Chapter 6 Heaven and Earth Anomaly!
agony!
Excruciating pain that he never wanted to endure!
For the first time in his life, Ye Xuan was contemplating death at this very moment. In the past, it was merely skin-deep pain; but this time, he felt as if his internal organs and meridians were shattering bit by bit within him—a torment he had never before experienced.
Endure!
Biting his teeth hard, Ye Xuan's entire body trembled uncontrollably. He yearned to pass out from the pain, yet he was acutely aware that he couldn't. Once he did, there would be no coming back.
If he didn't wake up, what would happen to his little sister? She's only twelve! Would the Ye Estate treat her kindly?
This thought flashed through Ye Xuan's mind, prompting him to suddenly raise his head and let out a fierce roar. His hands clenched tightly, his face contorted with madness, "Come on then, give me more pain... Haha, I can bear it... Ahh, it hurts like hell, ease up a bit..."
Time ticked by slowly, and after an indeterminate duration, Ye Xuan collapsed to the ground like a puddle of mud. Upon hitting the ground, his body began to convulse violently, reminiscent of epilepsy. This convulsion lasted for about a quarter of an hour before subsiding, leaving him drenched in sweat.
Lying prone on the ground, Ye Xuan now lacked even the strength to move a muscle.
And just then, outside the Boundary Prison Tower, above the Ye Estate, countless clouds gathered suddenly. Soon, rain started pouring over the Ye Estate, while everywhere else basked in bright sunshine. Moreover, a rainbow silently condensed above the estate. As the first rainbow appeared, a second followed suit. However, when a third rainbow was about to materialize, the Boundary Prison Tower within Ye Xuan's body quivered slightly, causing the third rainbow to vanish without a trace.
A phenomenal change in heaven and earth!
The entire Qingcheng City shook with awe!
In this world, some prodigious geniuses could trigger such phenomena during breakthroughs or moments of enlightenment—phenomena that usually belonged to legends. But now, one had appeared in Qingcheng City. At this instant, all eyes across the city were fixed on the sky above the Ye Estate.
Inside the Ye Estate, the Elder led the other elders and family members to the courtyard where they respectfully knelt down. The Elder bowed towards the sky, exclaiming with excitement, "We thank the heavens for their grace upon the Ye Family, for blessing Ye Lan!"
Countless members of the Ye Family prostrated themselves in unison.
At this moment, the entire Ye Estate erupted in joy!
Inside the City Lord's Mansion, an elderly man watched the celestial phenomenon above the Ye Estate with a rather unsightly expression. "A remarkable Ye Lan indeed, to evoke such a heaven and earth phenomenon... Someone come here! Summon the Zhang Family Patriarch and the Li Family Patriarch for a meeting."
Numerous carrier pigeons took flight across Qingcheng City, spreading the news in all directions, creating a spectacular scene.
News that the Ye Family had produced a heaven-chosen individual wasn't a secret. While heaven-chosen individuals were rare, those who could attract such a heaven and earth phenomenon were rarer still. Everyone in Qingcheng knew that the Ye Family was poised to rise—not just within Qingcheng City, but throughout the entire Jiang Kingdom and even the greater Qingzhou region.
As the whole Ye Estate boiled with excitement, the Elder generously granted everyone in the family an additional month's salary. Furthermore, he bypassed the clan leader and directly appointed Ye Lan as the Young Clan Leader.
There was a difference between a prince and a young clan leader—the former represented the younger generation of the Ye Estate, while the latter signified the true second-in-command of the family. Although this was a breach of protocol, the Elder paid no heed because he knew that Ye Lan was destined to become a dragon among men. Even the clan leader's status wouldn't matter much in the future, as the entire Ye Estate would rely on Ye Lan's every breath.
In a certain courtyard, Ye Lan looked up at the sky's anomaly with furrowed brows.
He had indeed broken through—from the Sixth Rank Qi Transformation Realm to the Qi Mastery Realm!
However, he had made the breakthrough an hour ago, and this heaven and earth phenomenon had just occurred. Thus, he wasn't sure if the phenomenon was triggered by his breakthrough.
