and stomped down at Lu Qianying.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    The powerful leg strokes sent shockwaves down onto the pit. The hill around it began to copse.


    ¡®This guy can¡¯t even defend himself against the beast¡¯s breath!¡¯ Ye Wei ran and found shelter more than three hundred feet away. He was desperately hiding behind a tree, shaking the whole time while tightly holding his talisman.


    It was obvious to the young five-star condensed prime Warrior that he could easily be the next victim. He slowed his breath and contained his energy the best he could. He realized he would not be able to escape the beasts and the demons if they were eager to chase.


    Just before the hoof was about to take Lu Qianying¡¯s life, as many as twenty beams of light crossed the sky. A thunderous hoarse chant stunned the beast.


    A cultivator appeared on the end of each light beams. All of them were returned prime Warrior. and all of them were stronger than Lu Qianying.


    ¡°Viled winged abomination! You will pay for injuring a returned prime Warrior!¡± His powerful voice echoed the mountain range. Seven turquoise Qi des ignited and flew towards the winged beast¡¯s feet.


    The beast¡¯s gigantic blue eyes disdainfully stared at the Qi des, ¡°pa Turquoise des? What is the Royal Huyan family doing here!?¡± He nimbly turned his enormous body and stomped forth. He defended himself with his sturdy hoofs.


    ¡°Punish them!¡± The royal squad¡¯s leader shouted as his stance crashed onto the winged beast¡¯s limbs. While the squad, the returned prime Warriors rushed towards the seven king grade wild beasts to hismand.


    ¡°You can clean the dirt on the ground with your faces!¡± The beast was bold. He fearlessly led his pack to the spirited human cultivators.


    The Demon King understood his ally was in a tight situation. He lifted his hand and curled it into a w. He then struck towards the squad leader. ¡°Your kind owe me one!¡±


    The demons beast, and royals started a deadly brawl. The sh of forces created an energy maelstrom in the sky it wrapped the dimension, dark scars, opening to other realms were spreading above the battlefield.


    Ye Wei could feel the ground he stood on was shaking tremendously. The trees and rocks were breaking and sinking into the soil.


    A surge of energy erupted out of the maelstrom. It hit the ground while a pulsating wave spread outwards through the mountains. The towering hills copsed and thend cracked where the wave passed through.


    To the battlers, Ye Wei was just a part of the environment, unnoticed.


    Under the pressure of all the powerful presences, Ye Wei could not move. He too began to sink into the ground, but he was looking a step ahead. He used this outside energy to power the runic transformation on his bones.


    ¡®With the next Supernova evolution, I will be able to have the strength of a returned prime Warrior!¡¯ Ye Wei lusted after power which would give him the ability to escape and protect what his ancestor left to his family.


    Ye Wei looked around and spotted Lu Qianying. He could see the elder was wiggling, though, the ground was trembling. He wanted to finish him off, but he was too afraid that one of the royal squad would intervene.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    The runic patterns on Ye Wei¡¯s bones kept transforming. He was overwhelmed and engulfed by pain as the transformation process was about to reach its end.


    Even in pain, he was alert, though. Although none of the demons or beast saw him as a threat, he knew he could easily be colossal damage. He felt like he was lounging in a burning room.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    The surface waves were heading towards Ye Wei¡¯s direction. He tore an Instant Shadow scroll immediately since he knew he would be miles underground within seconds otherwise.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    Sequences of runes burst out of the scroll. They wrapped around Ye Wei and made him disappear from this terrifying and threatening scene. Within the same second, a whole globe of light vanished and reappeared a hundred miles away from its original location.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    After Ye Wei¡¯s departure, the battlefield became a thirty miles wide bald spot within the mountains.


    ¡°Just in time!¡± Ye Wei nced at the brawl from a distance. He gasped as he realized the scale of the destruction. There was no signs of life; only debris and blood remained at the battlefield.


    ¡°I would have died if it wasn¡¯t for the scroll! I need to be stronger, at least a returned prime Warrior level!¡± Ye Wei inhaled deeply and muttered. His eyes shone determination.


    ¡®At least I don¡¯t have to worry about Lu Qianying now.¡¯ He looked at the destroyed battlefield and thought. ¡®If he was willing to kill me, he should have been ready to die as well!¡¯


    Ye Wei sat down to adjust the Qi flow in his body but could not focus. He was too agitated and concerned over the beasts, the demons, and the royal family¡¯s involvement in the search of the Drakehead.


    The images of the battle haunted and teased him. He clenched his fist stood up and looked towards the Drakehead. ¡®There is no other way! I have to finish the third Supernova Evolution.¡¯


    ¡°I have very limited time to improve my cultivation.¡± Ye Wei mumbled. He was nervous. If anyone who were involved in the fight moments ago realized how close they were to the treasure, the Drakehead would be lost forever.


    ¡°Twenty-four days had past since Lu Ren was killed. The green sandalwood box¡¯s effect is only going tost for another week at most!¡± Ye Wei bit his nails as he muttered, ¡°They will know Lu Feng¡¯s and my involvement. Then they will be able to guess easily that we have been sabotaging their missions.¡± He shook his head and continued, ¡°There is another elder stationed close by. Lu Feng¡¯s and my life would be at risk!¡±


    After clearing his mind, Ye Wei sped towards the secret pond. He didn¡¯t have to worry much about the Lu¡¯s wandering close to the Drakehead now that he had killed most of the search team leaders.


    Ye Wei leaped upwards to the top of the woods. Using a springing motion from the trees, he achieved an astounding speed. It only took him less than an hour before he was at the pondside again.


    The young Runemaster waspletely focused. He took a deep breath and wrapped his body with protectiveyer of Qi and will-force. Immediately, he dove straight down to the bottom of the body of freezing water.

 Chapter 184 – Report

    Chapter 184 - Report


    Back in Green Moon City, Lu Feng was cultivating, sitting with bent legs on top of one of the City Lord Castle¡¯s watchtowers. Although he seemed focused, his twitching brows were showing the opposite.


    He had returned to the Lu¡¯s base since he lost Ye Wei two days ago. He figured the safest thing to do would be hiding with the Lu¡¯s so he would have alibi when asked if he knew anything about what happened at North Hill Bay.


    Lu Feng cared about himself more than anything or anyone else, but knowing that he could neverplete his revenge alone, he worried about Ye Wei.


    ¡®What the hell! It¡¯s almost been three days now, Lu Qianying is not back, which can be good, but Ye Wei is not back either. What could have happened!?¡¯ Lu Feng stopped his training, opened his eyes and kept ncing every five seconds at the Runic Badge he ced on hisp, refusing to be the first to get in contact as it might tip-off whomever captured Ye Wei.


    Being in the blind was a torturous experience, every second was fueled with anxiety. Lu Feng grew nervous, his leg shook, there was nothing else for him to do than wait.


    ¡°The box¡¯s effect will wear off in six days. When Lu Ren¡¯s spirit me is out, the Lu¡¯s will find out what happened...¡± Lu Feng muttered to himself, ¡°I can¡¯t really just count on Ye Wei, it might be the time to give up on the Drakehead and just try to stay alive!¡±


    ¡®I will wait five more days, if I don¡¯t hear anything from Ye Wei by then I will leave the city with my father!¡¯ Lu Feng clenched his fist, ¡®and when I leave, I will spread the news regarding the Drakehead!¡¯


    ¡°I will make your lives miserable! There are plenty of powerful people that can take over my revenge!¡± He red at the Lu¡¯s office before making his way to his father¡¯s.


    ***


    At the Drakehead, deep down the pond.


    Ye Wei was protected by the second Supernova evolution, he gritted his teeth, enduring the crushing pressure and the extreme temperature as he looked at the green-glowing pce nine hundred feet away.


    Ye Wei thought about entering the pce but the intense freezing surges of energy emitted by the pce were stopping him from doing so.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The cold surges prated Ye Wei¡¯s body, reached deep into his bones, pressuring the runes and altering their shape.


    Besides a small amount of runes on his skull, all the runes on Ye Wei¡¯s skeleton had transformed into yin yang shapes.


    He lusted for power and paddled himself closer to the pce in hopes that he would therefore reach the third Supernova Evolution quicker, which would give him a returned prime Warrior¡¯s strength.


    ¡®Just a bit closer!¡¯ Ye Wei struck a long stroke against the cold water, even though he felt his joints frosting up, he just kept going.


    The numbing pain dampened his senses and awareness, Ye Wei only realized his second Supernova evolution was wearing off when he was about to run out of Qi.


    He would freeze to death without the stance and he did not have the strength or time to return to the surface.


    As the amplification stance wore off, Ye Wei found it increasingly harder to move his body. The ice on him was only getting thicker, constricting him tighter.


    ¡®My life cannot end here!¡¯ He used hisst strength to paddle closer to the pce, closed his eyes and used the Falling Star form to flood his system with primal energy. He channeled the rush to his head, forcefully transforming the runes.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    With the third Supernova Evolution, Ye Wei¡¯s Falling Star form quickly transformed the surrounding energy to his own.


    ¡®Only if I had this kind of strength when I had to fight Lu Qianying...¡¯ Ye Wei was feeling euphoric but also regretful.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Ye Wei jumped out of the water, leaving ripples on the pond surface.


    ¡°Shit, am I toote?¡± Ye Wei just realized he hadn¡¯t contacted Lu Feng since he started dealing with Lu Qianying. He quickly took the Runic Badge out of his interspatial bag.


    ¡°I really hope you didn¡¯t do anything stupid...¡± Aware that his partner was not at all cool-headed, Ye Wei frowned, realizing how hisck ofmunication could easily be interpreted as his death.


    In Ye Wei¡¯s head, the situation regarding the Drakehead was alreadyplicated enough as he saw how the royal family was close to the area; if Lu Feng was to spread the news, there was no doubt that a full scale battle will break out.


    Fortunately, Ye Wei was able to get in contact with Lu Feng, they quickly caught up through the Runic Badge. He learned that his partner was not far from setting up the diversion, to put his escape n in motion.


    ¡°Did Lu Qianying die?¡± Ye Wei was eager to find out what happened in battle within the North Barren Mountains when he was cultivating.


    ¡°The elder? He did not die, but he was gravely injured when he was sent back to base...¡± Lu Feng paused, feeling confused and anxious, ¡°Did you... Did you give him the injuries?¡±


    ¡°No it wasn¡¯t me.¡± Ye Wei shook his head, suspecting that the royal squad must have gotten out of the battle alive and managed to rescue the Lu elder. ¡°Do you know what happened, did he say anything?¡±


    Although Ye Wei sounded cautious, he now possessed the strength to challenge the elder if he was to use the third Supernova Evolution.


    ¡°Wait, if it wasn¡¯t you, then who was it?¡± Lu Feng felt puzzled as Ye Wei left out the details of his recent venture.


    ¡°Demons and beasts were involved. I suspect that they are also searching for something in the area. We will have to be alert at all time from now on.¡± Ye Wei answered calmly.


    ¡°Lu Ren¡¯s spirit me will die in six days, at that time the Lu family will find out my involvement in sabotaging their expedition, they might even be able to extract images of you if one of the more experienced investigators decided to extract Lu Ren¡¯s memories!¡± Lu Feng sounded concerned and angry.


    ¡°If we are going to be exposed anyway, I would like to somehow lead the demons and beasts to the Lu¡¯s!¡± He was feeling under pressure, he knew that the Lu¡¯s will be furious and that he would need to do a lot of work just to survive.


    On the other hand Ye Wei was feeling less concerned. He knew too little about Lu Feng to care too much, to him the sole purpose of their partnership was about helping each other achieving a goal; he was worried for the Ye family but he knew that his connections could just save his life and get his family out of trouble this one time, if the Lu¡¯s learned his involvement.


    ¡°The Qing state branch had confirmed you as the most recent addition to the Seven New Runes, the Lu¡¯s won¡¯t dare to touch you or your family even if your involvement had been exposed!¡± Lu Feng picked up on Ye Wei¡¯s calm, bing envious, ¡°However they are known to be treacherous when dealing with their rivals, I would hire some guards if I were you!¡±


    ¡°Lu Feng, can you please hold your tongue about the Drakehead, give me two weeks, I will do what I can to keep the Lu¡¯s busy while I think of a solution.¡± Ye Wei suggested in a solemn tone.


    ¡°Stick to your words! You might not have to worry about yourself but I do! I will go as far as I can just in case, which means I won¡¯t be able to help you personally.¡± Lu Feng sighed, ¡°I am telling you right here and right now, if I feel pressured I will spread the news to keep them busy, away from chasing me!¡±


    ¡°When did I ever let you down? Two weeks, that¡¯s all I ask for!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s determined gaze was aimed right at Lu Feng.


    ¡°We will keep each other updated and share information...¡± Lu Feng¡¯s voice was getting quieter. ¡°I will have to prepare a couple of things before I leave.¡±


    Lu Feng¡¯s father, one of the three Runemasters based in Green Moon City, had been running his operations and business in the city for over a decade, leaving town was more than just packing and taking off for the father and son.


    ¡°Humpf!¡± Ye Wei put his badge back into his bag, relieved to hear his New Seven Rune status being confirmed. He was ready to matter into his hands now he knew nobody can openly harm him and his family.

 Chapter 185 – Starfall

    Chapter 185 - Starfall


    ¡°The third Supernova evolution requires a lot of strength from the user¡¯s body. Now, if I consider my current cultivation and body strength, the amplification effect will notst thirty minutes like it¡¯s supposed to. I will either need to improve my cultivation or somehow refine my Supernova stance within the week.¡±


    ¡°The Lu¡¯s should be worrying more about other matters than just searching for the Drakehead. I should prepare myself while I still can!¡±


    ¡°Cultivating at the Drakehead does solve half of the problems, but I need to somehow recondition my body so that it can take full advantage of the Supernova stance.¡± Ye Wei thought about the time when he fought Lu Li and Tu Fusheng. He remembered how his opponents were able to gain amanding position by brute force.


    Ye Wei stared at the rippling pond surface, his mind wandered while his eyes just stared into the abyss.


    Coming to his senses, Ye Wei pulled out his Runic Badge and flipped through the union¡¯s catalog. He was not impressed by anything weaker than the Earth stances. As he went through page after page, he could not afford anything he was actually interested in.


    After a bit of calction, Ye Wei figured out the quickest way to earn enough contribution tokens for the stance he wanted was to identify and submit the second Vermilion Rune. However, even this rtively easy task would take him more than a week.


    Ye Wei was deep inside his head. He imagined what would happen if he was to fight Lu Qianying again with the third Supernova Evolution. He saw himself fighting, but he did not see himself winning, ¡®He will oust me. The returned prime level strength will be meaningless if it onlysts half an hour.¡¯


    Aftering to this dismal conclusion, he reconsidered other options he had.


    ¡®No, the Zodiac Sword wouldn¡¯t help. I won¡¯t be able to make a significant improvement on it without spending at least a week. Stance-wise, I should be able to do more with the Selenic stances, those should be my focus.¡¯


    ¡°This is not good enough! I might need to fight some returned prime Warriors very soon!¡± Ye Wei kept mumbling to himself. He trieding up with ideas, ¡®Wait, Qi Xiu and Lu Li were physically strong too. Their strength came not from their stances but from the forms they used when they fought.¡¯


    ¡°Maybe I should try to work on Falling Star form? If the form truly originated from the Ye Supreme Warrior, it should be much more than a cultivating form.¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself. The more he ran the form in his head, the more he was aware of its ws. He sighed when he became sure that the Falling Star form was still iplete despite his sessful refinement of it two years ago.


    Ye Wei shook his head. He needed to rid himself of these negative thoughts. He looked right at the pond wondering if the third Supernova evolution would bring him closer to the underwater pce. ¡°Maybe if I can get in there, I will be able to learn something useful.¡±


    Now the strongest cultivator in the Ye family, it was up to him if his family would survive the Lu¡¯s wrath when worse came to worst.


    The young Ye determinedly dived into the pond.


    ¡°Ssh!¡±


    As before, the water became colder the deeper he went. He did not activate the Supernova stance until he reached the maximum depth his body could endure. This way he could spend just a little more time exploring the depth at his best condition.


    Ye Wei activated the newly transformed runes and thepact Qi in his bones by redirecting his will-force into his skull. The yin-yang shaped runes spun and stopped in aplex coded sequence.


    Ye Wei¡¯s Qi pulsated and thickened. Within a second, his power crossed the vast gap between condensed prime warrior and returned prime state.


    ¡®This isfortable.¡¯ Protected by Qiparable to that of a one star returned prime Warrior¡¯s, he enjoyed the boundless energy flooding his body.


    ¡®The supreme pce!¡¯ Ye Wei dared not to waste time dwelling on the vigorous energy surges provided by the third Supernova Evolution. He sped up and quickly headed towards the bottom of the pond.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s pulsing Qi reduced the water¡¯s pressure. His body glided forward like a serpent through the route with least pressure and current.


    Nine hundred feet.


    Six Hundred feet.


    Three hundred feet.


    With just a few powerful paddling strokes, Ye Wei came closer to the pce than he had ever done before.


    ¡®What is this!?¡¯ His motion had been slowed down considerably. Although he was protected by the amplified Qi, he was startled by the intense cold he suddenly felt. ¡®What the hell is in the pce!?¡¯


    Ye Wei gritted his teeth and kept paddling against the cold current, ¡®Damn it, I really shouldn¡¯t go any further than this!¡¯ He stared at the glowing pce.


    Two hundred ny, two hundred eighty.


    Despite his enthusiasm, Ye Wei¡¯s joints were quickly frosting up. The cold energy waves pressed against him stopping his momentum entirely.


    ¡®I honestly thought I could get closer than this.¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s lips were pale purple. His shaking body kept losing strength. He decided to use the Falling Star form to absorb energy around him to warm his body up.


    Despite the effort, Ye Wei was not able to get any closer.


    ¡°Zap!¡±


    The pce shook. The letters on its facade shone bright, and the golden beams of light were flowing and intertwining. After seconds of thickening and condensing, the golden beams merged into one and sprang out rapidly towards Ye Wei¡¯s forehead connecting the pce to Ye Wei.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s reflex was no match for the speed of light. He could not react, and he felt an immense pain in his head.


    After entering Ye Wei¡¯s body, the surge of golden energy heated up his blood. His veins were expanding, the soul crushing agony was only intensifying as the heat rose.


    The temperature went from one extreme to the other. The freezing energy was not capable of neutralizing the heat that was flowing through Ye Wei¡¯s veins. Ye Wei felt increasingly dizzy. His powerful Sentient was the only thing keeping him sane.


    Ye Wei¡¯s muscles were tensing up, and he was blinded by the golden light that stunned him.Barely conscious, he still knew once Supernova effect fades, the energy would consume him and end his life.


    Held in ce by the mystic power of the pce, Ye Wei¡¯s body ignored his mind¡¯s order to leave. He could not escape despite his strong will.


    ¡®Argh!¡¯


    In extreme pain, Ye Wei growled and idently engulfed some of the freezing water. The blood that leaked out of his mouth dyed the water around him pink.


    His hot blood began to shine just when his consciousness was fading away because of the pain. The spots of sparkles in his blood resembled the milky way; these dots of light were then transported to his head from multiple sections of his veins all over his body.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The star-like energy sparks melted into the hot, golden energy surge. Just within a few breaths the vigorous golden energy calmed down and infused itself into Ye Wei¡¯s blood.


    Ye Wei¡¯s pain vanished as the bright light died down in his veins. All that was left in his blood from the golden surge was a mass of runes.


    ¡®These are...¡¯ Ye Wei slowly regained consciousness. His Sentient identified the runes, ¡®These are simr to the runes that make up the Falling Star form!¡¯


    ¡®Could these be?¡¯ Ye Wei tried to link the pieces together. He realized the golden surge could have been infused by the Ye Supreme¡¯s will.


    ¡®Considering my mediocre cultivation, the mystic mount presence alone should not have been enough to keep me alive through that surge. If that¡¯s the case, it might have been the power in my blood, the power of Ye Yu Supreme, that saved me!¡¯


    Ye Wei bent his legs and sank to the pond¡¯s bottom. He channeled his Qi and felt that the runes in his blood were speeding up his natural energy flow in his meridians.


    With the golden energy filling Ye Wei¡¯s blood, he now became a part of the pce¡¯s power. He was initiated into his family¡¯s bloodline. He realized the greatness the pain provided him ¡®¡®The golden beam activated my bloodline¡¯s true power!¡¯ Ye Wei opened his eyes wide.He felt euphoria all over. ¡®These are very likely to be the runes I need toplete the Falling Star form!¡¯


    ¡®Thank you so very much! I am grateful¡¯ Ye Wei respectfully nced and bowed slightly towards the pce. He turned around and stomped the pond bed. Pushing himself up, he raced back to the surface as his Supernova stance faded.


    ¡°Ssh!¡±


    Ye Wei leaped out of the pond and expanded his Qi. His robe fluttered wet but quickly dried because of his abnormally high body temperature.


    ¡°By using the Ye¡¯s runes, I will finallyplete the Ye¡¯s cultivation form.¡± Ye Wei told himself. Wasting no time, he began to introduce the runes in his blood into the Falling Star form as he purified the energy he just absorbed along with it.


    ¡®I will refine this form until I unveil its secret power!¡¯ Ye Wei closed his eyes. Calming his mind, he aimed at getting rid of random thoughts and focusing.


    He sat next to the pond. He sat motionless as a statue of Buddha, analyzing over ten thousand runes with his Sentient while he absorbed the primal energy around him with Falling Star form. , His body fell asleep, but his mind waspletely awake.

 Chapter 186 – Exposed

    Chapter 186 - Exposed


    At the City Lord¡¯s castle, inside the quarters where the Lu¡¯s assigned to themselves, a red-haired white-robed silm old man sat in the middle of a hall. He was scolding while tens of condensed prime Warriors stood and listen with their heads facing down.


    The slim figure was Lu Qianhuan, three-star returned prime Warrior and Lu Qianying¡¯s older brother.


    For a whole week, the elder had been dissatisfied with theplicated mess the North Hill Bay mission had developed to, from Lu Ren¡¯s disappearance caused by wild beasts attack to the assassination of Lu Li and tens of the family¡¯s condensed prime Warriors.


    If royal Huyan¡¯s men did not intervene, his own younger brother would have died in the North Barren Mountains. Although the royal family¡¯s squad left right after delivering Lu Qianying without saying much, Lu Qianhuan was more than sure that the royals were aware of what the Lu¡¯s were up to around the area.


    The whole situation was bothering the elder as his effort might all be in vain if the Huyan family was to get involved, being the royal¡¯s ally might mean that they will get nothing out of the Drakehead.


    The mission had been considered a failure by the Lu Patriarch himself since he heard the news about their losses but none about seeding. Not only the patriarch was dissatisfied, the men under hismand were also living in fear and had been expressing their negativities. Being pressured from above and under, Lu Qianhuan was experiencing great stress, he was ming everything on the masked assassin and whomever was behind the assaults.


    ¡°Lu Ren had been missing for a month, I am pretty sure that he had died. I will be surprised if his disappearance is not rted to the masked boy! Still no news on him? Anyone?¡±


    ¡®I would love to find out who you are, I have ways to make you suffer a painful death!¡¯ Thought Lu Qianhuan, his face was ashen, his eyes were dark and aggressive like a hungry predator.


    ¡°Pop!¡±


    Lu Ren¡¯s spirit me flickered, and the elder immediately spotted it with his widened eyes. He had been keeping the candle close since it arrived from the family¡¯s ancestral shrine.


    ¡°I would love to see who was responsible for all this mess!¡± Lu Qianhuan had been waiting for the me to die, he stared as the fire became dim.


    ¡®Spirit smoke!¡¯ Lu Qianhuan hands flew in air, his hand seals created a long rune sequence that flew towards the smoke cloud that appeared when the fire died.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Lu Qianhuan and all the other cultivators simultaneously focused on the center of the hall as the rune sequence sculpted the smoke, the screen of smog recreated what Lu Ren saw right before his death.


    ¡°That¡¯s Lu Feng!¡±


    Everyone in the hall recognized the new family member¡¯s face, they gasped for air, shocked and infuriated.


    ¡°Ungrateful bastard!¡± The delicate teacup in Lu Qianhuan¡¯s hand turned into dust. He stood up and shouted in fury, ¡°Catch him! Break his arms and legs if he tries anything funny!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± The Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors gave a synchronized answer without hesitation, five of them bowed immediately.


    None of them expected the aspiring Runemaster, the new addition to the family to be a cold-blooded betrayer. They were all shocked as they thought Lu Feng would be more thankful, to prove his worth instead of murdering his own n, sabotaging an important mission.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t go yet! The bastard is not strong enough to kill Lu Ran, let¡¯s see if I get more information out of the smoke!¡± Lu Qianhuan channeled his Qi, the image went further back in time.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    Just when the five condensed prime Warriors turned their heads, they saw the smoke screen changing its shape, it became the scene of the Selenic Triple Sword stance being used and its user behind the strikes.


    ¡°Whoever kills a Lu, and the killer¡¯s ten closest kinship will be executed!¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s face turned dark, his cold words echoed the walls, ¡°Find out who it is! I don¡¯t want him walking on this!¡±


    The elder was merciless, he was ready to kill anyone who threatened the Lu¡¯s reputation and authority within Qing state.


    ¡°This is... Ye Wei!? I am pretty sure, sir. This is Ye Wei, from the Green Moon City¡¯s Ye family!¡± Lu De, who was sent to the Ye Mansion not long ago recognized the face, ¡°He is sixteen but already a condensed prime Warrior, he is a three-star Runemaster.¡±


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Lu Qianhuan stared at Lu De.


    ¡°Sir, I do not know him personally. I¡¯ve met him once and was intrigued by him, so I found out more about him.¡± Lu De kept eye contact with the furious elder, shivered as he reported solemnly.


    ¡°I want Ye Wei here and I want their family mansion locked down, not even a fly may leave the premises!¡± The skinny elder gave the orders with a straight face.


    ¡°But...¡± Lu De hesitated, looking at the elder with fear in his eyes, ¡°Sir, he is Master Yi¡¯s legacy apprentice.¡±


    ¡°Master Yi¡¯s only legacy apprentice? That¡¯s him!?¡± Lu Qianhuan frowned. He had heard of Master Yi even before researching Green Moon City and the neighbouring areas, and it was him who gave the orders not to mess with the ten-star Runemaster when the Lu¡¯s took over the city.


    Lu Qianhuan¡¯s eyes went cold, he grunted and said, ¡°No, not this time! He has to die, even if he is protected by Master Yi!¡±


    He was not willing to anger Master Yi, but that was just him respecting the well established Runemaster. The proof of Ye Wei¡¯s involvement and his suspicion of Ye Wei being the masked assassin justified his cause.


    ¡°But...¡± Lu De smiled bitterly, ¡°Ten days ago, the Runemaster Union¡¯s Qing state headquarter had listed Ye Wei as one of the Seven New Runes. I am sorry you did not hear about this news earlier, sir, but I didn¡¯t think it would be relevant!¡±


    ¡°A new rune!?¡± The elder gritted his teeth. Having been one of the best strategists in the Lu family for years, Lu Qianhuan knew that Ye Wei was out of his reach from what he could gather. He had enough experience dealing with the union to know what matters they take seriously.


    ¡°What a brash little boy! He is inconveniently brave.¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s fists were tightly clenched, his gaze was getting colder and colder.


    ¡®Seven New Runes, it is just a title, just because nobody in the entire Zhou dynasty dares to touch you openly does not mean I can¡¯t kill you from the dark!¡¯ Lu Qianhuan thought to himself, beginning to calcte. His experience had armed him with many dirty tricks. ¡°Lock down the Ye family, don¡¯t hurt anyone yet, find out everything about them and pressure them ordingly.¡±


    ¡®You have to blow smoke into the hole to catch a rat!¡¯ Lu Qianhuan narrowed his eyes, ¡°Remember his face, I want to know as soon as possible if anyof you saw him outside of Green Moon City, if you see a chance to kill him, do it, I want no witnesses.¡±


    ¡°I will send my brother back to the bay area once he fully recovered, he should be ready again in a day at most, don¡¯t do anything too stupid before he is back in the field.¡±


    When the Lu¡¯s men left the meeting, Lu Feng had long left Green Moon City with his father Master Mu. The Lu¡¯s men had searched both Lu Feng¡¯s and his father¡¯s houses, they were forced to return to the furious elder with more bad news.


    ¡°For Sages¡¯ sake!¡± Lu Qianhuan screamed and demolished a wall with his bare knuckles, he waspletely maddened. He had no way of venting out this much resentment. ¡° I want you to start rumors about the Ye¡¯s, I want their city to hate them!¡±


    Before the sun rose again, made up news about the Ye¡¯s involvement in the ck markets and smuggling had spreaded, citizens were talking about the Ye¡¯s bribing the City Lord.


    Miles from Green Moon City, Lu Feng had heard all of these rumors from his contacts.


    ¡°They Lu¡¯s are onto your family, the people in Green Moon City will start hating the Ye¡¯s, make sure the patriarch knows that Lu Qianhuan is starting rumors about your family, if things are not dealt with delicately, the Lu¡¯s will have a reason to wipe out the Ye¡¯s.¡± Lu Feng knew exactly how these games were yed, he decided to warn Ye Wei by leaving a message. ¡°The Lu¡¯s had done this many times, this is only the beginning...¡±


    ¡°Thank you for notifying me.¡± Ye Wei replied within seconds the first message was sent.


    ¡°Do not return to the Ye Mansion just yet, you will be watched and followed if they spot you at all,¡± Lu Feng had grown fond of Ye Wei without realizing since the partnership started.


    ¡°I get it, you should take care of yourself too.¡± Ye Weiid the badge down, he looked at the pond next to him then faced south. ¡®If anything happened to anyone in our family, I will count the Lu family responsible and I will make them pay!¡¯


    Ye Wei went back to cultivating, it was hard to put his worry aside but he knew better, he knew that he would need to be stronger now the conflict had scaled up immensely.

 Chapter 187 – Cosmic Rage

    Chapter 187 - Cosmic Rage


    ¡°One step at a time, right now, I need to refine the Falling Star form.¡± Ye Wei took a deep breath. Upon releasing his breath, he let go of all his worries and closed his eyes.


    Ye Wei¡¯s Soul Sensitivity was extraordinary due to his enhanced Sentient, which made stance and form refinement rtively easy tasks. However, at high-level Myst grade, the Falling Star form¡¯s structure was thousands of times more intricate andplex than any of his previous stances.


    The runes injected into his blood by the pce was not only inspiring, they were the foundation of the Supreme Falling Star form.


    Three days had passed. Ye Wei had not moved a muscle since he sat down next to the pond; his mind waspletely upied by the runebinations and QI flow.


    While Ye Wei was perfecting his stance formation, Lu Qianying had just recovered from his injuries with the help of heavy medication prescribed by the best doctors around the area. He was sent right back into the wilderness an hour after he could stand. Although his body was still a bit stiff, he was enthusiastic and, most importantly, eager to seek revenge.


    The chubby elder had always mistaken the assassin to be someone sent by a superpower, when he was told by his brother that it was a local who nearly cause his death, he was furious, wanted to avenge his men and wanted revenge.


    Surrounded by thousand miles of mountain range, the North Hill Bay area stretched long, its heavy vegetation andplexndform made it difficult for the Lu¡¯s to carry out their search quickly.


    Learned from his near death experience, Lu Qianying had ordered his men to stay away from the mountain area, he knew that he had no way to protect anyone against the creatures that threatened his life.


    Lu Qianying was aware that the likelihood of his teams capturing Ye Wei was low, that all they could do was to wait and keep alert. He left the more physical tasks for his subordinates so that he could focus on regaining strength and his recovery.


    Not being able to find Ye Wei nor Lu Feng, the Lu¡¯s were letting out their anger onto the Ye family. As the rumors flew in Green Moon City none of the Ye¡¯s dared stepping outside their front gate.


    The Ye¡¯s were nervous, they wanted news from Ye Wei, wanted to know if he was okay but on the other hand they did not want to hear anything from the young Runemaster, afraid that the Lu¡¯s would have a way to find out Ye Wei¡¯s whereabout if they did get into contact.


    ***


    North Hill Bay.


    Ye Wei was still in a zen state, his robe fluttered in the wind while his body still as a statue. The night was lit by the moon and stars, he opened his eyes wide, the thousands rune long sequence just finished resembling itself in his Sentient.


    The rune sequence condensed and intertwined formed a semi-transparent humanoid shaped figure, it shone bright and crossed the Sentient¡¯s boundary, entered Ye Wei¡¯s meridians.


    ¡°This is it! I can feel the difference!¡± Led by the runes, the Qi within his body started circting in a new route, Ye Wei eximed as the energy within him ran smoother and quicker than it ever did.


    ¡°Bang!¡± A white pir shone down from the heavens.


    Ye Wei bathed in the pir of light, the pores on his skin opened up and rapidly sucked in the cosmic energy, the energy surges raged and rushed through his meridians. The new reincarnation of the Falling Star form processed the raw power, converting the raging surges into storable Qi. Inside his dantian, the silver ball of energy rattled and expanded, as the result, the six crack appeared.


    ¡°This is now an Earth grade form! I can feel there is a stance within this sequence too, I have to find out what it is!¡± Ye Wei was not overly excited about his breakthrough, instead more interested in developing the Falling Star form even further.


    ¡®I can¡¯t waste this!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, he closed his eyes and focused on processing the cosmic energy.


    The quicker the Earth grade form ran, the hotter the cosmic energy became. The primal energy from his surrounding began to condense into globes of light, floated towards the light pir.


    The concentrated primal energy balls quickly merged into the light pir, the momentum of these balls sped up the energy absorption in all.


    ¡°Is this part of the form!?¡± Ye Wei tired to follow the energy movement with his eyes but got blinded, he instead felt the flow with his outstanding soul sensitivity. He was surprised to find out how effective the Falling Star form had be.


    Although the Supreme Falling Star form was powerful, the extreme speed Ye Wei absorbed theic energy was caused by the power in his veins. Feeling euphoric because of his sessful refinement, Ye Wei was not aware of his blood¡¯s involvement.


    ¡®If the Falling Star form¡¯s body strengthening effect is as good as the Star Shifter form from Qi Xiu and the Titanic form of the Lu¡¯s I could probably just walk into the Lu¡¯s base and fight them now...¡¯


    Now the his cultivation form had been improved over high-level Myst grade, Ye Wei was expecting his new meridian routing to alter his body strength, like Qi Xiu whose meridians was flexible, thus allowed him to evenly spread enemy strikes¡¯ impact; Lu Li whose meridians were lifted close to his skin, thus protected him from physical attacks.


    ¡®A Supreme had worked on this form, I would love to see if it has simr hidden effects.¡¯ Ye Wei rxed his muscles, let the energy fill him as quickly and as much as he could in hopes that it will activate whatever effect there was within.


    Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation was improving rapidly, although he was in pain as meridians were overloaded, he did not wish to slow the Falling Star form down even the slightest.


    The rampaging surges, the blend of cosmic and natural primal energy were flooding into and expanding his dantian. Within seconds of sponging, another golden crack appeared on the energy ball.


    The pir of cosmic energy did not get any thinner nor did it slow down, even after powering two breakthroughs it was as thick and the energy was dense as when it dropped down from the sky.


    Ye Wei could feel a fissure forming on the energy ball in his dantian, he could feel his blood boiling as his blood transformed into a light shade of rose gold.


    ¡®Happy exploding! Kid! You won¡¯t be able to handle your supreme blood!¡¯ A hoarse voice sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    Ye Wei¡¯s hopefulness became fear, after hearing the progenitor¡¯s voice, his pain had significantly intensified.


    ¡®What is he going on about!?¡¯ He became confused and frustrated.


    The silver ball of energy throbbed faster and faster, the eighth golden crack was shining brighter. Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient shook as the energy in his dantain drifted out of control.


    Although Ye Wei was almost at eight-star condensed prime level, his dantian was about to explode. If he was could not control within the next minute he would be blown into pieces.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s face became pale, his system was saturated but he had no way of stopping the cosmic energy entering his body. His skin was stretched, cracked and therefore covered in blood.


    The situation had suddenly be life-threatening.


    With a bitter smile on his face, Ye Wei tried to remain calm as he could while he tried to figure out a solution. ¡®I am not ready for the Falling Star form, my body is too weak for it!¡¯


    Despite his greatest efforts, Ye Wei failed to gain control over the situation, the raging primal energy kept entering his body. Not only did he fail to slow the surge down, it just kept elerating within his meridians, erging his body and stretching his skin.


    ¡°Arggghh! This has to stop!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s bloody face was twitching in pain, he was overwhelmed by pain and despair. ¡® If I die, my whole family will be killed by the Lu¡¯s...¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s body kept expanding, turned into the shape of a ball.


    The Falling Star form reached its culmination, it was beginning to digest the cosmic energy, stabilizing the Qi flow in Ye Wei¡¯s body.


    Ye Wei shivered, a sequence of bright runes escaped his meridians, left his body from right between his eyes.

 Chapter 188 – Result

    Chapter 188 - Result


    The runes scattered, regathered and formed a miniature star-like orb. the dense surge of cosmic energy, instead of entering Ye Wei¡¯s body, rushed into the orb.


    ¡®Did you just saved my life again?¡¯ Ye Wei thankfully looked at the pond. He felt exhausted and, yet, exalted. His white robe was stained red from blood and soaked with sweat.


    The young Runemaster was full of questions. He quietly looked at the fist-sized orb, feeling the runes and energy flow within, ¡®what is this? It feels like a stance, is it safe?¡¯ His hand hovered forward, hesitant to touch it.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The orb engulfed the raging cosmic energy, and it grew to the size of arge melon. The runes inside it were twinkling, whizzing and swirling. It took only ten minutes before the white light pir disappeared and was consumed by the star orb.


    The orb was filled with runes, but Ye Wei could not feel any energy disturbance.


    ¡°What are you?¡± Ye Wei took a deep breath. He wrapped the orb with his will-force, attempting to figure out the unknown object¡¯s properties.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    Upon contact with Ye Wei¡¯s will force, the orb transformed into an elongated shape and began to squirm. After seconds of pulsing, the light orb turned into a human form.


    Ye Wei stared at the bright shape. He could see its face was featureless, but its stature and height reminded him of himself.


    ¡°Buzz! Buzz!¡±


    The bright shape became more defined; features could be discerned. It¡¯s fuzzy aura simmered. Its eyes slowly opened. It stared right back at Ye Wei, acknowledging his presence.


    ¡°This is...¡± Ye Wei widened his eyes. He was startled by the clone of himself that was standing just inches away.


    An unprecedented weird feeling overwhelmed Ye Wei. Not only did the bright figure look the same as himself, he felt that he had grown extra limbs.


    Ye Wei wiggled his toes a dozen times. He could see and feel the clone was mirroring his movements. After a few more shrugs and shakes, he learned to control the clone¡¯s movement without moving his own limbs.


    ¡®Right uppercut!¡¯


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The star clone¡¯s right fist immediately flew forth and up. It tore through the air with immense momentum.


    Although now a seven-star condensed prime Warrior, Ye Wei was knocked back ten meters by the zing wind stirred up by the clone¡¯s punch.


    ¡°By the sages name!¡± Ye Wei expressed an air of utter shock on his face; his eyes stared at his star clone, ¡®it is as strong as a returned prime Warrior even without the Supernova stance!?¡¯


    Ye Wei then made his clone use a few hand seals, but no runes came out. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s a shame!¡¯ He was slightly disappointed by his clone, but, overall, he felt positive discovering such a powerful perk that came with the Supreme Falling Star form.


    Ye Wei sat himself down and manipted the star clone to do the same. He saw that the clone technique would have room for improvement once he became stronger.


    ¡°Lu Qianying, I don¡¯t know how you survived thest time. But I will personally make sure you don¡¯t live through our next encounter!¡± With his fist tightly clenched, he felt his newfound strength. This new strength enlivened him to make such a daring proposal thatst time he saw Lu Qianying he would have never made.


    He felt like a new man, and, in some ways, he was. Now, he was a seven-star condensed prime Warrior who had just absorbed the cosmic energy. He felt confident to be able to defeat Lu Qingying under the third Supernova Evolution¡¯s effect.


    In abat situation, he would be capable of taking on multiple returned prime Warriors with the light clone in y.


    ¡®The light clone will be my hidden aces! If I could find a way to improve it, I will literally be twice as strong as I am!¡¯


    ¡°Now let¡¯s get things done!¡± Ye Wei set his eyes on the clone and blinked. It shrank back to a small ball shape again. The twinkling orb then flew back into Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    As Ye Wei broke through to be a seven-star condensed prime Warrior, his will-force detection reach expanded to a fifty-mile radius while boosted by the mystic mount presence in his Sentient.


    ¡®Ha! Cowards!¡¯ He could feel that the Lu¡¯s were close to each other unlike thest time they searched the area. ¡°Strength in numbers indeed!¡± Ye Wei joked to himself sarcastically.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Ye Wei stomped the ground. He suddenly turned into a sh of light and left the Drakehead area. There was no fear in his mind. He knew he was the hunter not the hunted.


    ***


    ¡°We are going eastward!¡± Lu Qianying was frustrated. He was struggling to bnce speed with safety.


    ¡°That little bastard is somewhere around here!¡± He said viciously. There was nothing he wanted more than to avenge the Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors by redeeming himself. This would only be done by capturing Ye Wei.


    ¡°You can hide but your family can¡¯t! They are sitting ducks!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s cry echoed throughout the woods, ¡°you too, are going to die with them! If you keep hiding, I will make sure our men break every bone in your body and y every inch of your skin when we have you cornered!¡±


    Since his recovery, Lu Qianying had shifted his anger onto the Ye family because Ye Wei was nowhere to be found. Although he was ordered not to make a move, he consistently started rumors about the Ye¡¯s and supported the Ye¡¯s rivals with weapons and scrolls.


    Despite Master Yi¡¯s involvement in defending the Ye¡¯s, a few cultivators from the Ye family were injured and hurt in seemingly random brawls and feuds.


    ¡°You know what? I heard the Ye¡¯s ancestral grave is close by. We should have a look over there!¡± the chubby elder pointed his fingers to the Drakehead¡¯s direction.


    At the beginning of the search Lu Qianying was convinced that Ye Wei could still be close to the North Barren Mountain range, but after a long thought, he realized defending the Ye¡¯snd could have been one of Ye Wei¡¯s many reasons for wandering in the bay area to begin with.


    The Lu¡¯s men were all on their toes, they knew that the elder was stressed even on the verge of losing his sanity. They were just taking one order at a time. No matter how silly it may seem, they were not willing to argue or discuss strategy with their unreasonable leader.


    ¡°Lu Qianying, you are a lucky one aren¡¯t you?¡± A beckoning voice sounded in the Lu¡¯s ears, ¡°I really thought you died after you were sneezed on by the horse!¡±


    ¡°You little dog!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s face flushed ming red as if someone pped him. He did not expect to be called out on something he was ashamed of.


    None of the Lu¡¯s apart from the family council knew that he was gravely injured by a wild beast. The team of condensed prime Warriors were all shocked.


    ¡°So the sighting reports were legitimate!?¡±


    ¡°We are under equipped!¡±


    They all looked at their leader, the chubby elder. Resentment appeared in their eyes. Their respect and fear for their leader turned into doubt and nervousness.


    ¡°You bastard! I have been waiting for you!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s face contorted. His bloodthirsty smile widened. ¡°Show yourself you mouthy coward!¡±


    Despite the infuriatingments, Lu Qianying did not mind that Ye Wei appeared in the Bay area at all, to him it was almost a gift. He nned to make the illegal act of killing a Seven New Rune member look like an ident and me it onto the breast and demons if ever questioned.


    The cubby elder looked up at the canopy of the woods where Ye Wei¡¯s voice came from. He was boiling up; the idea of a violent revenge put a twisted smile on his face.


    Without moving a muscle, a pulsing wave of golden Qi bursted out of Lu Qianying¡¯s body. It swept the leafy ground and rose along the trees.


    ¡°Kushuuu!¡±


    The thick trucks swung vigorously, but Ye Wei stood steadily on top of one of the shaking trees as if nothing happened.


    Ye Wei coldly red down at the chubby elder. His face was stoic; he acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard a word. His arms folded behind his back, a sequence of runes leaked out his body. The temperature around him drastically dropped.


    The young Runemaster was less than pleased with Lu Qianying¡¯s threatening words, but he was not going to argue or reason with the Lu. Instead, he was going to express his antipathy with action.


    ¡°Words won¡¯t save you or your men.¡± Ye Wei mutter impassively to himself. He was tired of the retaliating Lu¡¯s.


    The runes around Ye Wei suddenly disappeared and turned into an invisible shockwave, sting down onto the ground.


    Lu Qianying was not affected by the shockwave, but his men¡¯s faces turned pale. Despite their best efforts, they were struggling to stay on their feet.


    ¡°All of you are an embarrassment to the family name!¡± The elder shouted, dissatisfied. Secondsters, he could feel the shockwave intensifying. ¡®What!? This kid was no stronger than a ten-star condensed prime Warrior just days ago!¡¯


    ¡°What happened boy? Did your master give you some pills to take!?¡± Lu Qianying shouted at Ye Wei and then turned to his men, ¡°don¡¯t be scared! We outnumber him!¡±


    Actually, Lu Qianying did not care about his men living or not. His heart was, clouded by hatred, and he cared little for anything else than eradicating the reason of his humiliation.


    ¡°What a surprise! I thought you were going to run like a chicken again!¡± A golden Qi storm was brewing around Lu Qianying as the runes around him condensed.


    The intense golden hue of Lu Qianying¡¯s Qi represented his pride as a returned prime Warrior. His energy was twice as dense as the Qi that flowed in condensed prime Warriors¡¯ meridians.


    ¡°Die!¡± The chubby elder channeled the Qi to his palm. With a quick swipe he shot a pir of blinding golden runic energy exactly to where Ye Wei stood.

 Chapter 189 – Chase

    Chapter 189 - Chase


    ¡°Boom!


    The golden beam heated up everything in its path. Leaves and branches were scorched. The crackling noise left the Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors in shock. They realized they would lose their lives if the stance struck them.


    The light pir was focused at Ye Wei, but its energy was pressing onto him, engulfing him.


    ¡®This is why training is important, Lu Quiyang...¡¯ Ye Wei calmly looked at the powerful pir. He was d that he could now empower his body¡¯s strength to returned prime level.


    ¡®And I have the blood of a Supreme!¡¯ The yin yang shaped runes on Ye Wei¡¯s bones lit up. His Qi flowed through his body elerating andpressing. He clenched his fist and endured the pain that came with the process.


    ¡°Crack! Crack! Crack!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s Qi leaked out of his body, creating a continuous popping noise.


    ¡®Third Supernova evolution!¡¯ Ye Wei, attached to the tree, swung back and forth; he used the osciting momentum to back up his punch.


    His golden fist drew a bright arc in the sky, aimed downwards at Lu Qianying¡¯s strike. A high-pitched shrill sound deafened the elder¡¯s men.


    ¡°Bang¡±


    The moment these two powerful strikes met the mountains shook. All of the Lu¡¯s were quick enough to react. They leaped back a few hundred yards. So stunned were they that they, simultaneously looked towards the tree Ye Wei stood on through a screen of smoke and dust.


    Ye Wei was steadily as a rock even while in his rxed form. His fist held Lu Qingying¡¯s golden energy pir in ce.


    ¡®We are suppose to capture him? How?¡¯ All the Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors became doubtful; they looked towards the messy red-haired figure in front of them for some guidance.


    Ye Wei¡¯s powerful Qi presence was slightly suffocating them. Nheless, apart from fearing their enemy, the Lu¡¯s were also admiring the young talent and respected what they did not expect to see.


    ¡®Explode!¡¯ The Qi on Ye Wei¡¯s hand further condensed. Runes flew out of his fingertips. Within a second, his hand was covered in ayer of runes; he clenched his fist and pushed it into the light pir.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Lu Qianying was sure his palm strike could drop Ye Wei like a fly. He was in deep shock as he witnessed its disintegration. Shards of his Qi and runes rained down from the sky, assailing the ground with thousands of meters-deep holes.


    The ground shook and the residual shockwaves spread from the points of impact. While some of the Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors were able to marginally dodge the scattered shockwaves, some were less agile to do so.


    Half of the cultivators Lu Qianying brought with him were knocked off their feet. They were sent flying hundreds of feet away and no longer in the condition to fight.


    The Lu¡¯s tensed posture made Ye Wei¡¯s gentle descend look more graceful than it actually was. He walked down from the top of a tree as if there was an invisible staircase. Each step he took sent forth a golden energy pulse.


    ¡°You are not even a returned prime Warrior! How could you have lived through my palm strike unharmed?!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯spetitive spirit lit up. He furiously clenched his fist.


    ¡°Fatty, I am disappointed. I thought you strength was on a higher level than this!¡± Ye Wei stared coldly at Lu Qianying. His confidence and cockiness grew as he learned just how strong he could be under the third Supernova Evolution¡¯s effect. ¡®I am stronger than a one-star returned prime Warrior!¡¯


    Ye Wei could feel a tingling sensation. It seemed the texture of his Qi was altered by the Supernova stance.


    ¡°Little bastard! You will pay for your arrogance!¡± Lu Qianying was appalled at Ye Wei¡¯s arrogance. His face was dark as a raincloud. He couldn¡¯t get his head around the fact Ye Wei, who had run from him like a defenseless rabbit, was now strong enough to confront him face to face.


    Feeling threatened by the speed of Ye Wei¡¯s exponential growth, Lu Qianying was aggravated. He was prepared to kill the youngster when he was still be able to, but now? Could he still kill this transformed Ye Wei?.


    Lu Qianying¡¯s body shook; a surge of golden Qi bursted out from his dantain. The primal energy around him began to spin like a whirlpool.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The ground underneath Lu Qianying began to crack. The ten feet wide fissures spread over a mile; small hills afar were crumbling and falling t.


    Lu Qianying was not holding anything back. He showcased his returned prime level strength. The condensed prime Warriors he brought with him were knocked off their feet. They were too shocked to even cheer for their leader.


    ¡°Ye Wei! I will end your family after I kill you!¡± Lu Qianying shouted. His red at Ye Wei like a hungry wolf set on devouring his prey. He was determined to destroy his opponent with haste. ¡®High-level Myst stance, Golden Mountain Seal!¡¯


    The whirlpool around the chubby elder turned into a length of runes, which then split and formed the frame of a pyramid shape.


    ¡°Same trick asst time?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s will-force diffused outwards. He calmly analysed the energy flow within the pyramid, feeling each rune¡¯s transition. ¡°You are as stupid as you are stubborn.¡±


    This time Ye Wei did not want to dodge or obtain help from wild beasts. He confronted the stance and felt ready to neutralize the iing threat with his own strength.


    ¡°Get crushed!¡± Lu Qianying screamed as he lowered his hand, the Qi pyramid descended and quickly fell onto Ye Wei.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors were scared by the shrill noise created from stance falling. They jumped and swiftly ran away from Ye Wei¡¯s location, struggling to keep their bnce on the quaking ground.


    ¡°I would be killed by this stance if I fought you yesterday!¡± Ye Wei eximed. He narrowed his eyes and flipped his hand, grunted and swiped.


    ¡®Peerless Qi Sword!¡¯


    All thirty-six sharp bolts of Qi merged together. He sliced through the thickened air and crashed into the pyramid shape.


    Ye Wei did not have time to work on the Zodiac Sword stance, but now that his Qi was amplified to a returned prime level, his Qi sword wads multiple times sharper and harder than it had even been.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s sword flew forth and kept extending itself. Its force and momentum resembled a flooded river. It quietly turned the trees and rocks on its path into powder.


    The sound of Ye Wei¡¯s sharp Qi sword piercing the runic pyramid was almost inaudible.


    ¡°Now what?!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s voice struck like thunder, stricking each of the Lu¡¯s thus deafened them simultaneously.


    The thirty-six strands of Qi swords broke up on Ye Wei¡¯smand. Each of them absorbed more primal energy and then reunited; the swords rushed towards Lu Qianying at an incredible speed.


    Lu Qianying assessed the situation. He quickly realized there was no way for him to dodge the iing strike as the dimensions of Ye Wei¡¯s Qi swords were too great. With his will force and a chain of hand seals, he turned the golden Qi around him intoyers of runic armor.


    ¡°ng! ng! ng!¡±


    The Qi sword crushed into Lu Qianying as an oing shflood. It released bright sparks of runic gold into the air. His armor was shattered and eroded away in seconds.


    Lu Qianying was bleeding heavily. He was knocked off bncepletely and flew off like a stringless kite.


    ¡°How is this even possible!?¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s widened eyes. His eyes peered through the dust and light and just couldn¡¯t quite believe a child had just perfectly countered both his offensive and defensive stance with one strike.


    ¡°How did this little bastard be this strong in just a few days? It¡¯s impossible!¡± Lu Qianying thought to himself as he flew backwards, leaving a trail of dust behind. ¡°Unless...¡±


    Ye Wei was already making his next move while Lu Qianying was still startled. His figure became blurred, and his palm was following the dust trail. ¡®I have to kill him quickly, I can¡¯t deal with the royal family¡¯s force.¡¯ Ye Wei decided.


    ¡°Brother, Ye Wei is here, and he was stronger than he was days ago. I am guessing that he found the Drakehead! I can¡¯t fight him, not on my own.¡± Lu Qianying spoke to the rune in his palm while running away from Ye Wei. After finishing the message, he clenched his fist and the rune vanished.


    ¡°Hang in there, I am on my way!¡± Lu Qianhuan immediately received the message, he muttered and sped out of the City Lord¡¯s castle. He headed north towards the bay area. ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t handle him? I know you are injured, but you are a returned prime Warrior for sages¡¯ sake!¡±


    ¡®Is that kid a returned prime Warrior already? It can¡¯t be! Not even if he had been training at the Drakehead non-stop for days!¡¯ Lu Qianhuan thought to himself as he covered tens of miles in mere seconds. ¡®Either way, I will not let him live!¡¯

 Chapter 190 – Blood Shadow Stance

    Chapter 190 - Blood Shadow Stance


    While Lu Qianhuan was running towards Ye Wei, his brother Lu Qianying was doing all he could to run away from Ye Wei.


    ¡°Fatty, I know you were involved in pressuring my family these few days. Now, it¡¯s time for you to pay!¡± At the speed of a falling meteor, Ye Wei caught up with the chubby elder.


    Lu Qianying could hear Ye Wei¡¯s voice getting closer and louder. He turned around and found out the young Runemaster was closer than than he expected.


    ¡®High-level Myst stance, Slidesh!¡¯ Lu Qianying¡¯s Qi was notpletely stable as he was still recovering from his internal injuries. There was a second dy between his channeled his energy and the speed enhancing stance actually activating, two clouds of flickering runes appeared underneath his feet.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Lu Qianying elerated to his top speed in matter of seconds, but there was no grace to his nimbleness, he was running like a panicking rabbit. He had disgracefully even left behind his own men so that he could escape quicker.


    Lu Qianying was not happy being the hunted. His face was twisted, and he gritted his teeth while running and leaping.


    Ye Wei¡¯s eyes lit up. His will-force rapidly spread and expanded. It picked up Lu Qianying¡¯s Qi presence from twenty miles away.


