The remaining two Ancient God Realm experts were utterly stunned!
A single sword strike had instantly killed an Ancient God Realm cultivator!
At that moment, one of the Ancient God Realm experts stammered, “You… you’re in the Upper Ancient God Realm!”
Ye Xuan frowned slightly, “Upper Ancient God Realm? What kind of rubbish is that?”
As his voice fell, he swung his sword.
Swoosh!
Two beams of sword light pierced through the foreheads of the two elders, and in an instant, they were obliterated!
Ye Xuan opened his palm, and three storage rings slowly floated into his hand.
He glanced at them, somewhat disappointed.
The three rings combined held less than ten million cosmic veins.
Truly poor!
Still, better than nothing.
Ye Xuan pocketed the rings and turned to leave.
…
Not long after Ye Xuan’s departure, a white-haired elder suddenly appeared at the scene. His expression was grim as he surveyed the area.
A middle-aged man appeared nearby and, after glancing around, said, “Brother Qin Gu, it seems they’ve all perished!”
Qin Gu, the current head of the Qin Clan!
Qin Gu’s face was expressionless. “Zhu An, what do you make of this?”
Zhu An, the current head of the Zhu Clan!
After a moment of silence, Zhu An said, “That Ye Xuan is no ordinary foe.”
Qin Gu’s expression darkened. “So what?”
Zhu An sighed softly.
Qin Gu continued, “Look at that hall in the distance. It’s empty now, meaning he’s taken the Dao God’s inheritance!”
The Dao God’s inheritance!
Zhu An’s eyes narrowed.
Both he and Qin Gu were in the Upper Ancient God Realm, and their greatest desire was to reach the realm beyond it.
In the known universe, only the Dao God had surpassed the Upper Ancient God Realm, making this inheritance their last hope.
They had previously sent younger members to explore this secret realm to avoid a deadly clash among the elders. The clans had agreed to let the younger generation compete to prevent internal bloodshed.
They hadn’t expected an outsider to claim the prize.
Qin Gu said gravely, “This grudge must be avenged!”
Zhu An nodded. “Indeed.”
Both knew the real reason, they couldn’t let the Dao God’s inheritance slip away.
Zhu An suddenly asked, “Where’s the Xiao Clan’s representative?”
Qin Gu scanned the surroundings. “Who knows?”
Zhu An said solemnly, “We must contact her. Our three clans need to unite now!”
After a moment’s silence, Qin Gu said, “To the Xiao Clan!”
The two vanished from the spot.
Shortly after, a beautiful woman in a red dress appeared, Xiao Wan, the current head of the Xiao Clan.
Beside her was a young girl who bore a six or seven-point resemblance to Xiao Yuer.
Xiao Wan asked, “Leng’er, what’s your take?”
After a pause, the girl said, “From my investigation, this man is a super VIP of the Immortal Treasure Pavilion, meaning he has deep ties with them. Our aunt died at their hands, and they didn’t give our Xiao Clan face for his sake… It’s simple, his backing is stronger than our clan!”
The aunt was the Lady Xiao Ye Xuan had encountered in Immortal Treasure City.
Xiao Wan asked, “Anything else?”
The girl continued, “The Upper Ancient Mysterious Realm once hunted him, yet he’s still alive and well! I don’t know if it’s due to the Immortal Treasure Pavilion or some mysterious force behind him.”
After a moment’s silence, Xiao Wan said, “Go on.”
The girl sighed softly. “We can’t seek revenge.”
Xiao Wan closed her eyes slowly. “The Dao God’s inheritance…”
The girl said firmly, “Aunt, the inheritance is important, but our lives and the Xiao Clan matter more. If you truly want it, we can wait. Soon, the Zhu and Qin Clans will move against him. We can observe their fate.”
After a pause, Xiao Wan said, “We’ll follow your advice.”
The two women vanished.
…
Ye Xuan returned to the Guanxuan Academy in the Gods’ Universe.
The academy had undergone massive changes.
It now had over three thousand students, though the Martial Academy had fewer than a hundred.
The academy eliminated many students daily, a policy proposed by Qingqiu.
Entry was unrestricted, but those who didn’t work hard or strive were expelled.
Thus, many students from humble backgrounds worked tirelessly, knowing this was their only chance to change their fate.
The Martial and Literary Academies had different assessments, the former focused on combat prowess, the latter on literary attainment.
Their paths were entirely distinct.
When Ye Xuan returned, Qingqiu immediately sought him out.
In the backyard, Ye Xuan sat while Qingqiu stood, holding a cup of tea.
