"Ye Yunfei, just you wait.
I, Yang Cheng, will remember the grudge of today!"
Yang Cheng glared fiercely at Ye Yunfei's retreating back before vanishing into the crowd.
The other princes, meanwhile, could only hang their heads, their spirits deflated.
The Eldest Prince in particular resembled a rooster beaten in a cockfight. Over the years, in his quest to become the Crown Prince, he had painstakingly built factions within the imperial family, accumulated vast connections, and rallied numerous skilled warriors from the martial world. Yet this contest had allowed the Third Prince to seize the decisive advantage. Judging by the situation, the title of Crown Prince would likely fall to the Third Prince.
How could the Eldest Prince accept this sudden reversal? He stood stock-still on the spot, his gaze vacant, mumbling to himself as if driven mad.
"How can this be? Victory should have been mine...
Ye Yunfei!
It's all because of Ye Yunfei!
Ye Yunfei, I swear I will make you pay!"
Abruptly, boundless, venomous hatred erupted in the Eldest Prince's eyes as he stared at Ye Yunfei's departing figure.
Upon returning to the Third Prince's Mansion, the Third Prince immediately bestowed a large quantity of Spirit Crystals and various treasures upon Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei did not decline, directly accepting them.
A martial artist's cultivation required a vast amount of resources—it was an extremely costly endeavor. Furthermore, the development of the Ye Family in Yuanyue City also demanded enormous resources. For Ye Yunfei, the more money and goods, the better.
"Third Prince, I need a favor," Ye Yunfei said, handing the Third Prince a spatial ring filled with Spirit Crystals and a list of spirit herbs. "Could you send someone to purchase a batch of these herbs for me?"
The Third Prince naturally dispatched people immediately to procure the herbs for Ye Yunfei.
That evening, the Third Prince's Mansion bustled with festive energy as if celebrating the New Year. The Third Prince hosted a grand banquet in celebration.
During the feast, all the martial figures the Third Prince had recruited were extravagantly enthusiastic towards Ye Yunfei, addressing him incessantly as 'Master Ye Yunfei', seemingly wanting to prostrate themselves at his feet. These people understood the immense benefits of befriending a Fourth Grade Alchemy Master.
As for Guo Shijie and Lin Ming, they had no face left to return to the Third Prince's Mansion. They had slipped away quietly after the competition ended. The Third Prince naturally had no interest in concerning himself with them any further.
After the banquet concluded, Ye Yunfei returned to his small, three-story building to meditate and rest.
Not long after, the Third Prince sent over a large batch of spirit herbs.
"Huang Shang, refine more Heavenly Demon Pills and Soul Stabilizing Pills," Ye Yunfei said, tossing a spatial ring filled with spirit herbs into the pill cauldron. "There are enough herbs here."
"As you wish," Huang Shang replied.
The Soul Stabilizing Pills were of great benefit to him, while the Heavenly Demon Pills were extremely useful for Hu Miao. The more of these two spirit pills, the better.
Earlier that day, after the Alchemy Competition ended, within the Eldest Prince's Mansion...
"Your Highness, Commander Leng is missing, and it is highly likely he has already been killed," an elder who appeared to be a steward reported to the Eldest Prince.
"Killed?! Impossible! Steward Miao, have you verified this? Commander Leng was a Profound Realm expert, part of the top echelon of masters in the entire Great Qin Empire! Who could possibly kill him?" The Eldest Prince refused to believe it.
"Commander Leng's last known location was in a grassy field on the outskirts of the imperial city. I went to investigate. The area showed clear signs of a struggle. There were also large amounts of burnt ashes—it is evident that a significant number of corpses were burned there. Commander Leng never returned to the military camp after leaving it. I had people search the entire imperial capital and the surrounding regions. There was no trace of him at all. Commander Leng was entrusted by Commander-in-Chief Sima with leading the Capital Army; he was bound by military orders and could not have left this region around the capital. Therefore, I believe there is only one explanation: Commander Leng met his end." Steward Miao deduced.
"Tang Feng told me that Ye Yunfei keeps a rather powerful demoness by his side. Could it have been that demoness who did this?" The Eldest Prince frowned.