After a brief moment, Ye Lan sneered coldly, "If not for me, who else possesses the ability to evoke such a heaven and earth phenomenon? It seems that in this lifetime, I, Ye Lan, will undoubtedly secure a spot on the list of monstrous talents!"
With that said, he turned and left.
Within the Boundary Prison Tower, Ye Xuan lay on the ground for an unknown period when the mysterious woman's voice suddenly echoed in the area. "Get up and take a look at your body!"
Ye Xuan slowly climbed to his feet and examined his body. To his astonishment, his skin now had a faint golden sheen!
"This?" Ye Xuan looked around in confusion.
The mysterious woman explained, "The Golden Body Realm means cultivating one's physical body to the state of a golden body. The body is the foundation, and the Body Cultivation Realm serves to build that foundation. The quality of the foundation determines how far you can go in the future. Ordinary cultivators focus only on external cultivation while neglecting the internal. In truth, the internal is paramount. Robust tendons and strong internal organs are crucial to withstand external forces. Although you've endured unbearable pain, you'll reap significant benefits in the future—and even now, you've gained quite a lot."
Taking a deep breath, Ye Xuan slowly clenched his fists. At that moment, he felt a surging power coursing through his body!
Realizing this, Ye Xuan was elated. Just as the mysterious woman said, his current strength was at least twice as potent as before. Not only that, but his body's toughness was incomparable to his previous state. If he were to face off against a pampered Qi Mastery Realm expert like the Elder now, he wouldn't feel any pressure at all.
Recalling something important, Ye Xuan hurriedly asked, "Senior, my sister suffers from a cold-illness. Do you have a way to help her?"
The mysterious woman paused for a moment before replying, "You mean that little girl?"
Ye Xuan nodded frantically.
The mysterious woman said, "Of course I have a way to solve this, but she cannot enter this tower."
"Why?" Ye Xuan was puzzled.
The enigmatic woman explained, "The spirit of this tower has fallen into a deep sleep. Although it acknowledges you as its master, you possess no strands of the Dao, rendering it impossible for you to bring anyone else in here. If someone were forcibly brought in, this tower would instinctively eliminate any person it does not recognize."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xuan's expression darkened. It seemed that he could only take his sister to the capital city for medical treatment.
Currently, he faced a dilemma: to reach the realm of 'Controlling Qi', he must find a spiritual sword to devour. However, such swords were incredibly rare; even the Ye family might not possess one, let alone all of Qingcheng! Only in places as prosperous as the capital of the Jiang Kingdom would there be a chance of finding a spiritual sword.
Capital City!
Ye Xuan softly said, "It seems that a trip to the capital is unavoidable."
After practicing swordsmanship for a while, Ye Xuan left the Boundless Prison Tower.
After Ye Xuan had departed, a muffled murmur echoed within the area, "That little girl...is somewhat peculiar..."
...
Ye Xuan returned to his room, whereupon he found Ye Ling entering with a downcast look.
Smiling, Ye Xuan asked, "What's wrong?"
Approaching Ye Xuan, Ye Ling softly spoke, "Brother, Ye Lanlan triggered some kind of heaven and earth phenomenon, and everyone in the family is celebrating. Moreover, the Elder has now appointed him as the Young Patriarch. In the future, he will be the Patriarch of our Ye family."
Heaven and Earth Phenomenon?
Ye Xuan's brow furrowed slightly. He had indeed heard about legends where supreme prodigies could trigger such phenomena during breakthroughs, but these remained just legends—Qingcheng had never seen such a prodigy before! He hadn't expected that Ye Lanlan would actually cause such a phenomenon.
This meant that the other party was indeed an exceptional talent!
At this point, Ye Ling suddenly snorted, "What heaven and earth phenomenon? Anyway, my brother is the strongest!"
Ye Xuan smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, our life-and-death sparring match with him is still ten days away. Ten days from now, we siblings will leave the Ye Mansion."
"Leave the Ye Mansion?"
Ye Ling was taken aback and asked, "Then, then will we come back?"
Come back?
