In the grand hall, the young man's voice rang out like thunder, echoing beside everyone's ears, shocking all present.
He glared angrily, sweeping his gaze over the three elders, neither humble nor arrogant, directly and bluntly reprimanding the three of them, placing a great hat of rebellion squarely upon their heads.
The crowd in the hall was greatly astonished. Was this still the same young master who had been bullied, insulted, and filled with self-loathing in the past? How did he seem like a completely different person today, even daring to reprimand the three elders who held real power within the family?
Yang Yi stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded as she looked at Ye Chen, as if seeing him for the first time. He bore no resemblance to the Ye Chen she had known before. Could it be that after jumping into the lake to commit suicide, he had also gained enlightenment?
Xia Wei and Huan'er had also never seen Ye Chen display such domineering aura before. They were startled, but more than that, they were happy, delighted by Ye Chen's transformation.
The former Ye Chen would only respond with silence, but now he dared to righteously reprimand the three elders.
Among those present, the three elders were considered the highest echelon of the Ye family, having lived for over sixty years. They had always held themselves aloof, sometimes even looking down upon the family head himself. Yet now, they were being publicly reprimanded by a junior in such a manner, and even had this hat of rebellion placed upon them—and by someone they had always scorned as a cripple. This made them even more furious.
"Good, good, good!" The Great Elder said the word 'good' three times in succession, but anyone could hear the anger in his tone. He looked at Ye Ao and said, "Ye Ao, is this your fine son? He dares to reprimand even me, truly arrogant and lawless, overstepping his bounds. Today, even with the esteemed guests from the Yang family present, he must be taught a lesson."
The Second Elder and Third Elder chimed in, "Indeed, at such a young age he dares to act like this. What will he be like when he grows up? He must be properly disciplined, or where will our Ye family's rules stand?"
Regarding his son's sudden reprimand, Ye Ao was surprised, but more than that, he was overjoyed. He swept a sharp glance over the three elders before snorting coldly, "Chen'er is right. I am the head of the Ye family. I, the family head, have not yet spoken. When did it become your turn, the three elders, to speak? All of you, shut your mouths! Do you truly wish to rebel?"
Hearing this, the three elders' expressions changed slightly. They could sense the coldness in Ye Ao's words. They wanted to retort, but remembering that Ye Ao was, after all, the family head, causing internal strife in front of outsiders would bring shame upon the family. In the end, they merely moved their lips without speaking further, flicking their sleeves and snorting coldly.
However, they would have to reclaim this face later, especially regarding the Foundation Establishment Pills.
"Father!" Ye Chen called out, making his request once more.
Ye Ao was clearly very happy, laughing heartily, "Good, good, good! Since Chen'er requests it, I, as his father, naturally will not refuse. Come, take a look."
Seeing the servant deliver the jade bottle containing the five Foundation Establishment Pills into Ye Chen's hands, the other junior disciples of the Ye family looked on with envious gazes. But then they remembered his status as a cripple, and their envy vanished, replaced by inner sneers: "Let this cripple take a look then. Since he cannot cultivate and cannot use the Foundation Establishment Pills, he can only broaden his horizons."
Ye Chen took the jade bottle, shook it slightly, then poured out one Foundation Establishment Pill, placing it in his palm for careful observation. He looked at it for quite a while.
"Hey, Ye Chen, haven't you looked enough? Even if you keep looking, you can't use it, hahaha..."
The Ye family disciples not far away were gleefully mocking him. They were the grandchildren of the three elders and had no fear of Ye Chen's status as the family head's son.
Yang Yi also seemed slightly puzzled, but remembering Ye Chen's status as a cripple, she shook her head again, thinking he was merely putting on a mysterious act. His earlier reprimand of the family elders could at most be considered a momentary burst of courage.
Ye Chen cast a faint glance at these junior disciples and said, "What kind of spectacle is all this noise? All of you, shut up for this young master. You people are simply a disgrace to our Ye family. Don't you know you shouldn't make a racket in front of guests, disturbing the peace of the hall? If you can't even manage this basic etiquette, you've utterly shamed our Ye family's reputation."
With these words, the junior disciples were instantly filled with rage. However, feeling the warning gazes from the family head and several elders, they immediately fell silent. They just looked at Ye Chen with eyes full of venom, thinking to themselves that after leaving the hall, they must find an opportunity to get back at him and make this cripple pay.
