Excellent! Rest assured, once my father becomes the family head, you will be heavily rewarded."
Ye Qiang revealed a smug smile.
"Thank you, Young Master Ye Qiang!"
The servant was overjoyed.
On the arena within the martial stadium, the young disciples of the Ye Family took turns mounting the stage for competitions.
Cheers like thunder erupted from all around the arena.
On the raised platform to the east, the high-ranking members of the Ye Family also paid close attention to the matches among their younger generation, offering commentary from time to time.
After about two hours of matches,
a young girl in purple attire stood out, gradually becoming the focus of the arena.
This girl in purple was named Ye Xue, at Body Tempering Seventh Level, an outstanding talent among the Ye Family's younger generation.
She was straightforward and unconstrained in her ways, possessing the air of a 'big sister', and was quite popular among her peers.
"Sister Xue, I concede!"
On the arena, a young man, forced to the edge of the platform by Ye Xue's sword, had a sharp sword tip aimed at his throat, scaring him pale as he cried out.
Ye Xue retracted her longsword.
The young man's face flushed crimson as he fled down from the arena. Although his strength was also at Body Tempering Seventh Level, he had been defeated by Ye Xue's sword in less than ten moves.
"Sister Xue is mighty!"
Cheers arose from around the arena.
Subsequently, several more young disciples came up to challenge Ye Xue, but all failed.
"Sister Xue is mighty!"
...
For a moment, Ye Xue became the focal point of the entire scene.
"Xue'er's talent truly isn't bad. Starting now, her cultivation resources should be appropriately increased," Ye Tianpeng spoke up from the eastern platform.
The other Ye Family elders nodded one after another in agreement.
The better one's talent and aptitude, the more cultivation resources they would receive. This was the method used by most martial families to nurture their young disciples.
"Who else wants to come up and challenge me!"
On the arena at this moment, having defeated yet another challenger, Ye Xue swept her gaze across the crowd and shouted loudly.
"Forget it, Sister Xue. Apart from Ye Lei and Ye Tianfeng, no one is a match for you."
"Give up the arena, let the rest of us have a chance to perform."
...
No one from the Ye Family's younger generation stepped up to challenge Ye Xue anymore.
"Fine."
Seeing no one mounting the stage, Ye Xue could only give up and prepared to jump down from the arena.
Suddenly.
"Ye Xue, I'll challenge you!"
A shadow flashed, and a young man with narrow, slanted eyes already stood on the arena.
"It's Young Master Ye Qiang!"
"He's only at Body Tempering Fifth Level, isn't he? He actually dares to challenge Sister Xue?"
"Sister Xue is at Body Tempering Seventh Level!"
...
The crowd around the arena buzzed with surprised murmurs.
"Ye Qiang is merely at Body Tempering Fifth Level, two whole minor realms lower than Ye Xue. For him to go up and challenge her... isn't this just reckless?" A gray-robed elder on the eastern platform said with a frown.
This gray-robed elder was the Grand Elder.
"Hehe, let Qiang'er give it a try. I have confidence in him."
Ye Zhongnian appeared extremely confident.
Could it be that Ye Qiang had some hidden trump card? The other Ye Family elders, hearing Ye Zhongnian's words, all felt a bit puzzled.
"Ye Qiang, your cultivation level is still too low. I have no interest in sparring with you." On the arena, Ye Xue shook her head and said.
"Ye Xue, are you scared? If you're scared, then get lost." Ye Qiang sneered.
"What do you mean! Fine, I'll spar with you!" Ye Xue was infuriated by Ye Qiang's attitude.
"Ye Xue, you're skilled with the sword. Coincidentally, I also use a sword." Ye Qiang drew a longsword.
Swish!
As soon as the words left his mouth, the longsword in Ye Qiang's hand trembled. A powerful surge of spiritual energy rippled out from his body.
"Body Tempering Sixth Level! Young Master Ye Qiang has broken through! It's not Fifth Level, it's Sixth Level!"
Immediately, gasps of astonishment rose from around the arena.
On the arena, Ye Qiang wore a proud expression.
"So you've broken through." Ye Xue was somewhat surprised.
"Body Tempering Sixth Level, very impressive." On the eastern platform, the Ye Family elders nodded in praise one after another. Having a junior disciple break through was a good thing for the entire family.
"Haha... Qiang'er hasn't disappointed me." Ye Zhongnian laughed heartily, looking exceedingly pleased.
On the arena.
"Body Tempering Sixth Level still isn't a match for me." Ye Xue shook her head. The longsword in her hand suddenly whirled, stirring up waves of sword light, swift to the extreme, as she thrust towards Ye Qiang.