    ¡°Elder Qianying is done!¡± The Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors became pale, overwhelmed by fear.


    ¡°Quickly! Back to base!¡±


    ¡°Go! What are we doing standing here?¡±


    Their leader had left them behind, and the young Lu cultivators were all terrified; they dispersed and escaped to different directions.


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Ye Wei could sense every single one of the Lu¡¯s movement. He casually swiped his hand backwards; his Qi swords followed each of the escapees. Concurrently, he made a snap decision to tear a scroll,which activated a stance to speed up his chase.


    ¡°Plop!¡±


    As Ye Wei disappeared into the mountain range, his Qi swordsnded on all his targets, ending many lives simultaneously.


    ¡°Argh...¡±


    The echoing screams and cries filled the woods as the dead bodies fell.


    ¡°Lu Qianying, you won¡¯t get away!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s aggressive voice was the only sound Lu Qianying could hear.


    The elder was not pulling ahead in any way, but Ye Wei could not quite catch up. Every time Ye Wei was getting close, the returned prime Warrior would use a speed boosting stance to avoid being caught.


    If Ye Wei could not find a way to break the cycle, he would never catch up with Lu Qianying.


    Under the third Supernova Evolution¡¯s effect, Ye Wei¡¯s will-force density and Qi quality radically increased; however, the only speed-enhancing stance he knew was Starblink Steps. The high-level Spirit stance was not converting Ye Wei¡¯s two-star Returned prime level strength to speed efficiently.


    ¡°I have to pay the cial Temple a visit after things calm down because this is not close to giving me the speed I want.¡± Ye Wei grumbled to himself, frowning and nning while running.


    Ye Wei had gain ess to the runic chamber not long after his first visit to the cial temple. It contained all the rare runes the cial Emperor collected throughout his cultivation career, which was thirteen thousand six hundred specialized runes.


    Ye Wei had thought about refining the stance in his spare time, but he always decided against it. Due to the fact, he wanted it to be his main project; he refused to develop the first stance he created in a mediocre manner.


    Throughout the three years of training, Ye Wei was drained of energy nearly every day. He had actually only had the chance to visit the runic chamber less than ten times because he simply did not have the Qi to activate the jade trinket teleporter to get to the cial temple during any free time left over, which was not much anyway.


    In terms of stance grade, Lu Qianying had the advantage; but with the Supernova stance, Ye Wei had the cultivation advantage. Ye Wei calcted that it should be possible that Lu Qianying runs out of steam before his own amplification stance runs out if he pressured the elder hard enough.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    With just a few steps Ye Wei and Lu Qianying overpassed, acres ofnds were destroyed. The wilderness of the North Hill Bay was anything but peaceful. The gentle critters were panicking in their own home, crying and howling to warn the others.


    ¡°Brother! I need you right now!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s eyes turned red. Blood dripped from the corner of his paled jawline as he desperately screamed. The chubby man was running low on both Qi and will-force. It was bing increasingly difficult for him to ignore his injuries and push himself quicker.


    Nervous for his brother¡¯s life, Lu Qianying was fast. Nevertheless, his speed did not enclose the distance between North Hill Bay and the city any closer.


    ¡°Lu Qianying, stop wasting your time. ept your fate. I will not let you live through today!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s aggressive voice thundered.


    The elder¡¯s body was shakened by the loud noise; the Qi flow in his body was destabilizing rapidly.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Lu Qianying screamed as he felt a spike of pain in his chest. Using the speed enhancing stances had worsened his internal injuries. His Qi was out of his control when he tried to use yet another stance to get away. He had slowed down by half just seconds after his stance stopped working.


    Ye Wei sense Lu Qinying¡¯s deceleration. He grunted and activated the Starblink Steps, covering a mile in the blink of an eye. He could now see the elder¡¯s back.


    ¡°What did I say? You won¡¯t get away!¡± Ye Wei narrowed his eyes. His fingers released runes. They quickly condensed and became thirty-six Qi swords. The swords merged into one, ing a wide sword, crushing towards Lu Qianying.


    ¡°Brother! Save me!¡± Lu Qianying screamed desperately. He could feel the sharp Qi approaching. He desperately wished to dodge, but he did not have the energy to do so. This time he waspletely out of solutions.


    Lu Qianying was too injured to use any stances. Even if he could, he would be no match to Ye Wei¡¯s Peerless Qi swords at his best.


    ¡°Little bastard! Stop now or else! If you kill my brother, I will make sure myself that all the Ye¡¯s suffer a painful death! I will even kill the pets and nts at your family mansion!¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s furious voice reached Ye Wei¡¯s ears from twenty miles away.


    ¡°Great, he would die in peace now he heard your voice.¡± Ye Wei smiled sadistically and retorted. He narrowed his eyes and kept injecting Qi into his strike.


    Ye Wei swung his arm downwards. It was toote for him to change the course of his Qi sword, so he decided to quickly make the kill in order to move on to dealing with the approaching three-star returned prime Warrior.


    ¡°Avenge me!¡± Lu Qianying¡¯s voice faded while his figure disappeared in the pir of runic light. His screamsted less than a second; all was quiet as he was shredded to pieces.


    Ye Wei dove into the light beam where Lu Qianying disappeared into. He emerged with a blood soaked interspatial bag in his hand. He sure was not going to miss out on looting an elder of a powerful family.


    Lu Qianhuan¡¯s face contorted into a beast-like agony; his muscles twitched as he felt his brother¡¯s Qi presence vanished.


    ¡°You and your family will pay for what happened today!¡± Lu Qianhuan growled viciously while flicking his fingers repeatedly, sniping Ye Wei with bolts of golden Qi from miles away.


    ¡®Blood Shadow Stance!¡¯ Lu Qianhuan squirted blood from all over his skin. The dark droplets dispersed and heated up. All his blood became a thick red mist.


    Dwelling in his own anger, the skinny elder did not think twice before trading his blood for energy. He activated the iplete Earth stance.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    The skinny figure turned into a red mist, doubling his original speed. Time itself lengthened in the point of continuum where Lu Qianhuan passed. When he reappeared in his human form, he was already in front of Ye Wei.


    ¡°I will make you squeal!¡± Lu Qianying muttered behind a thin mist of red, he changed the texture of his Qi and detonated the primal energy. The entire bay area shook from the sudden burst.


    Ye Wei was forced to back off for half a mile to avoid the epicenter; he looking concerned. He did not expect to have to fight a three-star returned prime Warrior when he woke up this morning. He grunted and shrugged, empowered his body with Qi to let the energy storm slide off his skin.


    ¡®I can¡¯t run from this man. This fight will be all or nothing!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself. His gaze intensified.


    Thirty-six Qi swords merged into one. It flew from Ye Wei¡¯s hand towards the skinny elder. The shrill noise of the strike muffled by the explosion just moments before the initiation.


    Lu Qianhuan looked at his young opponent with ferocity; he was infuriated, but strangely, at the same time, he admired Ye Wei¡¯s strength. ¡®Two-star returned prime level, even Lu Fan can¡¯tpare to this kid in front of me.¡¯


    ¡°Nheless, it doesn¡¯t meant I will let you live!¡± The elder recognized Ye Wei not only as his brother¡¯s murderer, but also as a threat to the Lu¡¯s supremacy in Qing state. His stare became as cold as a cier.


    The wrinkled hands maneuvered in the air. The hand seals turned into a blur, Lu Qianhuan fired a ground shaking energy bolt at Ye Wei¡¯s Qi sword. ¡®High-level Myst stance, Thunderbird Seal!¡¯


    His golden Qi condensed and turned silver by the specialized runes on his hands. The bolt became alive and split into hundreds of silver-winged buzzards, which covered the sky and dove straight to Ye Wei.

 Chapter 191 – Seventh Selenic Stance

    Chapter 191 - Seventh Selenic Stance


    The Thunderbird Seal was one of the nine most powerful stances the Lu¡¯s possessed. The Myst stance consisted exclusively of specialized runes.


    Although to activate the stance only required as much energy to activate any other ordinary Myst stance, the rare specialized runes thatposed it tranted the energy more efficiently, making it as powerful as an Earth stance.


    Lu Qianhuan had no desire to hold back; his brother¡¯s death confirmed Ye Wei¡¯s extraordinary talent. He did not want to leave anything to chance, tried to make the kill as quick as he could and get out of the fight uninjured.


    All of Lu Qianhuan¡¯s opponents who saw this stance, including a three-star returned prime Warrior, died from it. The elder left very little to chance, and this was why he waspletely ruthless--no chances taken, no hope left.


    ¡°Die!¡± The hoarse voice sounded out like a warhorn. Arge bird flew up through the clouds and spread its wings as the the elder screamed the word.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    The thunderbird vigorously pped its wings, the fanning motion of its wings created a golden gust. Ye Wei¡¯s Qi sword was instantly crushed and scattered. Unexpected by even Lu Qianhuan, Ye Wei¡¯s sword turned against him because of the raging current.


    ¡°Crack! Crack!¡±


    Ye Wei was stunned and almost paralyzed by the sudden burst of energy; under the pressure of the thunderbird, he stood staring while his bones creaked.


    ¡°I expected less from you considering how weak your brother was!¡± Blood gushed out of Ye Wei¡¯s mouth. His pale face wore an aggressive look, though.


    ¡°Insolent child!¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s cold eyes bore into Ye Wei. He lifted his hand and pointed his right index finger at him.


    ¡°Flop!¡±


    The thunderbird¡¯s eyes widened. Its intense gaze pointed straight at Ye Wei. Its shrill caw sent shivers down his spine.


    While Ye Wei was still immobilized by the gust of energy, bolts of lightning came out of the bird¡¯s eyes and rained down upon Ye Wei, striking him in a quick session.


    The pressure Ye Wei endured was great enough to crush his entire body. The only thing stopping it from doing so was the support from the runes on his bones. His veins constricted, and the drop of Supreme blood expanded against the pressure.


    The expanding energy circted throughout his body, a subtle but dense energy held Ye Wei¡¯s body together.


    The power of the Supreme blood grew within him. In a matter of seconds, Ye Wei was strong enough to spring back up on his feet. He bent his knees and gathered strength, briefly aimed at the thunderbird andunched himself up into the sky.


    ¡°What the hell is going on with this kid?¡± Lu Qianhuan eximed. He was dumbfouned to see Ye Wei¡¯s ability to strike back, but he also mocked Ye Wei at such a poor decision. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be trying to run?¡±


    Ye Wei saw the true, unreserved power of Lu Qianhuan. The specialized runes in the elder¡¯s stance was a rare sight. Lu Qianhuan¡¯s power inspired Ye Wei and provided him the conceptual base structure of the seventh Selenic stance.


    Although Ye Wei had been spending as much time cultivating as he did trying to figure out the seventh Selenic stance, he was not able to create an effective energy flow in the given runes.


    Before Ye Wei¡¯s eyes was a well calibrated specialized Myst stance, he was not going to let the chance slip. He closed his eyes to feel the exact kind of flow he had been trying to create for the past few days.


    ¡®Selenic Armor.¡¯


    ¡®Triple Selenic Punch.¡¯


    ¡®Searing Selenic Palm.¡¯


    ¡®Selenic Descend.¡¯


    ¡®Selenic Ironbark Seal.¡¯


    ¡®Selenic Triple-Primal Sword.¡¯


    Ye Wei activated the Falling Star form and began to steal Qi from the very stance that Lu Qianhuan wanted to take his life with. Using the stolen energy, he quickly drew all the runes to the first six Selenic stances; he rearranged the sequence to the order he had in his head all in a matter of minutes.


    ¡°The seventh, Selenic Reveal!¡± He mumbled as he put together the six stances¡¯ essence. The specialized rune sequence rattled and transformed into a mile tall Selenic beast figure.


    On top of the beast¡¯s head were three long and sharp horns. The runic patterns on its scales constantly flowed and transformed. The beast¡¯s image gave Ye Wei shbacks of his visit to Bloodmist Valley; he smiled and charged forward the skinny elder.


    ¡°Roar!¡± The Selenic beast¡¯s cold gaze set onto the thunderbird. Its jaws wide open, and its nose pointed right at the thunderbird. The provocative sound seemed to have a mockery undertone.


    The Selenic beast crouched then leaped. With a mysterious aura and momentum, the beast lunged at the bird. It froze time and space on its path. The lightning bolts were held still in the air.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡± After another roar, all three horns on its head grew in length. They glowed ghastly green; each of them became a sword that could cut the sky in halves.


    Within seconds the Selenic beast¡¯s nose was touching the bird¡¯s torso. The three horns impaled into the core of Lu Qianhuan¡¯s strongest stance. A destructive shock wave and rumble quickly spread throughout the sky.


    The powerful thunderbird was torn apart with ease, but the Selenic beast wanted more bloodshed. It decisively turned its head around and stared at Lu Qianhuan. The ghoulish beast then aimed its ws at the elder¡¯s head. The runic Selenic beast was not only asrge as a real one, it was also as smart as one.


    ¡°What stance is this!?¡± Lu Qianhuan was intimidated by the gigantic runic Selenic beast. His calm was quickly reced by fear; his breathing quickened and the golden ball of energy in his dantian shook uncontrobly, making the Qi flow in his body extremely unstable.


    ¡°I am not going to let you live!¡± Lu Qianhuan scream, and he exhaled deeply. The elder tried to suppress the raging Qi in his body. He desired to utterly destroy Ye Wei, which shown in his facial expression. a Qi disturbance no weaker than the thunderbird stance¡¯s quickly developed as he sessfully tamed the energy, transformed the surge into a rune sequence.


    Lu Qianhuan ignored the high odds of being injured by the recoiling energy. He activated the peak-low level Earth stance that he had yet gain full control over. He felt that the danger of being consumed by his own Earth stance was worth the risk. He would certainly die if he did not retaliate against the wrath of Ye Wei¡¯s seventh Selenic stance


    ¡®Sun-shattering Lightning Stance!¡¯ Lu Qianhuan grunted. His hair rose and flew behind his head; his robe fluttered to the surge of energy his Earth stance emitted.


    The Lu elder¡¯s Qi immediately condensed into a ball of energy in the sky. The ball released its power in the shape and speed of arge lightning bolt and shot at therge Selenic beast.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The entire bay area shook as the bolt impacted against the beast. The crash of Qi brewed collided and erupted in the sky, and the lightning bolt became dimmer as it broke apart the runes that made up the Selenic beast.


    Ye Wei could feel the pressure from behind the beast. The energy flow in his body was disrupted by the imposing strike. He grew nervous as the lightning bolt advanced and prated the runic beast¡¯s torso.


    The seventh Selenic stance took a toll on Ye Wei¡¯s will-force and Qi reserve; the third Supernova Evolution¡¯s amplifying effects beginning to fade.


    Ye Wei came to the realization that Lu Qianhuan¡¯s gamble was paying off. The three-star returned prime Warrior was stronger than himself. He had to decide now whether he should try to counter or he should run.


    ¡®The seventh Selenic stance will be stronger when I have time to work on it. I should not fight an unsure battle.¡¯ The young Runemaster thought to himself. He ced his hand onto the selenic beast, and he absorbed as much energy as he could. He then used that energy and turned himself into a globe of runic light, which blinked and shed backwards.


    ¡°Bang¡± not only did Ye Wei sessfully escaped, he tempered the residual energy into small dense shapes. They all fired at once and caught the skinny elder off-guard.


    ¡°Damn it! You sneaky little bastard!¡± Lu Qianhuan was hit from all directions. He screamed as blood gushed out from his mouth. He suffered from not only the recoiling force of his own stance but Ye Wei¡¯s surprise as well.


    The skinny elder stopped and adjusted his Qi flow. With the momentum of the lightning bolt behind him, he rapidly leaped towards Ye Wei¡¯s direction. He distributed his energy to nourish the injured parts of his body.


    Ye Wei could feel the elder catching up. He closed his eyes and ran the Falling Star form at its full speed. A constetion-like runic array projected into the air from inside his Sentient, and it became a light clone.


    The clone tackled the chaser and stopped the elder as Ye Wei kept moving forward at incredible speed, finally disappearing into the woods.


    ¡°What the hell is this?!¡± Lu Qianhuan was forced into a closebat fist fight with the light clone. He could not ignore any of the clone¡¯s strikes no matter how much he wanted to. Each punch and kick was precisely aimed at his body¡¯s weak spots and strong enough to knock him out.


    Lu Qianhuan had not had a fist fight since decades ago. By the time he neutralized the light clone with his rusty moves, Ye Wei was already miles away and nowhere to be seen.


    ***


    Deep inside the woods, Ye Weinded on a tnd covered by the tree¡¯s shade. He felt safe enough to sit down. He adjusted his breathing and regted the Qi flow in his meridians.


    With closed eyes, Ye Wei felt the drop of Supreme blood in his vein. He located it close to his waist and tried to manipte the energy within with his will-force.


    With the aid of the Falling Star form and the vast energy in his blood, he refilled in dantian with Qi. His will-force began to also recover. After reying the seventh Selenic stance in his mind a few times, he grabbed the runic badge from his inside pocket.


    ¡°Master, are you there?¡± Ye Wei spoke into the badge and waited for a rey.


    ¡°Wei! Where are you!?¡± Master Yi¡¯s nervous voice sounded after the badge rattled. ¡°You have to be careful, I heard the Lu¡¯s found you, is this true?¡±


    ¡°They did, but I am fine. I killed Lu Qianying, but his brother is still on the loose, please take care of the Ye¡¯s master! The Mansion might be his next target! Can you maybe take them out of town to somewhere safe?¡± Ye Wei replied in a desperate and solemn tone.


    ¡°You killed who?¡± Master Yi¡¯s voice broke, ¡°how did you manage to take care of a returned prime Warrior?!¡±


    ¡°Not now master, please. I promise I will exin everything to you when all of this get settled!¡± said Ye Wei.


    ¡°It should be fine. I contacted one of my old friends from the union. He is a returned prime Warrior. Lu Qianhuan won¡¯t be able to do much to us for now. I will look for the suitable ce for your family to hideout before the Lu¡¯s send any reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°Thank you master!¡± Ye Wei felt relieved, smiled and said.


    ¡°Please take care of yourself. I will keep you updated!¡± Master Yi said in a light tone, d that his apprentice was still alive.


    ¡®Pu Yuan will be able to help me with the Selenic stance!¡¯ After ending the conversation, Ye Wei took out a jade trinket and started channeling his Qi.


    A figure appeared and grabbed Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder and stopped the teleportation.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡± Ye Wei panicked. He looked to his left to see a wrinkled hand on his shoulder.

 Chapter 192 – Helian

    Chapter 192 - Helian


    The hand belonged to an elderly man dressed in a purple robe. He was three steps away from Ye Wei. His hair was shoulder-length; his white beard was as long as his arm. The skinny old man greeted Ye Wei with a friendly smile and a nod.


    Just like Ye Wei, the old man had no Qi presence. His grip was firm, but his figure seemed weightless.


    Ye Wei¡¯s heart sank, and his pupils dted, ¡®this is madness!¡¯ Although clueless about the old man¡¯s cultivation level, everything he could see indicated that the bearded man would have killed him without even Ye Wei knowing of it. If that was his intention all along.


    ¡®He is stronger than even Master Yi!¡¯


    ¡°Excuse my forwardness, but may I ask who you are?¡± Ye Wei rightfully assumed the old man was friendly. The old man solemnly kneeled down and spoke.


    ¡°Hahaha! I like your humbleness, Ye Wei.¡± The old man stroked his beard and said, ¡°I am Helian Jieyuan. I have been watching you since you dove down into that pond and found the Drakehead. I am impressed by how quick you learned to control the Supreme blood in your veins!¡±


    ¡°Huh!?¡± Ye Wei startled. He couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard. ¡®Sir, do you happen to be rted to Green Moon City¡¯s Ye family?!¡¯


    Judging by how well the old man¡¯s stealthiness and knowledge was, Ye Wei knew he was standing next to a man stronger than any wild beast or demon he had encountered in the wilderness of North Barren Mountain so far.


    Helian Jieyuan¡¯s curious gaze fell upon the jade trinket in Ye Wei¡¯s hand. Seeing him trying to teleport was the reason why he decided reveal himself. ¡°So you are it! You live on the feisty side but you seem to live by a principal! Not bad!¡±


    By now Ye Wei had understood that if the old man stood in front of him. he was probably rted to the cial Emperor, ¡®if the old man wanted me dead, I would already be dead.¡¯


    ¡°Sir, could I help you with anything?¡± Ye Wei bowed.


    ¡°I am from one of the royal families if you have not yet worked that out. We are currently recruiting cultivators from all across the dynasty. The officials are more interested in fighting each other than eradicating wild beasts and demons nowadays. Thus, we¡¯ve decided to take the matter into our own hands.¡± Helian Jieyuan¡¯s smile never faded. His look was as soft as his voice.


    ¡°Royal?¡± Ye Wei murmured to himself, feeling nostalgic as he thought about his old crush who was also from one of the three families.


    ¡°You heard right. With your level of talent, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you get recruited by any one of the three royal families. We might not be as influential, but I can promise you we treat our cultivators better than the other two families¡± Helian Jieyuan said with pride. ¡°What I want in return, is your permission for me to use the Drakehead. I meant to ask your patriarch but decided against it as the information might go public. I¡¯d much rather have it peaceful as it is now.¡±


    ¡°I know for a fact that among the living no more than three people know about the Drakehead¡¯s location,¡± the old man continued, ¡° I have been training here for more than ten years, and I still need a few more years until I will be able to breakthrough my current cultivation level.¡±


    ¡°In truth, I would really like you to keep this ce a secret. In return, I will watch over the underwater pce!¡± Helian Jieyuan gravely said. His look suddenly intensified. ¡°I would never go there out of respect for valuables left in the pce. They are treasures that should only be inherited by whom who has the Ye¡¯s blood flowing in their veins!¡±


    Ye Wei widened his eyes again; he was surprised by this great offer. He couldn¡¯tt think of any downsides at all.


    ¡°Okay you got me, who am I lying to?¡± The old man chuckled and said, ¡°I will watch over your family even if you don¡¯t join us. For old time¡¯s sake.¡±


    After having calmed down, Ye Wei reasoned with himself. First he was scared; then he was happy and relieved. ¡®A person like him has no reason to lie!¡¯


    ¡°We would like you to join us; we don¡¯t have many rules for non familial members. Of course, call of duty must be answered. In return, we will provide members with resources and protection.¡± Helian Jieyuan was not trying to lure Ye Wei into bing a member. He just wanted to show the real world to the cial Emperor¡¯s inheritor.


    ¡°This will get me closer to her.¡± Ye Wei mumbled. His mind wandered, and his eyes glowed bright. It had been his dream to get out of Green Moon City, and when he became strong enough to visit the capital since the day Li Ziyan left him.


    Ye Wei did not need to think for long. He kneeled down and bowed, ¡°thank you for giving me the chance. I would like to join the Helian family!¡±


    ¡°Haha! Good! That¡¯s great news!¡± The old man¡¯sugh was yful. It sounded as if it came from someone half his age, ¡°with the talent you have, you will see greatness in a few years and maybe even achieve it if you cultivate hard! One more thing, you will be up for a review that decides if you are qualified enough to gain the privileges of a familial member.¡±


    ¡°I will not let you down!¡± Ye Wei nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the most catchy name, but I need you to remember it. Within two years, when you feelfortable, you should head to our pce at the capital. Show the guards this sigil te and tell them I sent you there.¡± The old man kept babbling.


    Ye Wei suddenly felt a heavy weight on his hand. A piece of metal appeared in the middle of his palm out of nowhere. He quickly grabbed onto the cold object.


    ¡°Thank you for looking after us!¡± Ye Wei made a greeting hand gesture and said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I will send word back home. The Lu¡¯s are already in big trouble for harassing a Seven New Rune. Now that you are associated with us, I have hundreds of ways to make them pay for the deeds they¡¯ve done. I will make sure that nobody touches the Ye¡¯s.¡± Helian Jieyuan said with great authority.


    ¡®He is not only the strongest cultivator I¡¯ve ever met he is definitely one of the more selfless ones too.¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, realizing the old man was looking at the bigger picture and thinking of the mankind. ¡®This is personal but notpletely personal. The more talent I show, the more important the Ye family would be to him.¡¯


    ¡°Sir, about a week ago I encountered an alliance of demons and wild beasts not far from here. They were fighting the Huyan¡¯s. Were they all looking for the Drakehead as well?¡± Ye Wei asked concernedly.


    ¡°Not sure, but they won¡¯t be able to beat me even if they are to join forces! Haha!¡± Helian Jieyuan smiled at Ye Wei. ¡°Kid, the sigil is a runic array. You can contact me with it! But you need to figure out how yourself!¡± The old man¡¯s figure faded into the background right after he said thest word.


    When Ye Wei had digested what he just heard, the mysterious royal had already disappeared. There was no trace of the two meeting each other apart from the sigil te in Ye Wei¡¯s palm.


    ¡°One less thing to worry about.¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself, ¡°I am not going to rely on him though. I have to do what I can such as get morebat experience, so I will be stronger!¡± Ye Wei knew that Helian Jieyuan would be watching him, excited about the possibility of experimenting more now he had a seemingly reliable safety.


    Ye Wei took a few deep breathes and injected his Qi into the jade trinket; he resumed what he was doing before the strange encounter.


    The jade trinket lit up. Sequences of runes burst out and circted around Ye Wei while he injected more Qi into it. He felt a little nauseous as he emptied his dantian.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡± A crisp noise briefly sounded. Ye Wei had disappeared into the wormhole created by the runic array.


    Lu Qianhuan was oblivious, struggling to recuperate. He held a scroll in each of his hand in case if he ran into Ye Wei again. ¡°You little bastard, I will find you and kill you even if that means I have to turn this area upside down.¡± He eximed as he paced frustratedly around.


    ***


    The cial Temple.


    ¡°Mister Pu! It¡¯s been awhile!¡± Ye Wei waved at therge spectral figure in the center of the great hall.


    ¡°Seven-star condensed prime level!?¡± Pu Yuan turned to Ye Wei, surprised, ¡°it¡¯s only been three months since Ist saw you! What the hell happened to you since then?¡±


    The cial Emperor¡¯s previous servant had an exceptional standard; but even so, he did not foresee Ye Wei¡¯s swift cultivation improvement.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long long story!¡± Ye Weiughed and shook his head. He was open to talk about his many near death experiences, but he had something else in mind. ¡°Mister, I have recently learned the Selenic Reveal, and I wish to polish it in the runic chamber. Do you have any tips for me?¡±


    Ye Wei wished to deal with the Lu¡¯s publically to clean his family¡¯s reputation.


    ¡°The Seventh... Well done!¡± Pu Yuan could see a slight bitterness in Ye Wei¡¯s smile. Deep down he could guess the young Runemaster had learnedbat knowledge the hard way. He smiled and continued, ¡° the seven stances were created by my master. There are little space for improvement; however, it is possible merge the seven stances into one.¡±


    ¡°Seven into one? That is genius! So these seven stances are only puzzle pieces!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s heart fell. Earlier on when he used the seven stances to fight Lu Qianhuan, he could feel a strange connection between the seven stances. ¡®I have been wondering why the creator of this realm and temple was only capable ofposing low grade stances.


    ¡°That¡¯s just what master did. If you are inspired by anything inside the chamber, you should follow your heart!¡± Pu Yuan nodded, recognizing Ye Wei¡¯s capabilities. ¡°Follow me!¡±


    Ye Wei kept up with the guardian. He headed towards one of the biggest collection of runes in the dynasty.


    ¡°Cultivation is not easy. You will face dangerous people and things. Rx yourself as much as you can and avoid getting stressed. I should have told you this earlier, but if you are going through a hard time, seek help from the Helian¡¯s. Their patriarch studied under my master.¡± Pu Yuan said calmly. He was proud of what Ye Wei aplished but also worried for his safety.


    ¡°I know.¡± Ye Wei smiled, amused that his theory of Helian Jieyuan was not too far off.


    ¡°Here you go!¡± Pu Yuan opened the gate to the runic chamber and patted Ye Wei¡¯s back with his gigantic finger.¡±

 Chapter 193 – Speed of light

    Chapter 193 - Speed of light


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ye Wei nodded, bowed, and stepped into a museum of priceless collection.


    The young master of the temple paused baffled by everything around him, it was not his first time entering the runic chamber, however he couldn¡¯t stop looking at the etchings on the mahogany doors.


    ¡®These runes are... ¡® Having participated at in the Runemaster Union entrance exam deeply changed his perspective on runes, ever since he spent three days working with them and finally created his own stance, he learned to appreciate the beauty of runes.


    It was not until today that Ye Wei appreciate he was looking at decades of hard work and research, that each curve and straight line of the runes meant something.


    Specialized runes represented power. Runemasters and even grand-Runemasters have been known to involve themselves in violent feuds, both on the battlefield and out, just to acquire one of these rare runes. The value of the runic chamber¡¯s content exceeded by far the most powerful sky stance in the Runemaster Union¡¯s inventory.


    ¡°Squeak!¡±


    Ye Wei inhaled deeply and pushed the heavy doors. The dark hall lit up immediately after the mahogany ps sealed the runic chamber¡¯s entrance.


    The young Runemaster walked into a starry night, the twinkles were the only light source in the otherwise empty hall. The specialized runes were scattered, loosely filling the hall. They all appeared to be fading but the shine was solid.


    ¡°Where do I even start?¡± Ye Wei muttered, he closed his eyes and felt the energy of each of the runes in the air. Some of them had cores hotter than magma, some of them were as cold as cier, some raging like storm, some stable and sturdy like rocks; or too sharp to touch and others soft enough to use as a pillow.


    Ye Wei sat himself down, thinking of nothing but the Starblink Steps. He dictated the rune sequence thatposed the stance in his mind, took it apart and tried to identify where he could insert any of the thirteen thousand six hundred runes to improve it.


    Having used the stance in realbat, Ye Wei gained a better understanding of how primal energy was converted to speed when he created the stance. After a few minutes of experimenting, he was able to find a few more stable runic structures that were suitable for the initial fractions.


    After consolidating the initial fractions, Ye Wei felt a need to widen the sequence due to the increased Qi flow within the sequence.


    With his exceptional will-force, Ye Wei identified a few more ductile runes which would make it possible for the stance to run at a high speed even when Qi input is lower than optimal.


    The sequence was bingplete as Ye Wei infused more specialized runes into it, the flow was bing smoother and faster.


    After four hours of continuous hard work, Ye Wei had found optimal position in the sequence for all the runes he added to the sequence. A thundering rumble sounded as he put the twelfth rune in ce, and Ye Wei was suddenly consumed by a huge pir of cosmic energy.


    ¡®This is...¡¯ Ye Wei opened his eyes, looked at the sequence in front of him and smiled, satisfied with his modifications, ¡°it¡¯s now a low-level Myst stance!¡±


    Ye Wei had many previous experience with cosmic energy, he knew better than to waste some of the purest energy he could have ess to. He activated the Falling Star form as fast as he could and immediately processed the raging energy that entered his body.


    The silver ball of energy in Ye Wei¡¯s dantian expanded as the result of the cosmic surge, the eighth crack appeared. It was not a surprise to him as he was already a peak seven-star condensed prime Warrior before consuming the cosmic force.


    The pir of light eventually faded, Supreme Falling Star form was running fast and smooth, it took less than an hour for Ye Wei to process the wild energy.


    ¡°This is good, but not enough, Starblink Steps needs to be a forbidden high-level Myst stance...¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself, he figured out that if he would be fighting returned prime Warriors, he still needed more speed.


    Ye Wei calmed himself down, continuously attempted to fit runes into the Starblink Steps Sequence it took him half a day to infused twenty-four extra specialized runes, and by the end of the session his stance became a mid-level Myst stance.


    After receiving cosmic energy again, Ye Wei diluted and absorbed all of it as quickly as he could. Even though the surge was not powerful enough to push Ye Wei to another breakthrough, it greatly improved the capacity of his meridians.


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of a better ce to refine stances!¡± Ye Wei said to himself.


    Encouraged by the positive result, Ye Wei continued researching on the runes after a short rest, in hopes that he would be able to pick out ones that are useful for improving any of his stances.


    The young Runemaster sat still in the middle of the runic hall, the Qi is his body was calmly pulsing,pletely in sync with the runes around him. He became a part of his surrounding.


    The runes in the hall were attracted to Ye Wei, all of them seemed to be shining towards him, highlighting him in the rather dimmed enclosed space.


    The more specialized runic structures Ye Wei learned, the more he gained respect for the cial Emperor. It seemed to him that the more he discovered, the more mysterious the strongest cultivator of his time had be.


    Ye Wei was starting to understand how the Supreme Falling Star form was able to buffer primal energy more efficiently than other forms he learned, and he was even beginning to imagine how some of the stance in the hall could be rted to how the Sage was able to create a stance to harvest power from belief.


    ¡®I will master all these runes one day! And I will make a name for myself!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself as he jumped up into the air, he reached his arm out and grabbed an energetic spark.


    ¡°Number eighty-one! This should be the final piece!¡± Ye Wei opened his eyes, looked at the rune in his hand constantly shifting its shape with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡± He drew the runes sequence to the Starblink Steps with his right hand while holding the eighty-first extra rune in his left.


    ¡°Get in there!¡± His left arm swiped outwards, shot the rune into the sequence he just drew. The rune was constantly moving, whizzing through air looking for the most suitable position to insert itself under Ye Wei¡¯s guidance.


    Ye Wei¡¯s tired eyes lit up, after an hour of putting runes together and taking them apart, his will-force identified the weakest point in the sequence.


    All the runes in the newly refined stance brightened simultaneously and lit up the hall.


    A surge of Qi flowed through the rune sequence, a long ribbon of glowing star-like energy sparks filled up the runic chamber, it grew into a belt that briefly resembled the milky way.


    Triggered by Starblink Steps¡¯ upgrade, another pir of cosmic energy descended from the heavens, engulfing Ye Wei entirely.


    ¡®It¡¯s technically only a high-level Myst stance but the specialized runes should give it an edge, its effect should beparable to a low-level Earth stance!¡¯ Ye Wei thought with a slightly twisted, euphoric smile on his face. He knew that he would be able topete with Lu Qianhuan, or maybe even other returned prime Warriors if the Lu¡¯s decided to send them to Green Moon City.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame I will need a lot more Qi in order to push for nine-star condensed prime level.¡± Ye Wei shook his head, ¡°I should work on my Sentient, I¡¯ve improved so quickly it has be one of my weaker sides from being the strongest.¡±


    For a sixteen-year-old, eight-star condensed prime level is naturally unreachable, although Ye Wei was the one of the nation¡¯s best young cultivators, the same drive that motivated him was also frustrating him.


    ¡®The Selenic Reveal should be the next to be refined...¡¯


    ¡°Offensively I have Selenic Reveal; Starblink Steps for speed, and with the light clone as my safety line, I should be able to deal with whatever the Lu¡¯s are going to throw towards my direction!¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself, nning to turn a crisis into a self-improvement exercise.


    ¡°Speaking of which, I need to work on the clone too.¡± Ye Wei frowned, not satisfied by how little impact the technique made in hisst fight.


    ¡®Only if the clone had the power of a two-star returned prime Warrior...¡¯ He thought to himself as he stood up and walked towards the exit of the chamber, ¡®Maybe I should ask Pu Yuan to see if he had any more tips and advices.¡¯


    Ye Wei rushed back into the main hall and spoke with the temple¡¯s guardian about his recent encounters.


    ¡°Light clone!?¡± Pu Yuan¡¯s curiosity made him look like a child again. ¡°You have to show me it before I can help you with improving it!¡±


    Ye Wei channeled his will-force, a bolt of starlight shot out of his forehead, became a clone and had taken the shape of its owner within the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Your forefather is a genius!¡± Pu Yuan looked at the light clone in awe, he appeared calm but was just too shocked to show emotion He once was the cial Emperor¡¯s follower, and even he had never seen a technique quite like Ye Wei¡¯s light clone, he could not fully understand how the clone seemed to have its own meridians and Qi flow. ¡°This is the perfectbination of a stance and a form!¡±


    ¡°So, do you think you can help me improve the stance?¡± Ye Wei was impatient and needed an answer.


    ¡°I am not sure, kid, but this is not just any clone technique, it seemed to be an enhanced version of your mirrored self.¡± Pu Yuan answered in an uncertain tone, ¡°Like all other stances, it should be stronger as your cultivation bes higher.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve discovered, it is stronger than it was before my breakthrough just a couple hours ago.¡± Ye Wei became more frustrated, ¡°My question is, do you think there are other ways the technique can be improved?¡±


    ¡°It is still too soon to judge. Just be patient, you will see soon!¡± Pu Yuan smiled, patted Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°For now you should just focus on breaking through to the returned prime level.¡±


    ¡°Runes and Qi don¡¯t feel pain, even if your light clone only has the power of a one-star returned prime Warrior, it will be able to fight two and even three-star returned prime Warriors as you might already have realized.¡± Pu Yuan continued, ¡°use it to aid yourself escaping for now, worry about how to fight alongside it when it bes stronger!¡±

 Chapter 194 – Help

    Chapter 194 - Help


    After considering Pu Yuan¡¯s words for a minute, Ye Wei realized that if it wasn¡¯t for his light clones he wouldn¡¯t even had the chance to escape Lu Qianhuan, a three-star returned prime Warrior¡¯s assault, in one piece.


    ¡°I get you, I am not ungrateful! However I am not satisfied with it, I will have to fight more returned prime Warriors soon and I will be needing the clone to fight, not to escape.¡± Ye Wei shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°If the clone has its separate Qi flow, then it is more or less a Qi puppet.¡± Pu Yuanughed and looked back at Ye Weiedically. ¡°Well I didn¡¯t create the stance so I am not sure how it works exactly, but I do know someone who is familiar with clones and puppets.¡±


    Ye Wei nodded, having fought stone giants in the Bloodmist Labyrinth, he knew from the back of his mind that the cial Emperor was able to remotely controlling structures with Qi.


    ¡°Blood Devourer crystals, they were developed by my master to power his automatic defensive system if you did not already know. You can try to make your clone absorb the crystals¡¯ energy.¡± Pu Yuan swiped his arm, a small pile of transparent red crystals appeared in the middle of the hall.


    ¡°Do it slowly, you know about the side effects of the energy these stones carries.¡± Pu Yuan pointed at the delicate glowing stones.


    ¡°Thank you for the advice!¡± The young Runemaster said gratefully as he looked at the pile.


    ¡®If the clone can be a little stronger, I will be able to crush Lu Qianhuan at his best with the Selenic stances and my Supernova stance!¡¯ Protected by one of the royal families, Ye Wei was going to use it to his advantage and redeem his family¡¯s reputation in Green Moon City.


    ¡°This is not much more than an educated guess, you have to try it to confirm if it works!¡± Pu Yuan let go of Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say, I will be looking after you if anything should go wrong.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ye Wei briefly replied as he activated his light clone. He was experienced with absorbing energy with crystals and didn¡¯t take Pu Yuan¡¯s advice too seriously.


    ¡°Crack!¡± The light clone grabbed one of the crystals and crushed it. Thepressed energy was immediately released as it turned into dust, surging into the clone¡¯s meridians.


    As the clone tried to incorporate the crystal¡¯s energy into its own Qi flow, Ye Wei¡¯s consciousness was getting disrupted by an aggressive killing intent.


    ¡°I have learned how to deal with this years ago!¡± Ye Wei muttered, he waspletely calm when he called upon the mystic mount¡¯s energy in his Sentient, which purified the aggression.


    Now in a nourishing soothened state, crystal¡¯s energy was doing more good than harm, slightly strengthening Ye Wei¡¯s Sentient.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    When Ye Wei sessfully tamed the aggression, his light clone epted the Qi.


    ¡°You are right! I can improve my clone¡¯s strength by using the crystal!¡± Ye Wei stood up excitedly and eximed at Pu Yuan.


    ¡®Keep absorbing!¡¯ He controlled his clone to crush more and more crystals. He was not at all worried about being consumed by aggressive primal energy, within five hours, Ye Wei had upgraded his clone to two-star returned prime level.


    ¡°Pu Yuan, do we have more?¡± Ye Wei said, looking at the piles of dust where the crystals were ced.


    ¡°Those are valuable treasures to many! You can¡¯t even buy them from the Runemaster Union! No, I do not have more of those!¡± Pu Yuan said, annoyed. He blew onto his beard, stared at Ye Wei and thought, ¡®I am not going to let him take shortcuts like this! Especially when ites to using Blood Devourer crystal!¡¯


    ¡°Oh, what a shame.¡± Ye Wei¡¯s lips moved to one side, there was a cold sh in his eyes. ¡®To be honest, it should be fine, a two-star returned prime level clone should be able to draw or even knock out someone like Lu Qianhuan...¡¯


    ¡°Mister Pu, thanks for your help. I should be going now!¡± Ye Wei thought about the awkward situation he put his family in, getting desperate to return home.


    Ye Wei activated the teleportation array again as he waved Pu Yuan goodbye, his smile slowly faded into nothing as his figure disappeared in front of the temple¡¯s guardian


    ¡°This kid is more talented than master was, with Supreme blood in his veins he might actually be able to overtake the cial Emperor¡¯s level. Maybe one day I could really return to the livings...¡± Pu Yuan muttered after Ye Wei had disappeared, he sighed deeply, clearly disying that he had unfinished business before he passed away to be what he was now.


    ¡°I would love to step outside again, maybe visit my old friends.¡± Pu Yuan¡¯s hoarse voice sounded, his loneliness echoed in the hallways.


    ***


    A heavy shower cleansed North Hill Bay, the drops of rain had washed offyers of dusts and dirt off the leaves, the evidence of the recent violent in the area shedded, settled on the ground.


    After a sizzling sound shook a few branches meters above ground, a crack ran deep into the earth and a wormhole appeared. Ye Wei quietly walked out of the darkness boundered by the perfectly circr gateway.


    ¡°Now where did you go, Lu Qianhuan!?¡± Ye Wei waspletely dry, the raindrops never reached his hair, it was stopped by an invisible force, the water slid off and revealed a spherical shield around him.


    ¡®Starblink Steps!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s straightened his fingers, with great precision he dictated the long sequence of specialized runes, a thousand feet wide Qi belt appeared above the trees.


    The belt of runic light rapidly grew in length as soon as Ye Wei jumped atop, stretching towards Green Moon City.


    ¡®Hope I am not toote...¡¯ The young Runemaster thought to himself, the rush of Qi carried him towards his hometown at the speed of over ten miles a second. He was timing himself meanwhile, noticed that he was faster than the Lu Qianhuan as he remembered.


    ***


    The thick rain clouds were just carried away from Green Moon City by the midday breeze.


    Thousands had gathered in the center of the City Lord¡¯s castle. Hundreds of long, antique tables and tall chairs were tidily lined up. Each of the furniture pieces was engraved with the city¡¯s crest, they evenly coveredrge square.


    All martial families in Green Moon City except the Ye¡¯s, were invited to a feast hosted by Lu Qianhuan, who sat on the chairman¡¯s seat.


    Although in his own premises, Xiao Qingyun, the City Lord was forced to take a seat behind the guest. Next to the City Lord was Gu Qing, the principal of South Star Academy.


    Most of the attending families noticed that none of Ye¡¯s were present despite the fact that the Ye Patriarch had lead his family to its recent height and actually deserved a seat in a city gathering.


    Lu Qianhuan looked down upon his guests with a spiteful gaze while they were chattering.


    ¡°Have you heard the rumors? Lu Qianying died!¡±


    ¡°Seriously? I thought that was just some kind of sick joke! Any idea who killed him? I mean, the man is chubby and kind of clumsy looking, but he is a one-star returned prime Warrior!¡±


    ¡°People are saying Ye Wei killed him, but I am not sure if I should believe it or not.¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei!?¡± The people involved in the conversation and the eavesdroppers all gasped for air, could not picture the sixteen year old as a killer.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? Ye Wei is one of the God¡¯s Seven since the cultivation tournament in Ning City, I heard he broke through to returned prime level too!¡±


    ¡°A sixteen year old returned prime Warrior? How is that even possible!?¡±


    The martial families¡¯ patriarchs nced at each other in awe, all of them jealous of the young talent¡¯s achievement, trying not to show their amusement, afraid they might be punished by the victim¡¯s brother.


    All of them who heard the news realized that if Ye Wei had truly surpassed the City Lord and South Star¡¯s principal, it would not be long before Green Moon City is ran by the Ye¡¯s.


    ¡°Do you think Lu Qianhuan would take his brother¡¯s death lightly?¡±


    ¡°Erm, even the Lu family does influence the government, Ye Wei is now affiliated with the Runemaster Union, he cannot do anything without bringing his family down.¡±


    ¡°Well why do you think Lu Qianhuan invited us then? If Ye Wei is working against the Lu¡¯s should we even be here? I heard from the men we sent to help Lu Qianying that the Lu¡¯s condensed prime Warriors were killed by Ye Wei!¡±


    ¡°The Han¡¯s are out, I care about my family! I¡¯ve sent them on these stupid, dangerous missions for long enough anyway!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good point!¡± The patriarchs wishful thinking made them believe Ye Wei was fighting for the city, that they were protected by rtion.


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent one hundred and twenty-four Warriors to help them searching whatever they are looking for, I even sent my own son out there!¡±


    All of the patriarchs were not happy with the arrangement. They found it more and more ridiculous that the Lu elder seemed to always have extra requests. Now that they had a chance to gather in one ce, they couldn¡¯t help but venting out their resentment.


    Lu Qianhuan was not in a better mood, he was aware if the family council learned the recent developments around Green Moon City, he will be ordered to make peace with the Ye¡¯s and the Runemaster Union.


    The risk of the Lu¡¯s search being exposed was getting higher as more and more cultivators were getting involved, the Lu¡¯s had little chance to cover up if they decided to murder Ye Wei.


    Lu Qianhuan was never going to let go, he was a firm believer of the ¡®eye for an eye¡¯ principle, therefore he did not report thetest news to the council. Instead, he called them who he thought obeyed him to a meeting.


    The skinny elder stood up, his arms were crossed behind his back, his aggrieved stare seemed to be focused on everyone in the square, his spine-chilling Qi presence was filling the space. Mouths were sealed shut by Lu Qianhuan¡¯s slight movement.


    ¡°Greetings, everyone! I will be needing three extra condensed prime Warriors from each of Green Moon City¡¯s martial families by noon tomorrow, thank you!¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s voice struck the pce like thunder, his determined tone shook the thick flooring stones.


    Quietness fell again as the elder¡¯s voice faded, none of the patriarchs dared to openly challenge the dynasty¡¯s and the Runemaster Union¡¯s authority. Furthermore, sending condensed prime Warriors to capture a returned prime Warrior did not sound like a good idea to anyone in the gathering.


    In a small, remote city, condensed prime Warriors were considered rarities. However the request seemed reasonable to Lu Qianhuan¡¯s standards, his rage made himpletely blind to this simple fact.


    Green Moon City¡¯s patriarchs looked nervous, sweating as if they were sitting on cushions made of needles, they were putting their families¡¯ future in jeopardy by not willing to risk the lives of the cultivators who were going to build their families future.


    All of them were feeling helpless. They simultaneously casted their eyes onto Principal Gu and City Lord Xiao, hoping they woulde up with a solution.

 Chapter 195 – The Battle of Green Moon City

    Chapter 195 - The Battle of Green Moon City


    ¡°Elder Lu, that request is a bit too much. Green Moon City does not officially belong to the Lu¡¯s in any way.¡± Principal Gu was a man of few words, but he was not going to stay quiet when the city¡¯s future could be forever damaged because of the Lu¡¯s rage. Besides, his professionalism was not going to let him side with an outsider against the strongest cultivator South Star had ever schooled.


    Xiao Qingyun also felt the need to give a speech. He was convinced by the Lu¡¯s that he should let the superpower run an operation around the area, and was led by the elder to believe that Lu¡¯s expedition was going to benefit the city. He needed to let the citizens know. Even though he was responsible for the recent mess, he wished nothing more than returning peace to the people.


    ¡°Lu Qianhuan, I was authorized by the dynasty itself to take care of this city. The martial families are under mymand byw! You will have to stop threatening them, you are basically challenging the dynasty¡¯s reign doing so!¡± The City Lord grunted and said.


    ¡°Say whatever you want, this is the real world where strength is all that counts, the Lu family is well established, and we have royal connections! You should be grateful that you have a chance to serve us!¡± Lu Qianhuan argued, his gaze was as cold as his voice, his Qi was pressuring the City Lord and the principal.


    The returned prime Warrior¡¯s presence was threatening everyone at the square, physically and mentally. The minds of the Green Moon City cultivators were greatly weakened. Lu Qianhuan didn¡¯t care about the price he might have to pay, he just wanted to avenge the chubby man who grew up with him.


    Every single one of Green Moon City¡¯s elders and patriarchs willingly bowed to Lu Qianhuan, the cultivation mismatch eliminated their will, the slim chance they had to retaliate.


    After making sure everyone was quiet and obedient, the skinny elder started his speech, ¡°As you might have heard, the Lu¡¯s are not in good terms with the Ye family at the moment. I know Ye Wei is protected by the Runemaster Union, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t wish to harm him, I just need him captured.¡±


    The patriarchs were looking at each other, confused. They all wondered if Lu Qianhuan had gone insane.


    ¡°Please, keep in mind that he didmit murder.¡± Lu Qianhuan could sense the tension, tried his best to cover his rage. ¡°My brother deserves justice as much as Ye Wei deserves protection.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t cooperate I will make sure all of you get punished for conspiring together with the Ye¡¯s¡± Lu Qianhuan said slowly, staring at Gu Qing and Xiao Qingyun.


    The City Lord and the principal then shared a look. Subconsciously, they both understood it was better to agree than to retaliate.


    ¡°So be it. People! You heard what elder Lu said.¡± Xiao Qingyun pretended he was still mind controlled by the elder, turned to the martial families¡¯ leaders.


    Seeing that the principal and the City Lord had softened up, Lu Qianhuan grunted scornfully. ¡°The Lu family respects and appreciates, we will reward him or her who locates Ye Wei with ten million silver, three four-star Myst grade mystic arms and ten Myst grade scrolls!¡±


    The news of Master Yi¡¯s returned prime Warrior friend had already spread amongst the martial families before Lu Qianhuan called for the meeting, although nearly all the guests were mesmerize, they could feel that something was not right, that the orders they heard were not beneficial to them in anyway.


    ¡°Three days,that¡¯s how long you have! If Ye Wei isn¡¯t delivered here by then, I cannot guarantee your safety.¡± Lu Qianhuan chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ve heard reports of demons and wild beasts sighting around the area, maybe they will decided to raid the city, who knows?¡±


    Gu Qing and Xiao Qingyun knew exactly what the elder was implying, they widened their eyes, silently protesting against the ludicrous ultimatum. The two strongest men in Green Moon City wanted to unite the people in the square to stand up against tyranny, but had no way of doing so.


    A belt of light in the sky and a shrill sound snapped the guests out of confusion, a small dark figure blinked within the bright arc.


    ¡°Lu Qianhuan, don¡¯t waste your time terrorizing my home town, I am right here.¡± The young Runemaster appeared in the air, in the center of the square. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s eyes lit up, his smile turned sinister, ¡°You are not on the guest list but I am d to see you!¡±


    The elder¡¯s bloodthirsty gazended on Ye Wei like darks.


    ¡°Take him down!¡± Lu Qianhuan grunted.


    Eighteen of the Lu¡¯s ten-star condensed prime Warriors and over fifty other weaker condensed prime Warriors flew upwards to Ye Wei like a swarm of locusts.


    ¡°Why would you walk yourself into a dead end to die!?¡± Lu De, the ten-star Warrior who previously met the young Runemaster was one of the first Lu¡¯s to recognize the intruder, his lips curled up to make an evil smile, ¡°You are seriously outnumbered!¡±


    ¡°Surround him! Don¡¯t let him escape! He is known to run like a chicken!¡±


    The Lu¡¯s fired their best stances once they were in range, the sky momentarily filled with runes, and sunlight was blocked by the small army.


    ¡°You are a talented kid, but you are seriously stupid to return!¡± Principal looked worryingly at Ye Wei, muttering as he tried to calcte how he could rescue the South Star student.


    The City Lord was also analyzing the situation, he too could not believe Ye Wei would walk into the Lu¡¯s crew alone. Xiao Qingyun rooted for the Ye¡¯s but knew how strong the three-star returned prime Warrior was.


    The local patriarchs and their men immediately took cover when the fight broke out. In the chaos, theymunicated with each other using voice transmission technique.


    ¡°Argh! I feel bad for the Ye¡¯s! They could have put the city on the map.¡±


    ¡°The Ye¡¯s future is heading to its end! I heard the rest of the Lu¡¯s are at the Ye mansion right now, this must have been a trap all along! They are trying to bait Master Yi¡¯s returned prime Warrior friend out of the house so they can destroy the mansion!¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei is a fool! I can guarantee you, Lu Qianhuan will not turn Ye Wei over the authorities! The Runemaster Union was known to have zero tolerance to whoever threatens or even just harasses protected subjects. The Lu¡¯s will get into trouble, not the Ye¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean... We are witnesses?!¡±


    The locals shivered, they realized if the Lu¡¯s were going to kill Ye Wei right here, they will also be killed. Although they were jealous and some of them even wanted Ye Wei dead, they¡¯d rather be alive and live in a city where the Ye¡¯s dominated than to die.


    Led by a three-star returned prime Warrior, the Lu¡¯s crew was rather confident. They worked as a team, synchronizing their strikes. They trusted their leader and believed in their strength as a collective more than they feared the sixteen year old.


    Ye Wei stared down at the swarm of the Lu¡¯s men and their stances, he grunted as he activated the second Supernova Evolution, his cultivation exploded to one-star returned prime level.


    ¡°Lu Qianhuan, nice stance, what¡¯s its name? The human shield?¡± Ye Wei shoutededically riding the light arc, his palm fanned downwards, a Qi wave pressed down at the Lu¡¯s men towards the ground.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The condensed prime Warriors¡¯ stance did not hold up against Ye Wei¡¯s simple strike. They exploded and thousands of runes scattered in the sky.


    Ye Wei used the screen of runes to his advantage, without any of his opponents noticing, he quickly channeled energy from his blood, empowered Starblink Steps and activated Selenic Triple-Primal Sword.


    The sharp bolts of Qi uratelynded on his targets, pinning them down, interrupting any attempt at levitation.


    Contrary to Lu Qianhuan¡¯s expectation, Ye Wei did not hold back. The Lu¡¯s men were quickly mutted, none of them could defend themselves even the slightest.


    The young Runemaster had no fear, with Helian Jieyuan¡¯s promise, he was ruthlessly expressing his rage and resentment that had been building up ever since he returned to Green Moon City from the tournament.


    He turned the number disadvantage around effortlessly, and became the only person levitating in the sky just seconds after the Lu¡¯s began their attack.


    The City Lord, the principal and the rest of the guest were shocked to see the battle, the teenager¡¯s domination confirmed all the rumors regarding the sixteen year old¡¯s capabilities.


    Subsequently, both Gu Qing and Xiao Qingyun decided to help Ye Wei escape if so he needed, even if it meant sacrificing their lives. They figured out if Lu Qianhuan¡¯s revenge was to seed, the human race would have lost a rare and powerful asset.