Qingqiu said gravely, “Young Master Brother, if this continues, the Martial Academy will completely overshadow the Literary Academy. It’s fine now, but decades later, when you, Master, and I are gone, the Literary Academy will be utterly suppressed, potentially splitting the academy. You need a solution!”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then smiled. “There’s only one way.”
Qingqiu, curious, asked, “What?”
Ye Xuan grinned. “Find a dean who excels in both martial and literary arts, someone overwhelmingly powerful to keep both academies in check.”
Qingqiu nodded thoughtfully. “That could work.”
Ye Xuan added, “Balance isn’t easy, but we must try. We’ll establish more systems to prevent the Martial Academy from dominating the Literary Academy in the future.”
Qingqiu nodded, then blinked playfully. “Young Master Brother, haven’t you noticed something?”
Ye Xuan looked puzzled. “What?”
Qingqiu glared at him, turned, and left.
Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile.
That girl had reached the Insightful Mystery Realm!
Insightful Mystery!
How long had it been?
Ye Xuan was genuinely stunned.
He considered himself a prodigy, truly exceptional, with the Great Dao Pen and his father’s help, yet he was only at the Ancient God Realm. But Qingqiu had already reached Insightful Mystery!
How long had she been cultivating?
It was absurd!
Ye Xuan felt this was far from normal.
Qingqiu was likely a super powerhouse no weaker than his father’s trio!
Who could she be?
Ye Xuan sighed softly.
He missed Little Tower. If it were here, it would know, as Ye Xuan wasn’t well-versed in his father’s era, but Little Tower was.
He wondered how that cheeky Little Tower was doing.
And Little Soul.
Had Qing’er modified the Qingxuan Sword again?
And Little An.
Following Qing’er, Little An must have improved immensely, right? She was with Qing’er, after all.
Just then, a hearty laugh echoed from the distant sky, “Brother Ye, I’m here!”
Ye Xuan looked up, and a man appeared before him. Seeing him, Ye Xuan froze.
It was Dao Ling!
Ye Xuan stood, smiling. “Dao Ling!”
He glanced behind him. “Where are Tianqi, Shitian, and Junxie?”
Dao Ling grinned. “They’ll arrive later. My family’s fine, so I came first.”
He sized up Ye Xuan. “What realm are you at now?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “What about you?”
Dao Ling chuckled. “Peak of the Knowing Mystery Realm! Almost at Insightful Mystery.”
Ye Xuan frowned. “Only peak Knowing Mystery?”
Dao Ling blinked, then asked, “What realm are you?”
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. “Just Ancient God Realm.”
Ancient God Realm!
Dao Ling’s expression froze.
Before coming, he’d spoken with the Immortal Treasure Pavilion’s president, Nanqing, and learned about current realms.
He hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to have reached the Ancient God Realm!
So fast!
Dao Ling stared at Ye Xuan, silent.
Ye Xuan laughed. “What’s wrong?”
Dao Ling sighed. “You’re a freak. I thought I was fast, but you’re faster.”
Ye Xuan glanced at Dao Ling. “You’re really at peak Knowing Mystery?”
Dao Ling nodded. “Yes.”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Short on funds?”
Dao Ling nodded. “With enough cosmic veins, I could try for Ancient God, maybe a seventy or eighty percent chance.”
Ye Xuan asked, “How much do you need?”
Dao Ling shook his head. “No idea.”
Ye Xuan opened his palm, and a storage ring floated to Dao Ling, containing ten million cosmic veins!
Ye Xuan smiled. “Take it.”
Dao Ling froze, then stammered, “Brother… Brother Ye… how can I accept this? No, no…”
Despite his words, he snatched the ring.
Ye Xuan was speechless.
Dao Ling gripped the ring, trembling. “I should’ve come to you sooner!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Dao Ling looked at Ye Xuan. “Brother Ye, I’m off to cultivate! If there’s a fight later, I’ll climb mountains or dive into flames without blinking!”
He turned and left.
Ye Xuan: “…”
Dao Ling, set to join the Martial Academy, found Qingqiu. Seeing her, he paused, then said, “Little sister, are you the Martial Academy dean?”
Qingqiu stared at him. “What did you call me?”
Dao Ling grinned. “Little sister.”
Qingqiu vanished.
Dao Ling’s face changed, and he raised his arms to block.
Boom!
Dao Ling was blasted into the clouds, and a shadow descended, stomping down.
Boom!
Dao Ling crashed into a mountain range below…
In the air, Qingqiu clapped her hands. “I have only one brother!”
She pulled a steamed bun from her pocket, took a bite, and walked off.
Dao Ling: “…”
