Liu Yan saw the gleam in Liu Ruoxi’s eyes and couldn’t help but ask, "Ruoxi, what are you planning to do? Are you trying to send a message to Hero City, telling them that the Gongsun Family hasn’t been completely wiped out?"
Liu Ruoxi smiled. "Yan, you really do understand me."
Liu Yan frowned and scolded, "Nonsense!" The gentle Liu Yan rarely lost her temper. Her angry demeanor was surprisingly charming in its own unique way.
"Ruoxi, why are you so vindictive? Even a fox mourns the death of a hare. Since the Gongsun Family was wiped out, you could have just enjoyed the show. Why must you drive them to an absolute dead end? If our Liu Family were to fight a city-seizing battle and end up defeated, would you want others to exterminate us like this too?"
"Yan, Grandpa will be fine. Our Liu Family isn’t a bunch of trash like the Gongsun Family! You don’t know this, but during the Gongsun Family’s recent grand competition, even Ye Xuan managed to take first place. This generation of the Gongsun Family has too much trash."
Liu Yan shook her head. "Is it possible that Ye Xuan is just that exceptional?"
Liu Ruoxi replied coldly, "No matter how exceptional he is, he will still die by my hands."
"Is that so?" Liu Yan regained her composure. "If he can win first place in the grand competition, it means his cultivation has grown stronger. You are even less of a match for him now. How do you plan to kill him?"
"Yan, how about we ask your fiancé to step in and help me? If he makes a move, that country bumpkin will definitely die. Ye Xuan will finally understand what it means to be a true chosen one, a Dragon among Men."
"Don’t mention my fiancé."
"What’s wrong? Did you guys have a fight?"
"Not exactly. I just don’t want to talk about him."
"Yan, I really don’t understand you. Your fiancé is so outstanding, and others could only dream of begging for such a marriage arrangement. Yet, you seem so unhappy about it."
Liu Yan said indifferently, "He’s not the one I love, so why should I be happy?"
"Sigh, it would have been great if Grandpa had betrothed me to him back then. That way, you would be Ye Xuan’s fiancée. With your aloof and submissive personality, you would definitely agree to the marriage even if you didn’t love him."
"If it were possible, I wouldn’t mind trading with you," Liu Yan said lightly. "To me, whether it’s that man or Ye Xuan, it’s all the same. In fact, I actually admire Ye Xuan a bit more. But life cannot be restarted. Enough of this. I won’t help you kill Ye Xuan. Now, let me tell you the second thing. Didn’t you ask me to test the waters with the Elders?"
Liu Ruoxi grew nervous again. Gritting her teeth, she asked, "What did the Elders say?"
"The Elders said that Ye Xuan is dead."
"Ye Xuan is dead? Do the Elders not know that he’s still alive? Didn’t you tell them?" Liu Ruoxi looked highly suspicious.
Liu Yan replied casually, "Ruoxi, that isn’t important."
"It isn’t important?" Liu Ruoxi’s eyes suddenly lit up. She finally understood the Elders’ hidden meaning. Saying that Ye Xuan was dead meant that even if he were still alive, in the eyes of the Liu Family, he was a dead man. Since he was dead, the marriage contract naturally no longer existed. In other words, the Liu Family would no longer pressure her, and she no longer had any ties to Ye Xuan. In the future, even if Ye Xuan were to appear in front of the members of the Liu Family, he would be nothing more than a stranger who happened to share the same name.
"Hahaha, this is wonderful! Yan, this is great! I can return to the Liu Family openly and honorably!" Liu Ruoxi danced with joy.
Liu Yan said gently, "Make sure to eat well and nourish your body once you return. You’ve lost quite a bit of weight these past few days. Also, just pretend you know nothing about the Gongsun Family’s situation."
"Alright, I’ll pretend to be ignorant about the Gongsun Family, but Yan, I’m definitely going to kill Ye Xuan."
"If you want to kill him, that’s fine. Then focus on your cultivation and stop being lazy."