"Your Highness, I also discovered something else," Steward Miao suddenly added. "At that time, the Third Young Master of Chancellor Xiao, Xiao Wuhen, also led his men to pursue and kill Ye Yunfei to that same grassy field. As a result, Xiao Wuhen also vanished. There has been no sign of him to this day. I suspect Xiao Wuhen may have also been killed."
"What?! Even the Third Son of Chancellor Xiao... he dared to kill him too?" The Eldest Prince was somewhat shocked.
Then, a smile spread across his face. "Haha...! If that is truly the case, then this is a great thing for me! Commander Leng was the chief commander of the Capital Army, with illustrious military achievements to his name. Chancellor Xiao's status within the imperial court is second only to His Majesty, and he dotes on Xiao Wuhen. Now, both Commander Leng and Xiao Wuhen died by Ye Yunfei's hand. And since Ye Yunfei is affiliated with the Third Prince, if this matter is investigated, I'm afraid the Third Prince won't be able to escape implication. Perhaps this is a perfect opportunity to bring down the Third Prince. Third Prince, Ye Yunfei... prepare to pay the price! Come, follow me to the Chancellor's Residence immediately!" With a wave of his hand, the Eldest Prince set off for the Chancellor's Residence with Steward Miao.
One hour later.
A roar of fury erupted within Chancellor Xiao's residence, shaking the entire mansion.
"Damn it! Investigate! Send people to investigate immediately! Ye Yunfei, you little wretch, if you truly killed my third son, I will never let you go!"
An elder in wide robes embroidered with the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, his face contorted with rage, shattered the table in front of him with a single palm. This elder was the current Chancellor Xiao, a figure of immense power who dominated the court!
At the same time, within the Li Family estate in the imperial capital.
In the main hall.
"Patriarch, the clansmen we sent to kill Ye Yunfei have not returned even now. Not a single one. They have surely met with misfortune," a steward reported softly to the family head, Li Jianjun.
"Damnation! Ye Yunfei has killed so many of our Li Family clansmen. He is guilty of ten thousand deaths!" Li Jianjun's fury surged to the heavens, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Patriarch, Ye Yunfei is a Fourth-Grade Alchemist. Now, with the emperor's favor... If our Li Family wants to kill him, I'm afraid..." The steward hesitated.
"Our Li Family clansmen cannot have died in vain," Li Jianjun hissed through gritted teeth as he pondered. "If we cannot act openly, then we will act in the shadows! Send someone immediately to contact the Tianyou Tomb. No matter the cost, Ye Yunfei must die!"
"Understood, Patriarch," the steward replied immediately, hurrying out of the hall.
That night, within the Third Prince's Mansion.
The night sky was serene, dotted with stars.
Inside Ye Yunfei's three-story building.
In the room.
Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged, circulating the Nine-Yang Scripture.
*Hoo… Hoo… Hoo…*
The Spiritual Qi in the heavens and earth around the small building was drawn forth, converging continuously towards Ye Yunfei's body like an unending stream. His body acted like a funnel, absorbing all the Spiritual Qi into his system.
As he absorbed more and more Spiritual Qi, the meridians within his body seemed to transform into great rivers, the energy surging through them with thunderous roars.
One hour later, Ye Yunfei felt signs of an impending breakthrough.
However, Ye Yunfei did not pursue the breakthrough. Instead, using a secret technique, he forcibly suppressed the signs.
In terms of cultivating his spiritual power, what Ye Yunfei sought now was to lay the most solid foundation, to forge a supreme root for his cultivation. This would bring him limitless benefits in the future.
Thereafter, Ye Yunfei continued to circulate the Nine-Yang Scripture to absorb even more Spiritual Qi while simultaneously using a secret art within his body to refine and temper his foundation.
Within the room, Ye Yunfei was completely immersed in a state of cultivation.
Then, at a certain moment.
Suddenly.
*Shick!*
A sword light abruptly flashed, shooting towards Ye Yunfei.
"An assassin!"
Ye Yunfei's eyes snapped open, a sharp, brilliant light erupting from within them.