    ¡°You little prick, even if you are protected by the Runemaster Union my family will make sure you pay a price for what you have done to us!¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s face turned pale, his veins bulged up as he witnessed his men dropping from the sky one by one.

 Chapter 196 – Secret Weapon

    Chapter 196 - Secret Weapon


    ¡°You are an idiot! I struggled to find an excuse to kill you.¡± Lu Qianhuan muttered to himself. ¡°But now I don¡¯t even have to cover up your death, I am just defending myself and you¡¯ve somehow lost your mind in a random bloodlust. That¡¯s how the history books are going to read!¡±


    The local patriarchs were stunned by the haunting scene of dead bodies falling from the sky. They shook their heads and looked away, impressed by Ye Wei¡¯s strength but despised by his bold foolishness, in their minds his chances of living through the day were getting slimmer and slimmer as the three-star returned prime Warrior¡¯s rage reached its boiling point.


    ¡°Everyone! You are my witnesses! Ye Wei justmitted a mass murder!¡± Lu Qianhuan cold eyes stared up at Ye Wei, his face turned ashen, ¡°Even a Seven New Rune is not excluded from obeying thew!¡±


    ¡®Thunderbird Seal.¡¯ Lu Qianhuan rapidly activated his powerful Earth stance as he no longer had to y it safe.


    Squeaks and rumbles echoed within the walls of the City Lord¡¯s castle while Lu Qianhuan¡¯s dense golden Qi condensed in the sky. The formless golden energy was then sculpted by the elder¡¯s will-force into the shape of a bird of prey.


    The thunderbird¡¯s wings spread and pped vigorously. ¡°Chirp!¡± The bird¡¯s call drown out the screaming crowd, over ten thousand bolts of lightning bursted out of its eyes as it ascended high up in the air.


    A storm was brewing at the City Lord¡¯s castle, the bolts struck simultaneously towards Ye Wei. The three-star returned prime Warrior¡¯s stance nted an apocalyptic image in the locals¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°Lu Qianhuan, I am no longer the one you fought.¡± Ye Wei¡¯s figure faded, swayed within the belt of the runic light.


    None of the bolts managed to connect to Ye Wei, the improved Starblink Steps turned him into a phantom. The young Runemaster casually maneuvered left and right, bing momentarily untouchable.


    ¡°What kind of speed boosting stance is that?!¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s eyes widened, his pupils dted. The elder tried his best to follow Ye Wei¡¯s movements, but he could not pinpoint where his enemy was, instead it just made him dizzy.


    Due to its wide area of effect, the Thunderbird stance had always been Lu Qianhuan¡¯s first choice when it came to catching speedy opponents off guard, he felt humiliated by how effortlessly Ye Wei was able to escape from his Earth stance.


    ¡®How could he master an Earth stance in just two days!?¡¯ Lu Qianhuan had no memory of ever seeing Ye Wei using a powerful speed boost, therefore his mind froze when he saw Starblink steps.


    ¡°No! I am thinking too much, he must have used a scroll!¡± The elder muttered to himself, trying to convince himself his opponent was not as strong and talented as his analytical observation suggested otherwise.


    ¡°I was carelessst time, this time you won¡¯t even have a chance to run!¡± Lu Qianhuan screamed, ¡°If you do, make sure you don¡¯t run back to your family mansion, you will not like what you are going to see! My men are there and they will destroy the ce as soon as I send the order!¡±


    From the tone of Lu Qianhuan¡¯s scream, Ye Wei could tell that the elder¡¯s desire to kill was growing stronger.


    The skinny elder was trying to cover his nervousness with rage. He had no way to match Ye Wei¡¯s speed therefore he spat toxic, threatening words.


    ¡°Lu Qianhuan, I know what you are trying to do! I will end you before you can call for help!¡± Ye Wei rolled his eyes and chuckled, his hands turned into a blur, countless runes bursted towards the elder.


    ¡®Third Supernova evolution!¡¯


    ¡®Selenic Reveal!¡¯


    Powered by the sudden rush of amplified Qi, the specialized rune sequence condensed and immediately exploded, turning into a mile tall spectral Selenic beast.


    ¡°Take that!¡± Ye Wei finished thest hand seal, giving life to the beast he just created.


    In less than a second after the beast opened its eyes, it began to charge. Its three horns pointed at the elder, growing in length and girth, creating a triangr shaped vacuum zone in the storm.


    Lu Qianhuan recognized the stance but could not figure out why it was nearly twice as strong as thest time he saw it.


    A shadow of concern crossed his face, he could smell deathing from the three horn des.


    ¡®Low-level Earth stance, Dry Lightning!¡¯ The elder was not quick enough to dodge, he made a quick decision between enduring the numbing recoil of the Dry Lightning and to die in the hands of his brother¡¯s murderer.


    ¡®Now!¡¯ Ye Wei anticipated Lu Qianhuan¡¯s slight hesitation and quickly activated the Falling Star form. His will-force leaked out of his Sentient and formed a light clone. Under the young Runemaster¡¯s control the clone flew towards the elder with a two-star returned prime Warrior¡¯s speed.


    The light clone had no feelings and senses, it rushed right toward the runic lightning pir Lu Qianhuan deployed.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The clone¡¯s fist reached Lu Qianhuan¡¯s stance before the beast¡¯s horns did, the speed of its punch was repelling air on its path, making the fist strike even faster.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The sh of light crashed into the lightning pir, shockwaves spreading quickly from the point of impact. The castle¡¯s walls crumbled like biscuits, grand structures were destroyed in the matter of seconds.


    ¡°This is unbelievable!¡± Xiao Qingyun screamed, looked at the debris in shock, toote to worry about evacuating the ce. The principal was right by his side, carrying as many injured as he could trying to escape from the range of the impact. They were focused on saving as many as they could and did not even have time to look up at the fight.


    The lightning pir, however, was powered by a three-star returned prime Warrior, it could not be stopped by a mere clone.


    The fist did not neutralize the elder¡¯s stance and Ye Wei¡¯s clone dispersed after loosening the rune foundation of Dry Lightning, buying a little bit of time and space for the beast to charge to the elder.


    ¡°Predictable.¡± Ye Wei mumbled as the three green glowing horns connected onto Lu Qianhuan¡¯s body. The elder was knocked off bnce by his own stance¡¯s recoil and had no possibility to react.


    ¡°Pop! Pop! Pop!¡±


    The three ghostly bolts exploded onto Lu Qianhuan¡¯s body, knocking down what¡¯s left of the castle on its trail.


    People that managed to escape were looking at the destruction from behind a screen of dust, trying to keep bnce while the ground fell apart.


    ¡°This kid! He is making Lu family¡¯s elder struggle! It¡¯s not just cultivation level and strength, the stance he used is also extraordinary!¡± The City Lord spoke to South Star¡¯s principal who stood next to him, behind a runic barrier they just created.


    Lu Qianhuan was covered in blood, he clumsily climbed out of the ruins, trembling.


    ¡°You little bastard! How dare you?! I will tear you apart!¡± Lu Qianhuan¡¯s face was scarred and twisted. He channeled his Qi and drew runes after runes inside the cloud of blood mist he was surrounded by.


    The cloud of red expanded, a vast murderous intent could be felt by everyone present.


    ¡°What is he trying to do!?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s palpitating heart told him that whatever technique Lu Qianhuan was going to use next, it would be extremely dangerous.


    ¡°Principal Gu, I think we need to do something, or the whole city will be history!¡± The City Lord said as he tried his best to keep the shield up.


    ¡°Ye Wei is still fighting, have some faith, we can¡¯t be both ces at the same time!¡± The principal replied, he was certain that if the shield went down, all of the patriarchs would be suffocated.


    The crimson colored energy around Lu Qianhuan was infused with specialized runes that he drew, and transformed into the shape of arge lotus.


    ¡°Damn it! Am I toote already?¡± Ye Wei murmured nervously and shot a peerless Qi sword at the elder.


    ¡°nk!¡±


    The bolt of light was stopped ten feet away from Lu Qianhuan. The blood mist acted as a protectiveyer, its toughness caused the Qi sword to shatter.


    Lu Qianhuan¡¯s hysterical voice, though, broke through the mist. ¡°Imbecile! You are too weak and stupid to stop me! You should be d that I am putting your stupidity to an end together with this tiny pathetic city! That¡¯s what you get for disrespecting the Lu¡¯s!¡±


    The skinny elder was bloodcrazed: His rage that had been building up since brother¡¯s death exploded all at once.


    Ye Wei felt hopeless He could sense that the terrifying energy came from an alien object inside the elder¡¯s body and it was growing at an exponential rate.

 Chapter 197 – Demon Lotus

    Chapter 197 - Demon Lotus


    ¡°You are right. Somehow you managed to activate that power inside you. However, if there is anyone here who can stop that from happening, it is me!¡± Ye Wei said while grabbing the iron talisman he had hanging on his waist all this time.


    The talisman emitted a small round ball of energy which rapidly expanded and became an invisible gravitational field, trapping Lu Qianhuan.


    The elder¡¯s hystericalughter became muffled then turnedpletely silent. His body was held in ce with his mouth open. Being suddenly frozen by Ye Wei¡¯s mysterious technique he was utterly shocked.


    The energy inside Lu Qianhuan stopped flowing and the red mist around him quickly dispersed.


    ¡°Die!¡± Ye Wei yelled as he fired thirty-six Qi swords all at once, aimed at the elder¡¯s chest.


    Ye Wei used the talisman even knowing that charging it up again would be difficult and time consuming. However, the fearsome energy he felt in the blood mist made this an easy decision.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The merged Qi swords explosively prated the elder¡¯s body. Although frozen, Lu Qianhuan could still feel pain, and his face turned pale as the left side of his chest burst open.


    ¡®B*stard!! You have no idea what you¡¯ve done!...¡¯ Lu Qianhuan thought to himself as the talisman¡¯s effect start to fade.


    ¡°Hahaha! The whole city will now perish because of you, Ye Wei!¡± Lu Qianhuan screamed as he slowly stood up. His eyes were dim and lifeless, his rib cage empty.


    Ye Wei gasped for air as he witnessed the terrifying sight. Shivering in fear, he took a few steps back.


    The young Runemaster, waspletely surprised, while Lu Qianhuan seemed to be at peace, weed his death.


    After his breakthrough to the returned prime level, the elder decided to explore one of the three forbidden grounds. The royals had no policies stopping people from entering the three areas, but it was known to the dynasty that going to these areas was just asking for death. Regardless, many cultivators were still confident enough to dive into the danger zones in the hopes of finding rare treasures.


    The Bloodtear Isles were a conglomeration of desert inds scattered within the ind sea, and this elder was one of the few who had managed to survive the savagery of those inds and lived to tell his tale.


    On one of the inds, Lu Qianhuan caught a rare blood parasite. Driven crazy by the excruciating pain, he bore his own heart out hoping to stop the agony. Just when he was about to die from blood loss, a carnivorous demonic lotus took him by suprise and consumed his heart.


    The blood lotus then settled into the elder¡¯s body using him as a host to harvest his Qi. In return, it incorporated itself into his circtory system and kept him alive.


    Not only did Lu Qianhuan learn to use the demonic energy of the lotus to improve his cultivation speed, he was also inspired by it to create the Bloodshadow stance.


    Before his travels, him and his brother had just broke through in a long duo cultivation training session. The Lu brothers were simr in every way, from appearance, cultivation talent, all they way to their temper. But since Lu Qianhuan¡¯s return, he had lost weight and his cultivation speed improved drastically. While, on the other hand, his brother remained a one-star returned prime Warrior, he had broken through twice in just two years.


    The elder¡¯s achievement did not go unnoticed by the Lu¡¯s council. Themanders position for the Drakehead mission was actually a reward. It was the patriarch¡¯s way to show his appreciation and approval.


    Lu Qianhuan never thought he would be pushed so far, and knowing he was passed the point of no return, he decided to use the destructive energy that had been umting in the lotus to destroy the young Runemaster and the city that ruined his future.


    With hisst breath he injected his remaining Qi into the lotus, releasing it from his chest.


    ¡°Is it over?¡± Ye Wei could no longer feel any signs of life from Lu Qianhuan but he hesitated to go closer and check as the blood mist was still lingering.


    The lotus quietly levitated within the mist, and not even Ye Wei could sense its existence. But even so, Ye Wei did not let his guard down. He vigntly stared at the red cloud expecting something to happen.


    ¡°Lu Qianhuan is dead.¡± Principal Gu said also looking at the red cloud. He was greatly shocked and standing still.


    ¡°How is this possible!?¡± The City Lord said doubting his senses. He could not believe the elder had died just like that. ¡°Lu Qianhuan was a three-star returned prime Warrior!¡±


    Aftering to their senses, the audience also realized what had just happened, and they looked at Ye Wei in disbelief.


    In a city where the top cultivators were not any stronger than the ten-star condensed prime level, the defeat of a three-star returned prime Warrior was something they could never fathom they would see. After a brief moment of shock, they started talking energetically.


    ¡°The times are changing! With a youngster like this, Green Moon City will be ran by the Ye¡¯s from now on!¡±


    ¡°Interesting! Exactly a century ago the Ye¡¯s were strong, and even the City Lord had to give them face I heard.¡±


    ¡°Ha, this is karma! Us, Mo¡¯s, have always kept a good rtionship with the Ye¡¯s!¡±


    As for the patriarchs that had poor rtionship with the Ye family, they shared a devious look. They all wished that the Lu¡¯s would not take the death of two elders and hundreds of their condensed prime Warriors lightly even if seeking revenge would mean angering the royals and the Runemaster Union. Some of them were already thinking about how they should send their quickest men to the state¡¯s capital to exin the situation so the Lu¡¯s would react immediately.


    As the residual energy from the violent battle began to die down, the patriarchs all turned away, chatting. As the lotus was slowly absorbing the scattered runes and the Qi close by, it revealed itself, and Ye Wei was the only person who noticed its presence.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯ The young Runemaster said in his head while frowning and narrowing his eyes.


    ¡®Kid, that is a demonic lotus...¡¯ The sinister sounding, ck Scale Progenitor¡¯s hoarse mutter echoed in Ye Wei¡¯s mind.


    ¡®And...?!¡¯ The progenitor¡¯s tone made Ye Wei feel extremely ufortable.


    ¡®And... Hahaha! You will all be very dead soon! The lotus will explode when it is fully charged, and this one is by no means small! Lu Qianhuan must have fed it well!¡¯ The progenitor repliedughing at Ye Wei¡¯s bad luck. ¡®You don¡¯t stand a chance! You are nowhere near strong enough to stop it nor quick enough to outrun it! You will be dust, and I, my friend, will be quite safe inside this scale.¡¯


    ¡®Does it mean the explosion will affect the city?!¡¯ A shiver of pure terror traveled down Ye Wei¡¯s spine.


    He could not just stand and watch. He could not just leave his family and the citizen of Green Moon City here to die. The hair on his back rose as he activated Starblink Steps and took a courageous step forward in the lotus¡¯ direction.


    The young Runemaster reached the demonic nt in less than a second and retrieved it with a chain made from Qi. He unloaded a vast amount of his amplified energy into the runes he was riding, and turned around flying away from the city.


    ¡®Hahaha! Kid, you should be running away from it, not with it!¡¯ The progenitor¡¯s sadisticugh sounded in Ye Wei¡¯s mind. ¡®I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter, it¡¯s toote! You will die either way and the city will be destroyed!¡¯


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The lotus suddenly bloomed. The firstyer of its nine patels fell, unleashing a terrifying energy wave.


    ¡°Whoop!¡± Ye Wei was just a meter away from the lotus and was immediately swept off his feet by the tsunami-like energy wave. He tasted rustiness in his mouth as he coughed up a mouthful of blood while flying backwards for miles like a stringless kite.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The lotus slowly began to spin. Its spinning was elerating in time with the waves it was producing. Within a breath¡¯s time, the lotus¡¯ energy had engulfed the whole city within seconds.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡± Gu Qing and Xiao Qingyun tried to activate the shield again but the red mist¡¯s energy was pressuring them so much that their dantians were unable to flow with Qi.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    The pressure quickly escted, and the City Lord and the Principal fell to the ground together with the rest of the citizens, shaking on the floor.


    ¡°No!¡± Ye Wei tried to get closer to the lotus. Gritting his teeth, he ignored his injuries and the pain he was enduring, but despite his effort, he could not move his body more than an inch.


    ¡®Hahaha! Just rx! It won¡¯t be long now.¡¯ The progenitor was stillughing maniacally. ¡®Be happy, at least you will not die alone!¡¯


    Every living sous in the city felt the impact, thinking it was a foreshock to an earthquake.


    ¡°That was not natural!¡± Master Yi could feel the Qi disturbance from the Ye¡¯s mansion, and looked towards the City Lord¡¯s castle with a sh of fear in his eyes.


    Even over thirty miles away from the lotus, Master Yi¡¯s breathing was bing irregr as he was already being affected by it.


    ¡°No, definitely not!¡± The Runemaster¡¯s three-star returned prime Warrior friend could also feel it. His Qi flow was drastically weakened.


    The energy waves were growing stronger and stronger, the city was shaking more vigorously as houses and other building were beginning to fall apart!

 Chapter 198 – Greater Transmutation Array

    Chapter 198 - Greater Transmutation Array


    ¡®This has to go!¡¯ Ye Wei, being closest to the lotus, could tell that it was far from over.


    ¡®Light clone!¡¯


    ¡®Peerless Sword Qi¡¯


    The young Runemaster refused to be a victim and let the city¡®s poption of over a million perish because of a madman¡¯s pride.


    Withplete focus and determination, Ye Wei ignored his body¡¯s limits and channeled all of his remaining energy. With the Qi sword as a drill and his clone as protection, he recklessly prated through wave after wave of radiating energy, towards the lotus.


    ¡®Kid, just give up! All is already lost! The explosion will wipe everything out, and a radius wider than five hundred miles will be t ground in moments!¡¯ The progenitorughed, seemingly looking forward to the disaster.


    Ye Wei ignore every word he heard and kept his eyes focused on the blooming lotus.


    ¡®Are you stupid? You might even be able to survive if you used your speed to run in the opposite direction.¡¯ The progenitor genuinely could not understand the young Runemaster¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ye Wei squeezed the words out of his bleeding lips. Even with his Qi sword and his clone negating the impact, his skin was cracking and tearing.


    Just seconds of trying to push himself though the energy waves covered him in blood.


    ¡°Not here. Not here. Not her...¡± Ye Wei¡¯s mumbles became more and more inaudible. All he could feel was pain. His will was what kept him going, although his body was telling him to it couldn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°Chook!¡±


    The fierce energy waves were denser close to lotus, and this caused his Qi sword to break apart, melted and turned into a paste texture.


    Ye Wei was now only ten feet away, but every inch forward was the greatest struggle he had ever faced.


    ¡®Maybe, just maybe I will be able to suppress the lotus with the Mystic Mount¡¯s power in my Sentient...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, as he watched his clone crumble.


    ¡®Three feet!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s body was now under more than twice the pressure without the clone relieving the energy waves. Ye Wei¡¯s skin was burning and his muscles were tearing, even strengthened by the Supernova runes his bones were beginning to crack.


    While his body was bing weaker and falling apart, his gaze became sharper. His Supreme blood was activated by the pressure and heat. The lotus¡¯ energy was destroying his body while his blood repaired it at a rapid rate.


    The repeated destruction and rebuilding was the most pain Ye Wei had ever felt. The slicing and destruction had numbed his senses, and he could not feel his body at points, however, his body was bing stronger from the process.


    ¡°Argh!¡± With his inherited power, Ye Wei screamed and slowly overcame the distance between himself and the lotus.


    ***


    At the Drakehead, Helian Jieyuan opened his eyes, disturbed. He stood up and lifted his hand, pointing his palm at Green Moon City.


    ¡°This reading is off the charts! How could a god¡¯s prime level demon even get into the city without anyone noticing!?¡± Helian Jieyuan¡¯s twisted facial expression showed his panic. ¡°How dare they ignore the holy treaty!¡¯


    The royal¡¯s figure turned into a blur, disappearing swiftly and quietly.


    Like all powerful cultivators, the royal family¡¯s Grand Elder was extremely prideful. He very seldom got himself involved in disputes between parties he thought was below him. Helian Jieyuan was almost insulted by the outburst that disturbed his training.


    ***


    Ye Wei¡¯s shaky right hand was no longer covered by skin, but that did not stop him from reaching and attempting to grab the lotus.


    ¡°Tzss!¡±


    The scalded muscles on his fingers was peeling off by the time he touched the demonic nt, and all five of his fingers were just bones.


    ¡°Argh!¡± The remaining muscles on Ye Wei¡¯s face twitched involuntarily as he used his will-force to clench his fingers onto the lotus. The moment he gripped it, he became light, able to use some of the lotus¡¯ energy. With the extra energy, he sped upwards while trying to crush the flower with his will-force and Qi.


    ¡°This is it!¡± Ye Wei said while above severalyers of clouds. He could feel the pulsating lotus¡¯ energy had stopped intensifying.


    Even with Supreme blood in his veins repairing at an outrageous speed, Ye Wei was running out of Qi and will-force. But not knowing exactly how strong the explosion was going to be, he decided to just keep flying upwards for as long as he had the energy to.


    ¡°Tatatata!¡±


    The demonic lotus vigorously rattled against Ye Wei¡¯s fleshless hands, emitting a red glowing energy.


    ¡°Is it trendy these days to be so reckless? Doesn¡¯t school teach kids to value their lives anymore?¡± Just as the energy started expanding, a spatial tear opened in the sky and a white-bearded man suddenly appeared next to Ye Wei.


    ¡°It¡¯s you...¡± Ye Wei was relieved to see Helian Jieyuan. As he was already past his body¡¯s limit, and seeing that help had arrived, he passed out from fatigue.


    ¡°This kid was ready to sacrifice his life for the city... This level of selflessness is even more impressive than his talent for cultivation. It seems I have indeed kept my eyes on the right person!¡± The bearded royal quickly caught Ye Wei. With admiration, he gleefully looked at the unconscious youngster in his arm.


    Before this incident, the grand elder saw the talent in Ye Wei and recruited the young Runemaster because of his respect for the cial Emperor. Now though, he truly appreciated Ye Wei¡¯s temperament and spirit; he knew he would be a future powerhouse.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The demonic lotus unleashed its destructive power, but the explosion had be confined and stayed the same size, held and contained by Helian Jieyuan¡¯s Qi.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The aura around the royal Grand Elder glowed rose golden as he put his specialized runes into it transforming it into one-rune-thick screen.


    ¡®Of course it¡¯s a demonic lotus! What was I thinking? The demons wouldn¡¯t achieve anything if they started a war here...¡¯ Helian Jieyuan untightened his frown and swiped his arms wrapping Ye Wei in a golden runic weave.


    ¡®Greater Transmutation Array!¡¯ With just a few hand seals, the Grand Elder channeled the primal energy around him, turning nature¡¯s power into his own. It perfectly melded with his runes and the energy shined and flowed like molten ss.


    Using less than a hundredth of a second, Helian Jieyuan fluidly made nine more hand seals. The energy around him stretched into a long, thin thread and knitted itself into aplex array.


    The array sted open a dark rift in the sky.


    ¡°Bang!¡± The noise was not proportion to the miniature explosion, the crack swallowed the energy of the lotus.


    The crack then spat out a cube of light, and contained inside was the lotus. With only two seconds, the Grand Elder took control of the whole situation.


    Helian Jieyuan levitated peacefully above the clouds while looking at the lotus and thought to himself. ¡®If it were a full bloom, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to control it.¡¯


    ¡°The Prime Dragon Ridge technically belongs to the Ye¡¯s... I should pay them back somehow.¡¯ The Grand Elder muttered, looking at the runic weave with a smile on his face. ¡°This kid is a Ye and the cial Emperor¡¯s inheritor, he has great temperament too.¡±


    ¡°The lotus goes to you then! And we are even!¡± Helian Jieyuan shook his head, and managed to fight his urges to im this rare nt as his own. He flicked his finger, and the lotus immediately melted into Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°How did you not die from this...?¡± The Grand Elder finally had the time to take a closer look at Ye Wei¡¯s injuries, and he frowned while sighing. After flicking his sleeves, the old and the youngster disappeared.


    ***


    The news of Ye Wei¡¯s stand against the Lu¡¯s, and his victory over Lu Qianhuan, spread across the city within the day. Two days after that devastating battle, the whole state was aware of what happened at Green Moon City.


    Martial families within the state were concerned, and all showed interest in how the Lu¡¯s reacted to the elder¡¯s death. Even the Green Army and the Runemaster Union were paying attention to this new development.

 Chapter 199 – Lu

    Chapter 199 - Lu


    At the Rockde mountains just outside Zhoutian Sword School, Jian Chen sat cultivating on one of the sword-shaped peaks.


    His Qi was saturating under the clouds in the shape of swords, gliding around like eagles


    Jian Chen opened his eyes when a pigeon called, he opened his hand as the bird released the small scroll it carried. He widened his eyes after reading the text, clenched onto and crumbled the paper.


    ¡°For the past three months I have been training day and night just to improve my sword techniques and refine my Bloodmoon Assassination Sword, but I guess that does not give me the right to fight you again.¡± Jian Chen¡¯s Sword Qi elerated as he became more emotional.


    ¡°I will catch up with you, the next time when I have the chance to challenge you I will be the victor!¡± Hispetitiveness and thirst for power became his drive. Jian Chen decided that Ye Wei was his worthy rival. The stronger his rival became, the more motivated he was.


    Apart from the low-profile, Lin¡¯s the other two royal families were recruiting youngsters to be a part of their forces.


    Jian Chen had been famous and watched by many powerful people since he became a God¡¯s Seven, he had recently been recruited by the Helian¡¯s but since he cared more about the art of sword than anything else, he didn¡¯t bother replying.


    ¡®If I continue to stay in my own head, I will never overtake Ye Wei...¡¯ The fifteen year old closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ¡®I shall take the offer!¡¯


    ***


    Within the thirty-six outskirt cities region, Ye Wei¡¯s previous opponents at the tournament were all shocked to hear the news, most of them were the strongest cultivator from their own cities. They could not believe that it only took three months of cultivating for Ye Wei, who had the strength of a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, to be strong enough to defeat a three-star returned prime Warrior.


    After seeing Ye Wei defeating Qi Xiu from Pris, Shi Huntian from Tri-Sr and single-handedly tamed Gxy Academy¡¯s line-up, a lot of the cultivators and citizens from the region were excited about the rising star. When they heard the news, they were proud and ecstatic, believing that Ye Wei would soon rise to be god¡¯s prime Warrior.


    As Ye Wei was now a cultivatorparable to the City Lord of Ning City, the region¡¯s leader, The Green Army had now decided to not only see Ye Wei as a talent, but also a potential threat.


    To the officials and established powers within the region the speed Ye Wei was growing seemed unnatural, it unavoidably raised concerns and disturbed the bnce of powers. The families closer to the Army and the Runemaster Union had clearly gained poprity among the influentials.


    ***


    At Ning City, the City Lord was discussing recent affairs with his strategists, inevitably the topic of Ye Wei came up.


    ¡°I like that kid, back at the tournament he was fighting like a peak ten-star condensed prime Warrior. That was only three months ago. I don¡¯t think he will do anything against me, I saved his life in the end.¡± City Lord Chen Yuan expressed casually, felling slightly nostalgic about the tournament.


    ¡°But, Sir, the man he killed is a three-star returned prime Warrior who had spent time cultivating in one of the forbidden areas and survived!¡± The City Lord¡¯s deputy was not as trusting as he didn¡¯t fight alongside Ye Wei.


    ¡°If I say it¡¯s fine, then it is. Rumors had it that he did what he had to, for his family and his city, if we should read anything out of the information we gathered, Ye Wei should be a trustworthy ally, not the opposite.¡± The City Lord exined to his man in a rxed tone. ¡°The Lu¡¯s on the other hand, we may have to keep an eye on.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Sir? This kid will most probably be a god¡¯s prime Warrior or even a Supreme! If we ever have a chance to deal with him, it will be now, when from what we¡¯ve gathered, he is still injured.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am sure. Keep the Ye¡¯s close, help them if they need it.¡± Chen Yuan replied sincerely. ¡°I¡¯d rather him be a Supreme than any other youngsters I saw fighting in the tournament!¡±


    Like the region¡¯s capital, many martial families had taken the same approach towards the Ye¡¯s treating the Ye family like celebrity, royalties.


    The gates of the Ye mansion had be busy again, teaming with gift-bearing messengers. However, the Ye¡¯s did not have the time for their guests, they were panicking over the missing young Runemaster, arranging search groups to cover the city and the surrounding areas.


    ***


    On the edge of the Lu¡¯snd at Qing State¡¯s capital.


    At the throat of a giant volcano sat a majestic pce, its white exterior was lit red by the radiating magma. The walls did not stop the heat and the raging me from the outside, in the middle of the burning hall, a white-haired and bearded old man was sitting with crossed legs, cultivating on top of arge straw cushion.


    The old man¡¯s graceful figure flickered and crackled, periodically fading and materializing.


    ording to rumors, the Lu Patriarch was an eight-star returned prime Warrior, but he hadn¡¯t fought in public in decades, his actual cultivation was a mystery.


    ¡°Granddad!¡± A stern-faced youngster appeared in thin air before the pce¡¯s gate, a blurry white re coated his body, and his white robe, insting the lethal heat.


    Lu Fan was the most talented young cultivator that had been born into the Lu family in the recent centuries, at the age of twenty-two, his five-star returned prime level cultivation ced him amongst the dynasty¡¯s elites.


    After the Green Moon City incidence, the Lu elders held different opinions as of how they should react, while some insisted they should retaliate, some of them would like the family to officially apologize to the Ye¡¯s, the Green Army and the Runemaster Union.


    Without an unanimous decision, the board had no choice but bring the matter to their leader and Lu Fan was the only person the Lu Patriarch would see in person.


    ¡°Hey,e on in!¡± The old man¡¯s gentle but sturdy voice echoed the hall, the gates slowly swung opened automatically. He opened his eyes, seemed happy to see his grandson. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Elder Qianhuan and half a hundred of our condensed prime Warriors were killed in Green Moon City by a kid called Ye Wei, the council could not agree on how the family should react and here I am, asking for your opinion.¡± Lu Fan respectfully looked towards the center of the burning hall.


    ¡°Who is this Ye Wei then?¡± The elder¡¯s voice was unemotional, but his eyes lit up. Feeling offended but excited, the empire he build have not been challenged since more than decades ago.


    ¡°Ye Wei, from the Green Moon City¡¯s Ye¡¯s. Best young cultivator of the God¡¯s Seven, one of the seven New Runes, as you can already guess, he has the power to defeat a three-star returned prime Warrior.¡± Lu Fan spoke slowly to make sure the patriarch got every bit of the information.


    ¡°Okay that sounds interesting.¡± The Lu Patriarch muttered, seemed to be impressed, moved. ¡°So in terms of talent, he is not worse than you. I get the picture now.¡±


    ¡°That would be the case. From what we can gather, the kid was just a condensed prime Warrior less than three months ago.¡± Lu Fan took a deep breath and continued, ¡°and that¡¯s the reason we believe that he learned the Drakehead¡¯s location.¡±


    ¡°The Drakehead?¡± The patriarch rose his brows.


    ¡°And also...¡± A cyan coloured me appeared, the fire transformed into the shape of a humanoid in front of Lu Fan, ¡° I have just mastered this!¡±


    ¡°Cyan Clone!¡± The patriarch appeared not to be interested, just nodded and vaguely smiled, ¡°not bad considering you are just twenty-two! You might even be able to hold your ground in the ring against the Head Elder. Speaking of whom, is he still at six-star returned prime level?¡±


    ¡°Yea granddad.¡± Lu Fan nodded, his fire clone shrank and returned into his body. He looked at the patriarch with an intense gaze and continued, ¡°do you think I should take care of Ye Wei myself then?¡±


    ¡°He sounds like a dangerous character if I am honest.¡± The smile on the patriarch¡¯s face vanished and his tone became harsh and cold. ¡°It¡¯s a shame he was not born into a powerful family.¡±


    The Lu Patriarch shook his head as he made the decision. ¡°I will send someone else to do the job, we can¡¯t tolerate this kind of disrespect as much as we can¡¯t put you at risk. This can getplicated.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? He is one of the Seven New Runes.¡± Lu Fan tried as hard as he could to sound calm, ¡°I am guessing you have already thought about how to deal with the Union then?¡±


    ¡°The Seven is just a silly title and the Qing state Union is just a shell, it has no real authority.¡± The patriarch grunted and answered. ¡°We are not amateurs, we will not leave traces that leads the kill to us!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand!¡± Lu Fan nodded and backed to the exit. Just as he was about to leave, a flowing purple sigil appeared in the hall.

 Chapter 200 – Heritage

    Chapter 200 - Heritage


    The Sigil glowed in a noble shade of lc.


    "Helians!?" The patriarch furiously leaped forth from his seat and grabbed it as it twinkled.


    His hand clenched into a fist and crushed the sigil into pieces, the message it carried was directly injected into his Sentient.


    The rage he felt twisted his face and bulged up the veins on his arms.


    ¡°Little Fan, tell the council not to touch the Ye family, there will be consequence if just one hair on Ye Wei¡¯s head is missing. Anyone who does anything to the Ye¡¯s will be executed.¡± The old man¡¯s long white brows arched up, his voice had a sizzling undertone.


    Lu Fan¡¯s was shocked to hear the harsh, contradicting order, looking at the patriarch in frustration.


    ¡°Your wish is ourmand.¡± The youngster nodded reluctantly, dared not reason with the enraged old man.


    ¡°You should think about training in the field from now on. You should be able to handle most missions we have avable now that you mastered the fire clone technique.¡± The Patriarch flicked his finger and shot a golden fire bolt at Lu Fan¡¯s forehead. ¡° Pay the Huyan¡¯s a visit, bring them all the information we have on the Drakehead. Show them the mark on your forehead and they will know I sent you.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Lu Fan touched his forehead and bowed respectfully. He was doubtful about the decision but he didn¡¯t show it. He bowed again as he walked out of the gate.


    ¡°Helian! The Lu¡¯s can¡¯t touch you but we know people who can!¡± The Patriarch murmured as soon as he was alone again, ¡°We will be meless if the Huyan gets rid of Ye Wei...¡±


    The elder chuckled grievously, drowning in vengeful thoughts.


    ***


    Ye Wei was lying unconscious in the center of the underwater pce at the Drakehead. His eyes were shut, his organs, bones, muscles and skin were heavily damaged, destroyed in the explosion. If it wasn¡¯t for the Supreme blood in his veins, he would have died together with Lu Qianhuan.


    ¡°You dumb little kid, didn¡¯t they teach you to think before you act!? You could have notified me, Lu Qianhuan was just a three-star returned prime Warrior, I could have dealt with him even before he pulls off the suicidal move.¡± The Helian Grand Elder shook his head while looking at Ye Wei.


    The corrosive energy of the lotus would have killed most ordinary folks, and it was still lingering on Ye Wei even it had been days since the explosion.


    ¡°He is lucky to be a Ye. His blood is continuously healing him.¡± Helian Jieyuan kept his hands on Ye Wei¡¯s back, supporting the young Runemaster¡¯s vitals with his own Qi.


    ¡°Just a bit longer. His blood should neutralized the residue toxicity.¡± Helian Jieyuan had no way to counter the lotus¡¯ energy, the only thing he could do was supporting.


    ¡°He is going to gain more than he lost.¡± Helian Jieyuan could visualized the Qi flow in Ye Wei¡¯s body, could clearly see that the youngster¡¯s Qi waspressing, that the Qi flow was strengthening the youngster¡¯s body as it was being repaired.¡±


    ¡°Without the lotus¡¯ stimtion his blood will not even be activated. When he eventually wakes up, he will be a lot stronger...¡± The royal sighed and muttered. ¡°Just sixteen but already an eight-star condensed prime Warrior, two-star returned prime level clone and he has Supreme blood in his veins.¡±


    ¡°He is also sitting on the cial Emperor¡¯s knowledge and treasures. I wonder what I would have be if I was as lucky as he is. Hahaha!¡± Helian Jieyuan was feeling slightly jealous but understood Ye Wei¡¯s rise will be for the greater good.


    The healing power of the Supreme Blood continuously worked against the lotus¡¯ toxicity, the runes in Ye Wei¡¯s blood were slowly catching up with the rate his body was decaying.


    Although Ye Wei was not practising a body strengthening stance, his physical form was enhanced by abnormally rapid healing process, his body strength was nowparable to even the strongest opponents he fought.


    In the Grand Elder¡¯s eyes, it was only the matter of time before Ye Wei reached his own cultivation level.


    ¡®I¡¯ve wasted enough time.¡¯ Helian Jieyuan thought to himself as he sat himself down and focused on his own body.


    Supreme Yu Pce was the Drakehead¡¯s core, being in the sacred halls meant that Ye Wei¡¯s Qi flow was sped up more than a hundred times its normal speed. However, the source of the freezing energy that could turn even Ye Wei to a piece of solid ice if it was not for Helian Jieyuan¡¯s aid.


    Three days had passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Wei finally woke up after the lotus¡¯ toxicity waspletely digested by the power in his blood.


    ¡°My body...¡± Ye Wei gently clenched his fist, the energetic strength woke him up.


    ¡°What happened to me!?¡± He eximed in disbelief. Not only was he prepared to die for the city, he was certain that his life actually ended when he lost consciousness.


    Ye Wei froze in confusion, his mind was absolutely nk.


    ¡°Kid, are you awake or still dreaming?¡± Helian Jieyuan stood up and walked towards Ye Wei with a smile on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! It was you!¡± The royal Grand Elder was the missing centerpiece of Ye Wei¡¯s memory, the young Runemaster had a sudden moment of rity. ¡°You appeared out of nowhere right before the explosion!¡±


    Ye Wei looked gratefully at Helian Jieyuan and thought, ¡®You saved my life, healed my injuries and strengthened my body...¡¯


    ¡°I owe you too much!¡± Ye Wei went on his knees and thankfully nodded. ¡°I will dedicate my life to the Helians. If you need me to do anything just let me know and I will get it done or die trying!¡±


    ¡°Kid, you can take that back for now. I stopped the lotus exploding, but I did not stop the lotus from killing you.¡± Helian Jieyuan saidughingly. ¡°Don¡¯t just thank me for you being alive. You lived and your body strengthened to one-star returned prime level because of the Supreme blood in you.¡±


    The royal wore a cryptic smile on his face, amused by how confused and clueless Ye Wei actually was.


    ¡°Supreme blood?¡± Ye Wei did not get much out of Helian Jieyuan¡¯s vague words, he therefore closed his eyes, channeled his will-force to investigate his body¡¯s state.


    The young Runemaster could feel the small, powerful portion of his blood was resting in his Sentient, and that quite arge sum of runes were detaching from the pool of golden fluid.


    The runes Ye Wei could feel were separated from the Supreme blood during the healing process, after absorbing the toxins.


    ¡®I have always suspected there is a stance somewhere in those ten thousand runes in that little pool of blood...¡¯ Ye Wei closed his eyes and felt the connection between the loose runes, ¡®I can already see how my theory can be true!¡¯


    ¡®Supreme Ye Yu must have left the runes in his blood so the Ye¡¯s could someday rediscover it!¡¯ The young Runemaster felt euphoric, like a child who figured out how to run for the first time in his life. ¡®It can¡¯t be just any stance if it¡¯s hidden so well...¡¯


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me any less grateful! I would have been killed if you didn¡¯t intervene!¡± Ye Wei looked at Helian Jieyuan right in the eyes and said.


    The Grand Elder smiled and nodded, greatly appreciated Ye Wei¡¯s humbleness and modesty at such young age.


    ¡°Sir, I can feel a powerful stance in my blood. Would you mind watching over me in case my Qi flow gets out of control?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Helian Jieyuan nodded and sat down to cultivate, filling the room with his will-force so he could monitor Ye Wei while focused on his own training.


    Ye Wei also crossed his legs and sat down to study the runes further.


    ¡°This is a spectacr body enhancement stance!¡± the young Runemaster¡¯s will-force was soon able to rearrange the runes in his blood into a more refined structure.


    To be a sage, one must transcend their life energy to a higher level through a Heaven stance they created, the failure of the Supreme transcendence will cause the cultivator¡¯s soul to slowly disintegrate in the course of ten years.


    The Eternal Star was a Sky stance created by Supreme Ye Yu for the transcendence, after the failure he spent the rest of his life to infuse the runes of the stance to his eldest son¡¯s blood.

 Chapter 201 – Eternal Star

    Chapter 201 - Eternal Star


    Most cultivators that failed their Supreme transcendence were not able to deal with the pressure of their impending death. Even the kindest Supremes had been recorded to go on illogical sprees, killing anyone they see.


    As for Ye Yu, he did not be violent under the pressure after his failed attempt, instead he disappeared from the public andter even from his family. He left the mansion with all his belongings leaving them to deal with everything. This indirectly caused the decline of the Ye¡¯s.


    Nobody knew where Supreme Ye Yu went and, sadly, nobody had a chance to record the stance he created for his ascendance.


    The Eternal Star had been hidden in in view throughout the centuries without anyone figuring out its structure or function. Although the stance was inevitably mentioned in the family¡¯s history books, the passages were brief and undescriptive.


    The Sky stance had been relentlessly refined by the Supreme before his ascendance, it wasn¡¯t yet a Heaven stance but it was only a fewpressions away.


    If the Supreme had the time and will to develop the Eternal Star, it would certainly have became a Heaven stance.


    ¡°This is astoundingly close to being absolutely wless!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s chest was pounding as his breathing quickened bing irregr.


    Ye Wei widened his eyes in surprise as the runes in his Sentient rearranged themselves andposed a message.


    ¡®The stages are as follows: return star, divine star, supreme star andst sage star.¡¯ The young Runemaster was amused but focused as he analyzed theplex sequence. ¡®He even thought it this far through!?¡¯


    ¡®If I learned this, I would be able to beat anyone on my level.¡¯ After digesting therge amount of information, Ye Wei could better appreciate the intricacy of the stance. ¡®No, actually not even a ten-star returned prime Warrior would be unable to do anything to me when I master this technique.¡¯


    ¡®The Eternal Star stance is about energy transformations, dissipating the opponent¡¯s strikes, and converting this energy to power my body. The harder I get hit, the faster my Qi will flow, and the more my body will be strengthened by this stance.¡¯


    ¡®These twelveplex patterns make up the first stage. If I can interpret them and use them in as a stance...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself as he tried to categorize the sea of images in his head. He decided to just memorize a small portion; he was in no hurry as the entire stance was stored in his blood.


    ¡®This should keep me upied for a while!¡¯ Ye Wei opened his eyes with a smile on his face, energized and motivated. ¡®My body has already been strengthened to a one-star returned prime Warrior¡¯s level by my Supreme blood... Just how strong will I be when I figure out the moves on these twelve patterns.¡¯


    ¡®It is quite strange having stronger defense on my exterior than interior.¡¯ Ye Wei thought while he opened and closed his hand looking at the muscles in his forearm contract. ¡®I feel like a savage demon, or a dumb wild beast, haha!¡¯


    ¡®Enough pointless thoughts!¡¯ Ye Wei changed his attention and dived right back in his mind, carefully studying each of the runes in the twelve patterns.


    After going through all of them once, the young Runemaster frowned in frustration and muttered to himself. Ye Wei had identified four key difficulties in the return star stage.


    ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t be a good stance if it were easy to learn.¡±


    The first difficulty involved being able to sense and channel the energy of the stars. Supreme Ye Yu had learned to harvest the energy of a specific constetion above the Zenith continent while creating the stance.


    Without the stars¡¯ energy, the patterns in his head was redundant as there were no other means of power to activate the special runes.


    Unlike primal energy that fills the sky and earth, the energy of the stars was light years away through space, gravitational fields, ands. Even powerful cultivators had no way of sensing the stars¡¯ energy without the blood of a Supreme.


    ¡°I should be able to make this work.¡± Ye Wei checked the runic patterns in his head a few more times. After studying them for a while he had memorized the tiniest details.


    The young Runemaster closed his eyes and made a simple hand seal in front of his chest. It was ancient and interpreted from the rune patterns in his head. His will-force became a thin thread reaching up into the dark and empty space.


    With his cultivation, Ye Wei¡¯s will-force could currently reach over thirty miles, but it was minisculepared to the distance between him and the stars.


    The ancient hand seal created a protectiveyer around the energy he emitted thus strengthening it. Thirty miles, fifty miles, one hundred miles, one hundred and fifty miles...


    Ye Wei¡¯s will-force reach had expanded multiplied time over his limit within seconds. He swapped hand seal as the thread reached its maximum length. His energy oscited in space and began to detect the stars.


    Ten hours passed without a trace of starlight. Ye Wei opened his eyes in the middle of the underwater pce and his depression was obvious on his bitter face.


    ¡®I felt nothing at all!¡¯ He thought to himself frustrated as half a day of struggling turned out to be pointless.


    ¡®I am pretty sure my will-force reached space. How was three hundred miles not far enough!?¡¯


    Ye Wei held his frown as he kept wondering what went wrong. Even with the hand seal, Ye Wei¡¯s will-force did not reach more than two hundred miles.


    In the history of the Ye¡¯s, Supreme Ye Yu was thest person in the family recorded to be able to sense the power of the stars.


    Although will-force that could reach a hundred and fifty miles was quite a feat, it was not sufficient for the purpose of harvesting the power hidden in the stars.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe this!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s determination was hard as steel; he clenched his fist hard enough that his knuckles cracked. ¡®I can do better, much better!¡¯


    ¡®I will have strength as great as any returned prime cultivator if I somehow figure this out!¡¯


    Ye Wei tried again to extend his will-force but with no sess. He became even more tired and frustrated.


    ¡®Maybe I am just too weak...¡¯ His face was slightly pale when he decided to take a short break, to review what could have caused his failures. ¡®But my will-force is much stronger than what is it suppose to bepared to my eighth-star level.¡¯


    ¡°Wait! The quickest way to empower my will-force is my Supernova stance! It¡¯s so obvious... Why am I so stupid?¡± ¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself. ¡°If only I thought about this earlier then I wouldn¡¯t have been stuck for so many hours.¡±


    The basics of Falling Star form was the only thing the Supreme left the family, Ye Wei had no way of knowing any how the Eternal Star stance worked.


    ¡®I just have to try! Third Supernova evolution!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation was amplified in just moments, reaching returned prime level. The strand of his will-force kept extending, travelling deeper into the darkness.


    Over a thousand miles away from the ground, Ye Wei¡¯s will-force was could now pick a faint, mystical energy.


    ¡®That is underwhelming...¡¯


    Although Ye Wei could now feel the energy, he was yet to be capable of absorbing and using the stars¡¯ power due to his low cultivation level.


    ¡®Cultivating it is, and I am at the best ce for it!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, realized how lucky he was. ¡®I should be able to breakthrough soon.¡¯


    The young Runemaster sat down and started using the Falling Star form, getting the advantage of the Supernova stance while it was still active.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The under pce shook as surges of primal energy rushed towards Ye Wei from the water, the sky and the earth, he was absorbing them almost a hundred times quicker than usual.


    Like a giant ma, the pce was continuously attracting energy, no matter how quick Ye Wei drained, the pce kept up, saturating the area with nature¡¯s power.


    Just a few dayster, Ye Wei¡¯s dantain developed the ninth crack.

 Chapter 202 – Sacred Marks

    Chapter 202 - Sacred Marks


    After entering nine-star condensed prime level, Ye Wei was extremely spirited. He briefly consolidated his cultivation and used the third Supernova evolution to see if he could reach the stars.


    With the ancient hand seal, Ye Wei¡¯s will-force was able to stretch five thousand miles against the¡¯s gravity.


    ¡®Still not enough...¡¯ Ye Wei frowned, deted. He could now sense the stars¡¯ energy better but his will-force was still not strong enough to draw the energy back to him.


    ¡®Here in Supreme Yu Pce I can absorb primal energy more than a hundred times faster than I do outside, I should just keep my head to it, if I keep up my pace, I will be able to power through to ten-star condensed prime level very soon!¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fists, rethought his strategies


    ¡°Try again when you broke though, no stressing Ye Wei.¡± He muttered to himself.


    Only one minor breakthrough away from having to stand before the returned prime gauntlet, Ye Wei was starting to worry about the major breakthrough he will soon have to ovee if he wanted to go further with his cultivation. Minor breakthroughs can be ovee by hard work but major ones requires cultivators to defend themselves against inner demons, to be able to figure out on their own how they can efficiently and safely route the energy their gain resulted by their dantian and Sentient upgrade.


    Ye Wei was focused, put all the frustrations to the side and cultivated.


    Two days passed in a sh, the young Runemaster sat still and became one with nature. After twenty more days, he was still in the same position. He did not eat or sleep, lived off the energy he consumed.


    Undisturbed by the outside world, the young Runemaster just sat still and cultivated for a whole month, Helian Jieyuan had asionally been out of the pce to patrol but kept it quiet so Ye Wei could keep focus.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    Ye Wei shivered and the whole pce shook. The silver ball in his dantian was now covered by ten golden cracks.


    ¡°You are already a ten-star condensed prime Warrior!¡± Helian Jieyuan muttered to himself as he sensed the Qi disturbance, shocked by the speed of Ye Wei¡¯s improvement. ¡®I have tried cultivating without any disturbance too but even then I was not able to push myself that hard!¡¯


    ¡®I am cultivating fifty times normal speed here, but the Drakehead was a Ye¡¯s flesh and blood, and this kid is using the Ye Yu¡¯s form...¡¯ The royal look at Ye Wei and thought. ¡®This must be why he is getting more out of this pce.¡¯


    ¡°Ten!¡± Ye Wei opened his eyes and shouted excitedly, ¡°if I still can¡¯t channel the stars¡¯ energy I will just try again when I am a returned prime Warrior!¡±


    The young Runemaster was trying his best to remain calm, but behind the calm he was dreading for the major breakthrough.


    ¡®I will get through eventually but how long am I going to be stuck for? A month? A year?¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ye Wei exhaled slowly and filled his lungs with fresh air. He activated the third Supernova evolution, made the ancient hand seal. The texture of his Qi and will-force immediately transformed.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    His will-force quickly condensed and became thread-shaped, shot upwards to the sky.


    ¡°It can go further!¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself, pointed his bloodshot eyes up at the sky. ¡°I have to hold on to it, I can keep pushing!¡±


    ¡®One thousand, two thousand...¡¯ Ye Wei grounded his teeth, kept channelling his wiil-force despite the dizziness he felt. ¡®Six thousand, eight thousand!¡¯


    The thread of will-force stopped stretching at twelve thousand miles above ground level, but Ye Wei still could not channel the stars¡¯ energy.


    ¡°No! This can¡¯t be it!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s face was pale as a sheet, but his determination kept him going. He ignored his pain and changed hand seal, used his life energy to power his will-force.


    Although bleeding out of his mouth and beginning to faint, the strand of will-force still managed to stretch and climbed to a staggering fourteen thousand miles altitude.


    ¡®I am still not strong enough...¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s will-force was weakening, bing thinner and struggled to hold up in space.


    Just when he was about to faint, a golden glow filled his Sentient.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The mystic mount¡¯s ancient energy freshened his body, his fading senses and consciousness awakened from fatigue.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s will force was empowered by the golden energy, the strand shook and rapidly stretched longer through space debris.


    ¡®Sixteen thousand, eighteen thousand, twenty thousand miles...¡¯


    Within a breath¡¯s time, Ye Wei¡¯s will-force was twice as far as it was. It kept reaching outwards to the unknown with no signs of slowing down.


    ¡°The stars!¡± Ye Wei feel the constetions¡¯ energy with his Sentient, shouted with joy ¡°I am connected!¡±


    ¡®I need to be quenched by the starlight...¡¯ The young Runemaster swapped hand seal to draw the immense energy form the among the stars back at himself.


    ¡°Bang!¡± Arge, sparkling pir of amber light connected Ye Wei to the stars.


    ¡°This is it!¡±


    Ye Wei stood up in the starlight, smiled in sheer happiness as he pushed himself past the first obstacle of learning the Eternal Star stance.


    ¡®Now I can start using the star¡¯s energy to strengthen my body!¡¯


    ¡®From what I can gather, there should be four steps in the absorption stage, the will-force should be thin as a thread to start with, then a pir, next level would be thick as a river and in time I should be able to draw energy from the stars as much and as fast and I wish.¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, surprised that he was on the second step with the help of the mystic mount presence in his Sentient.


    Surrounded by starlight, the first runic pattern in the Ye Wei¡¯s mind began to move, his hands were moving voluntarily, making a new hand seal.


    Once the hand seal was made, the cells in his body began to engulf the energy. His skin, bones, muscles and his organs hardened.


    ¡°What stance is the kid learning? The energy disturbance he is causing is ridiculous! It¡¯s almost as strong as cosmic energy¡± Helian Jieyuan stopped cultivating, opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar sight, a pir of starlight.


    Ye Wei¡¯s body shook as the surge of energy entered him, ayer of icy crystals was forming on his surface of his body.


    The starlight was quickly absorbed by Ye Wei¡¯s body, the first runic pattern melted into his blood, disappeared as the light faded.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    Ye Wei casually clenched his fist, caused a small Qi explosion under the water, a muffled shrill sound filled the pce as he tensed his muscles.


    ¡®My body strength isparable to a three-star returned prime Warrior!¡¯ Ye Wei slowly rxed his grip, satisfied by the immediate result.


    ¡°How did you do that!? You have only been here for a month and your body strength tripled! Was the stance you practiced given to you by your family?¡± Helian Jieyuan, the knowledgeable royal, was surprised and curious.


    ¡°Eternal Star!¡± Ye Wei answered with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Are you sure? I thought that stance was lost in time!?¡± The royal lost his voice. ¡°It¡¯s one of the strongest Sky stance of all time!¡±


    ¡°You have heard that name before?¡± The youngster was interested, wanted to learn more about the stance.


    ¡°Of course, it is a famous stance in a certain group of cultivators who studied the history books,¡± Helian Jieyuan chuckled and spoke, ¡°about a thousand years ago, mankind was going through a difficult time. The continents were scotched by a horde made up of a few billion demons.¡±


    ¡°Supreme Ye Wei single-handedly fought and defeated six demon emperor¡¯s, afterwhich he chased the leading progenitors all the way back to the abyss where they came from.¡± The royal yed with his beard as he told the story.


    ¡°Supreme Ye Yu was recognized as the strongest cultivator since the sages after that battle, he gained schools of disciples too. Although he disappeared after failing his Supreme transcendence, his influence lived on.¡± Helian Jieyuan took a deep breath and continued. ¡°For hundreds of years after his disappearance, demons were actually too scared to cross over to our side of thend.¡±


    ¡°What? Six demon emperors and a progenitor?!¡± Ye Wei gasped and said. ¡®Will I ever be at that level?¡¯


    ¡°Haha, you are the inheritor of the Eternal Star stance, you should prepare yourself to fight demons and beast!¡± The royal Grand Elder patted Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder and said in an encouraging tone.


    ¡°Yes sir! I am a Ye and I will live up to my family name!¡± Ye Wei nodded, said sincerely.