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Both he and his younger sister had grown up here, regarding this place as their home. But after this incident, he realized that in the hearts of the Ye family's elders, he and Ye Ling held no significant status. Had it not been for his usefulness, they might have already met a tragic end. Now that the family had found someone better than him, they promptly discarded him...
Once upon a time, he thought that if he ever sacrificed himself, the Ye family would treat Ye Ling kindly out of consideration for his dedication to the family. But now, it appeared that if he were to die, Ye Ling's fate would likely be dire.
With this realization, he shook his head and chuckled, gently rubbing Ye Ling's small head, "Do you like it here?"
Ye Ling shook her head, "I used to like it because you were here, but now I don't. The family has been too unfair to you, Brother. You've done so much for the family, yet you've been treated this way. The Elder and the others are too unjust! And none of the other elders stood up for you. They're all terrible!"
Ye Xuan smiled warmly, "Don't worry, no matter how vast the world is, as long as we siblings are together, anywhere can be our home!"
Ye Ling beamed and hugged Ye Xuan tightly, "As long as I'm with Brother, I can go anywhere!"
Ye Xuan laughed heartily and spent some time playing with Ye Ling before returning to the Boundless Prison Tower.
Cultivation!
With only ten days left until his life-and-death sparring match with Ye Lanlan, he couldn't afford the slightest complacency, especially since Ye Lanlan had now triggered a legendary heaven and earth phenomenon!
In Ye Lanlan's right palm, an argent sword materialized quietly. Looking at the sword in his hand, Ye Lanlan excitedly asked an unseen presence, "Senior, am I now considered a Sword Immortal?"
"Sword Immortal?"
The mysterious woman scoffed, "You're still miles away!"
Confused, Ye Lanlan asked, "Why?"
The mysterious woman replied, "Only those who comprehend Sword Intent and grasp the 'Truth' of the Sword Path can be called Sword Immortals. Presently, you do not qualify as a Sword Immortal or even a Sword Lord; you can barely be considered a Sword Practitioner!"
Feeling embarrassed, Ye Lanlan nodded. "Regardless of how difficult the path ahead may be, I'll strive forward with all my might!"
Following the recent events with the Ye family, he realized that relying on them to care for Ye Ling was absolutely impossible.
He had to take care of Ye Ling by himself, and to do that, he needed to become stronger, far stronger than he was now. For the world was harsh and realistic; without value, no one would spare a second glance.
Ye Xuan refocused and solemnly asked, "Senior, how can I become a qualified Sword Practitioner?"
The mysterious woman answered, "Cut through a single strand of hair!"
Ye Xuan was momentarily stunned, "Isn't that simple?"
The mysterious woman sneered, "Just give it a try!"
Ye Xuan plucked out a strand of his hair and swung his sword to cut it.
The sword struck, and the hair shattered!
Ye Xuan froze; although the hair was fragmented, it wasn't severed.
At that moment, the mysterious woman's voice echoed, "It's not just about possessing power; you must also learn to control your power, master the angle, speed, and various applications of your strikes, even accounting for factors like wind speed. Based on my estimation, you might need to cut through tens of thousands of hairs before mastering these subtleties."
Ye Xuan took a deep breath, "I have plenty of hair!"
And thus, Ye Xuan began frantically swinging his sword.
Meanwhile, outside the Boundless Prison Tower, the Ye Mansion was bustling with decorations and celebrations, inviting almost every influential figure in Qingcheng to join them. At present, members of the Ye family often boasted themselves as the first family of Qingcheng.
Under the current circumstances, the Ye Family's prestige soared to new heights, prompting even the City Lord's Mansion, the Li Clan, and the Zhang Clan to attend the celebration respectfully...
Inside the Ye Mansion's guest hall, the Great Elder sat on a chair with his eyes closed, seemingly waiting for something.
A senior man entered and reported, "Great Elder, the City Lord, the Li Clan's Patriarch, and the Zhang Clan's Patriarch have arrived."
The Great Elder opened his eyes and said calmly, "Ye Yu, inform them that I am resting and cannot receive guests for now. Ask them to return in half an hour."
Ye Yu hesitated, "Great Elder, this..."
Closing his eyes slowly, the Great Elder declared, "It's about time they knew who truly rules over Qingcheng."