Hearing Ye Xuan’s words, the three elders—Shen, Mu, and Qiu—were utterly dumbfounded!
Was this guy really so in tune?
More importantly, they hadn’t expected the Heavenly Dao of the myriad realms to actually respond to Ye Xuan!
What did that mean?
It meant the Heavenly Dao of these countless realms recognized Ye Xuan!
Could flattery work on the Heavenly Dao too?
The three exchanged glances, disbelief flickering in their eyes.
Meanwhile, far off, Ye Xuan’s lips curved into a slight smirk.
There was a vast difference between having that momentum attached to the Qingxuan Sword and having it infuse his own body. Now, the Heavenly Dao of the myriad realms had essentially acknowledged him!
Initially, when he cultivated the *Divine Law of the Great Dao*, he’d been forcibly borrowing momentum from the myriad realms.
To ordinary mortals, the Heavenly Dao might seem mighty, but to powerhouses of their caliber, most Heavenly Daos were insignificant. If he wanted to borrow their momentum, those Daos wouldn’t dare refuse!
But this was different. Now, the myriad realms’ Heavenly Dao had willingly accepted him and offered aid—a fundamental shift!
Of course, Ye Xuan didn’t yet realize that everything came with a cause and effect—borrowing meant repaying…
At that moment, Ye Xuan opened his palm and gently pressed downward. Instantly, the momentum vanished without a trace!
He chose not to unleash a sword strike. If he did, it might cripple the entire Great Motian Domain.
Elder Shen spoke gravely, “You’ve surprised us greatly!”
Ye Xuan turned to him with a smile, “前辈 (Senior), what’s next on our training list?”
Elder Shen studied him, “You don’t seem the least bit afraid of that Defier!”
Ye Xuan countered, “Why should I be?”
Elder Shen gazed at him for a moment, then smiled faintly, “Fair enough. The Defier’s nothing special! Next, we’ll train in real combat!”
As he spoke, he glanced at Elder Qiu, who nodded. Opening his palm, Qiu revealed a small crystal cube.
Ye Xuan’s curiosity piqued, “What’s this?”
Elder Qiu explained, “This is an independent illusory world, formed by countless arrays—perfect for combat training.”
Ye Xuan grinned, “Excellent!”
With that, the four entered the cube.
Inside the cube’s world, Ye Xuan glanced around. The surroundings were indeed illusory—meaning he could destroy them at will!
He turned to the three elders, “Seniors, who’s my opponent?”
Elder Shen met his gaze, “Us!”
Ye Xuan blinked, “All three of you?”
Elder Shen nodded, “You’ll face us three-on-one!”
Ye Xuan laughed, “Bring it on!”
As his words fell, he opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword slashed out.
No hesitation—straight to action!
The instant the sword flew, Elder Shen vanished. In the next breath, a giant illusory hand seized the blade midair. Simultaneously, a fist imprint materialized inches from Ye Xuan’s brow!
Ye Xuan’s pupils shrank. With a thought, countless sword qi erupted from his body!
*Boom!*
A burst of sword light shattered, and Ye Xuan was flung back tens of thousands of feet. Before he could recover, another fist slammed into his chest.
*Boom!*
In an instant, his physical body disintegrated, leaving only his soul!
Ye Xuan was stunned.
From a distance, Elder Shen looked at him, “Did you think we were weak?”
Ye Xuan gave an awkward smile, “Not at all! I just didn’t expect you three seniors to be in the Comprehension Realm too!”
Elder Shen nodded, “When we reached Comprehension, Xu Chong and his generation were as young as you!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Elder Qiu added solemnly, “We don’t know the Defier’s true strength, but one thing’s certain—he’s hiding a lot, possibly already at Comprehension…”
Elder Shen chimed in, “Or even the Realm of Dao Clarity!”
Dao Clarity!
At that, Elders Mu and Shen fell silent.
Truthfully, they didn’t want to entertain that possibility…
Elder Qiu turned to Ye Xuan, “Little one, what did you feel facing him? Be honest—no embellishments!”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then said, “Unfathomable!”
Unfathomable!
Elder Qiu pressed, “You didn’t feel that facing us three, did you?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
The three elders’ expressions grew heavy.
After a moment, Elder Qiu sighed softly, “Little one, if you don’t want to wade into this mess, we won’t stop you. You’re free to leave! This isn’t a trick or a taunt!”
Elders Shen and Mu turned to Qiu, surprised. Qiu glanced at Ye Xuan, his expression complex, “He’s a rare genius. If he fights the Defier now, he might fall. The Sacred Vein shouldn’t drag him down like this!”
