In the main hall, Ye Zhengyang lay collapsed on the floor, unable to stand, while Ye Chen stood beside him. Everything that had transpired had severely shaken everyone's hearts.
Ye Zhengyang had lost, and he had lost utterly, lying on the ground, unable to continue the fight.
He was the publicly acknowledged top talent of the Ye family's younger generation, a Houtian Ninth Layer expert, separated from the Xiantian Realm by only a hair's breadth. Yet, in a duel against the universally acknowledged cultivation waste Ye Chen, not only did he fail to achieve the expected crushing victory, he was instead easily defeated. It was unbelievable.
For a long time, the hall remained deathly silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop, punctuated only by sharp intakes of breath.
More than that, everyone looked at Ye Chen with disbelief, astonishment, but most of all, a strange sense of awe.
In the figure of this youth who had endured two years of the world's mockery, everyone seemed to see the return of that stunning, peerless young genius who had once shaken the world three years ago.
"Brother Ye Chen..." Ye Zimei wept tears of joy. Two years had passed. How much ridicule and scorn had this youth endured? Yet now, he had climbed back from the abyss of failure, once again displaying his astonishing talent, defeating Ye Zhengyang and proving his own might.
This demeanor was just like in the old days, and even more captivating.
"Is this real..."
The three Elders still couldn't believe what was before their eyes. Ye Zhengyang had lost, lost so completely. Not only had he failed to harm a single hair on Ye Chen, but he had been knocked to the ground, defeated by his own most proficient martial technique, "Tiger's Roar."
Wasn't Ye Chen a waste? Just five months ago, he had betrayed the family for a woman and attempted suicide by jumping into a lake, nearly dying.
Yet only five months had passed. What had happened during that time? Why had this youth, who had fallen from the altar of genius, seemingly regained his former halo of talent, stood back up, and advanced by leaps and bounds in just five months to the point of being able to defeat Ye Zhengyang?
It was all so shocking.
"Ye Chen..." Among them, Ye Zhengyang was the most impacted. He stared wide-eyed at Ye Chen, who was right before him, unable to believe it, his heart also filled with shame.
How arrogant he had been, considering himself the number one of the Ye family's younger generation, looking down from on high, while Ye Chen was merely an abandoned waste.
The difference between him and Ye Chen was like heaven and earth.
And Ye Chen? For the past two years, he hadn't even been worth a glance in his eyes, treated like a weed by the roadside, never regarded as an equal.
Yet it was precisely this weed in his own eyes that had defeated him, snatched victory, right before everyone in this grand hall, under the watchful eyes of all.
Moreover, what had defeated him was the Tiger's Roar martial technique he had painstakingly cultivated for years. To be defeated by his own most confident technique—this blow was undeniably heavy.
"I couldn't possibly lose!"
Unable to bear the impact of defeat, Ye Zhengyang couldn't help but roar. With a whoosh, he actually stood back up.
Boom—
Suddenly, the aura around him grew stronger, rising steadily. Moreover, surging streams of white Yuan Power appeared, flowing over the surface of his body.
Though faint, they gave off a terrifying sense of pressure. The moment they appeared, they caused everyone present to gasp in shock—
"Xiantian True Yuan!?"
"That's clearly the Xiantian True Yuan power that only those in the Xiantian Realm can manifest externally, visible outside the body. It's True Yuan."
"Is Ye Zhengyang about to break through to the Xiantian Realm?"
"A Xiantian Realm expert at twenty? That's young enough. In all of Luo Feng City, he'd be second only to Yang Yi in talent."
"As expected of Cousin Ye Zhengyang. Truly a heaven-sent talent, actually breaking through to the Xiantian Realm."
In the hall, someone—no one knew who—said this, instantly causing exclamations from everyone.
In the Houtian Realm, one cultivated internal energy, but that internal energy could only circulate within the body; it couldn't manifest externally.
However, upon advancing from Houtian to Xiantian, it was like leaping to a higher level. The internal energy within the body would begin to transform into Xiantian True Yuan, which could manifest externally and contained energy more than twice as powerful.
Clearly, Ye Zhengyang before them was beginning his breakthrough to the Xiantian Realm. The power within his body was transforming into Xiantian True Yuan, overflowing externally. A powerful aura spread out, far surpassing his previous state by who knew how much.