    ¡°You can start training soon, there are three-star returned prime level demons and beasts around the area, I can catch one for your when you are ready for it!¡± Said the Grand Elder in a joking tone.


    ¡°My cultivation is nothingparing to Supreme Ye Yu and yourself, please don¡¯t make fun of me...¡± Ye Wei blushed and muttered.


    ¡°I have cultivating for three hundred years, and Supreme Ye had been doing the same. Don¡¯t you darepare yourself to us.¡± The Grand Elder squinted his eyes and said.


    The young Runemaster realized he just spoke nonsense and tried to change the subject. ¡°Sir, you have been cultivating here for a while. Have you ever seen the sacred mark?¡±

 Chapter 203 – The Tenth Mark

    Chapter 203 - The Tenth Mark


    ¡°Of course I have seen the mark, I am not blind. Are you sure you want to know where they are? There are demons and beasts waiting for the marks to surface.¡± Helian Jieyuan said.


    Although powers strong as the three royal families could benefit from the Supreme Dragon ridge¡¯s treasures, the Grand Elder cared more about cultivation than any treasure.


    Helian Jieyuan would not even have left the Drakehead if he was not intrigued by Ye Wei¡¯s unique Qi presence, an energy signature that reminded him of the cial Emperor.


    The demons and beasts had known about the Drakehead for centuries. The Grand Elder¡¯s presence was the reason why they lived in the North Barren Mountains and stayed deep in the valleys, away from the bay area. Their fear and respect was the only thing that kept Green Moon City peaceful.


    ¡°Yea and the Huyan¡¯s are here too, and I don¡¯t think any of them would just leave without getting a sacred mark or two. The City will never be safe for now.¡± Ye Wei sighed and said, wishing the Grand Elder would intervene but also realized it was less than likely. ¡°Do you have any idea when the marks will be released by the Drakehead?¡±


    ¡°Two months, but that¡¯s just a guess, it all depends on how much we use this ce, and you cultivating here is not making it any easier to predict.¡± Helian Jieyuanughed and replied.


    ¡®The demons and the beasts are too close to Green Moon City right now...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, he wished to leave for the Helian¡¯s, to train while seeing the world but couldn¡¯t stop worrying about his home.


    ¡°The marks are in here, and I am capable of speeding the process up then breaking the disc open.¡± Helian Jieyuan smiled, seemed to able to read Ye Wei¡¯s mind. He pointed at the jade disc in the center of the hall. It stood twenty feet tall,pletely ck from top to bottom. ¡°If we crack the disc open right now, we will be able to acquire one or two marks.¡±


    ¡®If they are busy fighting for the treasures in the mountains, they will away from the bay area and the city...¡¯ Ye Wei quickly thought of an oundish solution, walked towards the jade disc and channeled his strength. He struck the jade disc with a three-star returned prime Warrior¡¯s power.


    ¡°Puff!¡±


    A muffled noise sounded, the jade disc was not even scratched, remained perfectly intact.


    ¡°Sir, how can I break the seal on the disc?¡± Ye Wei tried to follow the waving energy flow underneath the jade artifact¡¯s polished surface, but failed to work anything out.


    ¡°If you are going to use brute force, you will need the strength of a seven-star returned prime Warrior to crack the disc.¡± Helian Jieyuan spoke smilingly. ¡°Or you can learn to use the power in your blood.¡±


    ¡°Try, condense the energy to your fingertip.¡± The Grand Elder instructed, decided to make a tuition out of the situation. ¡°Close your eyes and feel the warmth in your blood.¡±


    ¡°Technically, the Dragon ridge¡¯s treasures belongs to the Ye¡¯s, but I guess Supreme Ye Yu did not just want to hand it to you. The amount of treasure will just turn the Ye¡¯s into other families¡¯ target.¡± Helian Jieyuan kept talking while Ye Wei channeled his blood¡¯s power. ¡°That¡¯s why he left the freezing barrier in the pond, it¡¯s a good gating system.¡±


    Ye Wei thought about the Grand Elder¡¯s words, quietly agreed. ¡®We haven¡¯t gotten any of the treasures yet and the Lu¡¯s already almost wiped us out.


    ¡°You are right sir, there is no way that Ye¡¯s and me can defend the sites once the treasures are unearthed. I¡¯d rather keep the Ye¡¯s out of it. If that means letting the beasts and demons fight have the treasures instead, so be it, I¡¯d prefer peace anyday at this point.¡± Ye Wei replied, he could now feel a warm pulse in his hand.


    ¡®The treasures are not just gold and silver, he knows it and he is willing give it away...¡¯ Helian Jieyuan shook his head and chuckled, admired Ye Wei¡¯s naivety. ¡®If I was in your position I would be begging me for help!¡¯


    The Grand Elder was intrigued by Ye Wei¡¯s decision, the Huyan, the demons and the beasts will not leave North Hill Bay for the time being, each of these forces were capable of destroying Green Moon City.


    ¡®If the scared marks are out in the open, these dangerous forces will turn their focus to searching the treasures away from the city.¡¯ Ye Wei thought and nodded. ¡®The Dragon ridge¡¯s treasure does belong to the Ye¡¯s, I will reim them from whoever took from us once I became stronger!¡¯


    ¡°Like the other Dragon ridges, the Supreme Ye¡¯s treasures are spread in nine different locations, but I can feel ten marks in the jade disc. I am not quite sure what id the tenth mark for, but it stores more energy than the other nine.¡± Helian Jieyuan said to Ye Wei, his gaze prated the jade disc.


    ¡°Once you¡¯ve opened the seal on the disc, I will capture a mark or two for you, as a token of appreciation.¡± The Grand Elder calmly said. ¡°I will try to catch the odd one.¡±


    ¡°Thank you sir!¡± Ye Wei bowed to Helian Jieyuan. He knew that once the seal is open the ten marks will fly, thennd on randon locations far far away and that he was not quick or strong enough to stop them.


    ¡°Sir, you are more than wee to get a couple of marks for the Helian¡¯s¡± Ye Wei offered gratefully. ¡°Even if you are just doing things ording to your own rules, you did save my life!¡±


    Helian Jieyuan was strong enough capture multiple marks, and even if a few of them are to fly away from the Drakehead, he will still be able to easily track them down. Not the demons nor the beast, not even the Huyan¡¯s would be able to do anything to retaliate.


    ¡°The universe is a cycle, I¡¯ve taken advantage of the Ye¡¯s by cultivating here. I am catching marks and sending you to the Helian¡¯s for good karma, if I take more from the situation, that would make me a greedy person.¡± Helian Jieyuan¡¯s eyes shone a gentle glow, he stroked his long beard and continued. ¡°Karma is a form of limitation, if I want to improve my cultivation now I will have to be one with the universe, rid myself of karma and other limitations, physical and mental.¡±


    ¡°I was born into a royal family, that was an advantage the universe had given me, and I left them to train on my own for the same reason.¡± The Grand Elder sighed and nodded at the confunsed young Runemaster, ¡°Kid, when you are at my level, you will understand.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ye Wei nodded politely but didn¡¯t understand a word.


    ¡°I think I am ready!¡± Ye Wei stared at the jade disc, lifted his finger and nicked the tip with his dagger.


    Drips of golden blood dropped onto the dark jade, revealing all the runes Supreme Ye Yu ce in it years ago. The disc shot out ten bolts of light, the speed they traveled at made them barely visable.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The ck jade disk shook asyers of protective seals fell apart, the burst of energy tore a dark crack open mid air.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    The marks escaped one by one, slipped into the crack in a sh.


    ¡°No so fast!¡± Just when the tenth mark was flying away, Helian Jieyuan leaped forth. A vortex of will-force formed in his palm, the great force of suction froze thest mark like a hummuingbird, levitating, butpletely stationary.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    All other nine marks had left the pce while the tenth began to vibrate, shake vigorously like a critter trying to escape a death trap.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The mark kept rattling and spinning, releasing surges of primal energy at the mean time.


    ¡°A fighting one!¡± Helian Jieyuan¡¯s face changed, his casual smile was slowing disappearing as the mark unanticipatedly grew stronger. The vortex in his palm turned golden and the suction force doubled.


    It was only after two hours of constant fighting when Helian Jieyuan sessfully suppressed the tenth mark. Drained of energy, the mark quietlyid still in the Grand Elder¡¯s hand.


    When Helian Jieyuan had the time to rx the other nine marks were already miles away in different directions.


    ¡°This ispletely different to the other ones, be careful how you use it.¡± The Grand Elder handed over the tenth mark to Ye Wei, ¡°remember, there is no hurry. Be safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the advice, sir!¡± Ye Wei bowed and said in a t, respectful tone. ¡°I am grateful for the mark, and I will remind myself of your teachings, always.¡±


    ¡®Karma...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself. ¡®I will have to pay you and the Helian¡¯s back to be stronger. To be a force of my own!¡¯


    ¡®Now, what is in here?¡¯ Ye Wei asked himself as he injected his will-force into the mark, his face turned pale as millions of messages rushed into his mind.

 Chapter 204 – Beast Wisdom

    Chapter 204 - Beast Wisdom


    ¡°This is ridiculous! The Ye¡¯s will be the strongest family in the region very soon with these treasures!¡± Images of nine locations shed inside Ye Wei¡¯s head, followed by the image of a precise runic array design. Ye Wei quickly realized that it was a selective translocation array.


    Before his death, Supreme Ye Yu had predicted where the nine treasure spawns were going to be, and ced the arrays to transport the more powerful artefacts from the nine spawns to the tenth location. A location that was chosen by him, protected by ten drops of his own blood.


    ¡®Supreme Ye Yu had created a runic vault...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself in shock. ¡®The other nine spots are insignificant if the arrays functioned as intended!¡¯


    Having prepared to give up all the marks left him no hopes for gaining anything but peace for the city, Ye Wei was startled by what he just discovered.


    ¡°How hrious would it be if they killed each other for the mediocre treasure left by the arrays. Ha.¡± Ye Wei imagined the conflicts outside that was caused by the nine surfacing sacred marks, chuckled and muttered to himself.


    With Helian Jieyuan as a guardian, Ye Wei was not at all worried about the Drakehead location being exposed. The young Runemaster must now gain experience and get inspired from the outside world, staying in the Drakehead would not help him figure out he should transform his cultivation to the returned prime stage.


    ¡°This is great! Once I manage to break through I wille back to consolidate my cultivation.¡± Ye Wei closed his eyes and nned the near future in his head. ¡®I will tell granddad about the Drakehead when I be strong enough and when the family has control over the treasures and artefacts...¡¯


    After carefully putting the mark away, Ye Wei decided to continue studying the Eternal Star stance. He wanted to stay close to Green Moon City while the storm and battles for the rights to the sacred marks raged on.


    ¡®I will prepare myself!¡¯ The young Runemaster nced across the hall and saw Helian Jieyuan cultivating, went to sit next to sage-like old man. Both of them were still as statues, the asional sound of water current crushing was the only sound.


    The pir-shaped will-force reached the stars, drew energy from the constetions back down to Ye Wei. Inside a globe of twinkling energy, the young Runemaster began to interpret the second runic pattern.


    ***


    While Ye Wei was focused on cultivating at the Supreme Yu pce, the Skeleton Demon King¡¯s army, Quadwing Barren Beast¡¯s horde and the Huyan¡¯s forces were shedding each other¡¯s blood, fighting for the marks.


    The home to ancient trees and historical rivers was ravaged by the fire of war. Skirmishes between the powerful forces turned woods into desert, many of the North Barren Mountain¡¯s magnificent peaks were ttened to small deserts.


    Out of the nine marks, four were obtained by the Skeleton Demon King, two by the Quadwing Barren Beast and two by the Huyan¡¯s. All three forces traced thest mark to ake three hundred miles north of the bay area.


    ¡°Bones, you¡¯ve gotten four already, don¡¯t you think you are a bit greedy?! Get out of the way!¡± Huyan Haoze, the royal family¡¯s young seven star returned prime Warrior was outraged by his inferiors¡¯ ipetent, which he thought was the reason why he only got his hands on two marks.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    A jade colored fire-de drew a line in the sky, flew right at the Demon King¡¯s right hand where he held the marks.


    ¡°The North Barren Mountains is my territory, both of you need to show some damn respect!¡± The leader of the beast said as his four wings pped in a quick session. His body was immediately sped up by the thrust, his twenty-feet-long ws were pointed right at the seven-star returned prime Warrior.


    The blood stains on the beast ws were set ame by the speed it traveled, the smelly of rusty iron filled the air when the paw struck onto the fire-de, hundreds of shock-waves were sent outwards from the point of impact.


    ¡°Stop that winged abomination!¡± Huyan Haozemanded, went on to confront the Skeleton Demon King. Three of the royal family¡¯s elders, who were exchanging blows with other demons and beasts, knocked their opponents back and leaped towards the beast¡¯s head.


    ¡°Thest mark is ours you filthy animal!¡± They empowered their bodies with Qi, glowing golden and fell at the beast likeets.


    On top of a towering peak just a few miles away from the battleground, a sleek-figured girl sat quietly spectating the brawl. She was calmly still, while her cyan dress and violet hair flowed in the pungent wind.


    ¡°Your highness, are you sure we should leave the mark be?¡± The silver-haired old man energetically darted his eyes around to keep up with the fights, turned and asked in an urgent pace, slightly nervous.


    ¡°The Dragon ridge is left by a Ye, so it belongs to the Ye¡¯s.¡± Lin Ziyan stood up slowly and said emotionlessly. Her delicate facial features made the battlefield seem more vile than it already was.


    She did consider retrieving a couple of marks for Ye Wei but realized it will do more harm than good considering the Ye family¡¯s current state.


    The old man reluctantly looked at the mark that was being contested, moan and asked: ¡°If we are not here for the mark why did you bring us here at all?¡±


    ¡°I just needed some fresh air, my feet led me here.¡± Her lips curled to a natural, bittersweet smile as her memories brought her back to the moment when she first casted her eyes onto the boy that slept through her lecture.


    ¡°Miss, I don¡¯t wish to be minding your business but you will be heading to the Rain Sect soon. You should cut all ties with people from your past, you are going to be in a different world.¡± He sighed and frowned, understood Lin Ziyan¡¯s sentiment but said what he thought had to be said.


    ¡°I know.¡± She cleared her throat and closed her eyes, her voice clear and sweet as a bell but slightly shaky.


    Lin Ziyan knew better than anyone else about her own future, but it only made her realized once she went, she might not be able to see Ye Wei ever again.


    ¡°You told me you wanted to rx outside before you head off, that was three years ago. And you have been wandering around since!¡± The old man sighed again. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, why you picked this kid miss, you¡¯ve met so many outstanding boys in your life, but you shut them all down...¡±


    ¡°Senior Qin, that¡¯s enough,¡± Lin Ziyan bit her lips and interrupted, ¡°I will get going once the brawl is over.¡±


    ¡°So you are not going to say goodbye to him?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Lin Ziyan shivered and shook her head, decided seeing the end of the battle was enough. ¡®Him and his family should be safe when these fights end...¡¯


    A loudugh from afar caught her attention.


    ¡°Hahahaha! Huyan Haoze, who did you think you were? Your cousin Beiyan?¡± The Demon King help tight onto the ninth mark, ¡°Have you seen how pasty you face is? I haven¡¯t even used half of my strength!¡±


    The Skeleton Demon King had the strength of an eight-star returned prime Warrior, came from the bloodline of a Demon Emperor, hepletely outssed the human squad¡¯s leader.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak of his name with your filthy mouth! He could have beaten you with just one finger if he was here!¡± Huyan Haoze was ugly in defeat, extremely displeased to only have gotten two out of nine marks. He enviously gritted his teeth realizing he had no way ofpeting.


    ¡®This is okay, I can use the Lu¡¯s reports to locate the Drakehead while they go for the treasures...¡¯ The young seven-star returned prime Warrior thought to himself, ¡®it will make up for everything!¡¯


    For most cultivators, training at the Drakehead speeds up cultivating speed by more than fifty times normal speed, it¡¯s value was not less than the nine treasures put together.


    ¡°I will get you another time when my cousin is around!¡± Huyan Haoze shouted and signaled his men to withdraw.


    The Skeleton Demon King and the Quadwing Barren Beast knew that they could win a fight against the human squad but could never wipe them outpletely from the past few days of constant fighting. They began a telepathic talk right in front of the returned prime Warriors.


    ¡°Ha! You can go if you want!¡± The Skeleton Demon King gazed at the royal squad, his eyes had a sinister glow, his pupils as red as blood. ¡®I know they will be searching for the Drakehead, it is useless for me and you, I will destroy it!¡¯


    ¡®Humans are annoying as they are, we don¡¯t need you to get stronger.¡¯ The Demon King giggled and spoke to the beast¡¯s mind. ¡®Him and his silly family has no authority over us!¡¯


    ¡®Wait, Bones, we don¡¯t know where the Drakehead is, how are we supposed to destroy it?¡¯ The Quadwing Barren Beast moved its colossus head, stirred up a storm as he shrugged.


    ¡°You can send a couple of your dogs to tail these humans.¡± The Demon King muttered to himself, sighed and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Smart! We will just wait for them to show us the way huh!?¡± The leader of the beast found the idea amusing, giggled and ran out of breath.


    ¡®This idiot, how did he even grow that big, did he grow up with man and other beasts dropping dead in front of him?¡¯ The Demon King frowned, ¡®I should have listened to dad, I¡¯d rather work with humans than beasts if it wasn¡¯t for their stupid righteousness and self-justifying attitude...¡¯

 Chapter 205 – Quiet Departure

    Chapter 205 - Quiet Departure


    The Demon King tried to nk out his hatred towards the beastkind, ¡®I don¡¯t have to work with these stupid creatures forever, when we¡¯ve sabotaged the ns of those humans, I will get rid of them somehow.¡¯


    The Beasts were born with thick skin and powerful bodies, thus the Demons had always needed them to fight for them on the frontlines; Demons were born with superior intelligence and were raised to be devious, the alliance between beast and demon was therefore amongst one of the oldest cross-race partnerships.


    After the brief verbal treaty between the Skeleton Demon King and the Quadwing Barren Beast, the human squads escaped, while a few of the beast leader¡¯s quickest inferiors followed the royal squad and watched their every move.


    ***


    Three days had passed since Ye Wei began to study the Eternal Star stance at the Supreme Yu Pce. The pir of starlight gradually faded away and the underwater current grew weaker.


    ¡®It¡¯s been three days. They should be done fighting by now...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, eager to get out of the pce and into the world. He needed diversion from cultivating to get inspired, needed to find an opportunity to unearth Supreme Ye Yu¡¯s treasure.


    He looked to his side to see that Helian Jieyuan was still cultivating.


    ¡°I will be heading off for a while! Take care and thank you!¡± The pce¡¯s gate opened as Ye Wei approached. He turned and bowed.


    The pce was protected by a freezing current created by Supreme Ye, and, although Ye Wei currently had the strength of a three-star returned prime Warrior, his body still could not withstand the cold.


    The young Runemaster immediately used Starblink Steps and melted into a belt of runic light; he escaped the thirty-feet-thickyer of the densest freezing water in less than half a second.


    The brief exposure was enough to cover Ye Wei¡¯s whole body with a sheet of blue ice; had he hesitated while escaping, his whole body would have turned into a block of ice regardless of his three-star returned prime level bodily prowess.


    ¡°Ssh!¡±


    The surface of the pound broke open in the shape of a flower, and Ye Wei flew out from the middle.


    ¡°Haha! Here it is! Guys! The Drakehead is underwater!¡± Ye Wei heard a chant the moment he surfaced.


    ¡°Get him!¡± Huyan Haoze was elevated; his men recklessly rushed towards the direction of his finger.


    ¡®These are... Huyans?¡¯ Ye Wei looked up to confirm his senses. ¡®More than ten of them, and they are all returned prime Warriors.¡¯


    The corner of Ye Wei¡¯s mouth twitched and moved up to form a smile. He expected the Drakehead¡¯s location to be discovered sooner orter, and he also knew the exposure would be meaningless as long as Helian Jieyuan was around.


    ¡®I would love to see you try.¡¯ Ye Wei calmly stood next to the body of water with arms crossed in front of his chest, waiting to watch a show.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    A shock-wave came from each of the returned prime Warrior¡¯s direction, all having expanded their presences to pile pressure onto Ye Wei.


    ¡°Kid, is the Drakehead at the bottom of this pond!?¡± Huyan Haoze¡¯s voice boomed, and the pond began rippling; he surfed the wind, looking down at Ye Wei.


    The vast pressure began stacking onto Ye Wei¡¯s upper body; it startled him to a recoil as he backed off a few feet. ¡®This must be the royal family¡¯s young leader... His strength and power are insane!¡¯


    Ye Wei had gained a lot of confidence since defeating Lu Qianhuan, but he was again humbled by this confrontation.


    ¡°Yes, you are right, the Drakehead is in there.¡± Ye Wei said, pointing at the pond.


    ¡°Good! I like it when people cooperate!¡± Huyan Haoze¡¯s eyes lit up as he gazed upon the water, while his men smiled excitedly


    For a family like the Huyan, the Drakehead meant more than the nine marks all together, it was easy for the resourceful royal family to set up a base around the area and and have their young benefit from the elerated cultivation speed. Having a whole generation strengthened might even topple the bnce between the three families in the Huyan¡¯s favor.


    ¡°Huyan Haoze, you are as sloppy as you are weak!¡±


    When the royal squad was already daydreaming about the rewards they will be given for discovering the Drakehead, a shrill voice snapped them out of their stupor. The Skeleton Demon King, Quadwing Barren Beast, and their followers, appeared from behind the dense woods.


    ¡°You two have taken seven out of nine marks together, while the Huyan took two, and you are going to chase us? What for? Your kind can¡¯t even use this ce!¡± The seven-star returned prime Warrior flicked his fingers behind his back, signalling his men to guard the pond and to prepare for a fight.


    ¡®Haha, everyone is here! It¡¯s gonna be a good party.¡¯ Ye Wei looked up, astounded by the gathering of world-shattering powers.


    During theirst encounter, Ye Wei felt like an ant within a pack of elephants, but now he was mentally prepared and physically stronger. He was able to stand his ground, able to feelfortable spectating from a rather close distance. ¡®It¡¯s good that Grand Elder Helian is close by, but I think I will be able to get out in one piece even if they decide to turn their aggression to me...¡¯


    Huyan Haoze flew up into the sky to the Demon King¡¯s altitude, ready to bargain.


    ¡°Mister clean robe, you can¡¯t be more correct about the Drakehead. No, us demons can¡¯t really use it, nor can the beasts, but together, we are stronger than you. So I am going to make you an offer you can¡¯t really refuse.¡± The Demon King wore a creepy smile. The threats made Huyana Haoze furtively sweat.


    ¡°What do you want!?¡± The youngster red at the Demon King, gritting his teeth as he spoke. Huyana Haoze had grown up thinking the beasts and demons were evil and believed the demon¡¯s request would not be a reasonable one.


    ¡°Hahaha, ready to talk?¡± The Skeleton Demon King pped andughed, staring at the man¡¯s interspatial bag. ¡°As you said, the Drakehead is worthless to us, but it¡¯s worth more than physical treasure to you, especially when your family is already that powerful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡± Huyan Haoze¡¯s whole body shook. He was even prepared to sacrifice one of his arms. ¡°The marks are ours; we fought and won them over fair and square!¡±


    The sacred marks were not only the keys to great treasure, they were also left behind by a Supreme. The prideful Huyan refused to just hand them over to a demon.


    ¡°You are wee to say no. It won¡¯t take much effort for me and wings here to destroy this ce.¡± The Demon King said in a cold tone.


    ¡°You...¡± The seven-star returned prime Warrior was furious, his shoulders shaking so much that it almost looked like he was having spasms. ¡°One mark, final offer! I nned this mission for weeks. I cannot have you unreasonably demand what I worked so hard for!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your problem, not mine. You can tell your family, so the next time they send you on a mission, they will give you twice the men. Maybe then I will reason with you.¡± The Skeleton Demon king read the situation perfectly and left little space for negotiation. ¡®Pfft, easiest hustle in my life!¡¯


    ¡°You are pushing it too far!¡± Huyan Haoze¡¯s hysterical gaze intensified. His Qi materialized and oozed out of his body like a mist of smoke, raising the temperature around him as he got angrier.


    ¡®I hope he fights for it instead of giving up the mark...¡¯ Ye Wei could sympathize with him, knowing that the Drakehead will never fall into the hands of the Huyan nor be destroyed by the demon.


    ¡®Wait, they are greedy enough to want my family¡¯s treasure and the Drakehead! What was I thinking?¡¯ The young Runemaster shook his head, deciding to keep a distance from it all. ¡®I am on my own side - my family¡¯s side.¡¯


    A duo had tailed the demons and beasts since they left the battlefield, catching the development from afar.


    ¡°For sage¡¯s sake, whenever there is trouble you have to be in the middle of it all...¡± Lin Ziyan thought to herself, nibbling on her bottom lip as she watched the confrontation escte.


    ¡°Miss, we¡¯ve seen enough. We should get going.¡± Senior Qin urged impatiently, ¡°Right now, you are not helping him and certainly not helping yourself!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see he is still in danger? If I leave right now, I won¡¯t be able to help him when he needs it!¡± Li Ziyan¡¯s frown was deep for her young age, and so was her attachment to Ye Wei.


    ¡°You know that Helian Jieyuan is at the Drakehead; why are you being so stubborn and unreasonable!?¡± Senior Qin replied. ¡°We still have to finish our task; Your target will soon be out of detection range!¡±


    Having spent thest decade watching over Lin Ziyan, Senior Qin had grown attached to her, bing more and more protective.


    ¡°Yes... You are right,¡± Lin Ziyan nodded. Saddened, she turned around and stepped away. ¡°I am sorry for being unreasonable.¡±


    She turned into a sh of light, and her guardian followed, ¡®Wei, I have to go for now, please take care of yourself!¡¯


    ¡®I may be a million miles away, but I wille back someday...¡¯ She thought as Ye Wei¡¯s Qi signature faded from her detection range.

 Chapter 206 – Number Ten

    Chapter 206 - Number Ten


    The tension between the Huyans and the Demon¡¯s alliance was worsening, neither side was happy with the other¡¯s proposal.


    ¡°Okay! Fine, I¡¯ll hand it over!¡± Huyan Haoze¡¯s face cringed, unwillingly forced each word out of his mouth. ¡®I have to give to earn. Over time, the Drakehead is more valuable than all the treasures put together. I am making the right decision...¡¯


    ¡®I can still exin the situation to the elder¡¯s council, I am not weak...¡¯ Although trying his best to justify his act, Huyan Haoze was aware that he was in denial.


    ¡°You two! I require a heavenly oath for my safety!¡± He looked at the marks in his head then back to the demons and beasts.


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°We will noty a finger on the Drakehead if you hand over the two sacred marks!¡± The Skeleton Demon King and the Quadwing Barren Beast made the hand seal and a symbol appeared on the back of each of their right arms.


    ¡°Okay. Take them!¡± Huyan Haoze wrapped the marks with his Qi and threw them over.


    ¡®You idiot!¡¯ Ye Wei thought, stared at the package as it flew across the air.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard now, was it?¡± The Demon King clenched tight onto the marks and began tough hysterically. He turned his head to the side and said. ¡°Wings, you know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Children, stomp this ce!¡± The Quadwing Barren Beast cried with open eyes, his smile revealed his razor-sharp fangs. He had been waiting to give the order since the Demon King came up with the n.


    ¡°What do you mean!?¡± Huyan Haoze stared at the rampaging pact and screamed. ¡°Stop Them!¡±


    ¡°Kill them if they get in the way.¡± The beasts¡¯ leader howled as he ordered.


    ¡°Drop your wishful thinking and don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± The Demon King chuckled and said in a ruthless tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t specify who we are and we don¡¯t have fingers, we have paws and ws.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I didn¡¯t say anything thing about not killing you lot either. It¡¯s funny how you humans pride yourselves in intellectual capabilities,¡± he swiped his fingers, added with a mockery overtone, ¡°Get rid of them before they call for help.¡±


    Huyan Haoze was furious but never nervous, he quickly drew a fewplex runes and muttered, ¡°Nice trap, idiot.¡±


    The two marks in the demon¡¯s hand were suddenly turned into two sparks, exploded and expanded to be a thirty-feet-wide fireball, engulfed the Demon King entirely within a second.


    ¡°I am too smart to think I am always the smartest,paring demon intelligence to humans¡¯ is a big mistake.¡± Huyan Haoze¡¯s prating gaze was set on the zing fire, he quickly covered himself with Qi and rushed in to deliver a devastating palm strike and retrieved the two marks from the stunned demon.


    ¡°I will end your life right here and now!¡± The Skeleton Demon King¡¯s skin was melting and peeling off, the green glow in his eyes shone through the ball of fire as he screamed in agony.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The demon dispelled the Qi and the me on his body, lunged towards Huyan Haoze at extreme speed.


    The opposing forces engaged into an all-out battle as their leaders fell out. The seven-star returned prime Warrior was able to gain a slight advantaged by the surprise attack, but strength between the Demon King and the Warrior was too vast, so much so that the royal squad had to support their leader instead of fighting with an advantage.


    Meanwhile, therge pact of charging beasts had connected, immediately crushed the royal squad¡¯s frontline. The team of human elites were pushed back against the pond, unable to retaliate.


    ¡®Experienced as the Skeleton Demon King!¡¯ Ye Wei could sense that Huyan Haoze had hidden a strange rune in the marks but kept quiet about it. ¡®These people will do anything if it leads to what they want...¡¯


    ¡®Wanting is one thing, getting through Helian Jieyuan is another.¡¯ Ye Wei smiled and drew a rune sequence under his feet. His figure faded into a belt of light, glided away from the heavy traffic of charging beasts.


    No longer feelingfortable being close to the pond as the battle intensified, Ye Wei escaped to a hill just ten miles away from the Drakehead.


    ¡®Ha, I almost forgot how fun it is to watch fights. The beasts¡¯ ferocity, the demons¡¯ sharp eyes for weaknesses and the men¡¯s ability to adapt and respond optimally...¡¯ He calmly sat on the peak, learning from the wide variety of fighting styles.


    ¡°Howl!¡±


    ¡°Rawr!¡±


    Arge pir ofpressed water discharged from the pond when the pact of beasts were a hundred feet from the surface. The pir exploded as it reached the clouds, waves and bolts of scalding water were shot to all directions, knocking the brawlers back for miles.


    As the water strikesnded and evaporated, a golden rod was revealed. The pulsating runes on the rod joined its end, became a disc of energy.


    After a muffled rumbled, the energy disc began to ripple and expand,pleting a circr shape. The speed of the disc made the wild beasts look slow, its size made them look like a group of harmless critters. The entire group of charging beasts that was heading to the pond was now in a shrinking bubble.


    Theyer of golden energy was a web made of billions of fine runes, diced through the thick-hided beasts¡¯ like hot wire throughrd. They came out of the other side of the bubble eroded, as a mist of fine dust.


    The horrific sight paused the brawl momentarily, the leaders of the three groups were all stunned, shaking as they felt and saw the lives of hundreds disappearing right in front of them.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    Beams of golden light burst out of the calm wobbling pond surface, the runes within the beams rapidly climbed on top of each other,intertwined to knit a three-hundred-feet-tall statue.


    ¡°You lot are just rude and annoying! Leave! Or be removed!¡± Helian Jieyuan¡¯s words physically shook the mountains, the outermostyer of crust was loosened, sprang like waves across a hundred miles radius.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    The stunned brawlers rained down from the sky, their bodies were covered in blood and bruises; the three leaders were able to resist for an instant but their bodies gave in after a few seconds, they too joined their inferiors, littered the ground and the mountains with small craters.


    ¡°That is Helian Jieyuan! The missing Grand Elder!¡± Huyan Haoze had known that face since he was a child when he visited the Helian¡¯s pces. He was told the stories behind each statues erected in the main pce. he gasped for air, screamed as his face became paler.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we are not fighting this fight!¡± Seeing a legend that had not been seen in public for over a hundred years was as terrifying as seeing a ghost. The young Huyan tore a few healing scrolls, gathered the surviving and ran.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    The Skeleton Demon King and the Quadwing Barren Beast werepletely shocked, they crused as they climbed above ground. They all knew that just a flick of the statue¡¯s finger could exterminate them all at once, escaped before the Grand Elder changed his mind.


    ¡°He dealt with all of them with just a howl...¡± Ye Wei murmured, felt a chill on his spine as he watched the powerful demons and beasts run for their lives. ¡°I will catch up to your level one day.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s my main concern dealt with!¡¯ He slowly exhaled, felt grateful for Helian Jieyuan¡¯s intervention.


    ***


    Ye Wei stayed in the bay area for a few more days, after making sure the demons and beasts were gone for good, he began studying his sacred mark and was soon able to get a few clues on the treasure¡¯s whereabouts.


    On the sixth morning after the brawl, Ye Wei headed north. Stopped once he discovered the hidden valley where the sun rose and set on its ends. He soon found his way to a well-covered cliff at the bottom of the valley, discovered the opening of a deep and wide cave.


    He followed the mark¡¯s instruction, entered without hesitation. A gigantic,pletely ck structure appeared as he was two hundred meters deep, if it wasn¡¯t for its lukewarm temperature he would have walked right into the gates.


    The young Runemaster ced the sacred mark in his hand, then onto the gate.

 Chapter 207 – Onwards

    Chapter 207 - Onwards


    ¡°One thousand and two hundred Supreme crystals, six hundred Primal crystals...¡± Ye Wei could not believe his eyes, muttered to himself as he counted up. ¡°I can probably hire a returned prime Warrior to protect me for half of my life if I pay them with just one of these Supreme crystals.¡±


    Ye Wei had soon collected most of the vault¡¯s content, he nned to take some of the materials to one of the Runemaster Union branches. He was told since he entered the Runemaster Union that he should craft a Soul Arm but haven¡¯t had the tokens to get the materials, until now.


    Some of the items Ye Wei could not quite identify but he would bring them with him so the Helian might be able to help him value them.


    ¡°There are more than six hundred jade bottles and each of them are filled with over a hundred pills!¡± Ye Wei opened one of them, not only could he smell the expensive herbs, he could actually feel the primal energy bursting out from the tiny opening. ¡®My body ispletely rxed and I haven¡¯t even taken one of these pills!


    In the center of the vault stood ten transparent bottles made of Supreme jade, each of them was half full, filled by a glowing scarlet liquid.


    ¡®Supreme blood!¡¯ Ye Wei leaped forth and carefully ced them into a smaller department of the bag. ¡®I can misce all the other contents but not these ten bottles!


    ¡°This should be everything!¡± Ye Wei eximed as he swept thest corner of the room.


    It took more than two hours for Ye Wei to work out the logistics and clear the vault, he left the valley after making sure he had concealed his tracks.


    ¡®It¡¯s ridiculous how well Supreme Ye Yu¡¯s transportation array worked, if people found out how much I¡¯ve taken today my family is probably going to be in trouble...¡¯


    Meanwhile, a few thousand miles away.


    ¡°What is this?! I want an exnation! Anyone!?¡± The Skeleton Demon King¡¯s rage echoed the cave, his inferiors were shivering in fear.


    ¡°Your majesty, we have no idea! This is all we foun...¡±


    The squad leader¡¯s head fell off his neck as the Demon King swiped his arm right, he was less than amused by themon Qi stones and gems.


    ¡°I fought and searched for days, and this is what I¡¯m getting?¡± The green glow in his eyes intensified. ¡®A Supreme¡¯s treasure should be more and better than this!¡¯


    ¡°Maybe someone was at the treasure spots before us.¡± He muttered and tried to deduce. ¡°Huyan Haoze... I don¡¯t know how you did it, but well yed.¡±


    ***


    A few monthster the area around and including Green Moon City returned to peace, furthermore the Lu¡¯s did nothing to pursuit the Ye¡¯s.


    It was the coldest winter in decades, the Ye mansion was covered by a thick nket of snow. The study was lit by strands of runes, the runes that made up the original Falling Star form created by Supreme Ye Yu.


    Surrounded by small piles of scrolls, Ye Wei had been working all day and night for a whole week, jotting down the runes for the form and a tutorial on practising it. The young runemaster had decided to leave the low-level Earth Form and a collection of stances to the Ye family.


    Since the Ye family was yet to be strong enough to defend the whole treasure, the young Runemaster decided to leave just a portion of the findings behind just in case the family¡¯s enemies have learned about the acquisition.


    Before Ye Wei started writing, he put his iron talisman aside with a piece of Supreme crystal and it was nowpletely recharged.


    ¡°That¡¯s about it...¡± Ye Wei yawned and stretched his back, ¡°I think I am ready to leave.¡±


    It had been a known fact for Ye Wei that he needed to go to the outside world to get inspired if he wished to sessfully breakthrough to returned prime level. But when it came to the time to say goodbye, he was not too sure about leaving his family behind.


    ¡°Butler Fu!¡± Ye Wei called.


    ¡°Young master?¡± The caretaker gently opened the door.


    ¡°Would you mind telling Grandpa and the others to meet me in the main hall?¡± Ye Wei requested as he looked around the room he grew up in, feeling nostalgic but yearning to exploring the world.


    ¡°Sure master,¡± Butler Fu could easily read the teenager¡¯s intention. The young master¡¯s childish face was slightly cringed as if he was already homesick. ¡°So are going to leave after all?¡±


    The butler was unsettled, he sighed and look at the narrow shoulders in front of him that had been carrying the Ye family for the previous years. ¡®You were so small and considered untalented not so long ago, look at you now...¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s contribution did not just made the Ye family the strongest family in Green Moon City undisputedly, it was recently also gaining state-wide attention, glorified due to the recent events regarding the dispute with Lu Qianhuan.


    The butler had been serving long enough to tell when someone is prioritizing the family over their lives, he knew Ye Wei was the reason why the mansion was now often visited by the influentials.


    ¡°The Zhou Dynasty is vast, I am still not strong enoughparing to many. I have to travel when I am young so that I can be as great as Supreme Ye Yu!¡± Ye Wei eximed, tried to lift the wrinckles on Butler Fu¡¯s face, to make the old man smile. ¡°I will return, so I will need you to tidy and clean the room for me once in awhile!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me how to do my job!¡± The butlerughed and replied. ¡®He is all grown up now...¡¯


    Minutes after, the Ye¡¯s all stopped what they were doing, headed to the main hall and leaving trails of footsteps in the snow on the open hallways.


    ¡°Grandpa, these are blood of thete Supreme Ye Yu. It is extremely strong and can not be harvested by normal methods, sorry I didn¡¯t have time to experiment with it. I am sure you can figure something out.¡± Ye Wei greeted the patriarch, discreetly handed over the vials and whispered.


    ¡°Thank you foring everyone, I have something I would like to give to you all!¡± Ye Wei pointed at the scrolls he ced on the long tables. ¡°I have refined the Falling Star form to low-level Earth grade, and selected twelve high-level Myst stances, you should all look at them and study them when Grandpa says you strong enough.¡±


    He reached to his inside pocket an interspatial bag, emptied some of the contents on another table and said, ¡°These pills shouldst ten years. Use them and do not take shortcuts while cultivating, Grandpa will be assigning these resources as fair as possible like he always did.¡±


    ¡°Learn to use these scrolls and arms, take them if you need toplete a high risk mission. Our family needs to grow and that means everyone of us will have to work harder.¡±


    ¡°Little Wei, are you sure about going to the Helian¡¯s?¡± The Ye Patriarch took a deep breath, saddened and faintly nervous.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The young Runemaster nodded determinedly. ¡°I need diversion, I need to see and experience the world. Without inspiration I will never breakthrough to returned prime level.


    ¡°Okay. I respect that. But when you are out there, please be careful. Remember, there is always sinister where there is good.¡± Ye Zhengqing patted Ye Wei¡¯s shoulder, spoke in a worrying tone. ¡°No matter where you are, what you face, this house will always be your home and root. These gates will always open for you whenever you decided to return!¡±


    ¡°Thank you so, so much Grandpa!¡± The young Runemaster closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his grandfather.


    ¡°Little Wei, take care of yourself please!¡±


    ¡°Wei, if things don¡¯t go your way, don¡¯t push it! You cane back to rest any time you like!¡±


    While his uncles and aunts bade farewell, his parents were speechless, walked up to join him next to the patriarch with wet eyes.


    ¡°We are so proud of you and we will miss you.¡± His mother whispered in his ears.


    After a minute long hug, Ye Wei walked towards Ye Zhong. He punched his cousin¡¯s shoulder and said: ¡°Cousin Zhong, take care of everyone when I am away please!¡±


    ¡°Idiot, that goes without saying. Don¡¯t be too reckless out there!¡± Ye Zhong nodded and slightly shuddered.


    After bidding everyone goodbye, Ye Wei left the hall with master Yi. His master led him to one of the remote courtyards.


    ¡°Since you are heading off, I should fill you in.¡± Master Yi said in a gentle tone.


    ¡°The royal families work in a rotation, since thirty years ago, the Lins have been in charge of governing and general policy, the Huyan are controlling the Green Army, maintaining order within the borders and finally the Helians in charge of finance and exploration.¡±


    ¡°Although the Lins are in power, they are keeping a rather low profile, they have been spending their resources on expeditions together with the Helians instead of having a tight grip over the dynasty.¡± Master Yi continued.


    ¡°Huyans and Helians are not friends, they fell out a while back when the Green Army failed to report some treasure findings.¡±


    Ye Wei frowned and said, ¡°that means I should beware of the Huyans?¡±


    Master Yi nodded, ¡°You have been given a great opportunity but you¡¯ve also been dragged into a very delicate andplex situation...¡±


    The Master and apprentice paced in the courtyard and spoke about other rted matters. About an hourter, Master Yi walked Ye Wei into a customized Runicle.


    ¡°Send me a message on the badge whenever you want to talk to me or need me, otherwise just let me know when you¡¯ve arrived. I shall be at the capital in a few weeks, we can catch up then.¡± Master Yi proudly ced his arm around his legacy apprentice¡¯s shoulder, said gently.


    ¡°Thank you for all these years of taking care of me, Master.¡± Ye Wei smiled, nodded and stepped into the luxurypartment.


    kes of white were covering the sky and the ground, Ye Wei¡¯s Runical took the quickest route out of town, the hovering vehicle left no trail on the carpet of snow.


    Ye Wei sat in the warm seat on an exotic beast skin, looking through the walls with his will-force empowered eyesight. He gazed at his home town dressed in white, his eyes followed the main road out of town to the skyline afar as his mind wandered.

 Chapter 208 – Million Stars Palace

    Chapter 208 - Million Stars Pce


    ¡®I have to use the connections I made, the opportunities I¡¯ve been given. The Helians will help me climb thedders without a doubt. I will be a fool not trying to get stronger and higher through them.¡¯


    ¡®I am not just going away, I am entering a new world. A world where ss and standing matters, I came from a family of a Supreme and I¡¯ve inherited the cial Emperor¡¯s legacy, I will use those to my advantage in the future. And maybe then, when I¡¯ve gained a better status, I will win Ziyan...¡¯


    Ye Wei clenched his fist, determined since he learned from his master that Lin Ziyan was the only daughter of the Lin Patriarch, the dynasty¡¯s emperor.


    He now understood why she had to keep a distance; the reason she left was to protect him from a dangerous world.


    ¡°I will be unstoppable.¡± Ye Wei muttered, his eyes glittering with determination. His thirst to be powerful was dominating his mind.


    ¡°I will not shut myself in a room and train, that is just stupid. I will learn from the Helians, interpret their wisdom and incorporate their methods to suit my cultivation. I will not be one of their pawns!¡±


    The capital was divided into three zone, each zone was a smaller city ran by a respective royal family.


    ¡®So this is how things are in the capital...¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s runicle glided through the mild winter storm, approaching Helian City. As he was closer in, he was seeing more and more runicles on the roads.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    A luxurious runicle whizzed by. At ten times the size of Ye Wei¡¯s carriage, it looked more like a mobile pce.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ye Wei could feel a great presence from the gigantic runicle¡¯s direction, looked at the small open yard next to its driver seat.


    The young Runemaster quickly identified the source of the Qi presence in between a group of gorgeous escorts; at the young man that was dressed dashingly, in the center of the small dance.


    He then shifted his focus to the gpole at the runicle¡¯s hind end where the Bai family crest was fluttering in the wind.


    The Bai was one of the sixteen superpowers of the Zhou dynasty beneath the three royal families. Each of these sixteen influential households had over thousand years of heritage, they were treated as nobles, extension of the royals.


    The young Bai sensed Ye Wei¡¯s attention, turned around and stared back with his drunken gaze, rose his ss as the runicle drove further away.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The Bai¡¯s elerated and disappeared into the skyline. Its speed caused a turbulence, shaking Ye Wei¡¯s runicle vigorously.


    In the following minutes, Ye Wei encountered a few morevish runicles, ¡°this is the twelfth of them! What are the Bais up to?¡±


    ¡°Show offs!¡± Ye Wei channeled his Qi to stabilize his ride, decided against confronting as he was alone and new to the area. ¡®Just wait, you will be bowing before me one day.¡¯


    The three imperial cities were the heart, brain and soul of the dynasty. They were guarded by the strongest elites of thend, safe from the threats imposed by demons and beasts. It was natural that the sixteen superpowers based themselves close to the royals but the area had turned into the dynasty¡¯s most materialistic region because of the amount of money that came with them.


    Ye Wei shook his head, rid the pessimistic thoughts. He looked ahead to the hills and buildings ahead.


    A few hourster, arge conglomeration of building structures as wide as the skyline appeared on the horizon as Ye Wei ¡®s runicle escaped the valleys.


    The young Runemaster could feel the royal city¡¯s energy and life from a hundred miles away. He could also feel a faint, ancient runic presence emitted by the centuries old city walls.


    ¡°This is a colossus runic array.¡± Ye Wei mumbled to himself as he narrowed his eyes. He noticed that there was a flow of runes circting, maintaining a semi-spherical shell around the entire royal city.


    ¡®The scale of this barrier is unbelievable, I wonder how many centuries it took for this enormous runic structure to be built...¡¯


    Not only did the array protected the royal city, it also shielded the five hundred miles radius around it, creating a humongous no-fly zone, a zone that was powerful enough to turn anywbreakers, even ten star returned prime Warriors, into dust.


    Ye Wei had realized he would have to stop as he went closer to the shield and saw arge amount of wayfarers. He got off the runicle and stored it in one of his interspatial bags.


    He then used the Starblink Steps, attempted to finish thest six hundred miles of his journey as fast as he physically could.


    It only took an hour before Ye Wei arrived at the front entrance of the Helian city, he lifted his head to appreciate the beautifully crafted frame of the two miles tall, one mile wide front gate.


    The young Runemaster was slightly hesitant to move as he was secretly terrified by the immense energy he could sense from within the rectangr shape, but he eventually joined the lengthy queue to enter the city.


    ¡°Three vermilion gold each, and there are twelve of you. Of course it is going to cost you thirty-six gold!¡± One of the golden armored guards yelled impatiently. Ye Wei could tell from the guards¡¯ Qi presence that all of them were returned prime Warriors.


    ¡°One thousand silver exchanges to one gold and we do not do exchanges here, you can either try your luck with other groups in the queue, or you will have to ask the vendors around. However I can¡¯t guarantee you they will buy your silver in a fair rate.¡±


    ¡°Nheless, you are to pay the entry fee in legal tender if you wish to step your feet in the capital.¡± The guard captain exined in a cold, strict tone.


    The group then shuffled along the queue, emptied their pockets to gather the correct amount. One of the guards handed over a jade sigil as he received the fee.


    After briefly reading some information regarding the royal city disyed in the air by the sigil, the group finally walked through the gates.


    Although Ye Wei had never seen queues that long, the guards were processing them efficiently and systematically. Only a few minutes after joining its end, it was already his turn to pay. He immediately melted into the crowd and headed into the city after receiving the jade sigil.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The young Runemaster was mindlessly going with the flow, he injected his Qi into the sigil and derived information of the royal city directly into his mind in return.


    ¡®So the municipality is divided into the inner city, south, north, east and west. The inner city is a restricted area that nobody may enter without the royal¡¯s invitation. And intruders will be killed on sight...¡¯ Ye Wei frowned as he received the messages, ¡®that is a bit unforgiving...¡¯


    The east wing was the most developed, busiest area. It was predominantly amercial area where many trading guilds and individual merchants also set up their posts and markets.


    The west wing was a residential area, home to thousands of powerful cultivators and the headquarters of many influential families and forces. The elevated living expenses and cost ofnd made the west wing a prestigious location.


    The south wing was the fun quarter, from casinos to restaurants brothels to parks, the south end provided the city with entertainment that was suitable to the young to the old, the traditionals to the loose moraled.


    ¡®The north wing, Million Stars Pce...¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s face showed concern as he processed the information.


    The Million Stars Pce spanned over a hundred miles, it as set up by the Helians to house the young elites they have recruited from all over the dynasty. Its size revealed just how eager the Helians were nning to expand.


    ¡°A whole zone dedicated to the reruits!?¡± Ye Wei eximed, forgot that he was surrounded by other visitors.


    ¡°They must really care about us.¡± He noticed he made a fool of himself, muttered with a blushed face.


    ¡®But that also means that there are tens of thousands as special as I am, they might be stronger or weaker, but they surely all have potential to achieve greatness...¡¯


    ¡®I am Green Moon City¡¯s strongest, and maybe even the best young cultivator of the thirty-six outskirt cities region. But I don¡¯t think I should expect recognition just yet. Well ranks are just numbers in the end, it will be nice to have someone topete against, or someone to look up to.¡¯


    ¡®I have to keep fighting stronger opponents and just improve throughbats and mistakes. If I don¡¯t exceed my limit, I will never breakthrough to returned prime level quickly enough!¡¯ Ye Wei was thirsting for battles, for the thrills and the improvements ande with bloodshed. He missed the rush he experienced during the regional tournament.


    The city was tall and wide, as the center was a prohibited area, even with Ye Wei¡¯s speed, it took him more than two hours to get to the north wing from the south leaning entrance.


    ¡°The Million Stars Pce!¡±


    The pce¡¯s front was on the edge of Ye Wei¡¯s sight after the long trip, although he was told the shape and the size of the pce, experiencing it first hand still mind-blowing.


    The gates of the pce was made of forged cyan meteorite, the polished surface was glittering like a cloudless night. To each sides of the gates was a row of ten feet tall golden giants, each of them standing straight as a pole.


    ¡°What are these...¡±


    Ye Wei stared at the giants, he could not sense any sign of life but his Sentient picked up a cold, intense Qi presence from each of them.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡± Just as Ye Wei stepped forward towards the gate, a young cultivator appeared out of nowhere and shouted. His purple robe fluttered as if he had sprinted out.


    ¡°Ye Wei, of Green Moon City!¡± Ye Wei skipped the socializing, grabbed the talisman given to him by Helian Jieyuan from the interspatial bag hung on his waist.

 Chapter 209 – The Black Dragon Listing

    Chapter 209 - The ck Dragon Listing


    ¡°Newbie!¡± The purple robed youngster took the talisman from Ye Wei¡¯s hand, a small smile appeared on his cold and emotionless face. He waved and said: ¡°Wee, but be warned, there are one hundred and thirty-seven new recruits in total, and they are all trying to prove something, you will really have to work hard to stand out.¡±


    Ye Wei nodded, surprised that anyone at all could tell that he was eager topete and to prove himself. He was then led to an area filled with outgrowing weed, soon they arrived at a remote vi, it was old and dirty, its walls were cracked and decorated by moss.


    ¡°This is you newbie.¡± The purple robed youngster didn¡¯t even bother to remember Ye Wei¡¯s name. He took a deep breath, coughed as he nearly choked on the unpleasant odor.


    ¡®This looks like an abandoned house...¡¯ Ye Wei frowned as he assessed the building, wondered if Helian Jieyuan¡¯s invitation was a joke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that face. All newbies are assigned to ces like this.¡± The purple robed youngster quickly read Ye Wei¡¯s bodynguage. ¡°There are a few more newbies toe, I will call all of you for a meeting when they¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°Being here give you ess to the Helian¡¯s bottomless resources, but if you want better ess and a better life, you will have to fight for it. I will be on my way if there isn¡¯t any questions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for leading the way, may I ask how you would like to be addressed?¡± Ye Wei handed over a small jade bottle as he spoke in a respectful tone.


    ¡°Ha blood essence pill huh, you big spender.¡± The caretaker popped open the cork and smiled, ¡°I am Baili Hengtian and I will watch over you for now.¡±


    After receiving the handsome bribe, Baili Hengtian¡¯s attitude changedpletely, he walked to back towards the vi and patted Ye Wei on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s true that all of us were invited here by the Helians but they seldome by, let alone governing this ce, we have our own rules here pretty much since the pce was built.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, the Helians recognized everyone of you newbies, but that is just as much they recognized everyone who was chosen to stay here. If you wish to blend in, it¡¯s not the Helians you have to impress, it¡¯s the veterans you have to prove yourself to. Before then, you are just another newbie, a disposable trash here in the Million Star Pce.¡±


    Ye Wei frowned immediately and asked. ¡°That sounds harsh, doesn¡¯t the Helians interfere with the bullying?¡±


    ¡°Interfere?¡± Baili Hengtianughed and replied, ¡°what is the point? All the cultivators here are gifted and know better than to steal and to kill. I actually think they anticipated this to happen, as an intended gauntlet to mould us, making us humble and tough. Haha!¡±


    ¡°I see. So are there any shortcuts to be epted into the inner circles?¡± The young Runemaster asked curiously.


    ¡°The quickest way?¡± Baili Hengtian gave Ye Wei a brief visual inspection and smile, ¡°the annual neer fights is the pce¡¯s tradition, if you win that you will probably be recognized by the veterans.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ye Wei nodded, ¡®it makes sense, they are all elites in their own rights and their have all the reasons to be a bit prideful. I will have to show them I am on their level as much as I would prefer learning from better cultivators.¡¯


    ¡°Well, yea what you said is right, but...¡± The caretaker hesitated, look at the valuable jade bottle in his hand, ¡°don¡¯t tell anyone that I¡¯ve had this conversation with you.¡±


    ¡°Even if you win, don¡¯t expect that the veterans will ept you right away. The neer fights are invented by alumni long ago to establish fear and authority, and its effectiveness is the reason why it¡¯s still around. They¡¯d do just about anything to make all the newbies taste the dirt, to repress them.¡±


    Baili Hengtian spoke slowly to make sure Ye Wei heard every detail. ¡°Once neer champion has been decided, he will get to fight one of the veterans. Needless to say, the oldies will show no mercy just to make a point.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I get it.¡± Ye Wei nodded, ¡°by the way, when and how can I move to a better vi?¡±


    ¡°The Helians officially host a series of fights for this facility every year, the better vis will be rewarded to the top five thousand contestants. Unfortunately that just happened not long ago, you will have to wait a year.¡± Baili Hengtian patted Ye Wei¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, most of us here have lived in one of these trashed vis. It will only make the upgrade feel even better if and when you get to move. You could be an elite, be treated like noble back in your hometown but even dragons will have to coil up here.¡±


    ¡°Is there no other way?¡± Ye Wei sighed as he looked scraped paint on the walls.