Ye Xuan’s eyes flickered with surprise. He hadn’t expected this old man to think this way!
Elders Mu and Shen remained silent.
Elder Qiu looked at Ye Xuan, “Your choice!”
Ye Xuan grinned, “I’ll fight!”
Elder Qiu studied him, “Why?”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily, “Because I want to see if, among my generation, I’m lacking compared to anyone!”
If the older generation outmatched him, that wasn’t his fault. But if his peers surpassed him, that was on him!
He never claimed to be the best of his generation, but he’d never accept being inferior either!
He could’ve asked these three elders to train him inside the small tower. Three months there, and he’d be confident slaying any Dao Clarity powerhouse! But he didn’t.
This time, he wanted a fair fight—because the Defier had been honorable!
Ye Xuan had his pride. If you played dirty, he’d match you. If you fought fair, he wouldn’t stoop low!
He could lose in strength, but never in spirit.
Hearing him, Elder Qiu nodded slightly, “Then let’s continue!”
In the days that followed, Ye Xuan reconstituted his body and resumed battling the three.
One-on-one, he held his own. But against all three, he was thoroughly outmatched, with no chance to retaliate.
These were the Great Motian Domain’s top-tier powerhouses!
Together, they gave Ye Xuan no breathing room!
Still, he progressed. He stopped clashing head-on and learned to maneuver—fighting while evading—reducing how badly he got pummeled…
—
Before a grand hall, Shen Tong gazed at the void above, brow furrowed, lost in thought.
The Child of Destiny appeared beside him.
Looking skyward, the Child of Destiny said, “He can’t beat the Defier!”
Shen Tong turned to him, “Why not?”
The Child of Destiny replied softly, “When I fought him, I could feel it—he hid most of his strength that day! We’re far behind him!”
Shen Tong smiled, “Brother Mingtai, I think your mindset’s off!”
The Child of Destiny looked at him, “How so?”
Shen Tong said gently, “I lost to the Defier too, but I’ve never thought I’m lesser than him!”
The Child of Destiny pressed, “Why not?”
Shen Tong grinned, “I admit he’s strong, but I’ll never deny myself again. Can’t beat him now—does that mean I never will? If we convince ourselves we’re inferior, we’ll stay that way forever.”
The Child of Destiny fell silent.
Shen Tong looked up again, “I believe Brother Ye can absolutely defeat the Defier!”
The Child of Destiny glanced at him, “On what grounds?”
Shen Tong replied softly, “Brother Ye said he’s never lost!”
The Child of Destiny frowned, “You believe that?”
Shen Tong nodded, “Yeah!”
The Child of Destiny’s frown deepened, “Why?”
Shen Tong thought for a moment, then said, “A genius like Brother Ye wouldn’t bother lying. He says he’s been invincible all the way—I believe it’s true.”
He turned to the Child of Destiny, “He wounded the Defier with one strike before. Do you think a swordmaster like that would stoop to falsehoods?”
The Child of Destiny said nothing.
Shen Tong continued, “At first, I thought Brother Ye was all flash too. But later, I realized people only see his flair, not his inner wisdom… Look at me—I tagged along and scored a Freeform Realm inheritance for free! If I keep following him, there’ll be more perks. This brother’s a keeper!”
The Child of Destiny stared at him, “You… impressive!”
Shen Tong grinned, “Brother Mingtai, why not join Brother Ye too? I think it’s a promising gig!”
The Child of Destiny shook his head, “I won’t follow anyone!”
With that, he turned and left.
Shen Tong shook his head, “Is tagging along really that shameful?”
Just then, the sky above tore open, and a man stepped out slowly!
Seeing him, Shen Tong’s expression turned grave.
It was the Defier!
At that moment, Xu Chong and others appeared in the sky. Xu Chong eyed the Defier, “It’s not time yet!”
The Defier nodded, “I know!”
Xu Chong frowned, “Then why are you here?”
The Defier said, “I’ve broken through. Got bored. So I came to wait for him!”
Xu Chong and the others’ faces darkened instantly!
Broken through?
This guy had advanced?
That wasn’t the issue—the real question was *what* he’d broken through to! Comprehension Realm? Or Dao Clarity?
The Defier looked skyward, “He hasn’t broken through yet?”
Xu Chong and the others remained silent, their expressions grim.
The Defier lowered his gaze, “Then I’ll wait!”
Xu Chong stared at him, “Aren’t you afraid we’ll kill you here?”
The Defier glanced at him, “In this Great Motian Domain, no one can kill me anymore!”
