Time flowed on. The journey from the Beast Hunting Village back to the Ye Family’s villa took just over three days.
By the time they arrived, Ye Xuan had completely refined the second stalk of Qishan Evergreen Ivy. During this session, he produced a total of 160 cauldrons of elixirs, yielding 2,400 Super Spirit Pills. Among them, 2,160 were of supreme quality, and 240 were of superior quality.
Being able to manifest two Fire Dragons had increased his supreme-quality success rate even further. Previously, it had hovered in the eighty percent range, but now, it had reached a staggering ninety percent. This was an absolutely terrifying figure, proving that his Alchemy techniques were indeed flawless; the only limitation lay in the quality of his flame. Currently, Ye Xuan possessed a total of 4,610 supreme-quality Super Spirit Pills and 660 superior-quality ones.
"Xuan’Er, you’re back. How did it go? Did you manage to find any resources?" Gongsun Yanran’s voice called out from the main courtyard.
Ye Xuan smiled. "I found some, Mother. By the way, Liu Ruoxi didn’t try to run away, did she?"
"No. She’s right over there." Gongsun Yanran pointed toward the nearby flowerbed.
Liu Ruoxi was in the middle of watering the flowers. The moment she saw Ye Xuan return, her previously placid expression shifted drastically. She realized, to her dismay, that she actually feared him. Whenever he was around, she instantly reverted from a pampered heiress to a lowly servant. Now that he was back, he would definitely force her to do heavy labor again.
Sure enough, the moment the thought crossed her mind, Ye Xuan’s voice rang out again. "Oh, there she is. Liu Ruoxi, wash my clothes from the past few days."
Even though she cursed Ye Xuan ten thousand times in her head, Liu Ruoxi still complied. She walked over and gathered his dirty laundry.
Once she left, Gongsun Yanran spoke up again. "Xuan’Er, do you really intend to participate in the clan tournament? If you are, it’s about time we set off."
"Mother, I have to participate. Otherwise, how will the Ye Family and I secure enough resources?" A determined light gleamed in Ye Xuan’s eyes. He had to enter the three-star Secret Realm, which only opened once every ten years. Without it, when would he ever break through to the Super Spirit Realm? Merely pushing his cultivation to the 9th Layer had already forced him to rack his brains. Trying to advance from the 9th Layer to the Demon Spirit Realm would definitely give him an even bigger headache. Only the level-five Beast Pills within the three-star Secret Realm could help him achieve that.
"Alright then. Since you just got back today, take a day to rest. We’ll leave tomorrow."
"Yanran, are you leaving again? How long will you be gone this time?" Ye Yizhou’s reluctant voice drifted over.
Over the past few days, Ye Yizhou seemed to have grown younger, and even Gongsun Yanran’s skin had become more radiant and supple. It was likely due to them acting like newlyweds night after night. They hadn’t seen each other in twenty years; once that twenty-year-old flame was reignited, it was fierce enough to break the bed.
"Yizhou, don’t worry. As soon as Xuan’Er finishes the tournament or comes out of the Secret Realm, we’ll be right back. If you really miss me that much, you can come with us."
"Never mind. I always feel out of place when I go to the Gongsun Family. I’ll just wait for you at home."
Ye Yizhou was clearly lacking in confidence. Compared to the members of the Gongsun Family, he was just an ordinary man. When an ordinary man visited such a high-status place, he always felt a lingering sense of unease, almost akin to social anxiety. He wouldn’t even know if he should try talking to the Gongsun Family members. If he tried, what if they didn’t give him any face? But if he didn’t, going there would just be inviting discomfort.
Gongsun Yanran didn’t push the matter further; she simply reached out and held his hand.
Standing nearby, Ye Xuan took in his father’s expression and made a silent vow. "Father... I will definitely help you and the Ye Family grow stronger quickly. I promise." He knew that there was only one way to make ordinary people truly confident—and that was to make them powerful.