    ¡°No, unless... Unless your name appears on there, then the Helians will send you to one of the private quarters, and they will even assign servants to serve you.¡± The caretaker shook his head, pointed at the ck dragon statue¡¯s head in the sky towards the center of the pce, with its height at five hundred feet it was visible from all corners of the Million Stars Pce. He did not get into details as he didn¡¯t think much of Ye Wei.


    ¡°And that would be?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s confused eyes followed the caretaker¡¯s finger, the crafted dragon did not look anything more than a decoration to him.


    ¡°That, my friend, is the ck dragon listing, out of the thirty thousand residents, only one thousand of our names are on the statue.¡± Baili Hengtian looked up with respect and respect and envy. ¡°And needless to say, they fought hard to earn the privilege.¡±


    The caretaker was a gifted cultivator, he had been a resident of the pce for three years since he was seventeen, but his name had not once been on the statue. All the cultivators who have their names on the list were at the weakest a three-star returned prime Warrior, a two-star returned prime Warrior at the age of twenty, he was the most respected person in his home region but only considered mediocre here in the pce.


    ¡°One thousand ces huh?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s brows rose as he smiled, he wanted to be friendly and showed the caretaker his cultivation level.


    ¡°Haha! I know what you are thinking, and my advice is don¡¯t do it. You will simultaneously get hurt and humiliated.¡± Baili Hengtian burst intoughters. ¡°Have you ever been in a fight and how old are you? Fifteen? Sixteen? You will have to be at least a four-star returned prime Warrior if you want a chance to squeeze yourself into the list!¡±


    In his three years living in the pce, he had never dared challenging a lister once.


    ¡°Tell me if I am wrong, you are at ten-star condensed prime level correct?¡± He wore a mocking smile and continued. ¡°You are good, among newbies maybe. Just learn your ce and try in five years or something, you don¡¯t need these veterans¡¯ approval, you will get your supplies and resources from the Helians either way.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve told you too much already. Like I say, I will call you up when for the induction and the neer fights.¡± Baili Hengtian waved and bade farewell.


    ¡®Four-star returned prime level? Doesn¡¯t sound unachievable.¡¯ Ye Wei smiled, waved back as he thought. ¡®I already have the body strength of a three-star returned prime Warrior before even using Supernova stance.¡¯


    ¡°When I was still an eight-star condensed prime Warrior, I did beat Lu Qianhuan. The iron talisman helped but he was a reckless three-star returned prime Warrior.¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself. ¡°My light clone is far stronger now too...¡±


    He calcted and calcted, figured out it was not impossible to get himself in the ck dragon listing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t live like this. I have to figure out how to challenge the listing sooner rather thanter!¡± Ye Wei walked around the vi and shook his head. Found a clean pah of grass to sit on outside the building. He sat down, focused himself and began to cultivate.


    In just two hours, Baili Hengtian made his return to summon Ye Wei, the young Runemaster joined the group of neers and soon arrived at the main square.


    All one hundred and thirty-seven neers lined up on the stone tiles, all of them curious and looking around nervously.


    ¡°Ye Wei!? You are here too?¡± A familiar voice rang in the young Runemaster¡¯s ears.


    It had been a while since theirst encounter, but Jian Chen¡¯s babyface did not change a bit. He was wearing the same white outfit and his handsome face was still making the girls blush.


    Jian Chen was keeping his cool, kept a distance from the other neers instead of making connections like everyone else was trying to do.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here!¡± Ye Wei was delighted to see a face he knew, walked up and greeted. Although his facial features were not as symmetrical as Jian Chen, his sleek body and masculine charm was also attracting attention.


    ¡°I will not lose to you here!¡± Jian Chen¡¯s eyes lit up, wished to redeem himself from his defeat at the regional tournament.


    ¡°Ha, one of us has to be wrong.¡± Ye Wei smiled to his rival, his friend in cultivation; Jian Chen had been one of his motivations, what pressured him to train harder when he was feeling low and tired.


    ¡°So do you know who is the strongest among us neers?¡± Ye Wei scanned across and asked his old friend.


    ¡°I have not fought any of them so I can not answer that urately. Though I have seen a few of them making a fuss over the living conditions and they were pretty strong judging by the mess they made.¡± Jian Chen answered calmly.


    ¡°I see.¡± Ye Wei nodded, not surprised that others were also unsatisfied with the living arrangement. ¡°They were probably used to the privileges they had back home.¡±

 Chapter 210 – There Are Rules

    Chapter 210 - There Are Rules


    ¡°Him there, made the most mess.¡± Jian Chen pointed into the crowd.


    Ye Wei followed Jian Chen¡¯s finger to see an eight feet tall, well-built young man. He was dressed in a sleeveless beast hide. His muscr chest and arms glowed like metal, made him stood out like a watchtower in a cornfield.


    ¡®He looks intersting.¡± Ye Wei murmured.


    ¡°Yue Tieniu, that¡¯s his name. But everyone calls him the bull in secret. I am pretty sure he is at one-star returned prime level.¡±


    ¡°He made a scene and knocked down a few walls in his vi before Baili Hengtian tamed him.¡± Jian Chen quickly took his eyes off the aggressive Yue Tianiu, shifted his attention to Ye Wei and thought, ¡®I will be able to beat the bull, how about you Ye Wei? You must have gotten stronger too right?¡¯


    ¡®A sword that hesitates is a sword that breaks in battles...¡¯ Jian Chen thought to himself. He saw Ye Wei as his target since the rushing defeat at the regional tournament, he was here to face his demons, to get rid of the self-doubt that had been building up because of the encounter.


    While Ye Wei and Jian Chen were chattering, catching up. Twenty veterans were looking down onto the pce, assessing the neers.


    While Ye Wei and Jian Chen were chattering, catching up. Twenty veterans were lounging on a hilltop just outside the pce, looking down onto the pce, inspecting this year¡¯s neers.


    ¡°We ought to get a few troublemakers, it could be worse. We only really have one reckless brat this year. Yue Tieniu even looks like a rabid dog, I didn¡¯t expect much from him the moment I saw him entering the premises.¡± Said a youth dressed in a gold robe, his cold gaze aimed at the young giant, shone through the shadow his hood casted on his face.


    ¡°He is new, what do you expect? And why do you think we make the neers fight every year? All of them will learn to respect this pce.¡± A lightughter sounded as a faint silvery figure walked forth.


    The youngster in gold robe was Zhou Kuang, and Bai Qing in silver. Both three-star returned prime Warriors were renounced presences at the Million Star Pce.


    Although neither of them were on the ck dragon listing, they were at the pinnacle of their cultivation level.


    The twenty strong behind him werest year¡¯s neers, they rejoiced shaking the first yearbel but were still slightly traumatized by how the pce treated them.


    ¡°No matter what you say, I am going to fight the strongest among them in a bit!¡±


    ¡°Why you?! I want to give him or her a beating!¡±


    ¡°Enough nonsense! There are a few dangerous newbies this year, all of you who are return prime Warriors step forward, we are drawing straws.¡± Zhou Kuang¡¯s gazended on the neers as he spoke to his followers. ¡°We have to step on them, break them!¡±


    ¡°Boss, you are over-reacting. We have been training in the secret realm. Do you really think these newbies can beat us?¡±


    They bickered and argued, all of them thought they have been through enough to show the neers a tough time. Recruited by Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing, they were eager to improve and prove themselves to the Helians in the future.


    Baili Hengtian briefly exined the rules to the volunteer, single-elimination neers fight series and suggested the winner of the series might have a chance to be relocated to a better vi. All hundred and thirty-six youngsters at the square suddenly became more enthusiastic, they all stretched and warmed up as they waited for the first person to step into the temporary ring.


    ¡°I am sick of the pigsty already, I am going to kick all your heads in to get myself moved! Come on then, who wants to get knocked out first?¡± With ground shaking steps, Yue Tieniu walked into the square¡¯s center.


    ¡°I am pretty sure I am the strongest man here! Any of you pieces of trash care to prove me wrong!?¡± His walnut shell-shaped eyes bulged up, his rumbling voice startled the gatherers like dry thunder and his Qi swept the square like a ruthless storm.


    ¡°I, Li Wu will prove you wrong!¡± A figure took off from the crowd and rushed towards the center of the square.


    All one hundred and thirty-seven neers had their own pride, they were all used to being the best, although some of them were quieter than others, none of them was going to believe the other was superior without a fight.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The two¡¯s Qi shell crashed together, filling the square with ripples of recoiling force waves and the whole square felt a shock.


    ¡°Cute!¡± Yue Tieniu took the initiative and leaped into the air. His fists were fast, fired down like a rain of arrows, filled the square with a shrill exploding sound.


    With an advanced speed boosting technique, Li Wu¡¯s figure turned into a sh. He avoided waves of Yue¡¯s punches for a minute before he was caught by the reckless strikes.


    Li Wu was just grazed and slowed, Yue Tieniu seized the opportunity and lunged forth to deliver the knockout punch.


    ¡°Who else wants to taste my fist?¡± The bull red around and shouted with his foot on his defeated opponent.


    ¡°That strength is rather impressive...¡± Ye Wei murmured as the crowd went wild.


    ¡°Yea, Baili Hengtian was punched by a fist with simr force, he was knocked back three feet even he managed to divert the momentum.¡± Jian Chen added, then thought to himself. ¡®His cultivation is still unstable, I don¡¯t think he had been a returned prime Warrior for long. He is only physically strong because of the body strengthening stance...¡¯


    Jian Chen then closed his eyes and reyed the brief fight in his head, calcting the best way to handle opponents with a physically aggressive fighting style like Yue Tieniu¡¯s.


    A few more contestants ran into the ring but all of them, including a one-star returned prime Warrior, fell to the punches. The neers became cautious after the returned prime Warrior fell, none of them wished to risk embarrassing themselves in front of everyone else.


    ¡°Hahaha, is that it? How about if all of youe at once? It will save us some time!¡± Yue Tieniu¡¯s arrogance grew in victory, he stared down at the crowd with a disdainful gaze and shouted.


    None of the neers were happy that Yue Tieniu¡¯s ego grew but there was nobody to stop him. They were elites, but the truth was that vast majority of them were yet to be returned prime Warriors.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to shut him down? There is no way you could lose.¡± Jien Chen turned to Ye Wei and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in fighting someone who doesn¡¯t have much to offer.¡± Ye Wei chuckled and shook his head.


    Jian Chen nodded agreeingly, peeped towards hills where the veterans stood.


    ¡°Anyone more challengers?¡± Baili Hengtian scanned across the square and waited. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to fight him? You will be stuck at the trashed vis for at least another year!¡±


    Most of the neers were brought up by powerful martial families, they never had to fight anyone fight or confront in their lives.They all felt ashamed, mistreated but too shocked and scared to react.


    ¡®Ha, I am pretty certain the Helians would endorse the bullying, these people are soft and clueless! Real talents can swim up against the current, fight against the odds!¡¯ Baili Hengtian chuckled, then announced in a slightly wicked tone, ¡°Yue Tieniu will be the series¡¯ winner in three... Two... One!¡±


    ¡°Show time!¡± Zhou Kuang, Bai Qing and their followers clenched their fists and cracked their knuckles.


    ¡°Boss, let me deal with him!¡± A scar-faced youngster stepped forward and shouted confidently, licked his lips at the thought of humiliating Yue Tieniu, ¡°He will be on the ground begging for mercy in three blows!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let me down Feng Shan, Go!¡± Zhou Kuang nodded.


    Upon the approval, the scar-faced cultivator jumped off the hill, turned into a sh and rushed towards the square.


    ¡°What do they call him again? The bull?¡± Bai Qing couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off the eight feet tall teenager.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Feng Shan is as strong as a one-star returned prime Warrior can get, I am pretty sure he can even take down ordinary two-star returned prime Warriors on a good day. Nicknames and gimmicks are irrelevant. Zhou Kuang replied, clearly not concerned about the matchup.


    ¡°Hahaha, screw you all! Have fun living like pigs for a year!¡± Yue Tieniu¡¯sughter echoed, his smile grew as the other neers looked more upset and irritated.


    ¡°Idiot! Do you really think it will be that easy?¡± A sneer came from the sky and everyone looked up with wary eyes.


    ¡°You will be staying exactly where you¡¯ve been assigned.¡± Feng Shan was levitating thirty feet above ground looking down at Yue Tieniu, said in a cold voice.


    ¡°What do you mean!?¡± Yue Tieniu¡¯s hysterical smile evaporated, he narrowed his eyes and scream at the unexpected visitor.


    Not only Yue Tieniu, all neers were also confused.


    ¡°I fought with my own fist, earned my ce with my strength!¡± The bull shouted at the mysterious scar-faced cultivator in the sky then set his furious eyes onto Baili Hengtian. ¡°Is this some kind of stupid joke? Are you serious!?¡±


    ¡®Has any of you ever been to school before? You can¡¯t really avoid being messed with...¡¯ Ye Wei was the only neer with a clear head, he rolled his eyes and thought.


    ¡°There is another condition! You may get relocated if you beat me! If you don¡¯t want to live like a newbie, you will have prove to us that you are not weak like a newbie!¡± Feng Shan pointed at the bull and stated fiercely. ¡°This is a part of the tradition here, if you don¡¯t like it then leave!¡±

 Chapter 211 – Stepping Up

    Chapter 211- Stepping Up


    ¡°Shameless shenanigans!¡± Yue Tieniu¡¯s face became pale.


    All the other neers did not want to take the bull¡¯s side but did so nevertheless as they wished expressed their frustration.


    ¡°Are you just making new rules as you go along!?¡±


    ¡°How is this fair?¡±


    They screamed and shouted


    Feng Shan took a deep breath and shouted with thundering volume, ¡°fair!? You kids are naive, didn¡¯t you all know fairness is build on a winner¡¯s bloody knuckles? Hahaha!¡± hisughter drown out the crowd.


    ¡°Enough talking! You are talking meaningless gibberish!¡± Yue Tieniu felt tricked he was tricked into an unfavorables fight, screamed furiously. ¡°I will fight you and make you feel like a newbie!"


    ¡°Screw you!¡± Yue Tieniu cursed loudly as he channeled his Qi. The runes in his muscles flowed quickly, triggering an explosive strength.


    He stomped the ground andunched himself into the air and, with his momentum amplified by the body strengthening stance, flew towards Feng Shan like a humongous cannon ball.


    ¡°Hm!¡± Feng Shan coldly red down at the rampaging bull, calmly opening his hand to condense his fire red Qi onto his fingertips. His energy immediately morphed into ming runes, dancing in his palm before it shrunk into a globe.


    ¡®Low-level Earth stance, Sun Shock Palm!¡¯


    Feng Shan extended both his arms as he glided down towards the young giant.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    A harsh red light bloomed on his palms, falling onto Yue Tieniu like a zing sun. The bull immediately lost bnce upon contact, sent hurtling to the ground like aet.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The impact shook not just the entire square but also the initiates into awe as a man-shaped crater appeared in the middle of the ring. Yue Tieniu¡¯s body strengthening stance made him plow through solid ground easily like a piece of hot red metal through a block ofrd.


    It all happened in a few seconds and not a sound was made by anyone at the square. All the initiates were in shock as they witnessed the best of them being knocked out by Feng Shan with just one blow.


    ¡°Well fought. My name is Feng Shan by the way. It¡¯s a bit rude that you didn¡¯t greet me before the duel even though it didn¡¯tst long!¡± Feng Shan ttened his lips, staring at the small pit that he just made, and chuckled disdainfully.


    ¡°If he was a veteran with the same cultivation level and the same strengthening stance, he would havested at least three blows. Sloppy and inexperienced! This newbie king did not do his training justice at all!¡± He continued talking in a disdainful tone, casting his cold gaze upon their shocked faces.


    ¡°All of you should learn from this! We do not tolerate newbies with a stinking attitude and arrogance akin to him!¡±


    The initiates¡¯ vengeful looks turned depressed, their furious eyes softening as they lowered their heads. Feng Shan¡¯s stunt stabbed their self-esteem, and they were forced to ept what happened as the strongest of them had already fought and lost in their minds.


    The scar-faced youngster grunted then started a little speech. ¡°We don¡¯t care how your hometown once treated you like treasure! The world is bigger than you knew it was, and you are here as a newbie in Helian City now! This means you are going to respect and obey!¡±


    He continued as the initiates¡¯ heads bent lower, wishing to brand the message into their heads while their memory of his powerful strike was still fresh. ¡°When you get told to do something, do it! Or else you are just looking for trouble!¡±


    ¡°Kneel down! And repeat the pce¡¯s rules after me! Don¡¯t even think about standing up before I tell you we are done!¡± Feng Shan spaced augh between his act, assuming a despotic stance while speaking in an excessively harsh tone.


    The whole square of initiates froze, none of them were good at taking orders, especially ordersing from a youngster at their age. They were all celebrated talents in their region, and all of them had struggled to became who they were today.


    Most of them were here to focus on cultivation and felt the oppressive policies were unnecessary, even excessive. They were itching to stand up and express their resistance and pride within.


    A figure furiously shot up from the crowd, his childish face looking not a day older than sixteen. ¡°Who do you think you are? Just because you have been living here a few more years than I have doesn¡¯t mean you own me! My father is the leader of the Hongdo Commandery, he will hear about this! I am walking out, who¡¯s with me!?¡±


    Encouraged by the son of someone influential speaking up, a few more initiates stood up. They red at Feng Shan and Baili Hengtian as they spoke their minds.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overstep the line!¡±


    ¡°We might not be as strong as you, but there are only two of you! You don¡¯t want to corner us, trust me!¡±


    Ye Wei remained quiet, spectating from the sideline. He wondered if the conflict between the new and the old had always caused this much tension; wondered if the induction routine had ever ended in bloodshed.


    The veterans knew better. They knew most initiates would stay for a chance to gain great power.


    ¡°Hahaha, pathetic! Are you trying to threaten me? Do you think I will beg you to stay?¡± Feng Shan chuckled disdainfully. In his point of view, fewer initiatives meant less futurepetition. ¡°Just leave then. Don¡¯t waste space and resources!¡±


    Despite the squabble, none of the initiatives walked away. They were furious, wishing to retaliate from the bottom of their hearts, but they were not going to just give up the chance to be chosen to work for the royal family.


    ¡°Why do I care about your father being amandery leader? It¡¯s all the same for me! If this is your first year, you are going to listen to me!¡± Feng Shan hummed mockingly and made numerous hand seals as he spoke. ¡°If a damn lesson is what you need, a lesson is what I will give!¡±


    ¡®Low-level Earth stance, Sky-gulping Stamp!¡¯ The runes floating around his hand flew up to the sky, expanding topose a giant hand-shape. The stance then fell onto themandery leader¡¯s young son. ¡°You want to tell your dad about this too!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been caught!¡±


    Just as Feng Shan grunted, the hand shape in the sky darkened and created a force of suction. The teenager from Hongdo was dragged up into the giant hand-shape.


    ¡°Click!¡±


    The giant hand clenched as Feng Shan clenched his fist, and a bone-chilling cracking sound silenced the spectors.


    ¡°Argh!¡± The victim¡¯s head was the only body part left outside the clench, and hisplexion was purplish pale. Large drops of sweats ran down his scrunched up face as he cried in agony.


    ¡°Kid, remember where you are. This is Million Stars Pce. Your identity had be a newbie the moment you stepped through those gates. Your powerful family has no authority in here!¡± Feng Shan flew next to the giant clenched fist and pped the exposed head until it became swollen.


    ¡°What made you think you could interrupt when I was speaking? You are weak and unworthy!¡± Feng Shan spat on the teenager¡¯s face before he released the clench. ¡°Let this be a lesson to you all! Whoever resists will get destroyed!¡±


    The young man¡¯s injured body began to fall from fifty feet high, and his arms and legs were dangling, swaying in the wind as most of his bones were broken.


    The initiates were as quiet as cicadas during winter. They dared to think but dared not to speak nor move.


    It was bing apparent to them that Feng Shan was going to set an example with whomever stepped up against him; it was crystal clear that he would crush dissenting opinions and actions. And therefore, all of the initiates swallowed their pride in anger, taking their bloodshot eyes off Feng Shan.


    Time was the most precious resource. If they had to miss months of cultivation and training due to injuries, they would surely fall behind.


    An initiate close to the ring was the first to kneel down, followed by may others. All of their faces were red, and veins protruded on their necks and foreheads. Their bodies trembled with deep resentment.


    Feng Shan watched the injured fall andughed hysterically as he saw the initiates choose to turn their backs to a fellow neer.


    When the body was ten feet above the ground, a blurred figure took off from the crowd. A mist of Qi appeared beneath the falling body, absorbing the momentum and causing it to gentlynd.


    ¡°Was that really necessary? I think you¡¯ve overstepped the line.¡± Ye Wei calmly stood in the air, letting his emotionless gaze rest on Feng Shan.


    ¡°Yue Tieniu was making a mess on his first day and might have deserved a lesson, but you can¡¯t punish someone for speaking their mind. You can¡¯t treat us like trash and have us kneel down like ves. Especially not with your preposterous reasoning.¡± Ye Wei stood in the middle of the ring, looked up, and said. ¡°You may be stronger than the bull, but you¡¯re also dumber.¡±


    Jian Chen chuckled. He was one of the few in the square who had yet to kneel down.


    The bold speech drew everyone¡¯s attention; both the initiates and the veterans had their eyes set on Ye Wei, all shocked by what they heard and saw.


    ¡°Guys, should we help him?¡±


    ¡°He might actually die!¡±


    ¡°He is too impulsive! He just dug his own grave by trying to be nice.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it obvious that Feng Shan hates heroes? Can¡¯t this kid read the situation!?¡±


    The initiates were talking among themselves, looking sad and sympathetic, anticipating another cruel scene.


    ¡°Another mouthy newbie?¡± Feng Shan sneered as he channeled his Qi. With a swipe of his arm, he sent forth an immense shock wave in Ye Wei¡¯s direction. ¡®Newbie, you will kneel before me, conscious or not!¡±


    Baili Hengtian could not believe that Ye Wei would stand against Feng Shan despite the warning. ¡®This kid did give me a nice bribe¡ªhe could be very resourceful!¡¯


    ¡°Feng Shan, wait, there must be a misunderstanding.¡± He shouted and flew between the scar-faced veteran and the young Runemaster.


    ¡®Brother, do you remember anything I told you? This is the pce¡¯s tradition, don¡¯t be a fool! Stand back, now!¡¯ Baili Hengtian used a voice transmission technique to warn Ye Wei and darted his eyes to the hills afar, ¡®Feng Shan is just a puppet. Two veterans called Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing are behind it. They are not on the ck dragon listing, but they do have some influence within these walls. Apologize and stand back. I will deal with the rest!¡±

 Chapter 212 – First in Ten Years

    Chapter 212 - First in Ten Years


    Baili Hengtian could not understand Ye Wei¡¯s calmness. He kept winking and widening his eyes, hoping that Ye Wei would get the message and stand down.


    The young Runemaster followed the caretaker¡¯s eyes to the hilltop where the veteran group hid, staying cid and refusing to step back. ¡®Thank you very much for the advice, but I will be responsible for myself from here on out.¡¯


    The caretaker shook his head, feeling resentful as Ye Wei¡¯s feistiness reminded him of himself as an initiate. He was regarded as the cultivator with most potential back in his region, and this particr trait, the pride, was the exact reason why he had a hard first year. He learned that there were always a higher mountain somewhere else and that his talent was tiny, not worth mentioning to the pce¡¯s elite.


    ¡®If I can¡¯t get through to you, reality will...¡¯ Baili Hengtian thought.


    ¡°Are you done defending this nobody, Baili?¡± Feng Shan grew impatient. He respected the caretaker as a stronger cultivator, but being better connected, he could do what he pleased.


    ¡°Ye Wei is just joking around. Come on, apologize and step aside.¡± Baili Hengtian took a step back warily. He could not afford to offend the people behind Feng Shan. He took the gift from Ye Wei and did all he could to watch out for the neer. Everything subsequent to his intervention was out of his hands.


    Honoring Baili Heng¡¯s interference, Feng Shan held his strike and straightened his back. He quietly stared at Ye Wei, waiting for an apology.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?! Apologize and kneel with the rest of the newbies. I will let you off this one time because Baili Hengtian spoke for you!¡± Feng Shan looked as unpleased as he sounded.


    Ye Wei¡¯s cold gaze did not leave Feng Shan¡¯s face for a second. ¡°You are just a powerful owner¡¯s loud dog. Let me speak with the person who put you up to this silly bullying act. I don¡¯t want to waste my time beating a pet.¡±


    ¡°You want to stand out? I will paint you red so everyone can see you from miles away.¡± Feng Shan¡¯s face turned red as he slowly walked towards Ye Wei. For each step he took, primal energy in the air condensed under his feet, forming a transparent staircase.


    ¡°Brother, thank you for stepping up for me, but don¡¯t get yourself hurt. Just stay quiet for now and we will make him pay when we are stronger. I, Hong Hai, will remember your kind act and pay you back someday, somehow.¡± The injured teen clumsily sat up and shouted as loud as he could.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Blood came gushing out of Hong Hai¡¯s fresh wounds as he moved.


    ¡°Speak to me when you¡¯ve recovered!¡± Ye Wei did not pay the slightest attention to Feng Shan and looked down, concerned. ¡°Jian Chen, please take care of Hong Hai for now.¡±


    ¡°Yea.¡± Jian Chen calmly obliged, taking the injured toy against a wall at a corner.


    More than a hundred initiates were startled, ready to run. On the contrary, each of Ye Wei¡¯s moves and words reflected his calm and collected state of mind. He acted casually as if he did not feel Feng Shan¡¯s murderous presence.


    The initiates, who had all witnessed how easy Yue Tieniu and Hong Hai fell, wondered if Ye Wei had a death wish.


    ¡°I see you have been speaking with your fist all this time. I think I know just how tomunicate with you.¡± Ye Wei stared ahead at Feng Shan and channeled his Qi.


    Before the young Runemaster could step forward, Feng Shan¡¯s Qi quickly turned into the shape of a hand again, grabbing onto his body.


    ¡°Got you!¡± He clenched the giant hand as tight as he could.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who you are fighting against.¡± Ye Wei was not only not affected, his muscles effortlessly bulged up against the pressure.


    ¡°You are no match for my strength.¡± His eyes lit up as he pushed back the grip entirely. Feng Shan¡¯s stance fell apart in just a second.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s figure turned into a blur while he was still speaking, disappearing in thin air before the very eyes of his opponent.


    ¡°What is this speed!?¡± Feng Shan was slightly nervous about the fierce presence closing in. He sensed danger and immediately tried to channeled his will-force, but in the blink of an eye, Ye Wei was already next to him before he could react.


    ¡°Holy Sages!¡±


    The initiates gasped for air, having no clue as to how Ye Wei elerated as he did. Baili Hengtian was the only one whose eyes followed, frightfully surprised by what he saw.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    A chilling sound echoed in the initiates¡¯ consternation and Ye Wei¡¯s fist sank into Feng Shan. The strike¡¯s focused energy had dug a pothole on the scar-faced cultivator¡¯s chest.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Startled by the punch, Feng Shan¡¯s body tightened in agony, the seizure denying him a chance to defend himself.


    Ye Wei then turned his waist to power his fist, spinning a full circle before sending his opponent flying down to ground.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Feng Shan¡¯s bodynded with the momentum of a meteorite. The square rumbled, and everyone, including the two-star returned prime Warrior, were stunned like statues.


    None of them expected the person who defeated Yue Tieniu with one blow was defeated by one blow himself. They werepletely silent, and at the same time confused yet euphoric.


    ¡°Feng Shan could not even return a strike...¡± Baili Hengtian rubbed his eyes in disbelief, as if he had just seen a ghost in daylight. ¡®Yue Tieniu was just loud and big, but Ye Wei is insanely strong. I think it is clear now who really is the best initiate.¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything. He must have beaten Feng Shan with one strike!¡±


    ¡°Is he really one of us!?¡±


    ¡°He must be a three-star returned prime Warrior!¡±


    The initiates were all curious about the hero of the minute, trying to figure out how strong Ye Wei was and why he did not step up against Yue Tieniu.


    Ye Wei did not look older than the other neers on average, but his strength obviously exceeded the mean by miles. The boys were bing envious and the girls were having a crush. However, they were also inspired to be stronger, as respect seemed toe with strength in the Million Stars Pce.


    They were threatened, kneeling down and ready to give up their dignity, but Ye Wei stopped their suffering with just one punch. The initiates were now curious about what wasing next, hoping that their new idol would have a way to handle the veterans.


    ¡°This kid is stronger than I expected. He might even be stronger than me! Haha! So he tricked me into believing he was still a condensed prime Warrior!¡± Baili Hengtian was certainly not weak, but he was only respected almost exclusively by the initiates due to his poor connection with the cultivators higher up on thedder.


    Behind Feng Shan, there were Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing, both of them peak three-star returned prime Warriors. Apart from the ck dragon listers, the duo were among the strongest within the premises. Being close to many of the top thousand, they were almost authorised to take care of monitoring the pce while the listers focused on cultivating andpeting for the top spots.


    ¡®However, Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing are not the kind of people you want to cross, especially not when you are new.¡¯ Baili Hengtian was impressed, but he did not think things were looking good for Ye Wei. ¡®Unless he gets into the ck dragon list, which is going to be hard regardless of how strong he is...¡¯


    Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing both creased their brows as they saw Feng Shan¡¯s crushing defeat from the hills.


    ¡°This newbie is not weak at all, and he surely knows it himself.¡± Bai Qing said.


    Their reputation was now hanging on a thin thread. If the duo failed to tame the initiates, they would undoubtedly be theughing stock among the veterans.


    ¡°This is an outrage! What does he think he is doing!? His ipetence is causing us to lose the respect we worked so hard for! How the hell did he manage to lose against a newbie? He was hit only once!¡± Zhou Kuang¡¯s re was cold as ice.


    The whole group remained silent in fear as they sensed their leaders¡¯ aggression, stepping back quietly. Meanwhile, they deemed themselves lucky that Feng Shan took the fight, thinking the swift defeat would probably mark the end of his privileges.


    ¡°I can¡¯t me Feng Shan for this...¡± Bai Qing said coldly, ¡°that boy is a mean fighter, and he had been hiding throughout the fight series. All the recruits are eighteen or younger, and most of them are condensed prime Warriors. It¡¯s reasonable to be caught off guard.¡±


    ¡°This kid is probably the first initiate in a decade who has the kind of strength to defeat a two-star returned prime Warrior!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really see under eighteen two-star returned prime Warriors these days. Not even the ones that bury themselves in the secret realm to cultivate all day and all year can reach this newbie¡¯s level.¡± Bai Qing curled his lips to a discreet smile, ¡°first in a decade, like you said. Am I the only person finding it interesting?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to fight him?¡± Zhou Kuang raised his brows.


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Bai Qing nodded, turning his head to his partner. ¡°But first, I would like to see with what style he fights. Luo Han, make the newbie move a bit.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± A well built teenager walked out of the group, his blue eyes set right at Ye Wei.

 Chapter 213 – Ice Sword Print

    Chapter 213 - Ice Sword Print


    At two-star returned prime cultivation, Luo Han was the strongest among the group apart from the leaders, Bai Qing and Zhou Kuang. He had been training in one of the lesser secret realms, Frozen Moon realm. There, he encountered the opportunity of his lifetime; he identally absorbed the essence of an Ancestral Frozen Moon crystal and a fearsome chill had entered his meridians since, making the quality of his Qi better than most other two-star returned prime Warriors.


    Luo Han only got in the pce a year ago, the then-condensed prime Warrior broke through to two-star returned prime stage in just eleven months¡¯ time. With his quick rise to fame, he attached himself to Zhou Kuang¡¯s group and was therefore introduced to powerful cultivators on the ck dragon list.


    A year ago, Luo Han did not stand out as an initiate, but due to his cultivation speed, he quickly earned himself the status of a rising star of the pce because of his talent, luck andwork strategies.


    ¡°Bai Qing, this is a chance for you to shine, why are you passing the opportunity to Luo Han? He is useful but he is not loyal, we have to be careful. We might one day be bitten by our own dog if we fed it too much.¡± Zhou Kuang stared at Luo Han¡¯s silhouette, said with a faint evil glow in his eyes.


    ¡°Zhou Kuang, how long have we been in this pce?¡± Bai Qing smiled as he avoided answering the question.


    ¡°Three years.¡± Zhou Kuang answered hesitantly, failed to see the relevance of his partner¡¯s question.


    ¡°How about Luo Han? How many years has he spent here?¡±


    ¡°Why are we talking about this? He was an initiate before today¡¯s induction are you stupid?!¡±


    ¡°Fine! Let me put it in perspective. Do you think Luo Han will be weaker than us in two years¡¯ time?¡± Bai Qing gave up being cryptical.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Zhou Kuang was at a lost of words as he realized Luo Han¡¯s overlooked potential. ¡®With this cultivational speed and efficiency, he might even get himself into the ck dragon list when he manages to breakthrough.¡¯


    ¡°Some people are destined to do extraordinary things, he is one of them, with or without our help. This kid has greater potential than either of us, his talent will bring him into the ck dragon list. He is not for us to control.¡± Bai Qing¡¯s eyes shed a glow of wisdom, he stepped up next to his partner and whispered. ¡°To me, his intention was pretty clear from the start, he adhered to us because he wanted the connections we had. I would have done the same in his situation, it was a smart move.¡±


    ¡°If we help him to get his name out... In less than another year, he could be the training partner of a top hundred lister. Then our little group will be dancing with the dragons.¡± He smiled, continued whispering into Zhou Kuang¡¯s ears. ¡°I will make sure he remembers that we gave him the chance to shine.¡±


    ¡°You are overthinking it, why don¡¯t you spend your time worrying about people and things you can count on?¡± Zhou Kuang chuckled, the pair had been through tough times together but their views often differed.


    ¡°The Bai family is one of the sixteen superpowers, we have been through the test of time, wars and politics. I am not a direct descendant of the bloodline, if I want to have a say in my family I will have to gather my own force and show them I am capable of solving problems of arger scale.¡± BaiQing sighed with a sense of regret. ¡°If Luo Han turns out to be unreliable, I will just have to find someone else with simr potential and earn his or her trust all over again.¡±


    ¡°I thought your family is over a thousand years old, you sound so smart but I think you are making simple things moreplicated when you can just train harder like him.¡± Zhou Kuang reluctantly shook his head and look towards the square. ¡°The newbie is not weak, how long do you think he willst against Luo Han?¡±


    ¡°Within three blows.¡± Bai Qing narrowed his eyes,ughed confidently, ¡°as a newbie, he is extraordinary. However Luo Han outsses him slightly.¡±


    The temperature at the square dropped drastically as Luo Han¡¯s figure appeared in front of the initiates.


    ¡°They sent Luo Han!¡± Baili Hengtian suddenly became cautious as he recognized the built and the ice blue eyes. ¡°Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing really wants to end the show right now!?¡±


    The caretaker sighed, having seen Luo Han¡¯s capabilities, he was aware that even himself, a well seasoned two-star returned prime Warrior would have trouble staying on his feet for more than a few exchanges with whom Ye Wei was about to face.


    ¡°You are an excellent cultivator!¡± Luo Han silently walked up to to the center of the ring, aimed his prating blue eyes directly at Ye Wei.


    ¡°I could say the same to you. Your Qi is very special!¡± Ye Wei smiled calmly, replied with a friendly tone while his eyes were lit up bypetitive his spirit. ¡®This pce is just incredible, I can¡¯t wait to fight and learn from the stronger ones on the ck dragon list!¡¯


    ¡°You are probably the strongest initiate in a long while, but as much as I appreciate new blood like you, there are traditions to be kept!¡± Luo Han slowly lifted his arms as his Qi rushed out, the golden blue strands of energy froze the water in the air, covered his palms with ayer of glittering crystals.


    The crystals grew and turned into a flowing gust, refracting the sunlight and shone millions of rainbows onto the ring.


    ¡°Sometimes you just can¡¯t force tradition onto changing tide!¡± Ye Wei smiled and filled his body with Qi. His muscles bulged up and his Qi presence span like a hurricane.


    Both Ye Wei and Luo Han stood still but the battle has already begun. The gusts of flowing crystals and the hurricane of Qi crashed onto each other as the two cultivators sped up the Qi flow within their meridians.


    ¡°This is shocking!¡±


    ¡°So this is his true strength!?¡±


    The initiates were forced to back up to the edges of the square, shocked by the vigorous Qi disturbance.


    ¡°Unbelievable! He is new like us but it seems like he is not losing ground against these veterans!¡±


    ¡°Do you think he can win this fight?¡±


    ¡°This veteran is much stronger than thest one! Don¡¯t be overconfident, be careful!¡±


    Feeling suppressed, the initiates wanted to break even. They were nervous for Ye Wei as all of them could feel Luo Han was clearly stronger than Feng Shan.


    ¡°Ye Wei is very strong, he might even be stronger than me, but Luo Han¡¯s power is literally from another realm...¡± Baili Hengtian muttered, ¡°I just can¡¯t see a newbie winning, it will take at least a lister¡¯s strength and experience to take Luo Han down cleanly.¡±


    ¡°The real question here is how long can Ye Weist before falling. If he shows enough potential he might be approached by the listers, when that happens nobody will dare to touch him.¡±


    Luo Han¡¯s stare became aggressive as his Qi flow reached its quickest. His hands quickly whizzed through air, making hundreds of strange hand seals within seconds, guided the surrounding primal energy to himself.


    Surges of wild energy then lifted him high up in the sky and sped up the freezing gusts. The air in the square became thicker as the mosture began to solidify.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Millions of ice crystal converged into a globe as Luo Han finished making the set of hand seals. The globe expanded then shattered, forming hundreds of ice swords, each of them ten feet long, and all held together by sequences of blue runes.


    Luo Han then clenched his fists, rearranged the swords into arge array with his will-force. The frozen sword array span rapidly, pulling heat out of the square as it grew.


    ¡°This is the Ice Sword Print! Does he want to kill Ye Wei?¡± Baili Hengtian¡¯s heart dropped, shocked by Luo Han¡¯s decision.


    Rumored to be a high-level Earth stance, the Ice Sword Print was a rare, long lost stance. Its manifesto was found by Luo Han during his training in the Frozen Moon realm.


    Although he was yet to fully understand its power, Luo Han¡¯s frozen Qiplimented the rune set and he was able to use the Ice Sword Print at peak low-level Earth grade.


    ¡°I only use this stance in special asions, you should see your defeat as an honor!¡± Luo Han¡¯s body was steadily floating in the air, his voice rumbled like thunder. The ice swords were then rearranged to make eight trigrams, turned into a gigantic array.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The Array crashed down violently in a zigzag movement, emitted series of irregr energy waves as it traveled rapidly cut through the thickened air. Ye Wei could feel his limbs were bing heavier and his Qi flow was slowing as the array approached.


    ¡°Calling this a powerful stance is an understatement...¡±Ye Wei muttered as he looked at the spinning swords, not panicking the slightest though under immense physical pressure. Having learned the basics of the Eternal Star Stance, he was not even nning on using extra Qi to defend himself.

 Chapter 214 – Next

    Chapter 214 - Next


    Ye Wei remained calm the whole time, unmoved by the pressing energy surges and undaunted in the midst of screams and tremors. His eyes were focused on the tilting sword array, registering its every slightest sway.


    He took a ghost step to the side as the array fell onto him, pulling his fist back quickly while his nose was close enough to smell theyer of evaporating ice on the swords. With a quick springing action, he threw a heavy punch.


    There was no trace of Qi around the fist, but his skin, bones, and muscles were toughened by the energy that was outwardly absent. His knuckles were pointing straight towards the array, in which the air in front of him was quicklypressed, exploding shortly after. Marked by a series of ear-piercing noise, his fist crushed down on Luo Han¡¯s stance countless times.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The swords were blown to smithereens by the explosive force of Ye Wei¡¯s in but effective counterstrikes, turning into a small blizzard. The loud explosion did not help assuage the buzzing in their ears, so the initiates fortified their shields, nullifying the rain of ice shards while the ground trembled.


    Each of them was an expert inbat, so the neers were all shocked to see an earth stance being countered by sheer physical strength.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Baili Hengtian widened his eyes, staring at Ye Wei as though he was looking at a rare monster. He could not imagine even a beast or a demon equivalent in tier to the returned prime Warrior stage possessing bodily strengthparable to Ye Wei¡¯s. ¡°What is he!? Luo Han¡¯s stance can even drop a three-star retuned prime Warrior! How can a newbie at ten-star condensed prime level withstand it with body strength alone!¡±


    The Eternal Star Stance, created by a Supreme, was a Sky-grade body strengthening technique everyone in the pce didn¡¯t even know existed. For a faint moment, everyone present began to feel a light sense of dread as they watched Ye Wei fight. They could all see how the young Runemaster possessed a strange power, an unfamiliar strength that nobody understood.


    Ye Wei did not hesitate for a split second, and having visualized and predicted the sword array¡¯s movement with his extraordinary soul-sensitivity, he calcted the shortest path to Luo Han. With the Starblink Steps, he turned into a beam of light and reappeared a hundred feet ahead at nigh instantaneous speed.


    ¡°Your turn to take a hit.¡±


    The young Runemaster¡¯s fist carried the speed of a shooting star, aimed at Luo Han¡¯s chest.


    ¡®Yin Yang Punch!¡¯ Luo Han¡¯s mind cleared up as the turbulence that came with Ye Wei¡¯s punch brushed his face. He realized he had no time to obsess over why his stance was countered, because the cultivator who effortlessly nullified his stance was now on the offensive.


    ¡°Om!¡±


    With both his arms drawing a semicircle simultaneously, Luo Han conjured a round shield in front of him. He then transferred all of his freezing Qi into his left hand while he condensed and heated up his will-force on his right. His hands¡¯ fluid motion perfectly merged together the two extremes, and the essence of the burning sun and the freezing moon rotated, erging the shield.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Just as the shield materialized, Ye Wei¡¯s fist connected. Although the sheet of rotating energy was thin, but extremely resilient, the punch could not prate its defence. Ye Wei subtly swung his shoulder, giving his strike an extra push, and stretched the shield. His fist then powered on and hit Luo Han in the chest.


    The moment Luo Han was sent flying, his shield bounced back the momentum that was applied to it. Ye Wei lost his bnce, flung to the opposite direction.


    Luo Han grunted as a drop of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He frowned, feeling his moderate injury. Ye Wei quickly used the Starblink Steps to outspeed the force that was reflected from his strike, looking calmly at Luo Han as he regained his bnce.


    ¡°You will lose.¡± Ye Wei said with an appreciative smile. He could not feel the slightest sense of exhaustion, owing it to the Eternal Star boost that had given his body as much endurance as it had explosive strength, and this without tapping into the power of his Supreme blood. In contrast, he could sense Luo Han¡¯s disrupted and decelerated Qi flow.


    ¡°Losing to you is not at all shameful.¡± Luo Han wiped away the blood with his sleeve. He stood up straight and smiled back. Graceful in defeat, his eyes expressed a slight but undisguised disappointment.


    He couldn¡¯t help looking back at the time when he was an initiate himself, and better appreciated Ye Wei¡¯s strength; he had a feeling the young Runemaster was probably strong enough to challenge the ck dragon list, enough to make the listers keep an eye on him.


    ¡°Haha, I was the strongest initiate before today. I was impressed by how I set myself up to be the rising star before today...¡± Luo Han looked at Ye Wei, mumbling. Hispetitive spirit had awoken.


    ¡°This will not be our only fight, and I do not n on staying at the losing end! A word of advice, beware of the veterans, for they wille after you. Shaming initiates is a petty tradition, but it has its ce.¡± He said frankly, sighed, and lifted his head.


    ¡°I hope fighting them will be as inspiring as our exchange today!¡± Ye Wei fearlessly replied, sincerely smiling.


    ¡°Farewell!¡± Luo Han could not understand but nodded, approving of the young Runemaster¡¯s enthusiasm. He turned into a sh and returned to the magnificent vi at the hilltop.


    Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing were silenced by what they just seen, as neither of them expected Ye Wei¡¯s prowess nor could they figure out how he attained that crisp but tough fighting style of his.


    ¡°He won!¡±


    ¡°Two in a row!¡±


    ¡°He is a solid fighter.¡±


    The initiates lowered their barrier, boiling over in excitement. They looked up at the levitating Ye Wei with great admiration.


    ¡°This is only the beginning. I wonder how tough the top listers are...¡± Ye Wei muttered while narrowing his eyes to look at the distant hills.


    Aiming at the summit of cultivation, the young Runemaster was always ignoring the difficulties, trying to look further ahead and learn more; always thinking a step ahead, but he was aware that quickly moving forth and challenging stronger opponents was the only way to carry himself to the top.


    Zhou Kuang stood silently at the top of the hill at the back of the vi. His presence was cold and his face was twisted. The responsibility to harass this year¡¯s initiates was solely his, which meant his reputation and credibility would be besmirched if his task remained unfinished.


    ¡°Even Luo Han lost against him...¡± Bai Qing had his eyes at the square, whimpering as he tried to reassess the situation.


    Neither of them had heard of initiates with the strength of three-star returned prime Warriors, let alone seen one. Neers as strong as two-star returned prime Warriors were rare, but not unheard of. However, throughout the Million Star Pce¡¯s lengthy thousand years long history, the former was rarer than a phoenix¡¯s feather or a dragon¡¯s horn.


    ¡°Veterans are responsible for guiding the new, as arrogance andziness need to be purged before the initiates grow into their own. This tradition is quietly approved by the Helian family, and it¡¯s not going to end under my watch!¡± Zhou Kuang¡¯s golden robe fluttered as he channeled his Qi


    Now that Luo Han, the best cultivator under hismand, had lost, he could no longer lead the mission from a distance.


    ¡°Zhou, don¡¯t let your guard down at all times. You have to remember this kid had only used a strengthening stance and nothing else. It¡¯s hard to imagine a kid at his age being good at more than one thing, but I have a bad feeling about this.¡± Bai Qing raised his brows, speaking in a concerned tone.


    Neither Zhou Kuang nor Luo Han wished to recruit Ye Wei. They figured it would be more trouble than good, and how managing someone so strong and outspoken would not be efficient.


    ¡°Only ck dragon lister can beat me within these wall! This newbie cannot!¡± Zhou Kuang impatiently jumped off the hill and flew towards the square, his fluttering golden robe leaving behind a long glittering trail in the sky.


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree, but I guess we don¡¯t have the luxury of choice now.¡± Bai Qing watched Zhou Kuang¡¯s figure bing smaller, muttering to himself.


    Neither of them would bow to an initiate, but this task of restraining the newbies was given to the duo by a higher power. They had no grounds for declining anyway.


    The veterans enjoyed vast resources and had ess to secret realms, and with those privileges came pride. When the weaker veterans asionally lost against new blood, the stronger would always avenge the weaker to justify the Helian¡¯s trust and honor the opportunities given to them.


    The only way for Zhou Kuang to be meless would be by losing, as defeat could also validate Ye Wei¡¯s strength. However, Zhou Kuang was not the kind to surrender just to be meless; he wanted to be approved by the listers, not forgiven.


    ¡°Beating Feng Shan is not at all an unachievable task, but beating Luo Han as a newbie?¡±


    ¡°This kid will be a monster!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about Luo Han! It¡¯s time for Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing to wrap it up. We need the newbies to know their ces.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. This is not about amusement, this is about tradition.¡±


    The traditionally brief fight series and induction had ran for almost double its normal duration, the violent Qi disturbance had caught the attention of the pce¡¯s veterans. They gathered in small groups and showed great interest in the young Runemaster, who had caused all the disruptions.


    Under the attention of thousands, a brush of golden light arrived into the square. The initiates felt a sharp difort as the sudden pressuring Qi disturbance descended like a sh of light.


    ¡°Now a three-star returned prime Warrior? What¡¯s next? A Sage!? Does bullying appeal to the veterans this much!?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t mean anything even if Ye Wei gets beaten! You lot have been training with all the resources you¡¯d need! Just let him pick a new vi to live in! We are not stupid. You may want us to respect the veterans, but we respect credibility as much as we respect power!¡±


    The initiates screamed and bickered. They could see Ye Wei¡¯s chance to win was diminishing as the veterans seemed uninterested in putting an end to their cause. There was no fairness in a cultivator of several years¡¯ worth of resource-advantages denying a sixteen-year-old initiate without the same mileage of his promised benefits.


    ¡®Ye Wei has gone too far now... He will be an enemy of the public here in the pce unless he gets onto the ck dragon list.¡¯ Baili Hengtian thought to himself and sighed. ¡®He had just threatened twenty-nine thousand veterans... All of them will just see him as apetitor and alienate him! He has to get himself into the top thousand to be respected now.¡¯


    ¡®He might be able to beat a three-star returned prime Warrior, but it takes much more to take down a lister. They all have their own specialties...¡¯ The caretaker knitted his brows worryingly. His heart rooted for the underdog, but his experience objected to the wishful thinking. ¡®A three-star returned prime lister can probably beat any ordinary cultivator at four-star returned prime level and fight evenly with a five-star returned prime Warrior outside the pce.¡¯


    The initiates looked at Ye Wei¡¯s back in awe. None of them saw him as a rival and instead considered him a leader figure, as though they were seeing a hero of revolution in the flesh. They were humble and supportive.


    ¡°He can win.¡± Jian Chen¡¯s eyes were staring at the ring. He was not bothered by the gap between Ye Wei and himself, rather he was oozing with determination. He would fight and get stronger until he overtakes his rival.


    Baili Hengtian gazed upon Jian Chen. He could feel that the sword-wielding teen was one of the strongest present in the square, ¡°The man in golden robes is Zhou Kuang. I personally can¡¯t think of anyone outside the ck dragon list beating him. Your friend there is not likely tost more than three exchanges, so don¡¯t get any funny thoughts, or you will just be sabotaging your future here.¡±


    Baili Hengtian had be numb, having yed the game of greed and power for years. He felt refreshed by Ye Wei¡¯s boldness. Although he didn¡¯t have a goodwork nor had he powerful friends, he reflectively did what he could to try to protect Ye Wei¡¯s ally. ¡°Nobody is strong enough to, trust me, so stay back even if Ye Wei gets beaten badly.¡±


    ¡°Help him when this is all over, help him recover. If you two partner up, in a year or two, you can even start thinking about the ck dragon list.¡±


    All the initiates were looking at the square¡¯s center with clenched fists and hoped for the best.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. May I ask if your name is on the ck dragon list?¡± Ye Wei looked at the fluttering golden robes, sensed the three-star returned prime level magnitude of Qi disturbance, and asked calmly.


    Ye Wei was not scared ¨C he merely lusted for a chance to push himself to his limit.

 Chapter 215 – Precursor

    Chapter 215 - Precursor


    ¡°You? You think you deserve to fight a lister? It amuses me how shamelessly ignorant one can be!¡± Zhou Kuang said coldly as he disdainfully red at Ye Wei.


    It seemed to Zhou Kuang that not only was Ye Wei not interested in contending with him, but that Ye Wei had somehow learn his failure to enter the list despite three years of best efforts. The more he engrossed himself in his own thoughts, the more twisted his face became..


    ¡°That¡¯s a no? May I ask how I can fight one of them?¡± Ye Wei had no desire to pose a threat, as he just didn¡¯t see the point in it. To him, it would be excessively inefficient if he had to fight all twenty-nine thousand weaker cultivators before he gets to learn from the thousand elites.


    ¡°I have been here for three years, and I must say it¡¯s my first time meeting a person as arrogant as you are. You want to fight a cultivator on the ck dragon list? Fine, if you ever manage to beat me, I will personally arrange the fight for you!¡± Zhou Kuang¡¯s face turned ashen, his knuckles cracked and rattled, and his urge to kill the person stood in front of him grew.


    Zhou Kuang did not consider the chances of himself losing; he believed wholeheartedly in the hard work he put in the three years he had been in the pce. That the sweat and blood had made him undeniably stronger than any newbie he could think of.


    ¡°You have a strange way of answering questions.¡± Ye Wei nodded, ignoring the aggressive urge he could feel in Zhou Kuang¡¯s Qi presence, and seemed to be in his own world.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s fight. Your inefficiency inmunicating has cost us a lot of time already.¡± Ye Wei slowly lifted his head, looking at Zhou Kuang dead in the eye.


    The young Runemaster¡¯s calmness and indifference had angered and intimidated Zhou Kuang even further.


    ¡°Fine, very fine. I am interested to see the strength that fuels your pitiful arrogance. It can¡¯t be much if you have topensate it with this little show you are putting on!¡± Zhou Kuang gritted his teeth, his words sounding harsher and colder as he spoke.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Zhou Kuang clenched his fist and channeled his Qi, the golden ball of energy in his dantian glowing brightly. His meridians stretched and all three purple fissures on the ball widened as a rush of his Qi squeezed through.


    ¡®Low-level Earth stance, Shadowless Finger Strike!¡¯ He flipped over his palm, and his hands were suddenly bathing in an intertwining sequence of runes. He then flicked his fingers, shooting three invisible and silent bolts of Qi at three of Ye Wei¡¯s most vulnerable parts.


    ¡°Humph!¡± Ye Wei coldly grunted. All three invisible bolts were immediately picked up by his sharp Soul Sensitivity. His muscles and bones made a ttering sound as his energy pervaded every part of him. He made a fist and converged his strength into his right arm.


    His arm quickly shook, bending backwards to a bizarre angle. He swung his fist back and forth three times, and his punches soared like cannons.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Three dull explosions echoed in the square, but none could see the source.


    The force of Ye Wei¡¯s punches and Zhou Kuang¡¯s bolts were undetectable before the sh, the explosion of energy expanding in waves. The solid blocks of rock that made up the square¡¯s ground began to crack under the immense pressure. The tiles over them quickly turned into dust.


    ¡®Low-level Earth stance, Blood Shock ws!¡¯ Zhou Kuang was surprised that Ye Wei could detect his invisible strikes with great uracy, but he did not flinch. He made a series of changing hand seals, in which a blood colored w appeared and came flying towards Ye Wei¡¯s neck.


    In the ring, Ye Wei narrowed his eyes at the sharp ws. With a quick stomp, a river of runes condensed under his feet. Melted into a star-like lightbeam, his figure became unpredictable, swaying unstably.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    He shook three times in quick session, narrowly avoiding the viscid, Qi-empowered w.


    ¡°Such ruthless strikes.¡± Ye Wei quickly dropped his feet onto the belt of runes, letting the stream of energy carry his body back and forwards out of harm¡¯s way. He stared at Zhou Kuang¡¯s evil smile and his face turned stern.


    Behind a screen of debris, Ye Wei¡¯s gaze turned cold, quickly identifying his opponent¡¯s whereabouts, and quietly pushed his body through the small dust storm. His fist carried a few gusts of wind, flying directly for Zhou Kuang¡¯s head.


    The young Runemaster struck with a silent lethality as a reciprocation to Zhou Kuang¡¯s vicious intent.


    ¡°How naive. Bring it on then, boy! Now I don¡¯t even have to make an effort to catch you!¡± Zhou Kuang screamed, provoked by Ye Wei¡¯s reaction. He did not n to evade, but rather match Ye Wei¡¯s intensity.


