"Spare his life..."
Ye Xuan was stunned, not expecting Uncle Xin to say this.
"What? Can’t you do it? Ye Xuan, I have no objections to you being ruthless to your enemies, but don’t forget that the people of the Gongsun Family are also your kin. When dealing with family, you must always leave some leeway, even if you don’t share much affection with them. Remember, within the same clan, the strong shouldn’t bicker with the weak. That is true magnanimity." Gongsun Xin patted Ye Xuan’s shoulder as he spoke, then quickly vanished from his sight.
Undeniably, Gongsun Xin’s words had some impact on Ye Xuan. Especially that last sentence. Ye Xuan suddenly felt his mind broaden, his vision seemingly reaching further. He knew this was an elevation in his state of mind. After all, would an elephant care if an ant crawled up its leg? However, he soon shook his head. He had never intended to kill Gongsun Tu anyway. If he had, the man wouldn’t have merely lost an arm. As for the upcoming tournament, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
"Xuan’Er, when will you learn to be less impulsive?" Gongsun Yanran’s voice drifted over.
Ye Xuan replied calmly, "Mother, if I had to do it again, I’d still cut off his hand. If the punishment isn’t severe, they won’t feel the pain."
"But did you know that Gongsun Tu is on very good terms with the younger generation of the Gongsun Family? They already struggle to accept your identity. The news of you severing his arm today will definitely spread, making your matches tomorrow incredibly difficult."
Ye Xuan shrugged. "Mother, I just want to enter the top three, not fight for first place."
Gongsun Yanran shook her head, wanting to say more, but Ye Xuan suddenly asked in a serious tone, "Mother, you mentioned that the top three in past competitions were at least at the 5th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. I’m wondering, can those who participated last time compete again? Is there an age limit?"
"They can. As long as they haven’t reached forty, they’re considered youths in the Gongsun Family, and indeed, in any city."
"Under forty is a youth?" Ye Xuan’s face twitched. Didn’t that mean, wind the clock back a dozen years, and his mother could have competed? Gongsun Yanran was fifty-two this year, but she looked only in her twenties or thirties. Wasn’t a city’s definition of a ’youth’ a bit too generous?
"Mother, is there anyone I should watch out for? It’d be bad if I underestimated my opponents and got eliminated right away."
"I’ll tell you tomorrow at the venue. If I tell you now, you won’t know who is who anyway. Just get a good rest today and gather your strength so you’ll be energized for tomorrow’s battles."
"Alright." Although Ye Xuan agreed verbally, he didn’t idle away the day. His time was too tight; he simply didn’t have the luxury to rest. Any free time was better spent practicing his Swordsmanship or comprehending Arrays. For a Cultivator of his level, sleeping once or twice a month was more than enough.
The day quickly passed.
The next day, Gongsun Yanran led Ye Xuan and the other two straight to the training grounds. The Gongsun Family’s training grounds were incredibly expansive. By the time Ye Xuan arrived, a large crowd had already gathered. Almost all of them were from the Direct Lineage of the Gongsun Family; only a handful hailed from the Side Branches.
"He’s here. That kid is Ye Xuan."
"Oh? He’s the one who cut off Gongsun Tu’s hand? An illegitimate child who just arrived at the Gongsun Family dares to act like this? Won’t he trample all over us in the future?"
"Hmph, if he runs into me, I’ll absolutely cripple him."
"Look, that’s his fiancée, Liu Ruoxi. Dressed in that pink dress, she looks like a fairy. Talk about a flower stuck in cow dung—how is his luck so good? It’s a pity for Liu Ruoxi. She’d be better off marrying me instead."
Most people glared at Ye Xuan with overt hostility. It was bad enough that a country bumpkin came to the Gongsun Family and acted so arrogantly, but he had also married a beautiful wife they could only dream of having! They were practically green with envy. At that moment, someone else spoke up.
"I heard Liu Ruoxi even washes Ye Xuan’s clothes personally, including his underwear!"
"What? Is that true? Liu Ruoxi’s delicate hands, washing his... underwear?! This is intolerable! He doesn’t know how to cherish a woman at all. I have to be matched against him later; I’ll definitely cripple him."
"Yeah, this country bumpkin has no upbringing whatsoever. He doesn’t even know how to dote on a woman. If Liu Ruoxi were my fiancée, I’d pluck the stars and the moon from the sky if she asked!"
"Xuan’Er, do you see? None of them are looking at you kindly," Gongsun Yanran noted, her voice tinged with worry as she caught the crowd’s hostile glares.
"That’s to be expected. I don’t know them, after all," Ye Xuan replied indifferently. "By the way, Mother, who should I be paying attention to among them?"
Gongsun Yanran pointed to where Gongsun Xin was standing. "Do you see the two young men standing behind your Uncle Xin?"
"I see them."
"The one on the left in the cyan robes is Gongsun Po, your Uncle Xin’s eldest son. He inherited your uncle’s talent. At thirty-eight this year, he’s already at the 7th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. Almost all of the family’s Ghost-tier resources are funneled to him. You have absolutely no chance of winning against him."
"The 7th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm!" Ye Xuan was greatly startled. To have such a cultivation base indeed required outstanding aptitude.
"Surprised? I only found out Gongsun Po’s cultivation base was so high when I went to see your Uncle Xin last night. Your uncle hides nothing from me."
Ye Xuan chuckled softly before asking, "So, he wasn’t in the top three last time?"
"Of course not. Although anyone under forty can participate, think about it, Xuan’Er—ten years ago, Gongsun Po was only twenty-eight. How strong could his cultivation base have been back then?"
"I see. So, the top three in the decennial competition are different people every time."
"Mhm, pretty much. For anyone under thirty, entering the top three is as hard as ascending to the heavens. I wonder if you can create a miracle and set a precedent. Anyway, let me continue the introductions. The one beside Gongsun Po is his younger brother, Gongsun Hai. Gongsun Hai is thirty-five this year, with a cultivation base at the 4th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. You only need to be aware of those two, but there’s no need to be on guard against them. Your Uncle Xin certainly won’t let them hurt you."
At that very moment, Gongsun Xin was indeed warning his sons. "Do you see him? That is your cousin, Ye Xuan. If you face him in combat, you are not to land any lethal blows."
Gongsun Po frowned. "Father, Gongsun Tu came to see me yesterday. He wanted me to—"
Gongsun Xin cut him off sharply. "He wanted you to, so you’ll just do it? Are you incapable of thinking for yourself?" His expression was stern, exuding authority without anger.
"I understand, Father."
"On your Uncle Xin’s side, only Gongsun Hai and Gongsun Po have strong cultivation bases. Although your female cousins will also participate, their cultivation is definitely beneath yours. Now, let’s look at your Uncle Qingyue’s side..." Gongsun Yanran turned her gaze toward where Gongsun Qingyue was standing. His branch of the family was quite large, surprisingly numbering thirty or forty people.