Looking away, Ye Xuan turned to Ye Ling’Er and smiled. "Come here. I have a gift for you."
"Really?" Ye Ling’Er instantly beamed with joy and trotted over to him.
Ye Xuan patted her head and pulled out the Ghost-level, low-grade Soft Armor. "Take this Inner Armor. Make sure you wear it at all times."
"Is this for self-defense?"
"Yes."
"Then I’ll go back to my room and try it on right now! Oh, right, what level is it?"
"Silly girl, just wear it. Why ask so many questions?"
"I just want to know! Come on, tell me. What level is it? Is it Profound Level or Spirit Level? Whatever you give me shouldn’t be bad, right?"
Ye Xuan shook his head, somewhat exasperated. "You really look down on your brother, huh? This is Ghost-level, low-grade."
"What?! G-Ghost-level!" Ye Ling’Er was dumbfounded. Ghost-level... that corresponded to the Demon Spirit Realm! Didn’t that mean if she wore this Soft Armor, she would be perfectly safe even if she encountered an expert in the Demon Spirit Realm?
"You’re not tricking me, are you?" Ye Ling’Er was still in disbelief.
"You silly girl, when have I ever tricked you?"
"Plenty of times! When we were little, you used to trick me out of my lollipops all the time. I’d turn my head for one second, and I’d be left holding nothing but the stick!"
"..." Ye Ling’Er’s words left Ye Xuan speechless.
Nearby, Hua and the others couldn’t help but laugh. Liu Ruoxi, on the other hand, wore a look of utter disdain. This Ye Xuan truly was shamelessly despicable—he even tricked his own sister out of her candy! He was a devil. No, a pervert!
Ye Xuan coughed awkwardly. "Ahem, I was just teasing you when we were kids. You’re not going to hold a grudge over that for the rest of your life, are you?"
"Hehe, I’ll forgive you since you gave me this Ghost-level, low-grade Soft Armor. You’re the best!" Ye Ling’Er hopped and skipped back to her room to put on the Inner Armor.
Ye Xuan chuckled, then turned his gaze toward the Night Moon Tree. Over the past thirteen days, the tree had yet to bear fruit, but the petals on its branches had grown increasingly dense. Every single flower was blooming vibrantly. It likely wouldn’t be long before it fruited, but he wouldn’t be around to see it.
"Mother, Father, I’m going to practice Alchemy," Ye Xuan said after observing it for a moment, heading off to the training room.
He planned to spend the remaining time continuing his Alchemy, but this time, he wouldn’t be refining Super Spirit Pills. Instead, he focused on lower-tier Strong Spirit Pills and Mad Spirit Pills. Ye Xuan had an abundance of medicinal ingredients on hand. Some were purchased from the auction house, while others were acquired through killing and looting.
When crafting low-tier elixirs, employing Two Dragons Controlling Fire allowed him to finish a cauldron in just three to five minutes. He figured that if he ever obtained a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire in the future, he could churn out low-tier elixirs in mere minutes.
The following morning, Ye Xuan handed over all the low-tier elixirs he had refined to Ye Zeyun. While these elixirs might not be enough to push everyone in the Ye Family to the 9th Layer of the Frenzy Spirit Realm, they were absolutely more than sufficient to elevate half of them to that level.
"Grandfather, these are all elixirs. Also, I have another good item for you." Ye Xuan pulled out a glass bottle. Inside was the Fierce Beast Essence Blood.
"Wild Beast Essence Blood? What grade is it?" Ye Zeyun asked.
"Fierce Beast grade," Ye Xuan replied calmly.
CLATTER.
Ye Zeyun, who had been sitting in his chair, was so shocked that he fell straight to the floor. "F-Fierce Beast grade!"
In the past, anyone in the family who managed to awaken a Wild Beast-grade Beast Soul was already hailed as a clan genius. Yet, Ye Xuan had actually brought back Fierce Beast-grade Essence Blood!