    Hiding behind waves after waves of fierce w strikes, Zhou Kuang rushed into the cloud of debris. Both of his hands carried the strength to take out returned prime Warriors.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    The two fighters¡¯ figures crossed in the sky, ws and fists shed, and a muffled rumble sounded.


    Within the matter of a few breaths¡¯ of time, the fighters had exchanged hundreds of blows. Zhou Kuang¡¯s ws were as sharp as razors; Ye Wei¡¯s fists were sturdy and heavy like a mallet. Neither of them could gain an advantage. The initiates watched in fear as the screen of debris turn into a storm.


    ¡®They are dead even! How is this possible!?¡¯ Baili Hengtian could just make sense out of the blurred shroud of dust. Expecting a one-sided battle, he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. ¡®How can a newbie fight like this ¨C is he rted to the royal families!?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few months since we fought, but he¡¯s be so powerful. He almost fights like a different person, and now he is twice as strong and fast...¡± Jian Chen murmured, his eyes shining with admiration as his Qi expanded in excitement.


    Watching the fight closely, the initiates were reflecting upon their own selves. The pride and the arrogance in their hearts slowly started to sap away at their backbone. Regarded as their respective region¡¯s best, all of them were handpicked by the Helian agents. Although they were siding with Ye Wei as opposed to the veterans, they were inevitably threatened by and envied the young Runemaster¡¯s superior talent.


    The girls within the group of initiates were naturally attracted to Ye Wei. They found themselves blushing. Their fine, crystal-clear eyes glued onto the young Runemaster, impressed by the masculinity in his stand against, supposedly, a senior.


    Growing up treated as princesses, they were as picky as they were strong. None of them could help themselves from having a crush on the powerful rebellious figure.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Affected by the storm of Qi produced by the fight, the wild primal energy in the air inted and exploded in mid-air in the ring, each wave potent enough to knock an initiate unconscious.


    Even fully defending himself with ayer of Qi armor, and perfectly dodging the waves, Baili Hengtian¡¯s face turned pale. He flew backwards next to the square¡¯s entrance as he realized he could actually die if he was hit.


    The caretaker was sweating, startled by the strength and mastery disyed by Ye Wei, d that his greed drove him to ept the bribe from Ye Wei, to establish connection with potentially the strongest initiate that Million Star pce had ever seen.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The two figures crashed into each other again, another thundering sound filling the square momentarily as a visibly rippling force wave swept the dusty ground. They both flew backwards for over three hundred feet after the exchange before either of them could regain their bnce, stirring up several shrilling gusts in the process


    Zhou Kuang¡¯s chest rose and ttened in a few quick cycles. After adjusting his breathing, he red across the settling dust at Ye Wei. His daze shone through his dark pupils, evidently surprised.


    He was stupefied by the fractions of theirbative exchange that just shed back in his mind.


    ¡®Were we even this whole time...¡¯


    Zhou Kuang was confident about his own cultivation. Although he was not as prominent as the gifted who squeezed themselves into the ck dragon list, though still not far from being strong enough to challenge the top thousand, he was a top three-star returned prime Warrior throughout the entire dynasty who just needed to polish a few bad habits in order to trante his power intobative context.


    Meanwhile, Ye Wei was utilizing the little pause to analyze his opponent, calcting his next move. He was evidently impressed by Zhou Kuang¡¯s capabilities.


    ¡°I came to the right ce to refine my techniques!¡± Ye Wei mumbled and drew a refreshing, shuddering breath.


    ¡®I was almost starting to believe the Eternal Star stance would make me undefeatable amongst three-star returned prime Warriors.¡¯ The Runemaster thought to himself. ¡®Now I am truly looking forward to fighting the ones capable of entering the ck dragon list at three star level! They must have some tricks I can mimic then customize.


    ¡®I just put an end to this fight!¡¯ Ye Wei¡¯s eyes glimmered with excitement.


    ¡°If this is all you can do, we can stop fighting now.¡± The young Runemaster said calmly, his posture contrasting Zhou Kuang¡¯s restlessness.


    ¡°Hahaha, just because you can match me for a few exchanges doesn¡¯t not mean you bluff your way through? You should be ashamed of yourself!¡± Zhou Kuang interpreted what he heard as another insult, his stress and frustration quickly rendered into fury. His hands whizzed, eagerly became different hand seals as his envy turned sour.

 Chapter 216 – Black Dragon Valley

    Chapter 216 - ck Dragon Valley


    The hand seals immediately stimted Zhou Kuang¡¯s body, and thousand surges of gold-tinted Qi rushed out and filled the sky. The thick streams of Qi further condensed into the shape of a gigantic finger. Almost a mile in length, it had a jade-like and translucent glow.


    The menacing structure lookedrge enough to poke a hole in the sky, and millions of runes flowed throughout the whole length in an organized butplex pattern, giving off the semnce of a fingerprint.


    ¡°Although Lone Finger st is iplete, it is certainly powerful enough to kill you.¡± Zhou Kuang murmured while sneering hysterically. The tip segment fell onto Ye Wei with a downward swing like a pendulum.


    Zhou Kuang could barely remember the rune sequence, whereas the correct order and the shapes were his limit. Having had very limited knowledge of the mid-level Earth stance, he had yet to be capable of powering the st efficiently. His face turnedpletely pale as his Qi and will-force werepletely drained.


    Feeling as though he was pushed to the edge of a cliff, Zhou Kuang was betting it all on this onest stance; his instinct told him that he had no chance of winning a long fight against Ye Wei¡¯s immacte and efficient fighting style.


    Ye Wei¡¯s robe pressed against his body, and his entire hairdo was pulled backwards, fluttering backwards in the face of the high-pressure turbulence. But he appeared abnormally calm.


    ¡°You are finally showing your ace in the sleeve?¡± Ye Wei smiled indifferently, slowly taking a small step forward. A light orb shot out from between his brows, glowing and expanding into a humanoid shape.


    ¡®Light Clone!¡¯


    Having been improved by Blood Devourer crystals, Ye Wei¡¯s clone was also at three-star returned prime level. But unlike his real body, the clone could feel no pain and no fear; it was therefore capable of fighting with reckless abandon.


    All it took was a nce, and the light clone turned into a sh as Ye Wei cast his eyes onto therge, falling finger.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    With great speed, the sh of light crashed into the finger¡¯s top joints. The clone was only a thousandth of the Lone Finger st¡¯s size, with the semnce of an ant holding onto a giant pir. But despite the size disadvantage, its momentum and Qi presence was in no way weaker than Zhou Kuang¡¯s best stance.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The sky shook and the ground trembled. Although prepared for a huge impact, all the initiates were startled. They could hear nothing as their ears buzzed, whereas the weaker cultivators were even impaired by the vertigo they incurred while the waves of recoil from the impact bounced off and knocked down the group.


    Just seconds after the collision, the finger shape was snapped and shredded while the light clone disintegrated.


    ¡°That wraps it up.¡± Ye Wei spoke calmly, as the dispersal of his clone did nothing to affect his well-being by any means. The belt of runes he surfed on brought him immediately next to his opponent.


    Zhou Kuang, immobilized by the shockwave produced by Ye Wei¡¯s speed, was swatted down by a palm strike before he could even react.


    ¡®No!¡¯ The disbelieving thought entered Zhou Kuang¡¯s mind before he hit the ground, but the impact of crashing into the ground shut his brain off at almost the same time.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Another man-shaped crater was made close to where Feng Shan was knocked into the ground.


    The square was silenced, the initiates had their eyes widened, jaws dropped, and most had forgotten to breathe; considering they could barely defend themselves against the shockwaves of the mid-level Earth stance even as a collective, they were therefore stunned to see that Ye Wei stood casually andpletely unscathed afterwards.


    ¡°Zhou Kuang lost...¡± Bai Qing murmured, and his throat was dry from breathing through his mouth. His voice was therefore breaking and barely audible.


    ¡°Take him back here! And feed this to him.¡± He cleared his throat and gave something to one of his men, sounding panicked despite his efforts to appear calm. ¡°None of us here will be able to handle that newbie. I am going to ck Dragon Valley now to chat with someone who can.¡±


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Bai Qing¡¯s figure had disappeared mysteriously in front of his group while his voice was still ringing in the air.


    ¡°This newbie beat Zhou Kuang!?¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, he is one of the strongest three-star returned prime Warriors off the ck dragon list. Something will happen to the rankings soon by the look of things.¡±


    ¡°The ones living in the valley won¡¯t let anyone destroy the tradition, we can¡¯t have the initiates think we are equals...¡±


    ¡°They are probably focused on training, but I can almost guarantee you that they will be interested in sorting this kid out.¡±


    ¡°We are witnessing history right now. I think we should let them know.¡±


    More and more veterans gathered to talk after Zhou Kuang¡¯s defeat, as they could not bear to just stand and watch. The ones that had contact with the listers sped towards ck Dragon Valley individually but simultaneously.


    The Million Star Pce stretched over a hundred miles, and one thousand of the facility¡¯s mostvish vis were located in the ck Dragon Valley, each of them assigned to a powerful elite cultivator.


    The green hills were joined by an almost circr ridge, containing arge,yered and flowing current of white mist inside the area, within which strands of runes were swimming and wiggling. The valley was deep and bottomless to even the sharpest eyesight. It was shrouded in mysterious surges of energy, making thendmark a functional and modifiable array.


    Exactly one thousand vis were orderly floating in the mist, decorating the depth of ck Dragon Valley. They were homes to the most talented talents and the smartest of the smarts.


    ***


    Bai Qing¡¯s figure appeared in the mist, before a luxurious vi. This particr structure belonged to a renowned figure - Qing Mu the Spiritualist.


    Qing Mu was mentally extremely mature for his young age. His old-fashioned approach to life extended to his physical image; he was always in a taoist robe, dressed and essorized like a person more than thrice his age. His given name was Qing Mu, but he always prefered others addressing him as ¡®the spiritualist¡¯.


    Although the title Spiritualist was moremonly used to address god¡¯s prime Warrior, the residents of Million Star Pce did not deny Qing Mu his title. They all approved of Qing Mu¡¯s strength, obliging in silent acquiescence.


    The cultivator behind Bai Qing and Zhou Kuang was none other than the Spiritualist. They were in fact sent by Qing Mu to soften this year¡¯s initiates.


    ¡°Spiritualist. It¡¯s me, Bai Qing. Ie here bearing important news.¡± He flew above the vi and shouted with respect.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to take this long. Where is your partner? Why is Zhou Kuang not with you?¡± Qing Mu slowly walked out to the terrace as he tied his hair up in a bun and secured it with a moss-green wooden hairpin, while his cyan robe was almost long enough to sweep the tiles.


    ¡°I am here to talk about why it took so long.¡± Bai Qing¡¯s voice became quieter as his face turned red. ¡°There was a radical within the initiates. He managed to defeat Feng Shan with just one blow, and then he handled Luo Han with ease. And... he defeated Zhou Kuang too!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Qing Mu knitted his brows, frustrated and surprised as he was aware of Zhou Kuang¡¯s capabilities. ¡®Even I had to go through some tough times from the veterans when I first came here. It taught me many great lessons and I am not going to let the tradition fade, especially when I am responsible for giving them a hard time in the beginning.¡¯


    ¡°Exactly how strong is the kid? Enough to challenge the ck dragon list do you think? I mean, Zhou Kuang is probably the strongest three-star returned prime Warrior outside of this valley.¡± The easiest way for Qing Mu to teach Ye Wei a lesson would be sending himself to the ring, but he knew nobody would be humbled by facing an overwhelming difference in cultivation bases.


    ¡°Cultivation-wise, he is just a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, but he is armed with a very powerful body strengthening stance that made him as strong as a three-star returned prime Warrior. Apart from that, he used a clone technique that also had three-star returned prime level power.¡± Bai Qing slightly lowered his head and said.


    ¡°As strong as a three-star returned prime Warrior?¡± Qing Mu the Spiritualist narrowed his eyes, paused and continued, ¡°Let Jin Kui know we will be needing him.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure!?¡± Bai Qing¡¯s eyes lit up; although Jin Kui ranked low on the ck dragon list, he was known to be the best three-star returned prime Warrior in the Million Star Pce, especially in terms of strength, speed and mastery in fighting.


    ¡°Okay, I will notify him!¡± Bai Qing left for another vi once he got the nod from Qing Mu the spiritualist.


    ***


    ¡°Qing Yao? Qing Yao!¡± In the thick mist of the valley, a girl who witnessed Ye Wei¡¯s victory arrived at a vi, eagerly shouting.


    ¡°Xue Er? You cane in!¡± A clear voice came out of the vi, a refreshing sound that resembled the quality of jade bell¡¯s chime.


    All the vis in the valley were protected by a runic barrier, which meant nobody could enter the vis without the owners¡¯ permission.


    The gate opened, and Xue Er, almost hopping, entered the main hall with bouncy steps. She was immediately greeted by the sight of a girl, who sat behind a table and a rack full of brushes, whose face was covered by a veil.


    The owner of the vi was in the middle of transferring a scenic view from her memory onto canvas with ck ink and a brush, but her white robe was spotless. Although her face was covered, the glow of her bright eyes shone through; her ck pupils seemed to suck in all that she beheld.


    Qing Yao was of a cold-tempered, fairy-like character. Although unsociable, being the third strongest cultivator on the ck dragon list made her receive much attention.


    ¡°Qing Yao! Something interesting just happened! Would you like to know what it is?¡± Xue Er was lively and cheerful in contrast. She waved her arms and legs around as she spoke, smiling yfully like a child.

 Chapter 217 – A Gathering of Stars

    Chapter 217 - A Gathering of Stars


    ¡°What made you so giggly?¡± Qing Yao looked at Xue Er, slowly cing her brush down on the table. Her movements were gentle and coherent, somehow pleasant to watch.


    ¡°So, all the newbies have arrived, and as you know, they are gathered to be taught a lesson about modesty!¡± Xue Er chuckled, pausing to look at Qing Yau¡¯s graceful posture.


    ¡°It is quite interesting when you are not an initiate isn¡¯t it?¡± Qing Yao shook her head reluctantly, unable to understand the childish enthusiasm. ¡°But we do it every year, haven¡¯t you watched it before?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different this year, one of the newbies was fun to watch!¡± Xue Er spoke quickly, eager to win Qing Yao¡¯s attention. ¡°This newbie was quiet to start with, and he didn¡¯t even fight for the best neer spot. He didn¡¯t step in before Feng Shan, the one-star returned prime Warrior made them all kneel down and read the pce¡¯s rules out loud!¡±


    ¡°And guess what? He beat Feng Shan with one punch!¡± Xue Er had no control of her excitement, barely able to hold still while recounting the event. ¡°So before Feng Shan got to scaring the newbies, he was pummeled into the ground! Hahaha, it looked so funny!¡±


    ¡°One punch?¡± Qing Yao finally showed interest, as it¡¯s been over a decade since there had been a neer at two-star returned prime level. ¡°you said this Feng Shan has one-star cultivation?¡±


    ¡°No questions yet! I am not done telling the story, something even funnier happened!¡± Xue Er leaned against Qing Yao¡¯s shoulder affectionately.


    ¡°So after the newbie won the first fight, Luo Han stepped into the ring. You might not have heard of that name, but Luo Han was a ten-star condensed prime Warrior a year ago when he started here, and he is now already a two-star returned prime Warrior! And! He is also the owner of a piece of Frozen Moon crystal!¡±


    ¡°Keep going.¡± Qing Yao nodded, but being the third strongest cultivator on the ck dragon list, she had no interest in Luo Han.


    She was usually only interested in the top ten cultivators on the list, but an initiate managing to defeat a veteran was one of the few exceptions.


    ¡°Luo Han was putting on a great show, but the newbie won rather easily! And! After that, Zhou Kuang fought and lost almost immediately. He was also knocked into the ground, hahahaha!¡± Xue Er chuckled, ¡°I think the newbie was only sixteen years old ¨C isn¡¯t that interesting?¡±


    ¡®Interesting, if he managed to beat Zhou Kuang, it means he will be fighting one of us next...¡¯ Qing Yao widened her eyes as the thought dawned on her and couldn¡¯t quite believe an initiate would be challenging a lister.


    It was not just a matter of power and strength; the tradition that hadsted a century was on the verge of breaking down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I am not in the mood to paint anymore since you came.¡± Qing Yao¡¯s bright eyes were looking at the door.


    ***


    ¡°His name is Ye Wei, right? The newbie who beat Zhou Kuang?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting, I always wondered if someone new would be strong enough to put an end to this old-fashioned bullying act.¡±


    ¡°Qing Mu the Spiritualist is responsible for it this year, and he is well-connected. I think we will be watching a good fight with whomever he decides to send next.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The valley was usually quiet, but today its peace was tainted by the exciting gossip. The random gossip quickly turned into widespread news in the pce. Even the only officials, the two god¡¯s prime Warriors stationed at the facilities by the Helian family, were noticing the changes in the atmosphere.


    The golden sun loomed at its zenith. Above the square, between theyers of clouds, arge crowd of veterans gathered, many of which were powerful cultivators that earned their ce on the ck dragon list.


    ¡°San Chan? I thought you were spending some time in the Burning Sun realm for special training?¡±


    ¡°I just came back to take a small break. It was getting too quiet there.¡± A pale-looking face replied. ¡°Have you been here long? Fill me in.¡±


    ¡°Not much longer than you! It has been awhile since this ce was this busy right?¡±


    ¡°Oh look Zui Yue is here too!¡±


    ¡°So is Xia Ming! Hahaha what an asion.¡±


    As the friends and rivals reunited, more and more of the famous personages were appearing out the blue. Most of the average cultivators were finally seeing the figures they had only ever heard stories of throughout all the years they¡¯ve been in the pce.


    ¡°That¡¯s Qing Mu the Spiritualist!¡±


    ¡°I heard he is responsible for scaring the newbies this year. Who do you think he is going to send to fight the newbie?¡± A figure wearing a faded cyan robe, with his hair done up in a bun, caught the most attention.


    Out of all the cultivators on the ck dragon list, Qing Mu the Spiritualist was one of the most famous. But his fame was mostly for his narrow-mindedness and hisck of empathy. However,pensated by his strength and craftiness, his rtionship with the other listers remained peaceful on the surface.


    ¡°San Chan, Zui Yue, Xia Ming!¡± Qing Mu quickly scanned the crowd, spotting the trio he found interesting.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while. I honestly don¡¯t remember thest time this square was filled with people!¡± San Chanughed and said. ¡°Now that the kid has beaten Zhou Kuang, who are you going to send next?¡±


    The trio were curious, excited for the first time in a long while.


    ¡°Jin Kui.¡± Qing Mu smiled and turned to his side, patting a boy with golden har on his back.


    The trio nodded in unison, but again, only San Chan spoke out. ¡°Yea, Jin Kui is an appropriate choice. If you¡¯ve picked anyone stronger than three-star returned prime level, the newbies will not humble themselves even if he lost.¡±


    Although San Chan said it was appropriate, he thought theplete opposite. ¡®Jin Kui is the strongest cultivator at three-star returned prime level within the pce, or maybe even within the


    Dynasty!¡±


    The trio dropped the thought of tradition being changed as soon as they heard Jin Kui¡¯s name; they almost knew for a fact that the fight was over before it even started.


    Jin Kui did not rank high on the ck dragon list, but nobody in the pce had not heard of his name; it represented the very limit of the three-star returned prime cultivation level.


    ¡°Qing Yao is here!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think she woulde.¡±


    ¡°It is her!¡± Qing Mu, San Chan and Zui Yue looked towards the sky.


    Qing Yao was undisputedly considered the goddess of Million Star Pce, but some of the veterans had been in the pce for years without witnessing her face even once. They were all excited at first but then shocked to see that the legendary beauty was not exaggerated in any


    sense.


    Her skin was glowing like snow through her white robe, and her ink-ck hair fell undone behind her back. Both of her wrists were decorated by a bracelet, and she was wearing a in silver ring on her left pinky. Simplistic but divine.


    ¡°Qing Yao!¡± With a trace of admiration on his face, Qing Mu headed towards his goddess. Ever since they¡¯ve met, Qing Mu had volunteered to be her cultivation partner, but she had turned it down each and every time.


    ¡°Spiritualist.¡± Qing Yao nodded, her crystal clear eyes inhabiting a dismissive coldness.


    Qing Mu felt a sudden embarrassment, reminded by her eyes of the distance between them. He was not satisfied by their rtionship, but he was too proud to show his weakness.


    ¡°Where is Ye Wei? Is he still here?¡± Xue Er winked yfully, ncing down onto the the square as she hopped around Qing Yao.


    ¡°Oh! There he is! Qing Yao, look! That¡¯s him!¡± Xue Er pointed at where she had her eyes set, screaming excitedly.


    ¡°I see.¡± Qing Yao followed the finger and looked down, neither excited nor disappointed.


    ¡°This is interesting, right? A newbie who came this far.¡± Qing Mu casually twiddled his ring, smiling awkwardly as he tried to make a conversation.


    ¡°Just curious. You know, tradition and all.¡± Qing Yao replied coldly, not making the slightest effort to sugar-coat her indifference.


    ¡°We will see. He is strong but way too raw. Jin Kui, go on and y with him for a bit.¡± Qing Mu crossed his arms behind his back and took a deep breath, pretending to be calm.


    Jin Kui could read Qing Mu¡¯s difort but couldn¡¯t guess the Spiritualist was romantically disappointed. ¡®He does not look pleased... What have I done now?¡¯


    The three-star returned prime Warrior nodded to Qing Mu, thinking the arm-crossing was a signal telling him to give Ye Wei a hard time.

 Chapter 218 – Grave Purging Strike

    Chapter 218 - Grave Purging Strike


    Jin Kui shook his body, theyers of clouds he stood on suddenly split apart. Witnessed by veterans and ck dragon listers, he dove and flew down like a meteorite, approaching Ye Wei at fearsome speed.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    With a loud but muffled rumble, Jin Kui steadilynded in the ring. The whole square shook and the fissures in the green stone foundation cracked wider and longer. A gust of glittering green dust filled the whole square instantly.


    The initiates were all in awe, stunned by the disy of incredible strength and bnce. Their fear grew as their fervor subsided, once again backing themselves up to a corner.


    Even though the initiates could not recognize the face they saw, they instinctively knew they were looking at someone out of their reach, someone who won himself a ce on the ck dragon list.


    ¡°Jin Kui!¡± Unlike the neers, Baili Hengtian knew the face. He was inplete shock, calling the name out when the dust settled.


    ¡®How can they allow this?! This is too much!¡¯ The caretaker eximed in his mind, shook his head reluctantly, and then murmured. ¡°One thousand year of tradition boils down to a disy of ego. This is getting disgusting if anything. If they can just send one of the lower ranked listers, Ye Wei might even have a chance to move to the valley. This is unnecessary and unfair...¡±


    Out of all thirty thousand talented cultivators in the pce, there was no denying that Jin Kui was the strongest cultivator at his level; his talent could easily win him fights against four-star returned prime Warriors outside the pce.


    However strong Ye Wei was, he was just a sixteen-year-old initiate. None of the veterans actually thought the arrangement was in any way fair but nheless looked forward to the fight.


    ¡°ck dragon lister. Finally.¡± Ye Wei narrowed his eyes, and his sharp sight pierced through the greenish screen of dust to procure a view of Jin Kui¡¯s dense and visible aura. His every sense told him that the person inside the screen of dust was extremely dangerous.


    ¡°For a thousand years, the pce had seen more talents than you can imagine, and all of them were roughed up when they were new. I, Jin Kui, am here to make sure that you will not be an exception.¡± Jin Kui walked out of the settling dust and stared at Ye Wei. ¡°You have beaten three veterans, and you should learn that there is always someone stronger than you out there.¡±


    Jin Kui analyzed his opponent with a cold gaze, and his short blond hair stood up like the mane of a prowling lion; he was eager to expose Ye Wei¡¯s weaknesses.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this!¡± Ye Wei¡¯s eyes lit up, and he gently clenched his fist, warming up his muscles. Whether or not he could get into the ck dragon list was insignificant an issue as he just wished to to push himself to the limit and expand his body¡¯s capability.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    A whirling gust began to build up around Ye Wei¡¯s body as his Qi heated up, dragging the dust up and out of the square.


    ¡°You have the strength of a three-star returned prime Warrior, correct? I just so happen to be a three-star returned prime Warrior.¡± Jin Kui teased with a smile, speaking in a rather disrespectful tone. ¡°You don¡¯t think I am a bully, right?


    ¡°Not at all. I am grateful that you are willing to fight me. Please don¡¯t hesitate to show me the strength that got you to where you are now.¡± Ye Wei fearlessly smiled at Jin Kui.


    ¡°Very well. I admire your attitude.¡± Jin Kui¡¯s gaze turned cold and harsh. His body shook and a surge of golden energy oozed out vigorously. His Qi surged continuously, eventually filling the whole square and reaching the initiates in the corner.


    The crowd,prising both initiates and veterans, screamed and shouted as they could feel the difference in Qi density between Zhou Kuang and Jin Kui despite the fact that both of them had three purple cracks in their dantian energy ball.


    ¡°I wonder how he consolidates his cultivation. The quality of his Qi makes the volume he holds in his meridians pretty much irrelevant!¡±


    ¡°No wonder why he is considered to be in his own league...¡±


    ¡°He will rank higher on the list soon, Jin Kui will eventually achieve greatness.¡±


    Many of the veterans of the pce were discussing emotionally, simultaneously fearing but admiring.


    ¡°This Ye Wei¡¯s Qi presence is much weaker, but I think he is going to win! He is fun!¡± Xue Er had no idea her bias came from an unexpected attraction.


    ¡°Jin Kui uses a unique cultivation technique, so it takes time for him to advance and breakthrough. He will never rank high like us, but he serves his purpose.¡± Qing Mu calmly replied.


    The fighters remained silent for a while, and with asional gulping sounds, the atmosphere at the square thickened.


    ¡®Earth stance, Grave Purging Strike!¡¯ Jin Kui felt Ye Wei¡¯s slight rxation and seized the moment. He grunted and a wave of his Qi swept across the ring. ¡®Sorry, kid, but I wouldn¡¯t have been told to be rough if you knew your ce and kept your mouth shut!¡¯


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Sequences of runes rushed out as Jin Kui flipped his hands over,bined together to form arge, t tablet shape.


    The Grave Purging Strike was a direct amplifying strike, so its power scaled well to the user¡¯s Qi, and Jin Kui¡¯s Qi was denser than most cultivators; he always enjoyed taking advantage of this one speciality of his, which he took great pride in.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    The rune sequences on the tablet continuously packed tighter above his palms, and the suction force became strong enough to restrict the initiates¡¯ movements all the way at the back of the square.


    Jin Kui made an effort to straighten his back as the tablet glowed brighter and became denser. After a quick aim, he swung his arm, sending the cluster of runes quickly flying towards Ye Wei. Its size was no more than seven feet, but it had the weight of a mountain.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    The tablet pierced through the air with a shrill screech, turning the green stone foundation under its path into fine powder.


    Ye Wei groaned and stomped the floor, whereas his clone appeared and rushed towards the oing strike fast as a sh of light.


    ¡°Why bother fighting at all, if that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got!?¡± Jin Kui grunted disdainfully and utilized different hand seals, firing another simr runic tablet at Jin Kui.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡±


    The two tablets flew at Ye Wei and his clone, and Jin Kui did not seem to be bothered by spending a hefty amount of Qi.


    ¡®You have nothing on me if I keep this distance at all time. You will be nothing more than a practising target.¡¯ In Jin Kui¡¯s eyes, the only threat Ye Wei posed was in closebat range since he had not seen anything else than a body-enhancing stance from the young Runemaster.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Before the eyes of the shocked audience, Ye Wei¡¯s clone extended its fist and harpooned into the tablet. The rumble resonated throughout the trembling square, startling the initiates.


    The raging Qi from the tablet spiked out and struck the clone continuously. Within only a few seconds, the clone was beginning to fade.


    ¡°Now blow up.¡± Ye Wei stared at his clone. His calm face turned pale, mumbling as he saw his clone¡¯s state.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The clone exploded as per Ye Wei¡¯s will, turning into a spray of starlight. The brightness of the scattered runes outshone the sunlight. The exploding energy sted the runes onto the tablet, splitting it into smaller chunks.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The dense pieces of Qi fell down like rain, denting the square¡¯s foundation. Even Baili Hengtian was not confident in defending himself against the falling runes, so he backed up to the corner with initiates and deployed a barrier in unison with them.


    ¡°Nice little trick! But no matter what your tactic is, you need raw power to make it effective!¡±


    Jin Kui stared from above andughed contemptuously. ¡°Are you going to keep trying?¡±


    The three-star returned prime Warrior was extremely confident, could not see his opponent¡¯s chances, smiling as he watched the dense fragments fall down.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    Before the other tablet even came close to Ye Wei, the spikes of Qi on its surface grew violet and raked across the ring, pressuring the young Runemaster.


    ¡°My Eternal Star Stance does not affect the light clone, so I agree it is not the strongest trick.¡± Ye Wei groaned and clenched his fist. His eyes were focused on the tiny weak spot of the tablet.


    Ye Weiunched himself forward and up, his muscles warmed up and shining. The raging Qi spikes were absorbed into his meridians, broken down into a warm stream of energy that nourished and quickly toughened his body.


    Ye Wei had already mastered the Eternal Star stance to a point where he could manipte Jin Kui¡¯s strike to his advantage, squelching his skin and bones inbat.


    ¡°Your trick is nice.¡± Ye Wei smiled, swung his arm and punched the tablet with ferocity.

 Chapter 219 – Amplification

    Chapter 219 - Amplification


    Without the energy spikes, the densely packed runes and Qi became fragile. The runic tablet shattered at Ye Wei¡¯s touch.


    ¡°Your name is on the ck dragon list, so please tell me this not your best.¡± Ye Wei slowly walked out of the cloud of dust and narrowed his eyes at Jin Kui, slightly disappointed. He could feel how the Supreme blood in his body was beginning to boil, improving the Eternal Star stance¡¯s effect.


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± Jin Kui was surprised by the sight of Ye Weiing out unscathed after confronting the rune tablet with a bare fist. He frowned in frustration, wondering if Ye Wei was really an initiate as he had dominated veterans with a weaker stance.


    ¡°This is unbelievable!¡±


    ¡°How can an initiate still be standing after taking a hit like that?!¡±


    Jin Kui was a known ck dragon lister for his solid talent at cultivation, for his overpowering, forceful fighting style that made him stand out amongst cultivators at his level. Many of the veterans on the clouds were shocked by what they saw, bewildered by the now-prolonged fight.


    Expecting a swift defeat since he picked Jin Kui to fight the initiate, Qing Mu the Spiritualist was speechless, no longer rxed. Instead ofpleting his job, he just saw history in the making; the first initiate at the pce was strong enough to be in the ck dragon list at his arrival.


    ¡°See! I told you, this Ye Wei is really really strong! Right?¡± Xue Er¡¯s tensed face burst into a smile as she saw Ye Wei dismantle the threatening stance.


    ¡°Qing Yao, Qing Yao!¡± Xue Er spoke with urgency, starting to shake her head and jumping restlessly again, making no effort to hide her neediness.


    ¡°He is very good at what he does, yes.¡± Qing Yao pushed away Xue Er¡¯s clenching hand, and her clear eyes glinted with amusement.


    Unlike most other spectators, Qing Yao was one of the few observant enough to see the whole fight clearly. She was curious about theyers of runes that shrouded Ye Wei¡¯s body, trying to analyze his energy flow in detail.


    ¡®What kind of stance was that? I¡¯ve never seen runes routed this way, twinkling like stars, seemingly formless but tough enough stop Jin Kui¡¯s strike.¡¯ Qing Yao was rarely amused, but she was truly intrigued by Ye Wei¡¯s disy. ¡®The strengthening effect seems to be permanent! He is probably still reserving his Qi, fighting just to get stronger...¡¯


    ¡°Guys, did you hear what she said?¡± The veterans of Million Star Pce were dumbfounded.


    Qing Yao had always believed that silence is golden, so it was obvious to infer that her personality was anything but warm. She did not really care about her image, but from her posture to her words, she excelled at showing her indifference.


    It was to an extent interesting to hear a genuine praise from her, even more so now it was aimed at an initiate.


    ¡°I do admit, this new kid is actually strong enough to be on the ck dragon list. But this is far from Jin Kui¡¯s best, the pce¡¯s tradition will stand.¡± Practically ignored by Qing Yao, the Spiritualist¡¯s stern face reflected how displeased he was. He spoke up in hopes of attracting her attention back to himself, almost envious that Ye Wei had entered Qing Yao¡¯s line of sight and thoughts.


    ¡®I am number five on the ck dragon list ¨C do I really deserve less attention than a newbie?¡¯ Qing Mu the Spiritualist was increasingly bitter as he became more absorbed in his own thoughts,


    ¡°Jin Kui, if you don¡¯t finish him in three blows, I will make sure you remember and regret this day for the rest of your life.¡± He used the voice transmission technique, emphasizing his anger.


    In the ruins of the square, Jin Kui stood on a thin mist of settling dust,¡§while standing still as a tree as he was still in shock from the exchange. He immediately snapped out of his confusion as he heard Qing Mu¡¯s angry voice in his head.


    ¡°Just three blows? But I don¡¯t really want to reveal my true strength...¡± Jin Kui muttered, reluctantly nodding at Qing Mu before he slowly walked towards Ye Wei. ¡°Newbie, the show is over. I hope you had fun.¡±


    The three-star returned prime Warrior¡¯s body began to levitate, his body stopped gaining altitude when he was five feet above ground. His aura turned the air around him dry and hot.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    As the temperature of at the square increased, numerous specialized red runes appeared on Jin Kui¡¯s body, forming arge web of mystic energy.


    The runic glow shone bright enough to prate the clouds, and the veterans all recognized the shade of red almost instantly.


    ¡°He means it; the newbie is in trouble now!¡±


    ¡°Jin Kui¡¯s Qi is normally a couple times denser than ordinary three-star returned prime Warriors. I really don¡¯t why I am seeing a fight like this on the initiates¡¯ first day!¡±


    ¡°With this technique, he truly is the best cultivator at his level. I cannot believe this Ye Wei kid pushed him this far.¡±


    There were thousands of voices, but none of them who spoke thought Ye Wei had a chance of winning at this point.


    Standing next to Qing Yao, Xue Er puffed up her cheeks, and her yfulness turned into a sour annoyance. ¡°Pfft! The strongest three-star returned prime Warrior shouldn¡¯t need an amplification stance against a newbie! He is shameless!¡±


    Although a veteran herself, Xue Er rooted for the handsome initiate breaking the tradition to directly get himself on the ck dragon list


    ¡°Amplification stances are a part of one¡¯s strength, so the newbie is wee to use his too, if he knows one, of course.¡± Qing Mu nced at Xue Er and said sarcastically.


    To the Spiritiualist¡¯s and many others¡¯ knowledge, in the Zhou dynasty¡¯s reign, amplification stances were only avable to the royal families and the sixteen superpowers.


    Qing Yao levitated gracefully, and her white robe blended her figure into the sky, while her crystalclear ck eyes did the opposite. She was tired of the noises and flew to the side to find herself her own cloud.


    Her eyes were almost hysterical, set still on Ye Wei as if she found nothing else interesting. She didn¡¯t pay attention to anything else than the strange initiate. ¡°What are you going to do now? Jin Kui is probably undefeatable, but I know you will never just give up. Show me where your stance¡¯s limit is, Ye Wei...¡±


    She was initially fascinated by the young Runemaster but inevitably turned her attention to Supreme Ye Yu¡¯s creation.


    Jin Kui was feeling the pressure, starting to be intimidated by Ye Wei¡¯s calm. ¡°I am surprised by how little you seem to care. You will pay for this.¡±


    ¡°You were naive if you ever thought you could juste here and challenge a ck dragon lister and walk out of it in one piece!¡± Jin Kui swung his arm, and the red runes transformed into a spear shape, its point aiming at Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    The young Runemaster didn¡¯t respond. He lifted his head and stared at Jin Kui. His face showed no emotion,pletely calm, while the his bones started glowing, the yin yang shapes rattling.


    Since breaking through to be a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, he had not once used the third Supernova revolution.


    Ye Wei was as curious about what was going to happen next as everyone who were watching him. Although modest, Ye Wei was clear that his amplification stance was more powerful than Jin Kui¡¯s.


    The amplification effect applied to Jin Kui was considerably stronger, but the Helian¡¯s stance could not even double his cultivation strength. Nheless, he was confident albeit being stuck at the three-star returned prime level, simply because he did not know much about his opponent.


    Qing Mu was also confident for the same reason, and his smile grew as he recognized the energy signature of the stance Jin Kui was using.


    The spear in Jin Kui¡¯s hands rattled, leaving a ringing noise in the air and a fan-like afterimage.


    It oscited quicker and quicker, creating flower-shaped globes of Qi. These flowers then condensed in a reverse blooming motion,yers of paddle-shaped runes copsing together, turning into round-bottomed cones.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The energy cones ovepped the afterimage, while its dazing effect made it difficult for even the veterans to keep track of the spearhead.


    ¡°Swoosh¡±


    Pulled by the swirling force of the spear, the green dust on the ground began to float.


    ¡®Shadow Destroyer Strike!¡¯ Baili Hengtian waspletely shocked by what he was seeing. ¡®It is not just a rumor; he actually learned this stance!¡¯


    ¡®More than a thousand Qi cones...¡¯ The caretaker had knowledge of Jin Kui acquiring the Helian¡¯s mid-level Earth stance, but he had never thought the renowned three-star returned prime Warrior had mastered the stance¡¯s third-stage.


    ¡°Stop! Qing Mu! Make him stop! Why ruin the future of talented young man just because you want to stay true to an obsolete tradition?¡± Baili Hengtian screamed his lungs out, but neither Jin Kui nor the Spiritualist reacted.


    Ye Wei smiled while reading the spear¡¯s movement. ¡®Haha, I will remember your kindness. It¡¯s not every day that I get to test my limits!¡¯

 Chapter 220 – Not So Special

    Chapter 220 - Not So Special


    Not many cultivators had seen the Shadow Destroyer Strike, and nobody under five-star returned prime level had managed to counter it.


    The initiates were under the impression that Ye Wei would manage to be listed after the first exchange, but now they were just worried for their fellow cultivator¡¯s safety after seeing and feeling Jin Kui¡¯s amplification stance and spear.


    ¡°I am sorry. Qing Mu said I have to round this up.¡± Jin Kui waspletely focused; his gaze was neutral but he meant harm. ¡°He said three blows, but I am not as nice as he is.¡±


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Jin Kui¡¯s spear struck the Qi cones with a few circr, stirring strokes. The unbloomed flower shapes flew down like a rain of arrows, a vast majority propelling towards weak spots of Ye Wei¡¯s body.


    Each of the cones had the stopping force to drop even a four-star returned prime Warrior, but Ye Wei was not startled, nor was he scared.


    The young Runemaster was staring at Jin Kui through the swarm. Despite his opponent¡¯s devastating strike, his eyes glinted with energy and felt eager to retaliate.


    ¡°This is at least twice as powerful as thest stance he used!¡± He quickly licked his dried lips and let his primal instinct take over. ¡°But keep iting. I like the pressure.¡±


    From training at the Supreme pce, Ye Wei had learned that the power in his blood and the Eternal Star stance functioned better under pressure. He was ready to take the pain and sacrifice a few moments offort for strength.


    Pressured by the force of a thousand shards of condensed Qi, a new meridian path opened up inside him, and Ye Wei¡¯s Eternal Stance stance began to transform without end.


    ¡°Come on then!¡± Ye Wei clenched his fist while staring at the spear strikes; ayer of runes around him pulverized and that nebulous energy twinkled like stars, covering his whole body from head to toe.


    ¡°Well fought, now you will taste defeat!¡± Jin Kui¡¯s spear appeared sentient as the rapid strikes slithered towards Ye Wei from all directions.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    With great precision, Ye Wei¡¯s fist caught up to the spear strikes. Although the aggressor, he couldn¡¯t gain advantage. He felt a numbing sensation as his fist connected, while theyer of runic energy around his body vibrated vigorously and loosened up.


    The runes immediately started to vibrate in aplex but repeated frequency, causing the energy from Jin Kui¡¯s strikes to simply melt into the the starlight and soften around the young Runemaster¡¯s body. In a few breaths of time, Ye Wei began absorbing the warm surges of nourishing energy.


    ¡°My Eternal Star stance is evolving, and it is evolving me!¡± Each time the cones and his fist connected, Ye Wei was pushed backwards. Notwithstanding the pressure, his worry subsided as he felt the energy in his veins begin to invigorate and protect him.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Although his feet sank and dug two trails into the ground, Ye Wei did not take his intense gaze off his opponent for a moment. He took the impact of spear strikes and neutralized it with the Eternal Star stance¡¯s effect.


    ¡°This kid is crazy!¡± Jin Kui¡¯s face became twisted as Ye Wei¡¯s extreme recklessness, to confront instead of evade, made him scream.


    The young Runemaster¡¯s robe was shredded to ribbons of green, his face as white as paper. After a few frail coughs, drops of blood began to drip out of his mouth.


    Jin Kui, being a ck dragon lister under the effect of an amplification stance, had the kind of power that was superior to the least talented five-star returned prime Warriors. Therefore, even when running the Eternal Star stance, Ye Wei was not able to absorb the entirety of the Shadow Destroyer Strike.


    The young Runemaster handled the first hundreds spear strikes perfectly, but when the count when up to a thousand, his body was inevitably covered in scars.


    ¡®Hahaha, this is strangely pleasurable. I am almost thirty percent stronger than I was before fighting Jin Kui!¡¯ In contrast to his beaten up appearance, Ye Wei was feeling fresh. The pain and the blood did not bother him, as a sense of fulfillment rushed through his body in juxtaposition.


    ¡®I clearly have the upper hand, so why isn¡¯t he surrendering already!?¡¯ Jin Kui clenched tightly onto his spear and thought to himself, worried about the Spiritualist¡¯s wrath.


    ¡°Why are you smiling? Shameless creep!¡± The three-star returned prime Warrior¡¯s face turned red, ring at Ye Wei as he injected an enormous deluge of Qi into the spear.


    ¡®Fourth level, ten-thousand shadows!¡¯ In spite of Jin Kui¡¯s dense, amplified Qi, it was still difficult for him to power the mid-level Earth stance¡¯s final form.


    A runic re shot out of Jin Kui¡¯s spearhead, condensing into ten-thousand energy cones. With astounding speed, he stabbed out with his spear and marked each of the cones.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    The cones were sculpted and sharpened, a runic bond was established in the process, and all ten thousand of them were unified, forming arge array.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Directed by a mysterious force, the circr array shrunk to the shape of a stump and then stretched to a thousand-feet-long spectral spear.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The earth trembled as the spear emitted multiple suffocating shock waves.


    ¡°My body can¡¯t take this, not even with the Eternal Star stance...¡± Ye Wei mumbled, and his muscles began to spasm under the redoubled pressure. The runic light surrounding his body was quickly fading. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have a choice now.¡±


    It quickly became apparent to all present at the square that Jin Kui¡¯s strike was more powerful than Ye Wei¡¯s seemingly indestructible body could take.


    ¡°You are not the only one with an amplification stance.¡± Ye Wei slowly clenched his fist while predicting the spear strike¡¯s path. He rxed his body and let the energy partially prate his body, causing the golden yin yang shapes on his bones to begin to twist and rattle.


    ¡®Third Supernova evolution!¡¯ Ye Wei groaned as all the individual golden patterns linked together.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The Qi disturbance surrounding Ye Wei¡¯s body went from inconspicuous to exploding in a mere second. He was excited that someone finally pushed him hard enough, through the brink.


    ¡®Ten-star condensed prime, one-star returned prime...¡¯


    Everyone could sense Ye Wei was quickly bing more powerful, shocked as none of them expected such a turn of events.


    The audience, even a close friend like Jian Chen, couldn¡¯t tell urately what Ye Wei¡¯s cultivation level was. They all assumed he was not showing his all before now, whereas only a few suspected the involvement of rare stances with amplification and body strengthening effects.


    While considered as a feat anywhere outside the capital, ten-star condensed prime cultivation fell to being a minimum requirement in the Million Stars Pce. The veterans were therefore all shocked when Ye Wei revealed his level, unable to work out how the neer managed to defeat the returned prime Warriors.


    Zui Yue, San Chan, and Qing Mu were all top ten ck dragon listers, and even with their experience, they could not believe what they just saw.


    ¡°How is that possible!?¡±


    ¡°Is that an amplification stance?¡±


    ¡°It has to be a seal, some kind of energy storage. There is no way a newbie with no connection could learn an amplification stance like this! His Qi is bing twice as dense!¡±


    All three of them have had the chance to learn about myriad amplification stances as they sat on resources and knowledge the rest of the dynasty envied. However, they had yet to encounter a technique quite as powerful as what Ye Wei was showing.


    All the veterans were in awe, discussing; San Chan and Qing Yue became more curious while Qing Mu was bing increasingly frustrated.


    ¡°Impossible! This kid must have cheated!¡±


    ¡°Yea! Someone should check his sleeves for scrolls or mystic arms!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see how strong Ye Wei is? Why would someone like that cheat!? Just because you don¡¯t recognize the stances he used doesn¡¯t make him a cheater!¡± Xue Er¡®s anger boiled over before the other veterans had more to say.


    ¡°Yea, Xue Er is right. I kept my eyes on his hands the whole time. He didn¡¯t cheat.¡± Qing Yao¡¯s cold voice sounded from a distance. The veterans startled and kept their mouths shut, nodding apologetically.


    Qing Yao returned her gaze onto Ye Wei. ¡®This is such a powerful stance; not only did it absorb Jin Kui¡¯s strike, it also transformed it into a nourishing energy...¡¯


    ¡°I need to find out more about this kid...¡± She muttered to herself, her misunderstanding of the Supernova and Eternal Star inadvertently contributing to a more mysterious first impression of Ye Wei.


    Meanwhile, the Spiritualist was bing envious and could not bear seeing the powerful initiate¡¯s history-shaking entrance, fearing what Ye Wei might be after the disy of capability and potential.


    Qing Mu was never content to be only the fifth best; the manifestation of his fear and jealousy suddenly became more real as Ye Wei¡¯s presence grew stronger.


    ¡°Even if he isn¡¯t cheating, this amplification effect is not strong enough. Jin Kui is strong enough to neutralize any ordinary five-star returned prime Warrior.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, or a four-star equivalent if the cultivator had been training in the pce.¡±


    ¡°The result will still be the same. He stands no chance against Jin Kui.¡± The Spiritualist smiled disdainfully. ¡°Nobody will mess with the tradition!¡±


    ¡°We will see.¡± Qing Yao coldly gazed at the Spiritualist. Her lips were curled up slightly, to an awkward angle as she was not used to smiling.


    The Spiritualist frowned and could not understand why Qing Yao was defending the neer. He grunted, looking away to prevent himself from arguing.


    ¡°What? His energy is still growing!¡±


    ¡°What kind of stance is that?¡±


    The starlight around his body relit and glowed even brighter. His figure quickly became blurry as the belt of runes under his feet shone.

 Chapter 221 – The Dragons Howl

    Chapter 221 - The Dragon¡¯s Howl


    Two elderly men were staring into an ancient mirror inside a secret hideout at pce. The mirror showed images of every corner their Qi could reach and even transmitted the quietest sound within the coverage.


    ¡°This boy is a monster! The pce is finally going to be more interesting ce after all these years of peace!¡±


    ¡°He will stir up a storm. It¡¯s about time for the top ten ranks to change up a bit, it has been the same for how long? Five years?¡± the elder¡¯s green eyes glinted. He spoke in a rxed, yful tone as he yed with his beard.


    ¡°This is no ordinary child! I think he will be able to exclude himself from the whole humbling process we put initiates through.¡± The grey-robed elder stared into the mirror at the image of Ye Wei.


    ¡°Maybe you are right. How many howls do you think we will hear if he does get in?¡±


    The golden-robed Helian Zhenshan and the grey-robed Helian Zhenkong shared a smiling look. Both of them were from the Zhen generation, their responsibility was to oversee the pce, keep the young and thriving egos under a certain degree of control.


    ¡°What kind of amplification stance do you think he is using? I have never seen anything quite like this.¡± Helian Zhenshan sounded slightly uncertain, he narrowed his eyes but the cyan glow remained bright, he frowned in front of the mirror¡¯s rippling surface.


    ¡°I am not sure. But whatever he is using it¡¯s not an original creation if that¡¯s what you are thinking. This is not something a teenager is capable ofposing.¡± Helian Zhenkong casually shook his head.


    Neither of the them was overly interested in the stance itself as Qipression was not an effective mean to improve one¡¯sbat capabilities at god¡¯s prime level. Furthermore, they didn¡¯t have the suitable bodytype to practise amplification stances.


    The Zhen generation elders were not nning to interrogate the young Runemaster, they were merely curious, and found Ye Wei¡¯s technique inspiring. The Helian family¡¯s foundation was built from the hard work of their recruits as much as their own bloodline¡¯s strategic management. The elders respected talents and were not going to act against the family¡¯s reward based approach just to satisfy their own interest.


    ¡°He is now as strong as Jin Kui with the amplification effect. I am not certain who is going to win now.¡± Helian Zhenshan¡¯s eyes glinted bright. ¡°I am going to activate the ck dragon!¡±


    Helian Zhenkong nodded, also filled with an air of expectancy.


    The ck dragon statue in the middle of the pce was engraved with ancient arrays left by the original Helians. Apart from its function as a notice board, it was also a tool to help the officials determine one¡¯s potential.


    ¡°Do you think the dragon will howl for him? Or should I say how many times it will howl?¡±


    Shrouded by a cloud of runes, the duo shed towards the statue. Before spotted by anyone, they disappeared into the ck dragon¡¯s head.


    Meanwhile in the ring, Ye Wei and Jin Kui had expanded their Qi presence to its limit.


    ¡°Now that we are almost at the same level, we will know if your stance is stronger than mine!¡± Ye Wei muttered, with his eyes on his target, he made a series of hand seals.


    ¡®Selenic Reveal!¡¯


    A Selenic beast¡¯s figure appeared behind Ye Wei, its energy presence reached the clouds. It quickly lifted its huge paws and pounced towards Jin Kui.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    The Qi spear quickly dissolved Before Jin Kui¡¯s eyes could catch up with Ye Wei¡¯s new-found dazing speed, The Selenic beast¡¯s paw had already struck his back. A squirt of blood jetted out of his mouth as his body flew towards the square¡¯s edge.


    Just when Ye Wei gathered his strength for the finishing blow, the sky shook and the ground rattled. The ck dragon statue opened its mouth and engulfed masses of primal energy, moments after it spat out a dark beam at the young Runemaster.


    ¡°What is this!?¡± Ye Wei waspletely incapacitated by the darkness that surrounded him, and screamed in fear.


    Staring at the sky, the initiates shook their heads in confusion while the veterans red at the statue enviously.


    ¡°The elders actually activated the statue for this newbie!?¡±


    ¡°What have you been watching all this time? Didn¡¯t you see how strong he is?¡±


    Qing Mu, deeply jealous, casted his eyes at the statue then back to Ye Wei. Displeased and irritated by the attention the elders gave to Ye Wei, the amount of attention that had no initiate had ever gotten.


    Qing Yao was emotionless butpletely focused at the beam of dark energy.


    Xue Er¡¯s yful smile was reced by an air of surprise. She was childish but not clueless.


    After a short pause, the ck dragon came alive and began to dance in the sky.


    ¡°Howl! Howl! Howl!¡± It shook three times exactly and its howls echoed through the pce. All the veterans were silent, anticipating.


    ¡°Hahaha! Just three howls? You won¡¯t be better than me for long then! I will take my revenge soon!¡± Jin Kuiughed as he regained bnce. Having earned five roars at his ck dragon list induction, he felt liberated, felt that he was defeated by the initiate¡¯s luck.


    ¡°Just three huh? So I was overreacting...¡± Qing Mu the Spiritualist muttered to himself then chuckled disdainfully.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Baili Hengtian was startled, could not believe an initiate who managed this much only triggered three howls. ¡®Three howls is sufficient to get him on the list but he is the one that discontinued the bullying tradition of this pce, he has to be worth more than three howls...¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s mediocre at best!¡±


    ¡°Some people are destined to shine bright then fall.¡±


    ¡°This is not unheard of, there were many initiates that made an impression, but the majority of them just lose their spirit, burnt out their talents before they climbed higher.¡±


    The veterans were immediately discussing the sight, some were appreciating what they saw, and most were trying to make sense out of the strange experience.


    Amongst the veterans were some weaker cultivators who were struggling to stay relevant and some of them made themselves known soon after their initiation. However the variation, the ck dragon¡¯s howl had never failed to predict the cultivators¡¯ potential.


    ¡°What? What does that mean!?¡± Xue Er rolled her dark round eyes, then stared at the statue without blinking.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Qing Yao frowned slightly, confused by the urrence.


    As the spectating veterans were exchanging their views, Xue Er appeared right next to Ye Wei, after a nce she smiled and spoke. ¡° Hello, my name is Xue Er. The fact that the elders had activated the statue for you means that you are now on the ck dragon list! You will be recing Jin Kui and be relocated to the ck dragon valley shortly! Congrattions!¡±


    Xue Er¡¯s soft purple clothing and innocent smile rxed Ye Wei, he nodded and replied. ¡°May I ask how I should interpret the three howls?¡±


    ¡°Three howls is good, it gets you in the valley. However, considering you are the first initiate to get onto the list, I think three howls is bad. Surprisingly bad!¡± Xue Er pressed her lips together, stopped speaking as she realised she might have gone a little too far.


    ¡°By surprising I mean it¡¯s in no way urate, you don¡¯t strike me as the type that relies on luck. You are a creative fighter and I can see that you have been developing yourself from your versatility...¡± Just as she was running out of words, the dragon statue shook again.


    ¡°Howl! Howl! Howl!¡± Three more noises rang out from the dragon¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Three more? How is that possible?¡± Jin Kui¡¯s smile froze and vanished, the shock in his eyes shone through as the dragon¡¯s howl echoed the square.


    ¡®Six howls? I am worse than this newbie in every way?¡¯ Jin Kui was frustrated and scared that he will soon have to let go of the reputation and position he worked hard and long to achieve. Regretted to take on the task of humiliating the initiates.


    ¡°Woah! I knew it! I knew you deserve more than three howls! I¡¯m so good!¡± Xue Er started dancing as if she was the person who got rated as a six-howl cultivator.


    ¡°You are, thank you for the kind expectation.¡± Ye Wei couldn¡¯t help but giggled, amused by the childlike behaviour.


    Although curious about the rating system, Ye Wei did not really care about the results. He was going to work as hard if he lost against the veterans today, as much as he would if he defeated everyone on his path. He believed in himself, believed that destiny is handcrafted.


    ¡®The statue will not predict my future, I will just work as hard as my body can take it. Nothing is set in stone and nothing will limit me except the limit itself.¡¯ The young Runemaster thought to himself.


    The initiates were cheering but they did not understand fully that they just witnessed a historic moment. The veterans on the other hand knew that the six howls meant Ye Wei was most likely going to reach the summit of returned prime level and would even breakthrough to god¡¯s prme level with a bit of luck.