Ye Chen paid no heed to these venomous gazes; these people were not even worthy of his attention.
Want revenge?
He had ten thousand ways to make them regret it.
Almost everyone mocked and scorned Ye Chen's action of examining the pill. However, Ye Ao, looking at his son's expression, was clearly surprised to discover that facing such a precious pill, Ye Chen was actually observing it very seriously, without the slightest trace of greed or dejection. It was as if he were an alchemist carefully examining this pill. It was very strange.
Was he mistaken? Why did he feel that today, his son seemed like a different person compared to before—more confident, more domineering, more composed, no longer the cowardly and self-loathing son of the past?
The other mysterious elder from the Yang family looked at Ye Chen. He had a feeling that this youth, regarded as a cripple, was not simple.
Yang Jun saw that Ye Chen had been looking for quite some time, having examined almost every Foundation Establishment Pill. He sneered, "Ye Chen, Young Master Ye, I wonder what you've managed to discern after looking for so long?"
"You're right, I have indeed discerned something," Ye Chen looked up and smiled at him, then turned to the Yang family elder and asked, "May I ask Elder Yang, are these five Foundation Establishment Pills of superior grade?"
Pills were also divided into superior, medium, and inferior grades. Strictly speaking, they were even divided into ten grades, with superior, medium, and inferior being the three tiers within each grade.
The worst was First Grade, while Tenth Grade was supreme.
Seeing Ye Chen's question, Elder Yang shook his head and said, "Young friend Ye Chen, you misunderstand. Although the Foundation Establishment Pill is only a Second Grade pill, the alchemical inheritance of our era is lost. Producing a superior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill is not easy. But these are medium grade. I think even as an apology gift, they are not too shabby."
Although he said this, a clearly self-satisfied smile appeared on Elder Yang's aged face.
Even if they were only medium-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, these five were absolutely worth a fortune, almost equivalent in value to exchanging for a single Clear Spirit Pill.
At this moment, a flash of coldness passed over Ye Chen's face. He said, "Second Grade medium? In my opinion, the Yang family still lacks sincerity in their apology. You should take these Foundation Establishment Pills back and bring the Clear Spirit Pill instead."
"What do you mean?"
Hearing this, the Yang family elder's expression changed, and everyone looked at Ye Chen. Yang Jun in particular coldly shouted, "Kid, what are you saying? Do you dare to question our Yang family? Or do you think a cripple like you can tell—"
Before his words finished, a terrifying oppressive force swept over like a tidal wave. From the main seat, Ye Ao unleashed a fearsome pressure, his True Yuan visibly circulating externally. The powerful pressure of a Xiantian expert pressed over, like a mountain crashing down, causing Yang Jun's face to turn pale, unable to withstand it.
"City Lord Ye, hold on!" Elder Yang immediately acted, stepping in front of Yang Jun, causing the Xiantian pressure to dissipate. But his face also paled slightly. He hadn't expected Ye Ao to have reached this level over the years, on the verge of a new breakthrough.
On the other side, the other Yang family elder also acted. He appeared very mysterious, clad in a black robe, his face not even clearly visible. But with a flick of his sleeve, he dissipated Ye Ao's pressure, causing everyone's expressions to change. He was definitely a formidable figure.
He looked at Ye Chen, and a hoarse, indifferent voice emerged, "What exactly do you mean by those words?"
Ye Chen gave this mysterious elder a slightly longer look. After recovering his memories from his past life, his perception had also improved considerably. Although it was still far from comparable to his past life, it was not bad. Yet, sensing this mysterious elder, he felt an aura even more profound and obscure than his own father's. This was a truly terrifying figure.
He cast a slightly puzzled glance at the Yang family members. Where had they found such help? Probably these five Foundation Establishment Pills were also related to this person.
However, Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged. Pinching a Foundation Establishment Pill between his fingers, he spoke slowly, but the words he uttered shocked everyone present—
"What if I said these five Foundation Establishment Pills are not so-called Second Grade medium pills at all, not even Second Grade inferior. At most, they can only be called defective Foundation Establishment Pills. I'm not wrong, am I, esteemed guests of the Yang family?"
He gave a cold smile, looking at the several Yang family members.
The entire hall was stunned!