At the Ye Family, Ye Xuan began Nascent Soul Formation. He was completely focused, not daring to show the slightest negligence.
BANG.
With a muffled sound, fifteen elixirs rolled out of the furnace opening. Perhaps because it was his first time performing Alchemy to refine Demon Spirit Pills and his nerves were too tense, only ten of the elixirs were of supreme quality. The remaining five were merely of superior quality. Even though these qualities were enough to put all Alchemy Masters to shame, Ye Xuan was not satisfied. He furrowed his brows deeply.
"Only ten supreme-quality Demon Spirit Pills. These elixirs can only elevate my cultivation from the first level to the second level."
For others to advance their cultivation from the first to the second level, they only needed a single superior-quality Demon Spirit Pill. But Ye Xuan needed three supreme-quality Demon Spirit Pills. His consumption was nine times that of an ordinary person. Originally, he estimated that out of fifteen elixirs refined, thirteen would be of supreme quality. That would have been just enough to raise his cultivation by two levels. But now, he was slightly short. He thought to himself, "Forget it. I’ll just take it one step at a time."
Ye Xuan closed his eyes and stabilized his cultivation for a moment. Then, he began consuming the Demon Spirit Pills and Demon Soul Crystals. Inside his body, the energy became frenzied and powerful. This energy transformed into a roaming dragon of Spiritual Qi and charged toward the second Mountain Range.
As time passed, the night drifted by. Ye Xuan’s body, which had been as limp as a puddle of mud, suddenly radiated with a brilliant glow. The second Mountain Range had finally been broken through. Upon standing up, he noticed a puddle of water on the floor—it was entirely his sweat. This proved just how frantic his attempt to open the Hidden Vein had been. If his ancestor hadn’t opened his Sea of Consciousness and given him a highly stabilized mental state, he likely wouldn’t have been able to endure it.
"The second level of the Demon Spirit Realm!"
Ye Xuan flexed his wrists, producing a series of CRACKLE AND POP sounds. His perception of the surrounding Power of Heaven and Earth had become much clearer. Moving his finger, a cluster of golden Spiritual Qi abruptly took shape, instantly blowing a hole straight through the wall of the training room.
"So this is what it feels like!" Ye Xuan’s eyes brightened. He was finally capable of manipulating the distant Power of Heaven and Earth without releasing his own Spiritual Qi. This realm was truly profoundly mysterious.
The Supreme Elder was right. Even though Ye Xuan’s understanding of the Martial Dao differed from ordinary people, his cultivation had simply been too weak before. Even if he knew the profound meaning behind certain things, he couldn’t actually sense them. Now, he wondered if he could cultivate Void Shattering. Void Shattering was not a Secret Technique, but it strongly resembled one. It might not increase your Attack Power, but it significantly increased your odds of winning when killing an enemy, making it impossible for the opponent to defend against. Void Shattering was second only to Blood Princess’s Instant Movement.
"Master... hungry," Blood Princess’s voice rang out the moment he thought of her. Come to think of it, it had been a few days since he last fed her blood. After taking a Blood Generating Pill and feeding Blood Princess until she was half-full, Ye Xuan immediately sent her back.
Afterward, Ye Xuan left the training room, found a fishing rod, and began fishing in the courtyard pond. However, he wasn’t exactly enjoying the pleasure of fishing; rather, he was using it to comprehend Void Shattering.
"Supreme Elder, rest assured. I will definitely master the art of Void Shattering and pass down your original supreme skill."
Ye Xuan knew that all geniuses who created their own Martial Techniques wanted them to be passed down forever. Their Martial Techniques were the most perfect proof of their existence. Unfortunately, despite his unparalleled talent, Ye Xuan still couldn’t comprehend how to shatter the void. It was easy for a fishhook to fall into the water, but entering the void was incredibly difficult. How much power was required to tear the void apart?
Just as Ye Xuan was fishing, a cold shout echoed throughout the entire Ye Family.
"Patriarch Ye, come out and kneel to welcome me!"