 Chapter 222 – Muse

    Chapter 222 - Muse


    ¡°Six howls? So what? When my name got on the list for the first time, the dragon howled eight times, just one less than Chi Wuxiu and he is the strongest on the list!¡±


    Qing Mu was annoyed by howling sound, he grinned disrespectfully while staring at Ye Wei, ¡®you are good, but not good enough for me to care.¡¯


    The Spiritualist always admired Qing Yao, but the attention had never been mutual. He was therefore relieved to know Ye Wei earned less howls than he did, in hopes that Qing Yao would stop giving attention to the initiate.


    ¡®In terms of cultivation I can crush you with one finger, in terms of my potential I am two roars ahead of you...¡¯ Qing Mu rolled his eyes downwards, ring at Ye Wei. ¡®You could be the best newbie ever but I just do not care...¡¯


    ¡°Howl!¡±


    The Spiritualist was startled by a ground-shaking noise. His mind wentpletely nk, his confident building thoughts evaporated.


    ¡®Seventh!?¡¯


    Hisx turned into nervousness, he felt threatened as thest cultivator who earned seven howls ended up in the top ten of the ck dragon list.


    The veterans thought the same, captivated by the seven howls all looked at the tradition-defying initiate that triggered the rare phenomenon.


    ¡°Something is wrong, there is no way this kid is worth that much. Why is the howls spaced out like that?¡± Qing Mu red at the dragon¡¯s head, his eyes were covered by a web of bulged capiries.


    Devoted to keep himself at a peaceful mindstate for the sake of his physical and mental cultivation, the spiritualist was almost embarrassed by the rage and envy that was filling his body and soul.


    Meanwhile, the veterans were also focused on the revolutionary achiever, looking at Ye Wei under another light, with utmost respect.


    ¡°Seven howls! It means it¡¯s almost certain that he will be in the top ten in the future!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, why is the ck dragon statue struggling to determine this kid¡¯s potential. What do the pauses mean?¡±


    ¡°It could mean that there are hidden strengths that he inherited but yet to uncover, it has happened before with cultivators rted to the royal families.¡±


    ¡°Will there be an eighth howl!?¡±


    ¡°I would worry for him it that happened, he would be on Qing Mu¡¯s level and I don¡¯t think the Spiritualist likes threats.¡±


    The crowd was bing emotional for various reasons, but they were all focused on the same thing. None of them could take their eyes off the circling ck dragon; among the current thirty thousand cultivators of Million Star Pce, ten of them had earned seven howls and only five of them made the dragon howl more than eight times.


    Considering the history of the pce, most of the veterans knew that the eighth howl would imply that they were looking at an initiate that was also a future god¡¯s prime Warrior, a force of nature that will possess the strength respected by the royal families.


    Only the sound of breeze and slow heavy breathing could be heard upon the cloud where the crowd gathered. They were speechless, anticipating to witness of a historical moment.


    Qing Mu the Spiritualist broke silence after a pause, there was a slight tremble in his otherwise aggressive voice, ¡°That¡¯s it, silence! This is just another newbie and he will never get himself into top five on the lis...¡±


    ¡°Howl!¡±


    The dragon statue shook again, its divine howl drowned out Qing Mu¡¯s voice.


    ¡°No, no, this is not possible.¡± Qing Mu murmured, did not have the strength to even move his lips more than half an inch as he was stunned by the dragon¡¯s howl.


    Ye Wei had already won over the veterans¡¯ approval by a disy of sheer mastery of physical and runic techniques, in contrast they came to dislike the level of suppression Qing Mu was trying to apply out of paranoia and his tyrannical believes.


    Although they were all too weak to speak up the disapproving thoughts were brewing in their minds.


    ¡®Why are you so bitter? Boundaries are bound to be broken one day. A person in your position should be more open to challenges. Spiritualist? Ha! I expected more from you.¡¯


    ¡®Why would you choose to be jealous of a newbie instead of weing the challenge? What does that say about you?¡¯


    ¡®Your denial is giving the newbie power over you, idiot!¡¯


    ¡®This is embarrassing, the fifth strongest cultivator here is jealous of an initiate...¡¯


    Even the fifth strongest cultivator at the pce, Qing Mu had no way to stop others from having disapproving thoughts.


    ¡°Eight?¡± Qing Yao suddenly spoke, staring right at the initiate, her clear eyes glinted with a strange, pulsing twinkle.


    ¡°Maybe this Ye Wei can get to Chi Wuxiu¡¯s level, he could be a nine howler too...¡± She was quiet but her distinct voice caught all the veterans¡¯ attention.


    ¡°Nine howls?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    In the recent years, there had only been five cultivators who triggered eight howls or more and one of them was the strongest cultivator Million Star Pce had seen in decades. The gathering veterans were shocked to hear the suggestion but could not rule out the possibilities.


    Chi Wuxiu was the only person in pce to have reached ten-star returned prime level. Whereas both of his mainpetitors, Li Taiyi, the second on the list, and Qing Yao being the third, were at eight star returned prime level.


    Regarded as the summit of Million Stars Pce, Chi Wuxiu was known to be powerful, to a point that he was able to defeat the rest of the top ten with one blow.


    To the veterans, Chi Wuxiu was the ultimate power, the unreachable force. They all chuckled when they heard Qing Yao¡¯s words, even they have just witnessed what was thought to be impossible before Ye Wei actually did.


    Even the young initiate had just broken records and rebelled traditions, he did not manage to bring his status up high enough topare with the one who stood on top.


    Just as the veterans beganughing, a trembling noise filled the sky and drowned out the casual chatter.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the ninth howl!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just me right? That was the ninth!¡±


    ¡°The newbie has the potential to be as strong as Chi Wuxiu!?¡±


    Stunned and in awe, the veterans couldn¡¯t believe they just witnessed a series of unlikely events all in the matter on an hour.


    ¡°So let¡¯s put things in perspective, this is only his first week and he is already on the ck dragon list.¡± Helian Zhenshan spoke to hispanion while staring at the ancient mirror. ¡°I want to say I expected the dragon to howl for him more than eight times but that would make me sound unappreciative.¡±


    Having seen too many eye-catching youngsters in their time of duty, the two elders were reluctant topliment Ye Wei too much. After actually verifying his potential, they were absolutely ecstatic.


    While the veterans were limited to knowing who have earned nine howls, the elders were aware what the nine howls implied, that the cultivators¡¯ meridians have nine times the capacity for an ordinary returned prime Warrior.


    Meridian strength was the fundamental requirement of holding concentrated Qi, which was a precursor to any god¡¯s prime Warrior¡¯s cultivation foundation.


    To a family asrge as the Helian, their god¡¯s prime Warriors¡¯ strength was critical and directly affected how influential these families were.


    ¡°Two nine howlers in the same peer group! This is the sages¡¯ blessing!¡± Helian Zhenkong said emotionally. With each peer group spanning over thirty years, from time to time the two elders would not see one nine howler for the time it took several peer groups to leave the pce.


    ¡°Zhenkong, I suggest that we give Ye Wei the same clearance as Chi Wuxiu, and give him full ess to the Supreme Mystery Runegraph and the Originless Realm.¡±


    ¡°Zhenshan, be patient!¡± Helian Zhenkong slightly frowned, slowly shook his head after thinking for a brief moment. ¡°He is still sixteen, we can¡¯t pull him so he grows quicker. We should observe and react ordingly. If he is hardworking and humble then we will guide him.¡±


    ¡°You do have a point, so say... three months? Then we will revisit the subject.¡± Helian Zhenshan knew that he was ahead of himself, he let out a long breath then nodded.


    Meanwhile, Xue Er enthusiastically flew down to the square, emotionally grabbed hold of Ye Wei¡¯s arm. ¡° Woah! Nine howls! You are amazing! Truely amazing! I have never seen the dragon statue this excited before!¡±


    Afterughing at Xue Er¡¯s childlike behavior, Ye Wei shook his head feeling embarrassed, ¡°I don¡¯t believe in these tests, I believe more in hard work and that potential is trivial.¡±


    Ye Wei was attracted by Xue Er¡¯s fresh exuberance, blushed as she kept pulling onto his arm.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so humble, the dragon statue has never been wrong. Out of the thirty thousand cultivators here, only two managed to to earn nine howls and you are one of them! You should be proud of yourself.¡± Xue Er said as she pinched Ye Wei¡¯s arm. ¡°However, you would still have to train as hard as you can. You are the only hope, the only person here who could possibly dethrone Chi Wuxiu.¡±


    ¡°Get to ten-star returned prime level quickly! I will root for you. I¡¯d rather have you as the pce¡¯s best than that snubby Chi Wuxiu any day. You should teach him some manners!¡± Xue Er suddenly puffed up her cheeks.


    ¡°From what you are saying, this Chi Wuxiu sounds like a powerful character, would you tell me more about him?¡± Ye Wei smiled and said.


    ¡°What!? Who else do you think I meant? Don¡¯t you know who is the strongest cultivator here in the ck dragon pce? He is so strong that even Qing Yao never beat him once!¡±


    ¡°The best? Ten-star level...¡± Ye Wei widened his eyes, couldn¡¯t quite process all the information and expectations at once.

 Chapter 223 – Wu Shuanger

    Chapter 223 - Wu Shuanger


    ¡°You got nine howls, which means you will catch up with him! I believe in you!¡± Xue Er clenched her little fist, trying to sincerely encourage him.


    ¡°I will work very hard regardless!¡± Ye Wei touched his nose awkwardly and said.


    ¡°You will be moving to the ck Dragon Valley now that you are on the list. If you didn¡¯t know who Chi Wuxiu is, you probably have no idea how you can find your way to your new vi.¡± Xue Er spoke in a trustworthy tone. ¡°I will lead the way!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind taking me to the valley?¡± Ye Wei nodded in relief, feeling rxed now that the scheming and bullying was pushed aside.


    From fighting Feng Shan, Luo Han, Zhou Kuang and Jin Kui, Ye Wei had gained a great deal of experience and knowledge regarding the third Supernova Evolution and the Eternal Star stance. He learned from the returned prime Warriors and felt that he could use some of the Qi manipting tricks to further improve on his cultivation.


    ¡®I can use some time alone to immerse myself in what I really learned from today¡¯s exchanges. And I can prepare my body for a breakthrough!¡¯ The young Runemaster thought to himself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Xue Er pulled the corners of her lips backwards and leaped into the sky, ready to travel at greater speed.


    ¡°Hold on a second!¡± Ye Wei shouted as he ran towards Jian Chen. ¡°Hey, would you like toe with me to the valley? We can share the space. It will still be better than the vis we were assigned to. It is hard to focus in conditions like that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can train together, too!¡± The young Runemaster was eager to push for an answer.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind gesture! But I need to earn my spot in the valley, so it¡¯s nothing personal.¡± Jian Chen shook his head while smiling. His gaze was sharp as a sword¡¯s de, and he shifted his focus onto the ck dragon statue that had returned to the pir in the center of the pce.


    ¡°I respect your decision! Just remember you can stille see me whenever you feel like it.¡± Quickly realizing he had no way to make Jian Chenpromise on his principles, Ye Wei gave up trying to persuade the stubborn swordsman.


    ¡°I will tag along.¡± Just when both Ye Wei and Xue Er were ready to go, they were interrupted by a captivating voice.


    Qing Yao¡¯s voice seemed to have slowed down everyone¡¯s actions.


    All Ye Wei could see was a sh before a curvy figure appeared in front of him.


    The rity of her voice matched her clear, deep set of eyes. Her feather-shaped brows were gracefully volumed,plementing and contrasting her white dress and pale skin.


    With her face shaded by a thin veil and body covered by garment, her eyes were the only part of her that was unobscure. To the beholders, the world seemed monochromaticpared to her mystical, glinting pupils.


    Unlike the others, Ye Wei only peered across once before taking his eyes off her. Although mostly covered, her highly symmetrical, beautiful features were easily recognizable. With Lin Ziyan in his mind, the casual gaze reflected his apathy towards attractive girls.


    ¡°The more, the merrier!¡± Xue Er intimately grabbed hold of Qing Yao¡¯s slender arm, like a child reunited with her favourite toy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Qing Yao cast her gaze onto Ye Wei and then immediately looked away. As she took steps in the air, a sequence of lotus-shaped runes condensed on the tips of her toes. With the force of the lotus, she gracefully glided in the sky, and the extra person¡¯s weight did not slow her down the slightest.


    Qing Yao was quiet, giving off a mystical air with the semnce of a fairy, while Xue Er had a yful, naughty sister¡¯s charm. All the boys were starting to get jealous, annoyed by how Ye Wei was getting closer to the popr girls.


    ¡®I think it¡¯s best that I get out of here as soon as possible!¡¯ The young Runemaster could feel the heat of the envious res; he rubbed his nose and acted normal. ¡®If looks could kill, I would be a limbless torso now! Are these two that popr?¡¯


    ¡®She doesn¡¯t even bother talking to me, but now she¡¯s taking initiative to bond with this newbie!?¡¯ Feeling neglected and jealous, Qing Mu the Spiritualist¡¯s rage oozed out from his eyes as he watched Ye Wei leaving with his crush.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how much potential the statue said you have! In a month¡¯s time, I will put you through so much pain during the ranking matches that you¡¯d wish you never crossed me today.¡± The Spiritualist muttered. ¡°That is if Chi Wuxiu doesn¡¯t get to you first. Ha...¡±


    Inside the valley, the thick white mist was stained by the floating buildings like an ocean marked by small isles.


    Although seemingly smallpared to the whiteness that surrounded them, the vis were more than double the size of anywhere else in the pce, and each of these residences included their own garden and ponds.


    ¡°You will be living here from now on!¡± Xue Er pulled Qing Yao¡¯s arm, signalling her to stop as she spotted the engravement of the number nine-hundred and thirty-five on a golden te outside a gated vi.


    ¡°The moment your entry was approved by the elders, Jin Kui¡¯s belongings were immediately removed by a runic depository. And your things should also have been transported by a rune, in the main hall of the vi.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for showing me the way, Xue Er. I will see you around!¡± After a casual wave, Ye Wei headed straight into the vi without taking the chance to befriend the third strongest cultivator of the pce.


    ¡°Wee to ck Dragon Valley, I think we will see each other again soon. My name is Qing Yao.¡± Seeing that Ye Wei was cold, she took the initiative to introduce herself.


    ¡°Thank you for escorting me. I am sure you already know my name, but in case you don¡¯t, I am Ye Wei.¡± He registered her beauty but replied calmly and modestly, walking through the gates after nodding a goodbye.


    Ye Wei did not wish to make excessive contact with Qing Yao as he was told by the veterans¡¯ looks that they were allergic to people being close to their idol. The young Runemaster did not care much about his own poprity, but he was not going to jeopardize his rtionship with people that could potentially point him in the right directions.


    Although it came across to Qing Yao as slight insolence, Ye Wei meant less than harm; he was simply upied by the realization and inspiration from the four fights he fought. He was eager to learn from what he could still feel in his muscles, the pain, the energy surges he had faced, therefore he simply did not prioritize behaving in a friendly manner.


    Qing Yao was surprisingly enjoying Ye Wei¡¯s cold, fresh approach as she was tired of the attention that she always received regardless of her mood.


    ¡°Hehe, your charm doesn¡¯t work everyday it seems!¡± Xue Er chuckled, widened her eyes, and said as Ye Wei disappeared into his vi.


    Qing Yao shook her head and smiled, unbothered by Ye Wei¡¯s attitude but rather saw it as a sign of willpower. ¡®He will change how the pce is being run...¡¯


    ¡°This is nice...¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself as he inspected the interior, entering the quietest room after seeing every corner of the vi.


    ¡°Just need to focus on two things, defending against an inner demon and discovering the consonance between my cultivation and my meridians. I will have to strengthen the bond somehow...¡± He spoke to himself as he crossed his legs and sat down.


    ¡®With my Sentient strength and the Mystic Mount¡¯s power, I should have no problem holding my ground against an inner demon. But I really don¡¯t know how I should revamp by current Qi flow...¡± He frowned in frustration as he struggled to find the starting point to preparing his body for the major breakthrough. ¡°I either feel it or I don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°I heard most returned prime Warriors were inspired in life-threatening moments. I didn¡¯t have that but maybe when I understand how my returned prime Warriors opponents channel their Qi, I will know what I should work on!¡± The young Runemaster closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the memories ofbat fill his senses.


    While Ye Wei was absorbed in tranquility, the outside world was beginning to hear about the storm he had set off in the Million Star Pce. Being the cradle of talents, countless contacts were ced in the pce by different powers.


    The news of Ye Wei breaking the pce¡¯s thousand years old tradition and earning nine howls was quickly spreading within the royal city from mouths to ears. The urrence had rmed all the influential forces that were based in the city and, inevitably, the royal Helian.


    Most of these martial families were desperately researching Ye Wei¡¯s background, trying to establish a friendly union with the talented youngster while he was still within their reach.


    No more than an hour after Ye Wei had started meditating in the quiet room, the first visitor had arrived outside his vi.


    ¡°Nine-hundred and thirty-five, this should be it, Jin Kui¡¯s old vi...¡± A mysteriously charming young woman pointed her fingers at the number te, smiling as if she just discovered a barrel of unimed gold.


    ¡°Ye Wei?¡± her delicate voice rang within the vi¡¯s walls at a surprisingly high volume.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ye Wei opened his eyes, surprised as he did not recognize the voice that called out his name. ¡®Apart from Jian Chen and Baili Hengtian, I basically know nobody here in the pce...¡¯


    With an air of cautiousness, he walked out of the gates and looked up into the sky. His visitor was wearing aced red dress thatplimented her curves, and her pale, spotless skin made her image more striking and captivating than it already was.


    ¡°You are?¡± Ye Wei knitted his brows in confusion and asked.


    ¡°Hey! Ye Wei! I am Wu Shuanger!¡± The girl in red said in an alluring tone, sounding as if she was moaning after each syble. She took a deep breath and wiggled her body; her glinting eyes widened as she saw the young Runemaster figure walking outside the vi.


    ¡°To what do I owe this pleasure?¡± Ye Wei casually nced at Wu Shuanger¡¯s perky body, asking with a frown.


    Although not familiar with the name or face, Ye Wei respected everyone the Helian family invited into the pce. He would much rather be polite than offend others recognized by the Helian¡¯s scouts.

 Chapter 224 – Against the High-Graded

    Chapter 224 - Against the High-Graded


    ¡°So, would you like to invite me inside?¡± Wu Shuanger blinked gently while looking at Ye Wei, and spoke in a softened, affectionate voice.


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be appropriate. Out here is as good as anywhere else if you would like to talk.¡± Ye Wei tried to smile, but frowned instead. He felt intruded upon, like he was wasting time that he could be spending on training.


    Wu Shuanger was endlessly attractive, butcked Qing Yao¡¯s ss and Xue Er¡¯s energetic charm, therefore Ye Wei did not really appreciate the beauty that was right before his eyes.


    Wu Shuanger began biting her full and juicy lips. Being used to thepany of admirers, she was slightly bothered by Ye Wei¡¯s indifference. ¡®Many in the pce covet me, including many of the top five hundred ck dragon rankers. Does this newbie think I am not worthy of his attention?¡¯


    ¡®Or maybe he is just shy!¡¯ Wu Shuanger gritted her teeth and smiled, emphasizing the sweetness of her voice, ¡°Shuanger is here to congratte you on behalf of the Zijin Chamber of Commerce. This bottle of Pale Moon primal essence is a gift from the council! Suffice it to say, they were impressed by what you managed to do.¡±


    Ye Wei immediately realized the intention of the unexpected visit, that the Zijin Chamber of Commerce was interested in him.


    As she told by the Zijin¡¯s council to act nice, Wu Shuanger did not stop smiling. Zijin was one of the four richest organizations within the Zhou dynasty¡¯s reign; their wealth even exceeded all of the sixteen superpowers. While excelling in trade, theycked truly powerful cultivators on their roster and were in the course of recruiting more.


    ¡°A bottle of what!?¡± Ye Wei knitted his brows in confusion, ufortable with the generous gesture.


    The chamber ofmerce did notck contacts in the pce, knowing that a cultivator¡¯s monthly allowance were three drops of essence a month, the council had ordered Wu Shuanger to offer Ye Wei a bottle that contained no less than one hundred drops of the precious liquid.


    Having read about the cultivation elixir in the Runemaster Union¡¯s catalog, Ye Wei had memorized its name and outrageous price. He was also aware that he could advance quickly after breaking through to returned prime level with the aid of the rare liquid.


    ¡°I cannot ept a gift like that.¡± Knowing that just one drop of the liquid costed fifty thousand contribution tokens, Ye Wei shook his head without hesitation. Not only was he unwilling to owe anyone a favour, he had no use of the elixir before actually bing a returned prime Warrior.


    ¡°I have to go back and continue training Miss Shuanger.¡± Ye Wei tried to sound polite, but his cold tone made it obvious that he did not care about the offer at all.


    After a brief nod, he turned around and walked back to the vi.


    ¡°You ungrateful little...¡± Wu Shuanger was startled by the unusually harsh treatment, muttered with an air of anger. ¡®A month from now, you will wish you had given me face. I know hundreds who are eager to humble a newbie during the ranking tournament!¡±


    Wu Shuanger took off without even bidding farewell. She was frustrated but knew full well that the council would not have her back if she wished to act against the talent they were trying to poach.


    A quarter of an hour after the surprise visit, a silvery figure appeared in front of Ye Wei¡¯s Vi.


    The glossy white silk robe Bai Qing wore was a standard issue made by the Bai family¡¯s tailors. After hearing what Ye Wei achieved during his first week, the super martial family¡¯s elder council also decided to make contact with the talented young man.


    ¡°Ye Wei, are you home? It is Bai Qing! I am here to ask for forgiveness!¡± Bai Qing¡¯s eyes glinted, he smiled handsomely and shouted outside the building.


    ¡°Another one?¡± Ye Wei frowned as he was snapped out of his tranquil state.


    ¡°Why am I getting so many visitors today?¡± He muttered to himself as the thought of ignoring the visitor crossed his mind. After a moment of hesitation he decided to be polite instead and quickly walked out the front door to greet his guest.


    ¡°Greetings, can I help you with anything?¡± Ye Wei kept his eyes at the Bai family¡¯s crest on his visitor¡¯s robe as he spoke.


    ¡°Ye Wei, I am here to apologize. Shamefully I have to admit that I was the person responsible for arranging the initiates shaming this year, and that I was more or less forced to do it.¡± Bai Qing gulped and presented a delicate jade vial humbly with both his hands, ¡°This is thirty drops of Pale Moon primal essence, I would like you to have it. It will be hard for me to sleep at night if you don¡¯t ept my apology.¡±


    ¡°Bai Qing, this is too much, I am aware that the Million Star Pce had such tradition, and I wasn¡¯t even harmed.¡± Ye Wei said while gently pushing away the vial.


    ¡®Would you be this nice to the other initiates that got beaten up? You are really here because of the dragon howls...¡¯


    Bai Qing did not take no for an answer, he changed the topic a few times, asked about Ye Wei¡¯s background and past cultivation in hopes it will soften the young Runemaster. But he soon found out that the conversation continued only out of politeness, that Ye Wei had no intention of taking the vial. After making sure the initiate held no grudge, Bai Qing left reluctantly but peacefully.


    After Bai Qing¡¯s departure, more than ten parties came. Each one representing an influential power, paid Ye Wei a visit. All of them bore valuable gifts like primal essence elixirs, materials for soul weapon crafting and even mid-Earth grade scrolls.


    The nonstop stream of visitors were all well mannered but none of them managed to even enter the vi before they were turned down by Ye Wei.


    ¡°I need some peace...¡± Ye Wei frowned and mumbled, before heading into the courtyard to activate the vi¡¯s lock. ¡®I am not strong enough to get myself involved with these super families. They want to befriend me for my potential. But I will make just as many enemies as I make friends...¡¯


    ¡°Now I won¡¯t hear a sound from the outside!¡± He stretched his arms back, relieved that he could take a break from delicately refusing representatives of some of the biggest powers of the dynasty.


    ¡°I did enter the ck dragon list as an initiate and got nine howls in the process, but I am still a condensed prime Warrior. Should I one day be a god¡¯s prime Warrior I will need a tougher gate and a lot of servants to deal with all of the visitors...¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should just be a hermit like Master Yi!¡± Enjoying the moment of tranquility, he paced around the courtyard and spoke to himself. ¡°I haven¡¯t really lost anything by turning them down. The gifts they wanted to give me were nice but I have to work harder myself to earn them. I will learn more that way.¡±


    ¡°However, I will eventually have to attach myself to one of those families. I have to make friends with one of them before they all see me as a threat.¡± Ye Wei clenched his fist. ¡°Or I will just get up to a returned prime level as quick as possible so I don¡¯t have to worry about pleasing these people. But before then I think they might deliberately give me a hard time just to show me their authority.¡±


    Ye Wei paced quicker as he became a little anxious, ¡°They might think I am disrespecting them on purpose.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t do anything openly but they will surely try to influence my decision somehow...¡±


    ¡°Considering that some of the veterans think I¡¯ve broken their tradition and that I am a contestant to be the strongest cultivator here due to the howls, I will be challenged physically and mentally.¡±


    ¡°With the kind of influence they have, it will be easy for the superpowers to rough me up through hands of others!¡±


    ¡°If I deal with the inner demon right now I will be able to directly breakthrough when I figure it out...¡± Realizing it would be time consuming to to prepare his mental state for the attempt, he decided to leave rerouting his Qi flow while being pushed to his limits duringbat.


    ¡®This way I will be able to breakthrough quicker when my body is ready!¡¯ The young Runemaster took a deep breath as he cleared his mind from distractions. He sat himself down in the middle of the training chamber.


    ¡°Bring it!¡±


    Ye Wei shut his eyes tight, and held his breath to condense his focus. The silver energy ball in his dantian began to spin, the ten cracks on its surface shone golden as the rotating motion sped up. A surge of Qi then rushed out of the dantian and filled his meridians, caused an aggressive shock that put him into another level of his consciousness.


    ¡°High grade inner demon!¡± The darkness did not nullify Ye Wei¡¯s sharp senses, just less than a second after he felt a disturbing presence he felt a sudden drop of temperature. Before he could react he was trapped in a shell of condensed energy, in front of a ghostly figure.


    Neither Low nor mid-grade inner demons that Ye Wei had faced were powerful enough to take touchable form, but his senses suggested that the pressure he felt came from an actual physical being only meters away from him.


    Only seconds after noticing the rming presence, Ye Wei was confronted by an enormous shadow that seemed to have emerged from theher he was trapped in.


    Unlike the other inner demons encounters, the pressure left a cold, tingling sensation on his skin just like what he experienced while fighting the ck Scale Progenitor¡¯s descendant.


    But unlike thest high-grade inner demon encounter when he was immediately overwhelmed by fear and passed out, Ye Wei was able to remain calm and collected.


    ¡°GHROWLL¡±


    Immediately after materializing, the demon squeezed a chilling scream out of its lungs and lunged at Ye Wei


    A suffocating sense of fear grew in Ye Wei at the startling momentum of the approaching demon; Images of demon hordes and beast packs ravaging human cities filled his mind; images so vivid he could almost smell the bloodshed.

 Chapter 225 – The Qing Family

    Chapter 225 - The Qing Family


    Inner demons were known to have enough mental influence to turn even the kindest cultivators into merciless killing machines if they managed to take over one¡¯s mind. By the time most Condensed Prime Warriors reached ten star level, most of them would have been warned by their teachers and mentors about the bloodlust these demons can trigger.


    Ye Wei¡¯s body was tense but his mind was unshaken, his experience had taught him that fear did not solve anything.


    ¡°These are just meaningless illusions!¡± Ye Wei took a deep breath and grunted. His sentient lit up as the Mystic Mount presence activated, dispelling the darkness and the haunting sinister intent within.


    The images vanished and the inner demon¡¯s figure melted in front of Ye Wei like an ice cube under the midday sun.


    The inner demon disappeared along with the darkness as the bright light radiated outwards with Ye Wei as the center.


    ¡°It¡¯s simpler than I thought it would be...¡± He muttered as he opened his eyes, relieved that he was able to handle the infamous evil that had imed countless lives through history.


    High-grade inner demons¡¯ power came from a man¡¯s fear. Having encountered one in his past, Ye Wei had it easier than other ten-star condensed prime Warriors.


    ¡°Now I just need someone to push me before I can finally breakthrough to Returned Prime level...¡± Ye Wei sat muttering to himself and calmed his mind.


    ¡°In one month¡¯s time, a lot of talented cultivators will fight me recklessly to prove themselves in front of others. I have done all I could to prepare for my next breakthrough. I should refine the Eternal Star stance for the time being.¡± Ye Wei clenched his fist and began to channel the stars¡¯ energy, in the hope that he would be strong enough to stand his ground against his future opponents.


    Meanwhile in another vi within the ck Dragon Valley, a few gray-robed cultivators were sat in a circle with Qing Yao in the middle. The hair on their heads was as white as snow but their faces were youthful and almost childlike.


    Not only was Qing Yao one of the most talented young cultivators that came out of the dynasty¡¯s sixteen superpowers, she was also a renowned Runemaster. Together with her were the elders of Qing family. In order for a Qing to make it into the elders¡¯ council being a Runemaster was a basic requirement.


    Led by a ten-star Runemaster, the experienced cultivators were here to consult Qing Yao, but more importantly, to satisfy their curiosity after hearing so much about the Million Star Pce¡¯s powerful new initiate.


    ¡°Little Ye Wei has shut off the entire vi. It doesn¡¯t seem like he will be joining any side any time soon.¡± One of the old men sighed resentfully. He had gone to Ye Wei¡¯s door himself with gifts and didn¡¯t even get a glimpse of the young initiate.


    ¡°He is too weak to act this rashfully. He will surely be roughed up in a month¡¯s time while fighting in the ck Dragon ranking tournament. That would teach him a lesson on politeness.¡± Another elder responded, displeased by Ye Wei¡¯sck of interest.


    ¡°It was still a wise decision for him to remain neutral. Not matter which side he would have picked, someone will dislike his decision. Right now the superpowers are hesitating, not wanting to harm a potential star. They won¡¯t do anything other than luring and attempting to tame him.¡± Their leader gave a faint smile.


    Qing Yao lightly nodded, agreeing with Elder Qing Ming.


    ¡°Recently there is a lot of spection around two mysterious young cultivators within the dynasty¡¯s borders. More precisely there are two people worth noting. One of them is Ye Wei, the other is the mysterious Runemaster who was able to find the Vermilion Runes. However, no one was able to identify thetter just yet.¡± Elder Qing Ming paused for a brief moment, pondered and continued. ¡°If you can find the boy, do everything you can to recruit him. If not, take the second best - Ye Wei.¡±


    Qing Yao couldn¡¯t help but gasp a mouthful of cold air. Like any other Runemaster who is up to date with the current affairs, she long heard everything about the yet to be identified Runemaster and the rumour of his deep runic knowledge. Her admiration was vast but she did not have the clearance to find out who he was.


    The identity had been a well kept secret as every single one of the Grand-Runemasters were all on the same page of protecting Ye Wei¡¯s privacy.


    As a Runemaster, Qing Yao was naturally intrigued and slightly obsessed with the thought of the mysterious talented figure who rediscovered runic knowledge lost to time, not essible by other than some of the most powerful Runemasters in history. Her heart was filled with worship and admiration towards this person. No-one, not even the talented initiate intrigued her as much.


    Elder Qing Ming pondered for a moment, ¡°Ye Wei defied the norm that stood within the walls of this pce for millennia, considering the dragon howled as many times for him as it did for Chi Wuxiu. If there is a way to get him on our side, we should do it immediately. See if you can arrange a meeting.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve offended too many people in thest years and time is running out for the patriarch!¡±


    ¡°We must remain strong before he passes away! Ye Wei has the potential to be a God¡¯s Prime Warrior so we cannot give him up!¡±


    ¡°I understand¡±, Qing Yao had no other choice but toply. She nodded warily as she thought about the family¡¯s uncertain future.


    Out of the sixteen superpowers, the Qing family was undoubtedly the strongest, influential to a point where even the three royal families had to respect them. However, the elder council knew that the family¡¯s glorious image only faced outwards.


    Like the few other martial families that had been around for a millennium, the Qing family was led by a God¡¯s Prime Warrior. And the reason they reigned supreme over the other fifteen superpowers was their ten-star God¡¯s Prime level patriarch. However, that was about to change.


    The Qing Patriarch was the only God¡¯s Prime Warrior in the family, the bnce of power would be tilted against them favor once the inevitable happened. Having sought solutions within the family and failng to find talent, the council was desperate to find someone with the potential to keep the patriarch¡¯s legacy alive.


    Although training a cultivator to be a God¡¯s Prime Warrior was not a simple task regardless of talent, the Qing family was not in a position to ignore even the slightest chance to remain the strongest family second to the royals.


    The Qing elder council had therefore prepared gifts and wished to present the them together with a ttering pitch. Hoping to win him over by also offering the patriarch¡¯s legacy.


    ¡°Xue Er seems to be close to him, I will get her to pay him a visit. Hopefully when he unlocks the gates she can bring him over.¡± Qing Yao nodded then gently flicked back her fringe, her jade bracelets making a sweet, bell-like sound.


    ¡°Yes, that sounds good.¡± Elder Qing Ming nodded, pleased by the proposal.


    The Qing family¡¯s instabilities were well kept within the patriarch himself and the elders, they had long came to realization that even if they bonded themselves with one of the other superpowers by marriage, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stay influential.


    Ranked third on the ck Dragon List, Qing Yao was the most talented member of the family¡¯s younger generation. Her getting married would in fact weaken the Qing family¡¯s position. After a brief look into the Ye family, the Qing elders decided the best course of action would be to invite Ye Wei to join the well established Qing family. If all went well, they would arrange for him to marry Qing Yao once he became a god¡¯s prime Warrior.


    ¡°Yao, let¡¯s do something else while we wait for your contact.¡± Although the council had already nned for the family¡¯s revival using Qing Yao¡¯s future, she was not told any of the details regarding the matter. Feeling slightly guilty over the maniptive intentions, Elder Qing Ming changed the topic to lighten the tension he felt.


    ¡°The patriarch said the Light sh Finger stance has space for improvement, and he would like us to refine it.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t want to show the stance to outsiders so we couldn¡¯t get a Grand-Runemaster to help out like we usually do with other stance refinements. It¡¯s been months since we started the project but we couldn¡¯t find the breakpoint we needed. Your Soul Sensitivity is no weaker than ours, would you like to look at the runic routing with us?¡±


    Qing Yao was expected to be the Qing¡¯s future leader ever since the patriarch discovered her talent. In terms of both cultivation and rune knowledge, since her teenage years, Qing Yao had caught up with the elders who raised and trained her.


    The family was disappointed by the eight ck dragon howls when she was evaluated by the statute but that did not stop her from being an important part of the family¡¯s infrastructure. They remained supportive and kept encouraging her to visit Helian¡¯s secret realms.


    ¡®In the end, little Yao might still manage to be a God¡¯s Prime Warrior if she found the right artefacts in the realms...¡¯ Elder Qing Ming thought to himself. Qing Yao was the key to the family¡¯s revival no matter which way the events would unfold; and he would do all he could to secure the best future for the young girl and the family.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started!¡± Qing Yao nodded as she waved her slender fingers in the air, transforming her Qi into a sequence of runes.


    The Qing family¡¯s core members all took a deep breath, let go of their worries for the family and their personal burdens. Closing their eyes and focused on locating the ws in the Light sh Finger stance.

 Chapter 226 – Recruit

    Chapter 226 - Recruit


    Stances above Earth grade were always so well refined during the process of their creation, that even assisted by the other Qing elders, their ten-star Runemaster leader was not able to make any progress.


    Three days flew by in a sh, but even Qing Yao¡¯s help did not quicken the process.


    Outside Ye Wei¡¯s new vi, Xue Er restlessly paced next to the gate, waiting for the initiate to disable the seal.


    ¡°What is this about! Why would Qing Yao make me camp outside his doorstep without telling me why she so desperately wants to see Ye Wei!?¡±


    While Xue Er was bing more and more impatient, the vi¡¯s upant was quietly training in a quiet chamber inside.


    Surrounded by clouds of starlight, Ye Wei was struggling to imitate the second movement set in the Eternal Star stance. It required him to face his palms and feet towards the sky, and he could not stop his body from shaking while holding the weird pose. Him and his star clone¡¯s meridians were both absorbing the energy from above.


    ¡°This is close to impossible!¡±


    After learning the third pose of the second movement, he decided to cut his training session short as his muscle cramps were intensifying. While feeling sore, he could also feel his body strengthening even while he was taking a break.


    ¡®Great progress considering it was only three days of work. But my body is still nowhere near as strong as four-star returned prime level...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, slightly worried for his body as he had not improved as rapidly as he hoped to. ¡®It should be fine, my body is tired but this sensation is not particrly ufortable.¡¯


    ¡°If I keep getting stronger at this rate, can my body reach five star returned prime level when I finish the second movement set?¡± He smiled and his eyes lit up, as he muttered to himself.


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to get injured right now, I should get some rest to be ready for the next push sooner.¡± The young Runemaster let out a deep breath, realizing that he was physically and mentally tense.


    He got up, opened the doors and inhaled a lungful of fresh air for the first time in three days, his mood immediately brightened up, refreshed by the morning breeze. He then closed his eye, let the hazy warm sun nourish his skin pulled his arms back and thoroughly stretched his body.


    ¡°It¡¯s been three days since I locked the vi down, they should realize that I don¡¯t want to be disturbed, right?¡± Ye Wei mumbled as he walked into the courtyard, disabling the runic array with a wave of his hand.


    ¡°FInally!¡± Xue Er jumped as she felt the energy disturbance, her frustration evaporated while a cute smile grew. ¡°Ye Wei! Come out! It¡¯s me, Xue Er!¡±


    ¡®Just when I got used to the peace.¡¯ Ye Wei heard the call loud and clear, shook his head as he chuckled reluctantly.


    ¡°Hey, what brought you here?¡± He quickly came out of the vi, forced his lips to a smile and asked.


    ¡°You are a bully! You made me wait three days and three night!¡± Xue Er stomped the floor, her aggression appeared awkward because of her dainty figure.


    ¡°Three days!?¡± Ye Wei scratched his head and replied in an apologetic tone. ¡°Was there an emergency? I am sorry but I¡¯ve locked the vi down since three days ago.¡±


    ¡°Qing Yao told me to fetch you for her! Let¡¯s go! You¡¯ve made me waste enough time already!¡± Xue Er urgently pulled Ye Wei¡¯s arm and the pair disappeared in thin air.


    Just momentster, they reappeared right at Qing Yao¡¯s doorstep. Before any exnations made, Ye Wei was dragged into therge vi.


    They directly walked into the courtyard to a suspending mist of runes, where the Qings were still working on refining the Light sh Finger stance.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± Ye Wei was immediately intrigued by what he saw. He could tell that he was looking at a powerful rune sequence that was at no less than mid-Earth level.


    ¡°Hi! I¡¯ve brought him back.¡± Xue Er ran to the middle of the focused cultivators tugged Qing Yao¡¯s arm, said urgently in a soft tone.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Qing Yao and the elders took their eyes off the runes floating in the sky, smiled and looked at the visitors.


    Ye Wei greeted them while staring at the rune sequence, frowned and muttered bluntly. ¡°This stance is less than perfect....¡±


    Although he could immediately tell there was a problem with the stance¡¯s flow, he had not studied the sequence enough to specifically tell what the problem was.


    He kept looking at the sequence hoping to identify the ws, but struggled doing so as the Earth stance was one of the moreplex structures he had seen.


    The elders narrowed their eyes, slightly offended by thement but also shocked and impressed.


    ¡°Little man, do you know what you are looking at?¡± A sheer disbelief moulded on Elder Qing Ming¡¯s face.


    ¡®How could anyone lesser than a Grand-Runemaster make ament like that...¡¯ The head of the Qing elders knew the sequence well from decades of practising the stance and therefore was shocked to hear the youngster¡¯s casual words.


    ¡°Bits and pieces, yes.¡± Ye Wei phrased his answer as humbly as he could, with the knowledge that he would be able to figure the sequence out in his own time with the aid of the Mystic Mount presence in his Sentient.


    ¡®There is only a handful of people in the entire Qing dynasty who can say that without lying.¡¯ Qing Yao, also surprised by the answer, rose her brows as she heard the response she could only expect to hearing out of a grandmaster¡¯s mouth.


    The elders were doubtful regarding Ye Wei¡¯s ability to find ws in the sequence but they were not going to challenge and interrogate the young initiate they wished to recruit.


    ¡°So I am guessing you are Ye Wei?¡± Elder Qing Ming smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ye Wei nodded and looked at Xue Er and Qing Yao. ¡®What have they dragged me into now? This is a quite a crowd...¡¯


    ¡°Little man, congrattions for your disy at the induction day fights! You are destined to achieve greatness!¡± Elder Qing Ming said with respect.


    ¡°Thank you for your kindpliment.¡± Ye Wei lowered his head and nodded humbly while trying to figure out the reason he was summoned.


    ¡°Have you by any chance heard of the Qing family? The elders¡¯ leader asked.


    ¡°The Qing family?¡± Ye Wei knitted his brows as he scanned the courtyard, ¡°yes, my master told me the Qings are led by a legendary ten-star god¡¯s prime Warrior, and it is the dynasty¡¯s strongest family apart from the royals. Would you happen to be...¡±


    ¡°I am still very weak, I do not wish to burden any families or forces before I can carry my own weight and figure out what I want.¡± Ye Wei quickly bowed as he realized that people who stood before him were some of the most influential cultivators within the borders. Not wanting to offend the superpower, he decided to openly dere his perspective before any misunderstanding was made.


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to be so modest, and you don¡¯t have to be scared of us. We certainly understand the situation you are in.¡± Qing Ming picked up on Ye Wei¡¯s fear and replied in an assuring tone. ¡°We are not pushing you for a decision in anyway, in fact we are here to help you, to offer you an exchange of favors so to speak.¡±


    ¡°Exchange? How do you mean an exchange? I don¡¯t have much to offer a renowned power like the Qing...¡± Ye Wei hesitated then replied.


    ¡°You really are too modest! I will be less cryptic I guess.¡± Elder Qing Ming chuckled and said. ¡°Suffice it to say our patriarch is impressed by what he heard of you, and he would like to help you develop your potential. In theing three years, the family would like to supply you with a hundred bottles of primal essence, to craft a customized weapon for you and give you three high-Earth level scrolls for protection. In return, we would just like you to honor our gesture and be friends of the Qings and watch over us if you manage to be a god¡¯s prime Warrior.¡±


    Elder Qing Ming understood the bashfulness of a humble initiate and decided to encourage the rtionship by kindness. He wished to draw Ye Wei closer to the family and make sure Qing Yao would get the chance to befriend the initiate.


    Although bearing the intention to set up the two, the elder was not going to propose a marriage before seeing Ye Wei¡¯s improvement. Even if Ye Wei failed to live up to the expectations the resourceful family would not have lost much.


    ¡®Cultivating resources, a customized runic weapon and scrolls for protection? That is better than all the other offers I¡¯ve been given by miles!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, his eyes lit up. ¡®This is a lot of investment even for superpower like the Qings, they might be desperate for some reason...¡¯


    ¡°Thank you very much for the generous offer. I am not even a returned prime Warrior yet, but let¡¯s say if I do eventually be a god¡¯s prime Warrior, how am I supposed to watch over a family as big as the Qing?¡± The young Runemaster took a deep breath then said calmly.


    ¡°You are thinking too much! As you said, you are still a condensed prime Warrior and you managed to defeat three and even four-star returned prime Warriors, you are an inspiration in many ways and my family would like to help you reach however high you can reach.¡± Elder Qing Ming exined.


    ¡°That is reassuring. I am looking to join a bigger family when I am more capable and I promise you I will consider joining the Qings before even thinking about others.¡± Ye Wei replied after a deep thought.

 Chapter 227 – Four Bolts

    Chapter 227 - Four Bolts


    Knowing that the Qing family was strong enough to be respected by even the royals, Ye Wei did not dare saying no to them and decided to give them an open answer.


    The elders all took the hint, they looked at each other in confusion, wondering why Ye Wei was so cautious, why he rejected the great offer in such manner.


    Although the offer would appeal to most cultivators at the pce, the elders could not take the fact that Ye Wei, being the cial Emperor¡¯s inheritor, did notck resources into calction.


    ¡°I am grateful for the offer, but I really am too weak to have anyone dependant on me. I would like to offer my help as an apology, you are trying to refine this stance right?¡± Ye Wei said as he switched his attention onto the runes levitating in air.


    ¡°Refining the Light sh Fingers stance?¡±


    ¡°What is he talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei, are you good with runes?¡± Elder Qing Ming held up his hand, signaled the others to be quiet and asked.


    ¡°Yes sir, I am a three-star Runemaster.¡± Ye Wei nodded humbly.


    ¡°If I told you we¡¯ve had a few ten-star Runemasters refining this stance and that they¡¯ve never managed to do it, would you still have offered your help?¡± The Elder squeezed his eyebrows together, ¡®I was told you are one of the state¡¯s seven new runes, but having confidence does not always make you a better Runemaster.¡±


    Ye Wei quietly nodded again.


    ¡°You can see what¡¯s wrong with the stance?¡± Feeling slightly deted not being able to find even one minor w in the Qing¡¯s Earth stance, Qing Yao could not help herself speaking up after keeping the frustration all in herself for three days. ¡°You did managed to stir up a storm in the pce. But refining an Earth stance will take a little more than just mastering a few good stances and knowing how to use them in fights.¡±


    ¡°Yao, don¡¯t be rude,¡± Unlike the young girl, Elder Qing Ming was intrigued by the bold, young initiate stood before him intervened, ¡°Ye Wei you can give it a try!¡±


    ¡®And if you are able to refine the stance, I might just make you a better offer.¡¯ The elder thought to himself, smiled and led Ye Wei closer to the runes. ¡®If he bes a god¡¯s prime Warrior, he can most likely be the spiritual leader of this family. But if he bes a Grand-Runemaster as well and decides to stay with us, the Qing family will be able to integrate into the royals...¡¯


    ¡°So you are new to the Runemaster Union right?¡± Elder Qing Ming started chatting casually while he was guiding Ye Wei through the rune sequence. ¡°You have joined us at an exciting time! I have heard that a talented young Runemaster had just emerged from the blue and rediscovered the first Vermilion rune.¡±


    ¡®I haven¡¯t even told Master Yi about it. All I did was finding one rune out of a book...¡¯ Ye Wei was startled, wondered how much time had the elder put into researching himself.


    ¡°I am not sure what you are referring to.¡± He answered lightly, pretended he knew nothing.


    ¡°That is one of the best stories! How can you not have heard about it!?¡± Xue Er spontaneously decided to join in, she moved her arms around as she told the tale. ¡°So the legend says Supreme Chi Xu was injured demons during one of his expeditions, he found shelter deep inside demon territory and noted down seven powerful runes. Those seven runes were hidden within the ancient book of life¡¯s content.¡±


    ¡°So this mysterious young Runemaster managed to find the first one out of the sixty thousand runes recorded between the encrypted pages. His method was crazy! The rune enthusiasts all across thends are saying that even a Grand-Runemaster would need more than a few decades to repeat the research and find the other six runes!¡± Xue Er continued. ¡°How can you not have heard about it? You are a Runemaster and you really should keep up to date with the current affairs! I¡¯m not a runemaster and even I know about it!¡±


    ¡°These seven runes are very very powerful, they can be incorporated into majority of offensive stances we use these days by Runemasters who have time on their hands. The Runemaster who identified the first rune is a hero among men! Especially when times are uncertain. There were more and more reports of demon attacks and sighting the past few months than the entirest year.¡± Genuine excitement and admiration glowed in Xue Er¡¯s eyes as she spoke.


    Opposite to Xue Er, Ye Wei was shocked. To him, finding the rune was just about getting some contribution point to spend. He was suddenly less interested in finding the other six Vermilion runes as attention was thest thing he wanted.


    ¡°Qing Yao talks about it all the time! She even said that she hopes to meet that mysterious Runemaster!¡± Xue Er looked to the side at Qing Yao and added. ¡°And that if she was to think about getting married her husband will have to be someone of that caliber.¡±


    Qing Yao¡¯s face went red immediately, she pped Xue Er on the should and shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±


    ¡®I just found one rune, it wasn¡¯t exceptionally difficult or impressive...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself,pletely ignored the girls¡¯ bickering. He had no idea that the task he didn¡¯t find difficult was considered a challenge for even the experienced Grand-Runemasters.


    Qing Yao looked away to avoid awkwardness, with admiration she wondered how her hero looked like and what kind of personality this mysterious Runemaster had.


    ¡°Excuse my cluelessness, but I grew up in a small town. I have not passed the Runemaster entrance exam until recently, and I am still trying to make reading the newletters a habit.¡± Ye Wei decided to cover it all up to avoid any extra attention.


    After a short break, Elder Qing Ming broke the rune sequence down to small parts and exined each part to Ye Wei in detail. The young initiate then began investigating.


    While Ye Wei was focused on his task, the elders went aside and chattered as they waited.


    ¡°What do you guys think? Will he be able to spot it?¡±


    ¡°He is a three-star Runemaster, so no.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, it will be a stretch even if it was just a Myst stance.¡±


    ¡°Just wait and see, some talents are not meant to be catagorized by this ancient rank system.¡± Elder Qing Ming shook his head, he noticed Ye Wei¡¯s pure and honest gaze when they met. To the elder, the fact that Ye Wei did not hold back his thought was a sign that the youngster saw something he failed to notice.


    Respecting their leader¡¯s opinion, the others stoppedmenting, rxed themselves and watched Ye Wei¡¯s each move.


    ¡°This is a bit sloppy, whoever invented this stance should really be more careful while putting the runes together. This rune ispletely unnecessary to the sequence, it¡¯s almost like drawing legs onto a sketch of a snake.¡± Ye Wei pointed at a rune towards the end of the sequence and shook his head.


    Apart from the Elder Qing Ming who smiled and felt positively intrigued, the Qings¡¯ faces turned white when they heard Ye Wei¡¯s words, surprised to hear such degradingment on the patriarch¡¯s own creation.


    ¡®Did I just say something I shouldn¡¯t have?¡¯ Ye Wei soon noticed the reactions, feeling slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°Qing Yao, Qing Yao, would you like to try making the stance without the rune Ye Wei pointed out?¡± Xue Er was not too childish not to ignore the tension, she pulled Qing Yao¡¯s arm and suggested. ¡°We¡¯re not doing much right now either way.¡±


    Qing Yao did not take Ye Wei¡¯sment as an offense, instead she tried to look the stance in Ye Wei¡¯s point of view as Elder Qing Ming hinted, but she just did not see how the rune was redundant.


    ¡°Sure. we¡¯ll see what happens.¡±


    ¡°Disperse!¡± She pointed at the particr rune and grunted, eliminating it from the sequence.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The whole length shook as the rune vanished, the sequence started rejoining itself and the Qi flow was not disrupted.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Qing Yao frowned in surprise as the sequence did not break down and disappear as she expected.


    ¡°This is strange, the stance seems to be fine without that rune. Strange... Very strange!¡±


    The elders were all gasping, dumbfounded.


    ¡°I was there when the patriarch made this stance, he tested each of these runes multiple times, How can this happen?¡±


    Elder Qing Ming kept quiet and still, observed the Qi flow as the sequence reconnectedpletely.


    ¡°Qing Yao, try activating the stance!¡± Xue Er eximed with a big smile on her face.


    ¡°Yea, right away!¡± Qing Yao looked at Ye Wei with slight uncertainty, then pointed her finger to the sequence¡¯s starting point.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Her golden Qi flowed through the entire sequence, every single rune shone bright and started rattling, a cracking sound filled the courtyard as the blurry light cleared up and became bolts of condensed energy.


    ¡°One, two, three, four!?¡± Qing Yao was shocked by the bolts that appeared in the air, her bell like voice trembled in disbelief. ¡°There is an extra bolt! How could this be?¡±


    ¡®Haha, that¡¯s not the impressive part, all of these bolts were condensed a bit differently, the stance is fifty percent stronger.¡± Elder Qing Ming smiled, satisfied by the result. ¡°He amplified the Qi flow by removing that rune. This is now a peak-high Earth stance!¡±

 Chapter 228 – Please Stay

    Chapter 228 - Please Stay


    ¡®The patriarch put this rune in because he wanted to split the Qi flow into three, but he also made each of the three subsequences to draw energy...¡¯ The elder council were all looking at the rune sequence modified by Ye Wei, they slowly understood the reason behind Ye Wei¡¯s correction.


    ¡°This is a very minor but impactful modification and we all missed it because we looked too close.¡± Elder Qing Ming felt a chill down his spine as he muttered. ¡°I have never seen anyone with such perception except when Grand-Runemasters refine a stance...¡±


    The Qing elders¡¯ confusion slowly turned into shock, none of them found it easy believe a child was able to pick up on something they have missed for months and the amount of time it took him to do so.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why we don¡¯t underestimate others.¡± Elder Qing Ming spoke to his men andughed, taking the chance to educate the others. ¡°A different point of view is usually inspiring anyway.¡±


    ¡®No matter how much it would cost us, we have to tie him with us, and even when that fails Ye Wei must remain our friend.¡¯ The head elder thought to himself.


    Qing Yao stood still and observed the four bolts in sheer amusement, her rune sequence moved towards Ye Wei.


    Although she had the luxury of being trained and guided by experts in every aspect of cultivation since young age, she had been always been obsessed with runes. Qing Yao¡¯s runic knowledge had been exceptional even among the Qing¡¯s experienced Runemasters, but it was now that she realized her training had caged her mind and what she saw as her achievements were irrelevant whenpared to Ye Wei¡¯s mastery.


    ¡°Ye Wei! What was that!?¡± While the others were still speechless, admiring Ye Wei¡¯s work, Xue Er said with a genuine, elevated voice, her eyes shining with admiration.


    ¡®It¡¯s a shame a minor modification like this doesn¡¯t trigger cosmic energy...¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself.


    ¡°I will be on my way now so you will be able to refine the stance further. Thank you for the offer again!¡± Ye Wei bowed, waved at the Qings then walked towards the door. ¡®I certainly hope this meeting was private, I might be in trouble if the other families knew I met with the Qings...¡¯


    ¡®The excessive rune was the smaller problem, the sequence¡¯s arrangement is what they should work on.¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, ¡®they should try pairing their runes a bit differently, or maybe even adding new runes... anything that might smoothen the flow.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ve done enough for them, they should be satisfied by my kind gesture.¡¯ Although Ye Wei was able to vaguely identify the issue, he was yet to discover a way to eliminate the unbnced energy distribution, he decided not to say a thing as it might give the Qings the idea that he wanted to to work for them.


    ¡°How did hee to the conclusion to remove that rune? I¡¯ve looked at that section too, more than a hundred times...¡± Qing Yao muttered to herself, still slightly in shock. ¡°We¡¯ve had Grand-Runemasters looking at the stance not so long ago and even they couldn¡¯t spot it.¡±


    Focused on Ye Wei¡¯s work, Qing Yao did not notice the initiate was leaving before she heard the creaking door. She turned into a sh, the green lotus beneath her feet carried her between Ye Wei and the door.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Wei frowned, expected the Qings to leave him in peace after his voluntary contribution.


