“Dead! Finally dead!”
Bayi Building.
Seeing Ye Qiu shatter the old man with a single punch, the big shots finally relaxed, letting out long sighs of relief.
“Ye Qiu is incredible, killing a peak Venerable Realm cultivator. Who would believe it if they didn’t see it with their own eyes?”
“His combat strength is terrifying.”
“If only all our warriors were as strong as Ye Qiu!”
“Ye Qiu took down so many devils in a row, what a thrill!”
“Elder Tang, I propose we grant Ye Qiu a title and promotion when he returns.”
“I object!” an old general suddenly said.
All eyes turned to the speaking general.
He continued, “Elder Tang, Ye Qiu is too young and needs tempering. A promotion might hinder his future growth or even affect his mindset. I have a suggestion.”
Elder Tang asked, “What’s your suggestion? Let’s hear it.”
The general, commander of Yangcheng Military District, said, “I suggest assigning Ye Qiu to our Yangcheng Military District for training. The head position in our operations department is vacant, perfect for him to hone his skills for a few years.”
Shameless!
The others cursed inwardly.
The head of Yangcheng’s operations department was a high-ranking, general-level position.
This general, claiming to temper Ye Qiu, was clearly trying to poach talent.
“I object. I think Ye Qiu is better suited for our Northwest.”
“Your Northwest is full of talent. Elder Tang, let Ye Qiu come to Jinling! I’m getting old, retiring soon. Jinling needs him.”
“Jinling’s peaceful, it doesn’t matter who’s there. Our Tibetan border is in constant turmoil. Elder Tang, let Ye Qiu guard Tibet. I’ll step down for him now.”
The old generals argued heatedly over Ye Qiu.
“Knock, knock!”
The War God tapped the table, saying, “Gentlemen, Ye Qiu is a warrior of our Underworld Palace. Poaching him in front of me isn’t quite fair, is it?”
At this, the old generals retorted:
“War God, how is this poaching? Ye Qiu’s talent belongs in our Northwest.”
“Exactly, Ye Qiu’s a national warrior, not just the Underworld Palace’s. Jinling needs him.”
“War God, you may be Ye Qiu’s superior for now, but don’t forget, Old Master Ye is here. On where Ye Qiu goes, I think he has more say than you.”
The War God was surprised.
Normally, these generals were meek as rabbits before him, but today, they were challenging him for Ye Qiu.
They were determined to claim him.
The War God knew their intentions. A talent like Ye Qiu was a pillar of stability, capable of securing any region.
“Old Master Ye, what do you think? Where should Ye Qiu go to develop?”
An old general asked.
Old Master Ye smiled, “Ye Qiu may be my grandson, but he’s also a warrior.”
“I only have advisory rights, not decision-making power.”
“Where Ye Qiu goes depends on his own opinion and Elder Tang’s decision.”
All eyes turned expectantly to Elder Tang.
He laughed, “Let’s decide this after Ye Qiu returns safely!”
“But Elder Tang…”
Boom!
A deafening thunderclap came through the speakers, and everyone looked up at the video.
Above the uninhabited island, the tribulation raged, countless lightning bolts dancing like giant dragons.
“Not good. Ye Qiu killed the enemy, but the tribulation hasn’t ended,” the War God said, worried. “Can he withstand it?”
Everyone stared at the video, sweating for Ye Qiu.
Suddenly, the screen went black.
“What’s happening?”
“Why can’t we see anything?”
“Has something gone wrong?”
The group was alarmed and anxious.
“Wei Donghai, what’s going on?” Elder Tang asked.
Wei Donghai’s voice came through, “Elder Tang, I checked with the tech team. Everything’s normal. I suspect Ye Qiu removed his badge.”
Elder Tang ordered, “No matter what, monitor the island closely. Once the lightning stops, contact Ye Qiu immediately.”
“Yes!”
…
Uninhabited Island.
Ye Qiu gazed at the lightning descending from the heavens, his expression calm.
This wasn’t his first tribulation. With the old man dead, he had no worries and could focus on crossing it.
Fearing the tribulation might destroy his badge, Ye Qiu quickly removed it, storing it in his Qiankun Bag.
Then, he began the tribulation.
“Buzz!”
Eight strands of innate true qi appeared above his head, cascading golden energy that enveloped him.
Bathed in golden light, Ye Qiu shone like a sun, radiating brilliant divine glow.
“Boom!”
Terrifying tribulation lightning fell, each bolt filled with a horrifying aura that sent chills down the spine.
Ye Qiu endured the lightning for half an hour, sustaining heavy injuries.
After thirty minutes, the tribulation ceased.
He quickly took out a dozen century-old herbs from his Qiankun Bag, crushed them, and swallowed them. Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes to heal.
A quarter of an hour later, Ye Qiu’s injuries were fully healed. He opened his eyes.
As they opened, a flash of golden light passed through his pupils. He could clearly feel his strength had grown significantly.
“The ninth strand of innate true qi is fully formed. Excellent.”
“I wonder what level my combat strength has reached now?”
“Without using the Immortal-Slaying Sword, could I take down a mid-Venerable Realm master?”
Ye Qiu recalled his recent fight at the Kaisar Temple, where he only defeated the mid-Venerable Realm Jia Ye Long Shu using the Immortal-Slaying Sword.
“Huh?”
Ye Qiu let out a surprised sound, activating his Heavenly Eye to glance at his dantian, overjoyed.
In his dantian, the embryonic form of a tenth strand of innate true qi had appeared.
“Should I continue the tribulation to fully form the tenth strand?”
Ye Qiu hesitated briefly but gave up.
“I just fully cultivated the ninth strand. Another tribulation now would be too rushed.”
“I’ll consolidate for a while before crossing again.”
“Elder Tang and the others haven’t seen me in so long, they must be anxious.”
Ye Qiu retrieved his badge, and the Bayi Building meeting room feed resumed.
“Ye Qiu, are you alright?” Elder Tang asked urgently.
“I’m fine,” Ye Qiu replied.
Everyone sighed in relief.
“Ye Qiu, since it’s resolved, come back quickly!” Elder Tang said.
“Yes.” Ye Qiu nodded, preparing to leave the island.
At that moment, a chilling killing intent swept over him.