Instantly, gazes fell upon Ye Zhengyang. Those streams of white mystical light manifested outside his body, growing clearer and clearer. Each stream was Xiantian True Yuan, containing immense power, far surpassing Houtian internal energy by an incalculable degree.
The looks directed at Ye Zhengyang held envy, jealousy, awe, delight... all sorts of emotions, too many to list.
"Good, good, good!"
The three Elders were overjoyed. They hadn't expected that in this duel, although Ye Zhengyang had initially suffered a setback, it had actually allowed him to break into the Xiantian Realm. With True Yuan manifesting, once he fully stepped into the Xiantian Realm, he would undoubtedly undergo a major transformation, his strength advancing by leaps and bounds as well.
He had already surpassed the Houtian Ninth Layer. His strength would increase by more than double. He would undoubtedly be the true number one of the Ye family's younger generation. Even if Ye Chen seemed to have regained his former terrifying cultivation talent, even if he reached Houtian Perfection, he absolutely could not contend with Ye Zhengyang in the Xiantian Realm.
Ye Ao's expression darkened slightly, yet he sighed quietly. Was this the variable? He had finally seen his son regain his might and awe in the Ye family, only for Ye Zhengyang, after suffering a blow, to actually break through.
It seemed fate and destiny were truly unpredictable.
But when he looked at Ye Chen, he found the latter's expression calm and unperturbed, as if he wasn't the least bit surprised by Ye Zhengyang's breakthrough. This left him quite astonished.
For the first time, he found this son of his a bit unfathomable...
"Is this the true power of the Xiantian Realm?"
Ye Zhengyang felt the powerful force continuously overflowing from within his body and was equally overjoyed. Even the injuries inflicted by Ye Chen were beginning to heal during his realm breakthrough. He couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh wildly: "Hahaha, I, Ye Zhengyang, have finally broken through to the Xiantian Realm too!"
Although he had been at the Houtian Ninth Layer before, separated from Xiantian by only a hair's breadth, in truth, there was a vast chasm between Houtian and Xiantian, a difficult gap to cross.
Once that chasm was crossed, the entire person would undergo a tremendous transformation, their strength increasing by more than double.
Now, just in terms of raw power, he felt he possessed the strength of ten thousand jin.
And this was just shortly after the initial breakthrough. Once he consolidated his realm, his strength would grow even stronger.
This was the true might of the Xiantian Realm, far beyond what the Houtian Realm could compare to.
Suddenly, Ye Zhengyang looked at Ye Chen, a ferocious smile appearing on his handsome face. "Ye Chen, I admit you are indeed strong. But I have broken through to the Xiantian Realm. If I don't cripple you, this waste, today, then I am not Ye Zhengyang."
Hmph—
From the main seat, Ye Ao's expression turned grim. A cold snort from him made Ye Zhengyang's face change color, and the True Yuan power flowing visibly outside his body momentarily grew faint and unstable.
Ye Zhengyang was too carried away by his success, his mind filled with the immense joy of advancing to the Xiantian Realm. He had forgotten that Ye Ao was still in the hall—a high-level Xiantian expert, countless times stronger than a newly-advanced Xiantian like him.
Even within the Xiantian Realm, there were distinctions of high and low.
At this moment, the three Elders released their auras, restraining Ye Ao. "Zhengyang, you may act without worry. There's no need for concern. An agreement was made earlier: when the younger generation acts, outsiders may not interfere."
Hearing this, Ye Zhengyang was greatly delighted. He turned to look at Ye Chen and began walking towards him step by step.
With each step, the aura around him grew stronger. By the time he took his ninth step, Ye Zhengyang's Xiantian Realm aura fully bloomed, filling the entire hall. The vast majority of clansmen changed expressions, the weaker ones turning deathly pale, almost collapsing to the floor.
The terrifying pressure of the Xiantian Realm directly pressed down on Ye Chen. In the hall, centered on Ye Zhengyang, stone tiles began to crack.
This pressure was enough to make any Houtian Realm martial artist tremble.
Yet at this moment, Ye Chen remained unmoving. The terrifying pressure couldn't budge him in the slightest. He stood like an unshakable mountain, watching Ye Zhengyang approach step by step with the same calm, natural gaze as before, his eyes utterly placid.
Everyone was astonished. This Ye Chen was simply too monstrous, actually unaffected by the pressure of the Xiantian Realm aura.
"Is this the power of the Xiantian Realm?" Ye Chen shook his head, his words causing everyone's hearts to tremble three times over: "It's weak. Pathetically weak."