    ¡®You are truly mysterious.¡¯ Qing Yao looked at Ye Wei¡¯s chiseled face from the side, curious of his childhood, the experience that gave him the special insight on runes.


    She then tried to soften him with a smile, unlike the elders she was interested in the young initiate as a person, not as a potential addition to the family¡¯s force. Qing Yao wanted to learn from Ye Wei, wanted to satisfy her curiosity.


    Only one step away from each other, Ye Wei for the first time had a good look at Qing Yao. Her floral perfume was filling his senses and herced robe was distracting his focus, but still he was clear that he wanted distance from the fairy-like figure.


    ¡°Please, can we have a word? This stance can still be improved, right? Can you just briefly point me towards the right direction?¡± Qing Yao asked in a sincere tone.


    ¡®Her admirers mustn¡¯t know about this that would make my time here in the pce difficult.¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself, slightly startled by Qing Yao¡¯s soft attitude as he had the impression that she was cold and unconcerned about others.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty! We would like to ask you a few more questions.¡± The Qing elders also caught up, none of them wanted to let the prodigy slip out of their fingers.


    Having witnessed Ye Wei¡¯s capability to refine an Earth stance, the Qings were even more desperate to recruit the initiate, thinking that even just based on the initiate¡¯s talent as a Runemaster Ye Wei could help the Qing¡¯s to reach their new height as a rune-centric martial force.


    Unlike the influence of a god¡¯s prime Warrior, a Grand-Runemaster¡¯s contribution would have asting impact on martial family¡¯s standing. The elders were surprised by Qing Yao¡¯s forwardness and initiative but didn¡¯t find it necessary to stop her from bothering the initiate.


    None of the elders could believe they¡¯ve underestimated Ye Wei, they were ashamed of themselves for making assumptions. On the other hand they were pleasantly surprised by the reality, imagining the future of their family with Ye Wei as their leader.


    ¡®This is the most humble I¡¯ve seen her! I guess it makes sense considering she is interested in runes more than anything else cultivation rted.¡¯ Xue Er chuckled as her gaze whizzed back and forth between Ye Wei and Qing Yao.


    ¡®I never thought someone could have cultivation potential like Chi Wuxiu¡¯s and talented as a Runemaster! If the outside world learned about the story of what happened today, Ye Wei would surely be surrounded by girls desperate to be his girlfriend!¡¯ Although clouded by wild thoughts, Xue Er knew better than to get involved inplicated rtionships.


    Ye Wei sighed and looked sincerely at the elders, ¡°I can try to help with further refinement, but I really can¡¯t join any martial families for now.¡±


    ¡°Can you do that? Do you think there is still room for improvement?¡± After a brief moment of silence, Qing Yao¡¯s sweet voice sounded. She couldn¡¯t helpparing Ye Wei to the projection of her idol. ¡®His sensitivity must be sharp, I wonder how he would weigh up against the Runemaster who found the first Vermilion rune.Thousands of top Runemasters have been researching on the the seven runes and this mysterious person managed to get it done before all of them.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, there is some room for improvement.¡± Ye Wei nodded. ¡°But I don¡¯t know the stance well enough.¡±


    ¡°Is there!?¡± Xue Yao¡¯s eyes brightened up interrupting before Ye Wei finished his sentence.


    Meanwhile, the elders weremunicating with each other using the Qing¡¯s own voice transmission technique.


    ¡°This kid is extraordinary! His intuition with runes seems almost supernatural, I think he has a better chance of bing a Grand-Runemaster than bing a god¡¯s prime Warrior.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a blessing from the sages that we got to meet this kid!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so wishful yet, even if Ye Wei is twice as talented it won¡¯t mean anything to the family before we actually sessfully recruit him.¡±


    ¡°Then we should make a decision.¡±


    ¡°I say we do whatever it takes to get him on our side.¡± Elder Qing Ming expressed his view and all the other elders nodded. ¡°Since he is clear that he doesn¡¯t want to pick a side, we have to influence him delicately.¡±


    While the elders were trying toe up with a solution, Qing Yao showed the Light sh Finger stance to Ye Wei again.


    ¡°Here, this rune doesn¡¯t look right and I have no idea what exactly the problem is.¡± Ye Wei pointed at the stance. ¡°What do you think? I have not learned this stance, so I don¡¯t know what the Qi flow is like exactly.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Qing Yao nodded disappointedly.


    ¡°Thank you anyway. You have helped us a lot, and you shall be rewarded for your effort.¡± Elder Qing Ming walked forth and handed over an interspatial bag to Ye Wei.

 Chapter 229 – Mid-Grade Earth Stance

    Chapter 229 - Mid-Grade Earth Stance


    ¡°Please, rx. We do not mean to pressure you any further, this is merely a token of appreciation. The Light sh Finger Stance is important to the family and we are just rewarding you ordingly.¡± Elder Qing Ming spoke passionately as he could feel that Ye Wei was about to refuse the gift.


    ¡°Ye Wei, you are thinking too much! Just take it!¡± Xue Er smiled, revealing her slightly oversized, rabbit-like front teeth. ¡°They would have to pay a lot to a Grand-Runemaster to refine the stance and even then they might not have had the job done as well as you did.¡±


    ¡°You deserve it! We have been stuck trying to refine the stance for a while now, and I really don¡¯t see ourselves finishing what we¡¯ve started.¡± Elder Qing Ming added. ¡°If you have space time and energy, we would like you to fix the stance¡¯s other ws!¡±


    The other elders joined in and tried to convince the young initiate.


    ¡°Stop being so modest. If anyone outside the family learned that you refined a stance for free, they will think the Qings are stingy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We will keep it between us of course, but when others see us using an improved version of the stance, they might start digging.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you insist then thank you very very much!.¡± Ye Wei reluctantly took the bag. ¡°Sorry if I appear rude, I just want to stay neutral for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Qing Yao, I would need you to teach him the stance. He needs to know the stance well before he could work on it properly.¡± Elder Qing Ming said calmly. ¡°Again, Ye Wei, please don¡¯t feel bad, you being able to refine this stance is beneficial for the Qing family in the long run.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Both Qing Yao and Ye Wei nodded simultaneously, smiling at each other.


    Ye Wei could notice Qing Yao¡¯s beauty even though her face was covered by a veil, however he still could not stop thinking about Lin Ziyan everyday, resulting in ack on interest in girls and theck of romantic thoughts with anyone new in his life.


    He was more interested in the Light sh Finger stance than he was in romance, as the stance was a chance for him to enrich his arsenal and furthermore improve his cultivation.


    At this point neither Qing Yao nor Ye Wei suspected the Qing elder council¡¯s n regarding recruitment.


    ¡°The ck Dragon Ranking tournaments are going to start in a month. We will leave you young ones training at your own pace.¡± Elder Qing Ming smiled and thought to himself as he walked off. ¡®Now we just wait until little Yao¡¯s charm starts working. There is no point of us staying and pressuring him further.¡¯


    Although the elder did not manage to get a promise from the young initiate, they were d to have establish a connection between the two parties.


    After the elders¡¯ departure, Ye Wei, Xue Er and Qing Yao were the only ones left in the vi. As Ye Wei and Qing Yao both had few words, Xue Er¡¯s energy and yfulness was the only thing that bnced the quietness.


    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, I would like to go back to my vi and train. Let¡¯s continue tomorrow, I look forward to learning this powerful stance.¡± Ye Wei said, ncing at the setting sun. As an Earth stance was worth mountains of treasures, being given the permission, he was not nning to miss the chance of being tutored by one of the best cultivators in the pce and mastering the stance.


    However, Ye Wei was not going to dedicated all his time on the Qing¡¯s stance either. ¡®It¡¯s easier to channel the stars¡¯ energy when sunlight is not drowning out everything else in the sky. It¡¯s not appropriate for us to be alone all night either.¡¯


    ¡®I will be challenged by many in a month, therefore I need to breakthrough to returned prime level. I will learn from fighting but I need to be strong enough tost in the arena.¡¯


    After agreeing on his next meeting with Qing Yao and Xue Er, Ye Wei thanked the two girls and took his leave.


    ¡°What do you think about him?¡± Looking at Ye Wei¡¯s silhouette getting further away, Xue Er spoke to Qing Yao in a less yful tone.


    Qing Yao took a few seconds to think and replied, ¡° He is very down to earth; methodical when it came to cultivating and runes. I think it will not be long before he overtakes Chi Wuxiu considering he will be refining stances and receiving cosmic energy.¡±


    ¡°I think you two look good together!¡± Xue Erughed and chuckled.


    ¡°If you say anything about me and him again, I will p you!¡± Qing Yao blushed and stared at Xue Er, then she turned away and muttered. ¡°Furthermore, he is focused on cultivating, he doesn¡¯t really care about anything else, we will one day just be nothing more than people he met before he gets to the top.¡±


    ¡°But you are beautiful! Are you sure he is not interested in you?¡± Xue Er was shocked by the thought.


    Qing Yao subtly nodded.


    Just within minutes, Ye Wei had already returned to his own vi, oblivious about the duo¡¯s opinion on him.


    ¡°There are twelve patterns in the first stage of Eternal Star stance and I¡¯ve only finished learning the first one. I have to at least finish the second pattern before the ranking tournaments!¡± Ye Wei stood alone in the courtyard, clenched his fist while looking at the sky.


    ¡®If the first pattern brought my body strength close to three-star returned prime level, it will be more than likely that my body strengthens to the likes of a five-star returned prime Warrior. But after that I will need to master at least two more patterns at a time to significantly upgrade my strength.¡¯


    He then started counting and muttering.


    ¡°Seven-star by the time I finish the fifth and sixth patterns, eight-star when I am done with the eighth... By the time I get finish the twelfth pattern my body should be as tough as any ten-star returned prime Warrior.¡±


    ¡°Which means the sooner I finish the Eternal Star stance, the quicker I will be able to at least have a shot at fighting the higher ranked, high-end returned prime Warriors.¡±


    Ye Wei formed an ancient seal with his hands, his will-force expanded and reached up towards the sky. Once his energy had expanded to its limit, he quickly swapped to a different seal.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The ground trembled as the stars¡¯ energy was linked with Ye Wei¡¯s will-force, he was suddenly bathing in a pir of light.


    With his body empowered by the starlight, Ye Wei twisted and turned his body ordingly to the second star pattern. His meridians opened up and soaked up the wild energy like a dry sponge, his muscles subtly bulked up and his bones began hardening.


    The night of cultivating passed quickly, and as the sun rose Ye Wei made his way to Qing Yao¡¯s vi. After briefly greeting each other, the second tutoring sessionmenced.


    Ye Wei soon realized how passionate Qing Yao was about the refinement as she did not hold anything back. With patience and in great details, she passed on what she¡¯s been taught to Ye Wei.


    During the next days, Ye Wei got to know Xue Er and Qing Yao better from the intensive training; thus the tension between the trio eventually dissolved. It was then that Qing Yao and Xue Er discovered just how talented Ye Wei was.


    ¡®This stance is a seven hundred and twenty-two runes long sequence, it took me three months to learn. He managed to memorize three hundred of them in five days spending no more than six hours each day! He does not need that three months, he will only need half of how long it took me, or even less.¡¯ Qing Yao thought to herself, ¡®and I thought I was quick. This is truly astounding, even for a nine-howls cultivator!¡¯


    ¡°Qing Yao, he learns so quickly! I am upset!¡± Xue Er puffed her lips andined, ¡°I feel like a bad cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Is this quick?¡± Ye Wei asked with an air of confusion in his frown, did not realize the Mystic Mount presence was the reason him learning the new stance ended up almost effortless.


    ¡°Humph, I cannot take this! I am challenging you to a duel now when I can still win.¡± Xue Er held a breath of air and puffed up her cheeks while rolling up her sleeves.


    A thin veil of Qi condensed on her pale arms as she spoke, however her baby fat made her look like a doll to Ye Wei rather than a threatening opponent.


    ¡°You? Dueling me?¡± He was startled by the random proposal, ¡®she is a cute thing with a child¡¯s body and mind...¡¯


    ¡°Yea! And you are not going to win because I am very strong!¡± Seeing Ye Wei¡¯s questions as a threat, Xue Er made fists and cracked her pink knuckles to let Ye Wei know she was not pleased.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate her.¡± Qing Yao smiled and said.


    ¡°Oh yea? Don¡¯t cry too loud when I beat you!¡± Ye Wei nced at the girls, smiled and said jokingly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see myself losing but if I do, I¡¯ll give you Qing Yao as a gift!¡± Xue Er widened her eyes and said seriously.


    Both Ye Wei and Qing Yao were embarrassed by Xue Er¡¯s statement, his smiled became awkward and her blushed cheeks shone through her veil.


    ¡°I told you not to joke about things like this!¡± Qing Yao nce at her filterless friend and shouted.


    After spending time together, Ye Wei knew that Xue Er was just kidding but he also realized that Qing Yao was as quiet as she was shy; that she was a warm and friendly person underneath the cold exterior.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡± Ye Wei smiled and beckoned, but his smile vanished the moment Xue Er¡¯s figure disappeared right before him.

 Chapter 230 – Is It Easy?

    Chapter 230 - Is It Easy?


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    When Xue Er¡¯s figure appeared again, her puffy palm had already connected to Ye Wei¡¯s chest.


    ¡®Damn! What happened?¡¯


    Ye Wei did not expect such speed nor had he faced an opponent armed with this level of quickness. Before he could process Xue Er¡¯s strike, he was already sent flying, falling backwards.


    ¡°Haha! Loser!¡± Xue Er pped her tiny hands hysterically, overwhelmed by the excitement of victory.


    ¡°How was that possible?¡± Ye Wei stood himself up and widened his eyes in shock, struggling to believe the innocent looking girl, who now had a childish smile on her face, just knocked him down with one strike. ¡®I might have a shot if I used the third Supernova Evolution alongside the Eternal Star stance. But even so I won¡¯t be quick enough to react to that kind of speed and strength in a long fight!¡±


    ¡°You have been tricked! There is no way you could beat her. Xue Er has been keeping her real strength a secret for a while now. She became a six-star returned prime Warrior since more than half a year ago. Our n is to keep her strength a secret before she is strong enough to contest with the higher ranked talents.¡± Qing Yao¡¯s eyes narrowed and curled as sheughed.


    ¡°It is impressive that your have a body of a three-star returned prime Warrior. I¡¯m guessing your cultivation level is lower than that, but you can¡¯t defeat Xue Er with gimmicks.¡± Qing Yao smiled and shook her head.


    ¡°Six-star returned prime level?¡± Ye Wei gulped and looked at Xue Er¡¯s childish face again.


    ¡®I¡¯m d that I¡¯ve made her a friend of mine rather than a foe.¡¯ The initiate thought to himself, ¡®This is a great reminder... I should never judge people by first impressions, cultivators are entric, especially the stronger ones.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it too personal. Both me and Xue Er have been training in secret realms, it¡¯s okay that you are not as strong as we are.¡± Qing Yao gently smiled at Ye Wei and said.


    ¡°I surrender!¡± Without any hesitation, Ye Wei lifted his arms and shouted. ¡®Even if I managed to finish learning the second pattern I will not be able to fight her for longer than twenty minutes. I am also certain that she has some more tricks up her sleeves.¡¯


    ¡®There is morepetition in this pce than I expected, there will be more like Xue Er who keep a low profile before they are ready to challenge the higher ranks.¡¯ He thought. ¡®Like Qing Yao said, I should take advantage of the secret realms controlled by the Helians, I can¡¯t waste more time.¡¯


    Time passed quickly like a white pony¡¯s shadow across a crevice. Over two weeks¡¯ time, Ye Wei had spent hours of daylight with Qing Yao studying Light sh Finger stance and experimenting with runes.


    While sharing their experiences, Qing Yao had mentioned the Runemaster that she idolized and how she was inspired and motivated by the mysterious figure.


    And when Ye Wei figured out that she was talking about none but himself, he felt increasingly ufortable as Qing Yao expressed her admiration again and again.


    He also found out that Qing Yao assumed the mysterious Runemaster to be a respected, knowledgeable Grand-Runemaster who is trying to keep a low-profile.


    There were a few moments when Ye Wei was dying to give up information that might help Qing Yao figure out he was the one she admired but he managed to hold his tongue.


    A couple more days past quickly, although the duo did not manage to refine the stance, but they did improve Ye Wei¡¯s runic knowledge and he was getting morefortable with manipting moreplicated runes.


    During this period, he was also training on his own when he was not with Qing Yao. As the result, on top of mastering the Light sh Finger stance, he also improved his own Sword Qi by a great deal. Furthermore, he was able to push his body strength and his light clone to four-star returned prime level by infusing the runic patterns of the Eternal Star Stance into his own bloodstream.


    As the date of the first ranking fight approached, a lot of cultivators that had been training in remote secret realms had returned to the pce. Although more crowded, the ck Dragon Valley was even quieter than usual, the atmosphere in the pce was bing heavier.


    ***


    Ye Wei exhaled deeply as the first drop of sunnded on his face, the energy of the stars surrounding his body then fading. After a whole night working on the Eternal Star stance, his body was sore as his mind was restless.


    ¡°I have been training for twenty-two days straight now, eight more days and I will be facing the high ranked cultivators.¡± The stone doors of his training chamber opened when he stood up, he mumbled to himself while he headed to his courtyard.


    Standing in the courtyard, Ye Wei helplessly shook his head, breathing in cool morning air. Although in the past twenty-two days his strength improved considerately, his cultivation was not much closer to reaching the next rank.


    ¡°Cultivation should be my fundamental focus! Although I can train my body regardless of it, there is a roof to how strong my body can get with limited amount of Qi flowing through my meridians. It¡¯s not efficient to keep training my body before I breakthrough to be a returned prime Warrior.¡±


    ¡°My body¡¯s strength is almost at its limit¡± Ye Wei muttered to himself as he looked at the distant white hazy mist gathering on the horizon.


    ¡°I must try again!¡± He positioned himself in the courtyard, crossed his legs to continue cultivating. He began to alter his Qi flow to the center meridians that led to the silver ball in his dantian, the ten golden fissures lit up as the ball of energy started spinning. His meridians then began to contract, pressuring his Qi. Suddenly the normal Qi flow became a great force that rushed through his entire body.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    Empowered by the vast energy, the golden fissures on the silver ball of Qi began to thicken and rattle.


    ¡°Open up!¡± The veins on his forehead expanded and became visible, his face became pale now that he was losing control over his Qi.


    ¡°Drip... Drip...¡±


    Covered in sweat, with his clothes soaked through, Ye Wei was directing all of his energy to his dantian. All of a sudden a small fraction of the silver ball turned golden, but within the same second when the transformation took ce, Ye Wei had lost focus. The powerful golden energy dissipated as quickly as it appeared, vanishing into nothing.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    With a few clicking sounds, his meridians rxed and the golden fissures in his dantian returned to their normal state.


    ¡°I am still very far from figuring it out!¡±


    Ye Wei wiped his face with his sleeve, disappointment overtook him as he shook his head and slightly sighed. ¡®The concentrated energy only overtook a tiny part of the energy ball, I would need at least ten times more Qi to actually breakthrough.¡¯


    ¡°Qing Yao and Xue Er had to go through the same struggle in the past. I need to ask them for some advice, otherwise I¡¯d never reach my goal before the start of the ranking tournament!¡± Ye Wei got up and strode towards Qing Yao¡¯s vi.


    ***


    At the vi, Qing Yao, Xue Er and Ye Wei were sitting by the bluestone table in the courtyard, and both of the girls were shocked when Ye Wei ask about them for tips regarding breaking through to the returned prime level.


    ¡°Did I hear it right? You still haven¡¯t been able to breakthrough?¡±


    Xue Er gave an incredulous look at Ye Wei, as subtleness was never her strong feature. ¡®Was it a joke? Your body strength has already reached four-star returned prime level!¡¯


    ¡°However strong a body stance is, it¡¯s only a stance and therefore it will be limited by Qi and cultivation. I would say it is a miracle that your body could take it when your strength exceeded returned prime level. I have never heard any condensed prime managed to push their body strength past three-star returned prime level with any technique! Are you rted to demons?¡±


    She eximed with an air of surprise. ¡®This is truly unexinable!¡¯


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking. I still wasn¡¯t able to breakthrough.¡± Used to having his cultivation as a secret as he was able to store his Qi on the Supernova runes on his bones, Ye Wei felt slightly ufortable talking about his rtively low cultivation level.


    He took a deep breath and released a runic seal close to his palm, his Qi was then released from his bones to his meridians, giving him Qi presence like an ordinary cultivator.


    ¡°Seriously? Only a ten-star condensed prime warrior?!¡± Qing Yao looked suspiciously at Ye Wei, trying to see through him.


    ¡®He possessed runic knowledge that allowed him to spot a mid-level Earth stance¡¯s ws and was even able to improve it, his body is as strong as a four-star returned prime warrior, but he is still a condensed prime?¡¯


    ¡®To what extent can he enhance his body strength? And what will happen when he finally makes it through?¡¯ Qing Yao was more emotionally involved in developing Ye Wei to be a cultivationpanion than she realized, with shining eyes she said. ¡°It¡¯s easy if you know a couple of tricks.¡±


    As a martial art genius herself, Qing Yao saw some very impressive and talented people during her short life, however there were none who couldpare to her unspoken abilities, maybe except Ye Wei.


    Apart from Chi Wuxiu¡¯s dominance, Qing Yao was not sure who else could be in the way of Ye Wei¡¯s rise to the top in the future. And even Chi Wuxiu was the stronger cultivator at the time, Qing Yao was more interested in the initiate than the veteran.


    ¡®Chi Wuxiu is a truly gifted cultivator, but Ye Wei is a both a fighter and a Runemaster with brimming talent and potential.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s easy if I know a couple of tricks?¡± mumbled Ye Wei stricken by their words. With a puzzled look he turned his face to Qing Yao, ¡°there is a huge gap between condensed prime and returned prime warriors. How can it not be difficult?¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei, for the outside world the passage from condensed prime to returned prime is demanding and very challenging. But for us in the Million Stars Pce, it¡¯s actually not that difficult. Anyone who has been training in the pce for more than a year had managed to be a returned prime Warrior!¡± Xue Er winked with her cute watery eyes.

 Chapter 231 – Ancient Cloud Realm

    Chapter 231 - Ancient Cloud Realm


    ¡°So that¡¯s why...¡± Ye Wei nodded after a brief moment of thinking, ¡®Everyone apart from the initiates I¡¯ve met here are all returned prime Warriors.¡±


    ¡°Out of all the secret realms the Helian has control over, there is a special one called Ancient Cloud, it¡¯s is guarded by golden runic puppets, which are less powerful than returned prime level. It is rtively safeparing to other realms.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dangerous realm and you can¡¯t find anything too valuable there. However, it is one of the only known locations where you can find Return Prime Stone.¡± Xue Er looked at Ye Wei and spoke quietly as if she was telling someone a secret. ¡°The stones are actually prettymon and invaluable so to speak.¡±


    ¡°Return Prime Stones are natural storages ofpact energy, any ten-star condensed prime Warrior who isn¡¯tpletely stupid usually get inspired and figure out what they have to do to breakthrough when theyys hands on these stones.¡±


    ¡°Everyone who lives here have clearance to train in the Ancient Cloud realm, that¡¯s why I said it¡¯s not difficult.¡±


    ¡°A stone that can help condensed prime Warriors reaching returned prime stage? Common?¡± Ye Wei¡¯s mouth was open, clearly shocked to hear the information.


    ¡°There is only one returned prime Warrior in the outskirt region where I came from! If artefact like that ismon than what do you consider rare?¡±


    ¡°There is a total of twelve secret realms in the Zhou dynasty, the stones are not the most powerful material within these realms.¡± Qing Yao found Ye Wei¡¯s surprise expression cute, answering with a smile.


    ¡®What other realms?!!¡¯ Ye Wei thought to himself.


    ¡°Wei, don¡¯t listen to Qing Yao. She is from a big family and didn¡¯t go through the struggle like us! There is a phenomenon, visitors of the realm are able to acquire only one stone and the stones only releasing their energy when held by their finders. Of course she is not going find it valuable when it can¡¯t be turned into a business.¡± Xue Er giggled and imitated Qing Yao¡¯s graceful postures. ¡°By the way, a lot of this year¡¯s initiates have already went and got their stones actually.¡±


    ¡°What!? Why haven¡¯t I been told about it?¡± Ye Wei eximed.


    ¡°You have beaten quite a few returned prime Warriors if you don¡¯t remember.¡± Xue Er shook her head and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°These stones are only valuable to cultivators with a certain level of talent at a specific point of their lives. I still think Pale Moon Essence is more valuable.¡± Qing Yao said calmly. ¡°You should go get yours, you still have time to breakthrough before the ranking tournaments.¡±


    ¡®I am sure all the struggling cultivators who died as ten-star condensed prime Warrior would agree with you too...¡¯ Ye Wei sighed and thought to himself.


    ¡°Qing Yao, if you don¡¯t mind, I would like to focus on breaking through instead of refining the stance for now.¡± He spoke with honesty, ¡°I will be in a better ce to work on refining the stance once I¡¯ve gotten a better ranking. I promise I wille back to refinement as soon as I can.¡±


    Feeling the responsibilities he signed himself up for, Ye Wei felt obligated to refine the Light sh Finger stance, therefore wanted to be transparent to Qing Yao.


    ¡°Yea, I understand!¡± Qing Yao nodded, aware that refining an earth stance requires time, a clear mind andplete focus.


    ¡°I will be on my way!¡± After bidding farewell, Ye Wei directly went back to the guard post closest to his own vi, and requested ess to the Ancient Cloud Realm.


    A few momentster, a ck runicle arrived in front of Ye Wei¡¯s vi. A middle-aged Helian agent stepped out and spoke with great authority. ¡°Am I speaking to rank nine hundred and thirty-five, Ye Wei?¡±


    The young initiate nodded.


    ¡°Are you packed and ready? We will be heading to the Ancient Cloud Realm right away.¡±


    Ye Wei nodded again.


    ¡°Get in the runicle.¡± The agent ordered after checking Ye Wei¡¯s name tag.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    With lightning speed, the runicle rushed towards the transportation arrays at the northern edge of the pce.


    ¡°He is heading to a secret realm?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it, I think I heard the guard saying Ancient Cloud realm, but why does this kid need to go there?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to know why, we just need to report to the Spiritualist as ordered.¡±


    ¡°Yea, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Soon after the runicle¡¯s departure, the cultivators that had been hiding nearby all came out from the shadows at once, flew towards Qing Mu¡¯s vi as if their lives were depending on it.


    Ever since Qing Yao showed interest in Ye Wei, Qing Mu the Spiritualist had ordered some of his followers to watch the initiate¡¯s movements. After learning that Ye Wei was frequently visiting Qing Yao, the Spiritualist¡¯s envy and frustration grew, he required his surveince team to report everything they saw and heard.


    ¡°Spiritualist, Ye Wei is heading the the Ancient Cloud Realm!¡± the first of Qing Mu¡¯s followers to arrive kneeled down as soon as he entered his leader¡¯s living room, reporting respectfully.


    ¡°Pfft, that means he¡¯s still a condensed prime Warrior. He must not be a good one either, who needs to use a stone to breakthrough these days!¡± Qing Mu adjusted his jade hairpin and chuckled disdainfully, trying to cover his fear of the initiate catching up with him. ¡®I never thought it¡¯s possible but he could defeat returned prime Warriors while still being at condensed prime level...¡¯


    ¡°We cannot let him.¡± Said Qing Mu with an evil grin on his face. His cold nce fell onto his followers. ¡°Shi Kun, Qian Dao, Zhou Huan, you three are going on a mission. Go to the Ancient Cloud Realm, stop that kid from getting his hands on a stone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Spiritualist, he will not get hold of one under our watch!¡± Shi Kun stepped forward and dered.


    ¡°Get a move on!¡± Qing Mu waved and sent them away.


    ¡®Ye Wei beat Jin Kui but his victory was marginal, I don¡¯t think this damn newbie will be able to handle three returned prime Warrior at once...¡¯ The Spiritualist thought to himself as he watched his followers flew away, tried to rx and trust his men.


    Within a minute after the brief meeting, a runicle came and picked up the trio from Qing Mu¡¯s doorsteps.


    ¡°He¡¯s already gone in.¡± The trio arrived on a t peak sat on the edge of the pce, all they could see was a runic array and nine tall crystal pirs. With no sign of Ye Wei on the t mountaintop, they flew through the glinting monuments towards the array¡¯s center.


    ¡°Are you guys ready?¡± Shi Kun asked the other two and rushed towards the warp gate as soon as his colleagues nodded.


    ¡°What are you three doing here? You are already three-star returned prime Warriors.¡± One of the array operators knitted his brows, asking with confusion.


    ¡°Just do your job, you are here to assist us with the teleportation array, not to ask useless questions. You should keep your nose out of Qing Mu the spiritualist¡¯s business.¡± Shi Kun grunted and said with great pride.


    ¡°Qing Mu the spiritualist?¡± The official¡¯s face changed, nodded to the trio and activated the teleportation array.


    Since the low clearance operators were aware of Qing Mu¡¯s influence in the pce and in the Helian family, they knew better than to cross the talented youngster. Not quite sure what they just witnessed, they frowned, looked at each other then started chatting once the trio left.


    ¡°They have no reason to go to the Ancient Cloud Realm, something¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well, let¡¯s report it to the elders just in case.¡±


    The gate guards quickly wrote a small note and sent it to the Helian elders with a teleportation rune sequence.


    ***


    Ye Wei could not see or hear anything, since the moment he entered the teleportation array he could not feel his own weight and simultaneously became disorientated.


    However, having used a simr teleportation array once before, he was aware that the strange, pulsing sensation he felt came from the friction between him and the dimensional barriers which separated a physical realms from one another.


    He could not quite quantify the amount of time he spent travelling ufortably through the warp, he was relieved when he felt a drop of warm sun on his skin. When Ye Wei could see again, he found himself on a desert ind.


    ¡®I am in the middle on the ocean?¡¯ A sobering salty smell and the sound of waves breaking awakened Ye Wei¡¯s senses.


    With every wave of sea breeze pping his face, Ye Wei regained a bit of consciousness. He gazed to all direction and the only thing he could on the edge of the horizon was water and clouds.


    The clouds were suspending just meters off the ground and sea level, making it hard for Ye Wei to visually navigate the area.


    ¡°I guess I should go there...¡± After a few minutes of looking around, Ye Wei spotted a pce floating on top the sea behind the cloud.


    The structure was glittering like gold and transparent like jade. Ye Wei could not figure out what material it was made of, but he could vaguely feel a vortex of energy from the direction of the pce.


    Outside the entrance stood hundreds ofrge golden golems, they were surrounding the tightly shut gate. Ye Wei tried to reach into the pce with his will-force but the energy he sent was quickly rejected by the runic shield around the structure.

 Chapter 232 – Interception

    Chapter 232 - Interception


    After a few unsessful attempts to prate the pce¡¯s walls with his will-force, Ye Wei gave up trying altogether. ¡®There are some people over there, I should get my stone first and worry about the pceter!¡¯


    ¡°So those are the golden puppets Qing Yao and Xue Er mentioned.¡± Ye Wei smiled, mumbling to himself while looking afar at the pce. ¡°They are indeed below returned prime level, nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡±


    More than twenty initiates were fighting the puppets, none of them were above condensed prime level.


    ¡°So one of these return prime stones shoots out from the pce once you have defeated the puppet. That¡¯s what she meant when she said everyone can only get the stone once...¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t look too hard!¡±


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    Ye Wei¡¯s feet viciously propelled against the ground, riding a bow of starlike runic patterns as he sped towards the pce in the middle of the sea.


    ¡°It¡¯s Ye Wei!¡±


    ¡°He is my hero! But what is he doing here?¡±


    ¡°He just got himself onto the ck Dragon List! We should go ask him for some cultivation tips!¡± Everyone was excited to see the person that saved them from being humiliated by the veterans.


    After ten breaths¡¯ time, Ye Weinded in front of the pce, taking a closer look at the initiates. ¡®Jian Chen isn¡¯t here, but I recognize Hong Hai, I got him out of a beating from the veterans.¡¯


    ¡°Ye Wei! You are here?¡± Hong Hai bowed respectfully at Ye Wei, ¡°thanks again for the intervention, I would still be in a sick bed now if you didn¡¯t help me.¡±


    ¡°Hi. I remember you.¡± Ye Wei smiled and nodded.


    ¡°I appreciate that!¡± Hong Hai replied while clenching his fists, excited to speak to Ye Wei. ¡°You inspired me! I am here because of you. Hopefully I will be able to catch up with the veterans quicker after getting a stone. I gave myself a goal to be a returned prime Warrior within two to three months.¡±


    As talented a cultivator as he was, Hong Hai¡¯s pride and confidence were scarred by the experience of getting humiliated by Feng Shan. Luckily for him, he found motivation on the very same day from the person who avenged him.


    ¡°Ye Wei, you have to be careful. I heard that a lot of high-ranking ck Dragon listers are nning to challenge you during the tournament...¡± Hong Hai came closer to his idol and whispered.


    ¡°I know.¡± Ye Wei nodded indifferently. ¡®And I¡¯ve known for a while now. It¡¯s normal that the veterans feel threatened considering the amount of attention I drew onto myself. They might think I am disrespectful.¡¯


    Ye Wei saw the challenges ahead more as positive obstacles he will have to eventually ovee than something that stressed him. However after getting defeated by Xue Er, breaking through had be a more urgent matter for Ye Wei as he realized who he would be fighting in the tournament were likely to be on the same level as Xue Er.


    ¡°Why are you lot just standing there?¡± Ye Wei looked towards the golden puppets and asked bewilderedly.


    ¡°These puppets are below returned prime level, but it takes more than an ordinary ten-star condensed prime Warrior to bring them down...¡± Hong Hai nced at the puppets and said shamefully.


    ¡°We only have one chance, if we are defeated by the puppet, we won¡¯t be able to get our hands on a ster on. Everyone is ying it safe, we can¡¯t afford to risk what might be our only chance to be a returned prime Warrior before we are too old to be recruited by powerful families.¡± Hong Hai¡¯s eyes scanned across the group of initiates and exined slowly.


    ¡°I see...¡± Ye Wei nodded, ¡°I am kind of in a hurry, you guys are wee to watch and learn more about how these puppets fight.¡±


    Ye Wei then casually walked through the initiates towards one of the golden puppets, mumbling as he was getting close. ¡°Eight days, no room for mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei is in a league of his own, he only just came here and he is just going to go in blind!? He might be stronger than all of us assume him to be!¡±


    ¡°What did you expect? He did beat the strongest three-star returned prime Warrior in the pce, he can surely handle a puppet.¡±


    The initiates looked at Ye Wei with respect and admiration.


    Confident about his four-star returned prime level body strength, Ye Wei walked up to one of the golden puppets and just after a brief look struck without much hesitation.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    Just before his fist was about to connect onto the puppet, a beam of blue light shot from afar and destroyed the puppet before Ye Wei¡¯s eyes.


    His fist flew through a screen of golden dust.


    The runic array of the pce did not react to the puppet¡¯s destruction.


    ¡®Whoever did this had already gotten a stone in the past!¡¯ Ye Wei frowned and looked towards the blue beam¡¯s source.


    His rended on Shi Kun, Qian Dao and Zhou Huan, the trio pridefully stared back at Ye Wei with disdainful smiles on their faces.


    ¡°They are Qing Mu¡¯s men, what is their business here?¡± Hong Hai mumbled, frowned in confusion as he recognized the trio.


    ¡°They are all ck Dragon listers above four-star returned prime level, and they¡¯ve certainly gotten a stone in the past!¡±


    Ye Wei narrowed his eyes and red at the trio. ¡®They are here to do nothing else than give me a hard time.¡¯


    ¡®There are plenty more puppets here.¡¯ He exhaled slowly, trying to suppress his anger and decided to find himself another puppet instead of confronting the trio.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Just when Ye Wei was close to the next puppet, another blue beam flew past him and reached the target before his fist did.


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that. I identally broke those puppets!¡± Shi Kun spoke in a dry tone, ¡®Newbies these days... It¡¯s stupid enough to pick a fight with Qing Mu as a veteran. I would not want to be in his position the slightest.¡¯


    ¡°Shi Kun, you are just so clumsy sometimes.¡± Zhou Huan added in aedic tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, my Qi is just very active today. I couldn¡¯t control it.¡± Shi Kun shrugged and pulled a guilty looking face.


    ¡°They are picking on Ye Wei...¡±


    ¡°These veterans are shameless, they have already gotten their stones, they don¡¯t gain anything from being difficult!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t hard for anyone to guess that the veterans were intentionally giving Ye Wei a hard time.


    ¡°I can feel it! All three of them are four-star returned prime Warriors, Ye Wei is in trouble, they should be higher ranked than Jin Kui by quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°They really are trying their best to put us down!¡±


    The initiates were angered by the injustice, sharing the same hatred in their hearts.


    ¡°Ye Wei, they won¡¯t go away before you do, and I think they might even force you to leave this realm. If you want to participate the tournament in good condition, you just have to ept that today is not the day you get your stone...¡± Hong Hai urgently told Ye Wei. ¡°We would love to fight by your side but I don¡¯t think it will be any help...¡±


    ¡®Leave?¡¯ Ye Wei knitted his brows, ¡®if I leave now, they will think I am scared of them. From there, these self-centered veterans will just push all of the initiates even harder.¡¯


    ¡°I have great respect for all the veterans here. If you three think otherwise, you have misunderstood my intentions that other day.¡± Ye Wei lifted his head and said sincerely, but he had a chilling re as if he already knew the trio did not wish to end the dispute peacefully.


    ¡°I have been here for less than a month, I don¡¯t even know any of you. If you were displeased by something I¡¯ve done I would like to know how we can resolve our differences.¡± He continued.


    ¡°What do you mean? You turned the pce¡¯s traditions upside down and showed all of us you have the potential to rival Chi Wuxiu, small yers like us dare not to cross you.¡± Shi Kun stared down pridefully and said in a sarcastic voice. ¡°We are just taking a walk, all three of us like how the clouds look in here. You¡¯ve got a problem with that?¡±


    ¡®Without a doubt, you are a genius among geniuses, but if the Spiritualist doesn¡¯t want you to have an easy life, there is nothing we can do to chance it.¡¯ Shi Kun thought to himself.


    Although the trio knew about Ye Wei¡¯s talent and admired the initiate to an extent, they knew they must follow Qing Mu¡¯s orders if they wished to survive thepetitive pce.


    ¡°Are you three sure about this? If you want to be difficult, I will too.¡± Ye Wei¡¯s face turned dark as the golden runic patterns on his bones came alive.


    ¡°It frustrates me how far you three are going without a reason.¡± Ye Wei clenched his fist, warm waves of energy began to leak out from his skin. ¡°I do not bully others and I do not tolerate bullies.¡±


    ¡°Oh, look at that, I¡¯ve never seen an angry genius before. I think my legs are getting soft, it¡¯s a scary sight don¡¯t you think?¡± Shi Kun red at Ye Wei and said sarcastically.


    Qian Dao and Zhou Huan began tough hysterically.


    ¡°Let it out, it¡¯s not healthy to hold a grudge.¡± Zhou Huan narrowed his eyes and beckoned.


    ¡°I will remember what you three did today. And I would like to see what made you guys think you can stop me from getting a stone.¡± Ye Wei red at the trio, although uncertain about winning a fight against the four-star returned prime Warriors, he was certain he would be able to get a stone while keeping them upied.


    ¡®Starblink Steps!¡¯


    ¡®Light clone!¡¯


    Ye Wei ignored the trio entirely, rushed to a puppet at his top speed while his clone headed to another. ¡®I am here to get things done, I have no interest in fighting any of you.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go boys!¡± Shi Kun grunted and his eyes turned cold.


    ¡°Whoosh! Whoosh!¡±


    Just as Shi Kun ordered, Qian Daounched themselves towards Ye Wei and Zhou Huan to the clone, while Shi Kun stayed at the backline to control the assault.

 Chapter 233 – Return Prime Stone

    Chapter 233 - Return Prime Stone


    The initiates frowned, shocked by how far the trio were willing to go driven by pride. They all took a step back and began talking to each other.


    ¡°I kind of saw this happening, there is no way the veterans would let it go easily. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s ethical for them to make a move while Ye Wei is trying to get his stone!¡±


    ¡°A tall tree in a shrub is always the first to fall when a stormes.¡±


    ¡°Ye Wei might be able to take on a four-star returned prime Warrior, but there are three of them!¡±


    The initiates sighed and shook their heads as they felt more sorry for Ye Wei.


    Shi Kun stared downwards, grunted and said, ¡°You are slightly better than Jin Kui but you are still under three-star returned prime level. Either Qian Dao and Zhou Huan would be able to crush you and you are trying to get yourself a stone instead of defending yourself? Naive!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I am just going to stay up here and do nothing?¡± Shi Kun¡¯s lips curled up to a cold smile.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The smile on Shi Kun¡¯s facested less than a second and vanished as Qian Dao and Zhou Huan intercepted Ye Wei and the light clone.


    ¡°Back off.¡± A burst of energy exploded from both Ye Wei and the clone, the shockwaves reached the ocean, stirred up miles tall sea tornados.


    ¡®This is much greater than what a three-star returned prime Warrior can do!¡±


    Before Qian Dao and Zhou Huan could react, the burst of energy had repelled them both. They could no longer control their own movement, sent flying backwards towards the ground.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Shi Kun could not believe what he saw. ¡°This kid reached four-star returned prime level?¡±


    ¡®But he is not even a returned prime Warrior!¡¯ He was inplete shock, ¡®He made Qian Dao and Zhou Huan look defenseless!¡¯


    ¡®Body strength stances are limited by cultivation, unless... could he be a demon!?¡¯


    The initiates¡¯ bodies felt the Qi disturbance and started talking to each other.


    ¡°Does it only take him days to improve this much or was he hiding this!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he broke through to returned prime level yet. Which makes it even more unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°He is good, not just for an initiate!¡±


    Hong Hai and the other initiates couldn¡¯t help but exim in unison.


    ¡°This is what I am capable of, and I am here for a stone. I will not be stopped by anyone who dares to step in my way.¡± Ye Wei grunted as Zhou Huan and Qian Daonded in the waves. Using the time when his opponents were startled, he sent his clone towards the closest golden puppet.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Shi Kun¡¯s face became pale as he realized he was about to fail the task Qing Mu trusted him to finish.


    ¡°Regroup and get the stone! You know what would happen to us if we returned to Qing Mu with empty hands!¡± Shi Kun shouted and sped towards the pce on the ind.


    ¡°It¡¯s toote to stop him from breaking a puppet. We have to stop him from catching the stone instead!¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The golden puppet closest to Ye Wei shattered as soon as the clone¡¯s fist connected. A beam of light shot at the puppet¡¯s core, receiving the Qi signature of the attacker.


    ¡°Zoom!¡±


    The runes on the pce¡¯s surface squirmed simultaneously. The next moment, a palm-sized ck crystal rocketed out from the inside of the pce¡¯s energy shield.


    ¡°I¡¯ve warned you all. I will not hold back this time.¡± The ind trembled when Ye Wei stomped the ground, he rode a hold of starlight,unched himself to the stone.


    ¡°Gravitating Prison!¡± Shi Kun reacted immediately after the initiate made his move, the runes that came out of his hands turned into dense bars, joined together to form a cage.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The cage shape expanded covered the sky above Ye Wei¡¯s head.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Ye Wei mutter, slowly lifted his shoulders to feel the immensity of the restricting stance¡¯s effect. ¡°This is actually something I can learn from.¡±


    ¡°Now!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Zhou Huan and Qian Dao chuckled, shook their bodies to dry themselves a little and flew towards the stone.


    ¡®Third evolution!¡¯


    ¡®Peerless Sword!¡¯


    Ye Wei¡¯s Qi became concentrated, powering the improved sword Qi. Hiss cold gaze darted onto the approaching trio while three hundred and sixty swords swept towards Zhou Huan and Qian Dao in a cycloning motion.


    After training for the past twenty days, Ye Wei learned to utilize his advance understanding of the stance inbat.


    ¡®The stone is mine! The Qi swords have the momentum of rivers! They are no weaker than mid-Earth level!¡¯


    ¡°Phrooop!¡±


    There were no sense offort left in either Zhou Huan or Qian Dao¡¯s body. They could see the Qi swords were going tond in the matter of seconds, but they could already feel the swords¡¯ edged on their faces through the ze. They tried grabbing the flying stone but then retracted their bleeding hands almost the exact moment.


    ¡°Pop!¡± A crisps sound radiated from Ye Wei¡¯s feet as he escaped Shi Kun¡¯s zone of intensified gravity.


    Ye Wei quickly reached his arm outwards. He grabbed the ck crystal, bypassing the trio¡¯s resistance with speed and force .


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s mine.¡± His cold gaze fell onto Shi Kun.


    The trio looked at each other, frustrated, each of them angry that they could not stop the initiate from acquiring a return prime stone despite the advantage of number. None of the three could bear to imagine the veterans¡¯ reaction after hearing what happened in the secret realm today.


    ¡°He did it! He is my idol now!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, all three veterans were four-star returned prime Warriors but they couldn¡¯t even react in time! That¡¯s how fast Ye Wei is!¡±


    The initiates were feeling motivated, encouraged by Ye Wei consistently retaliation against the bullies. They all began to take pride in being one of those who started in the Million Star pce the same year as Ye Wei did, moved by his strength and shocked by his capabilities.


    ¡°If he is only a little stronger than I am, I might be jealous. But he is just so far ahead, there is no point to envy. I need to learn from him.¡± Hong Hai muttered while clenching his fists.


    Zhou Huan and Qian Dao quickly recovered and leaped back to Shi Kun¡¯s side.


    ¡°Brother Kun, if this doesn¡¯t work out, we might as well just leave the ck Dragon Valley. Our allies will leave us.¡±


    ¡°Qing Mu will never forgive us!¡±


    They both looked at Shi Kun, the highest ranked amongst the trio, for an answer.


    ¡°His body is at four-star returned prime level but so are we. All we have to do is not to underestimate him¡± Shi Kun gritted his teeth and red at Ye Wei, ¡°we will rip the stone from his cold hands.¡±


    ¡°Get him!¡±


    ¡°We need to take control!¡±


    Qian Dao and Zhou Huan channeled their Qi, their rage-filled energy situated a mile wide radius.


    ¡°I see you don¡¯t like giving up.¡± Ye Wei stared at the trio, tightened his grip on the stone as he evaluated his position.


    ¡®I can handle each one of them but they are by no means weak. I can probably hold my ground for a few minutes before they find a way to work together and fight me as a team, then I will be done for...¡¯


    ¡®Unless...¡¯ Ye Wei kept calcting the variables, while feeling the warmth of the stone in his hand.


    ¡°Hand over the stone now or we will have to make you!¡± Shi Kun screamed desperately, ready to get his hand dirty as his reputation was at stake.

 Chapter 234 – Return

    Chapter 234 - Return


    ¡°I would just give it up now, if I were you. Someone powerful is behind all this. Someone you don¡¯t want to cross.¡± Shi Kun spoke slowly, with great intensity.


    ¡°I could not care less, I am here to be stronger.¡± Ye Wei replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Does the name Qing Mu ring any bells? You might know him by his nickname, the Spiritualist!¡± Qian Dao joined in with a disdainful voice. ¡°If you don¡¯t know the name then you should memorize it now, because he runs this ce!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to drop any names but Qian Dao is absolutely right, if Qing Mu doesn¡¯t want you to to get a return prime stone, then you just don¡¯t.¡± Shi Kun threatened, ¡°He will make your life here a living hell without moving a muscle.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the fifth strongest cultivator here?!¡± Ye Wei was both surprised and worried. ¡®And I was just starting to think these three were mad at me for beating their friends or something...¡¯


    ¡®I haven¡¯t done anything to Qing Mu, he is one of the top cultivators here, why does he care if I get a return prime stone or not...¡¯


    ¡°Qing Mu, the Spiritualist, wants the stone that you are holding right now!¡± Shi Kun said loudly and clearly, wanting to soften Ye Wei in front of the initiates so they would recognize his authority and mercy. ¡°This can still end peacefully! It¡¯s your choice!¡±


    ¡°I will give you it if you ask nicely.¡± Ye Wei chuckled as his re turned cold. ¡®Nobody can stop me from breaking through, not even the strongest cultivator on the ck Dragon List!¡¯


    ¡°Crack¡±


    The ck crystal shattered into shards as Ye Wei tightened his grip.


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°You brought this to yourself!¡±


    ¡°Knock him out cold! Don¡¯t let him absorb the stone¡¯s energy!¡±


    The trio yelled furiously as theyunched themselves towards Ye Wei.


    ¡®If you are not going to show me respect, you will not see my mercy!¡¯ Shi Kun¡¯s eyes fired up while his hands made hundreds of seals. ¡®Mid-Earth stance, Pr Mountain Punch!¡¯


    The golden runes turned ck as soon as they left his hand, condensing and forming a matt ck energyyer that covered his knuckles. Theyer erged, the dark outline of his fist became the size of a small mountain.


    ¡®The stance that got me into the ck Dragon Valley will knock you out of the list! You won¡¯t be able to defend your ce if you are lying in bed!¡¯


    ¡®Elemental Cleaver!¡¯


    ¡®Nonary Shadows!¡¯


    Qian Dao and Zhou Huan used their best stances. Both of them were mid-Earth stances but weaker than Shi Kun¡¯s strike.


    Like the trio, most of the cultivators living in the ck Dragon Valley knew at least one simple mid-Earth stance, while the top three hundred all had a peak mid-Earth stance in their arsenal.


    Shi Kun¡¯s darkndslide, Qian Dao¡¯s phantom des and Zhou Huan¡¯s unstable shadow clones were simultaneously approaching Ye Wei. The whole realm trembled as the bnce of energy was disturbed by the returned prime Warriors¡¯ strikes.


    Inside the eye of the storm, Ye Wei stared at the iing attackers with empty eyes. He was upied by an overwhelming sensation, the surge of energy that escaped from the return prime stone shards.


    He could not exin or describe what he felt but he was emting the pulsation of the surge involuntarily.


    ¡®My Qi never really decay once I spend it, I can rpress the residue and return it to my meridians!¡¯ A moment of rity inspired Ye Wei, his gaze regain focus as his mind brightened. ¡®All I need to do it topress the residue energy in my system and establish a flow, that way my meridians will sustain pressure...¡¯


    His grunt lingered while his meridians strengthened to hold the new-found energy, the surge flowed through his whole body andpleted a circuit as it reached his lower stomach, overloaded his dantian.


    The silver ball in his dantian grew in size exponentially; the golden fissures widened, corroding away the silvery surface and transforming the Qi storage from the topyer to the core.


    ¡°Zoom! Zoom!¡±


    Once the entirety of energy ball became golden, the Qi it held refluxed into Ye Wei¡¯s meridians. The surge extended to each and every corner of his body, toughening his muscles, skin and bone. As he already dealt with the inner demon just a while ago, Ye Wei had now broken through.


    ¡®Third Supernova Evolution.¡¯ Standing just a few feet away from his opponents¡¯ stances, Ye Wei quicklypressed his Qi to protect himself.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The golden Qi in his meridians expanded,pressed and leaked out, covering his entire body and bing a visible armor.


    Meanwhile, the runic patterns on his bones span rapidly, absorbing and heating the golden energy.


    ¡®Four... no five-star returned prime level.¡¯ Ye Wei clenched his fist, feeling the immense strength he now hadplete control over.


    ¡°Brilliant!¡± He smiled and fired his Qi swords at the stances in front of him.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The Qi swords prated the trio¡¯s stances within a second, leaving a trail of broken runes and unbounded energy behind.


    ¡°No! How is this possible!?¡± Shi Kun¡¯s legs started shaking as he screamed in desperation, stupefied by the sight. ¡°He broke through just now! How is he able to control his Qi already... How can his presence be at five-star returned prime level?¡±


    Although the trio had all heard how Ye Wei defeated the veterans with an amplification stance, none of them had a solution to neutralize the initiate with the strength and energy density of a five-star returned prime Warrior. They were left in shock, but prepared to defend themselves.


    ¡°Just one blow!?¡±


    ¡°How can Ye Wei be this far ahead of us?¡±


    The initiates¡¯ jaws dropped, none of them could understand what they just saw.


    ¡°He only just used the stone! How could he have broken through already? And what¡¯s with the stance he just used?¡±


    Even trained by the elites when they were growing up, none of the initiate could exin Ye Wei¡¯s performance by the logic they learned. They looked at Ye Wei with fascination and fear, wondering if their eyes failed to see a missing link that could help exin what had just happened.


    ¡°It seems to me that all the impossible and unexinable things happen when Ye Wei is around...¡± Hong Hai waspletely absent minded as he muttered while pinching himself.


    Although the pain confirmed that he was not dreaming, his mind did not be any clearer. ¡®From the moment you saved me I have been wondering how you can be so strong, but now I realized it¡¯s pointless trying to exin. Maybe I should just try to follow your footstep, but how do I do that? How?¡¯


    ¡°I would like you to send Qing Mu a message,¡± Ye Wei red at the trio and said clearly. ¡°Tell him that I don¡¯t want to get involved in politics, and I respect everyone here as much as I resent cowardly, unreasonable, bullying acts!¡±


    ¡°He will regret it if he tries to pull this kind of stupid scheme again!¡± Ye Wei was frustrated by how he was making enemies without knowing.


    After breaking through, a lot of Ye Wei¡¯s worries vanished. In possession of a hundred bottles of primal essence he was confident, as he knew he could improve his cultivation in a short amount of time.


    ¡®I can probably get to three-star level before the tournament if I invest my time to cultivating, but I can also finish the first stage of the Eternal Star Stance now that I am a returned prime Warrior. I think I will be able to handle Qing Mu when I finish both, he is only an eight-star returned prime Warrior after all...¡¯


    ¡°Watch your mouth kid, the Spiritualist is not as forgiving as I am.¡± Shi Kun tried to intimidate Ye Wei, but having just been defeated, he had no choice but letting Qing Mu¡¯s name do the threatening.


    ¡°I will watch my mouth if your leader learns to behave reasonably.¡± Ye Wei stood up straight and replied slowly.


    ¡°You have eight days to be nice to your friends, you will need someone to feed you and clean your ass when you be paralyzed.¡± Shi Kun realized it was pointless to stay, spat on ground and left with his acquaintances.


    ¡°I look forward to seeing you three in the ranking tournaments!¡± Ye Wei clenched his fist and kept his eyes on the fleeing trio as they left.


    ¡®As stated by the rules, we can only challenge someone higher ranked than ourselves, which means I am in control.¡¯ He thought to himself.


    ¡®I am strong enough to protect myself, there really is nothing I should worry about now as I am at returned prime level. Since there are still eight days left, I can take a bit of time off.¡¯


    ¡®Hope they are doing fine without me around.¡¯ Ye Wei sighed, turned his focus back to the statues and started thinking about the state of his family. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if more of them are returned prime Warriors?¡¯


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