"That might not necessarily be the case!" Ye Qiang shouted fiercely. The longsword in his hand swept out with a *swish*, its sword wind sharp and its momentum astonishing.
A faint, white circle of sword radiance emerged from the tip of his sword. Instantly, the temperature across the entire arena dropped several degrees.
"This is...?" Ye Xue immediately felt a sense of extreme danger, her gaze fixed intently on the circle of white sword radiance emerging from the sword in Ye Qiang's hand.
"What?! This is the rudiment of Sword Intent!" On the eastern platform, apart from Ye Zhongnian, all the other Ye Family elders were utterly shocked.
Incredible! Unbelievable! To begin comprehending Sword Intent at such a young age! Although this wasn't true Sword Intent yet, it was probably only a matter of time before he grasped the real thing.
"Haha... Good, good, very good! I never thought our Ye Family would produce a sword cultivator!" The Ye Family's Grand Elder exclaimed repeatedly in praise, extremely excited. In the martial cultivation world, among warriors of the same realm, sword cultivators possessed the strongest offensive power.
"Haha, Young Master Ye Qiang will undoubtedly become a powerful sword master in the future. Our Ye Family is blessed!"
...
The other Ye Family elders also laughed heartily.
"Grand Elder, it must be said, we have to thank that waste Ye Yunfei. Three days ago, after Qiang'er was sneak attacked and knocked out by Ye Yunfei, he awakened feeling doubly humiliated. He secluded himself for three days and nights, not only breaking through to Body Tempering Sixth Level but also gaining an initial touch of the rudiments of Sword Intent." Ye Zhongnian's proud gaze swept towards Ye Tianpeng, his tone full of mockery.
"Ye Yunfei is your nephew! What do you mean by calling him waste!" Ye Tianpeng flared up in rage.
"Hmph, a waste nephew like that is something I cannot bear to claim," Ye Zhongnian snorted coldly. For this clan gathering, where Ye Zhongnian planned to seize power, he no longer hesitated to tear all pretense with Ye Tianpeng.
On the arena.
After Ye Qiang unleashed the rudiments of Sword Intent, he actually fought Ye Xue to a standstill. Although Ye Qiang's spiritual energy was far inferior to Ye Xue's, when he thrust his longsword, every move and stance seemed to deeply embody the essence of the sword path, displaying the subtleties of sword techniques to the fullest with astonishing momentum.
Especially the faint white ring of sword radiance at the tip of his longsword made Ye Xue feel extremely dangerous. A chill arose in her heart, and she actually didn't dare to meet it head-on. For a time, the two fought intensely, locked in stalemate.
"Young Master Ye Qiang is truly monstrous." All the onlookers around the arena sighed in admiration.
"I concede!" Suddenly, Ye Xue retreated several steps and declared loudly.
"Oh?" Everyone felt strange; she clearly hadn't lost.
"Ye Qiang, your cultivation is lower than mine, yet you can fight me evenly. Moreover, you've comprehended the rudiments of Sword Intent. I am inferior to you." Ye Xue stated this, her expression somewhat dejected, and jumped down from the arena.
"Young Master Ye Qiang is too impressive!"
...
Throughout the martial stadium, waves of wild cheers erupted.
"Haha... Zhongnian, your bloodline truly produces twin dragons in a single family. First Ye Lei, and now Ye Qiang! You've raised them well, truly excellent!" The Grand Elder looked at Ye Zhongnian with an appreciative gaze.
"In comparison, some people fall far short. They managed to raise a waste, shaming our Ye Family." An elder in white robes spoke up from the side. This white-robed elder was precisely Ye Chaoxian, who had clashed with Ye Tianpeng three days prior.
"Third Elder, what do you mean by that!" Ye Tianpeng couldn't help but flare up again.
"Isn't my meaning obvious? Grand Elder, as the saying goes, virtue must match position. For the sake of our Ye Family's development, I believe the position of Family Head must not be compromised. It's best held by someone of both virtue and talent." Ye Chaoxian said with a cold laugh.
His words were unmistakably clear, directly mounting a challenge against Ye Tianpeng's authority.
"This matter... is not urgent. Let's first continue watching the juniors' competitions," the Grand Elder said.
The Grand Elder held the greatest authority within the Elder Council. His stance was the most crucial.
"Who dares to step forward and challenge me, Ye Qiang!" On the arena, Ye Qiang, holding his longsword, swept his gaze arrogantly across the crowd, his voice clear and full of pride.
"Young Master Ye Qiang, even Sister Xue conceded. No one dares to challenge you."
...
All around, waves of flattery and praise continuously rose.
"Waste Ye Yunfei, roll out here! I want to repay the grudge from that palm strike three days ago!" Suddenly, Ye Qiang roared harshly.