The selection for the Profound Heaven Sect had come to an end, leaving some families delighted and others despondent.
At the Lin residence, lanterns hung everywhere, and the entire estate was filled with joy and celebration.
Lin Aotian sat in the head seat, his mouth practically splitting from ear to ear.
“Hahaha! Good! Excellent!”
Lin Aotian downed a large gulp of spirit wine, his face flushed with pleasure.
“That girl Wushuang—no, Fairy Ye! She participated in the selection using our Lin family’s quota! With this connection, who in Clear River City will still dare to provoke our Lin family?”
As for offending Liu Ruyan, Lin Aotian felt completely at ease with Fairy Ye as their backer. He was certain they would be safe.
The great elder, Lin Changhe, was equally excited.
“Patriarch, your judgment was truly wise! If you hadn’t overruled everyone yesterday and given the quota to Fairy Ye, how could our Lin family be enjoying such glory today?”
The Lin family members echoed his words one after another, showering him with praises that nearly shook the heavens.
Who could have imagined that the Ye family’s cast-off daughter, once treated as a laughingstock, would turn out to be a true divine phoenix of the Nine Heavens?
And the Lin family had somehow, through a twist of fate, managed to embrace such a powerful backer.
In stark contrast to the Lin family’s celebration was the lifeless atmosphere of the Ye family of the Famous Sword Manor.
Inside the Ye family’s main hall, the oppressive air was so heavy that it was difficult to breathe.
The great elder, Ye Qingtian, sat in his chair with a gray, ashen face, as though he had aged ten years in an instant.
The second elder, Ye Qingshan, the third elder, Ye Canghai, and the others all looked utterly defeated as well.
“Peak True Essence Realm… top-tier physique… Myriad Swords Paying Homage…”
Ye Qingtian’s lips trembled as he muttered to himself.
He finally understood why Ye Wushuang had dared to sever the Dragon Emperor Sword in public and why she had resolutely betrayed the Ye family without the slightest hesitation.
It was because she simply had no need for the Ye family!
It was the Ye family that had been blind, personally driving a peerless prodigy capable of leading the clan to glory into becoming its enemy!
“Big brother… what… what should we do?”
Ye Qingshan’s voice trembled.
Now that Ye Wushuang was being treated like a precious treasure by the elders of the Profound Heaven Sect, all it would take was a casual word from her for the Ye family to face annihilation.
Ye Qingtian closed his eyes in anguish.
At that moment, a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire main hall.
“A bunch of useless fools who can do nothing right and ruin everything!”
Accompanied by an angry roar, the figure of the Ye family’s old ancestor, Ye Tianwen, appeared in the center of the hall.
His face was livid as he pointed at Ye Qingtian’s nose and cursed furiously.
“I went into seclusion for thirty years and entrusted the family to you. Is this how you managed it?!”
“You withheld cultivation resources from the family’s direct descendant and forced a prodigy to betray the clan! Now that she has soared to greatness, our Ye family has become a laughingstock throughout Clear River City—and even the entire Southern Region!”
Ye Qingtian dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Please calm your anger, Old Ancestor! Your grandson was foolish! I was blind!”
Ye Tianwen took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the rage in his heart.
“From this day onward, Ye Qingtian is stripped of his position as great elder and confined to the Icebound Death Prison for five years to reflect on his mistakes! Without my order, no one is to visit him!”
Ye Qingtian’s face turned deathly pale, but he did not dare offer the slightest objection. He could only kowtow and thank the old ancestor for his mercy.
“Third elder Ye Canghai will temporarily take charge of the family’s daily affairs.”
Ye Tianwen’s gaze swept across everyone, his voice cold and chilling.
“And furthermore, no one is to reveal a single word of what happened today to the family patriarch while he is in seclusion! Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!”
The patriarch, Ye Cangqiong, was a man who placed tremendous importance on his reputation. If he learned that the family had suffered such a disgrace, he might become so enraged that he would suffer cultivation deviation on the spot.
After arranging everything, Ye Tianwen raised his head and looked in the direction where the Profound Heaven Sect’s spirit vessel had departed. He let out a long sigh.
“The Ye family… has missed out on a heaven-defying opportunity.”
Above the sea of clouds, a massive spirit vessel, a hundred zhang long, tore through the sky.
On the deck, the young prodigies from Clear River City and the surrounding cities gathered in groups of two and three, excitedly discussing the life that awaited them in the Profound Heaven Sect.
Ye Wuxin stood alone by the ship’s railing, gazing at the roiling sea of clouds. Her beautiful, cold face was devoid of expression, but her tightly clenched hands around the hilt of her sword betrayed the unrest in her heart.
Ye Wuming hid in a corner, gloomily staring in the direction of the Heaven-Class cabin. No one knew what he was plotting.
Lin Langtian, meanwhile, sat cross-legged in the middle of the deck with his eyes closed, calmly recuperating.
Although he possessed only an early True Essence Realm cultivation, the faintly domineering aura surrounding him made those nearby reluctant to approach.
Inside the Heaven-Class Cabin One.
Ye Wushuang lay comfortably on a soft beast-skin bed, idly playing with several supreme-grade spirit fruits given to her by the elders of the Profound Heaven Sect. She munched on them with loud, crisp bites.
“The Profound Heaven Sect’s treatment really is quite good.”
Ye Wushuang nodded in satisfaction.
She opened the system panel and took a look.
[Name: Ye Wushuang]
[Realm: Peak of the Grotto-Heaven Realm]
[Fate: One Above All]
[Recent Plot: Defying Heaven and Changing Fate. The Heavenly Secrets Are in Chaos. The Recent Plot Cannot Be Viewed.]
[Cultivation Techniques: “Grand Yin Profound Qi Breathing Art” (Perfected), “Sword Manipulation Art” (Perfected)]
[Fortune Points: 10/23]
Ever since swallowing the blood essence of the Godfiend Progenitor, her cultivation had skyrocketed directly to the peak of the Grotto-Heaven Realm.
However, Ye Wushuang possessed the “Divine Concealment Art” to disguise her cultivation. Unless she deliberately revealed her true strength, even experts above the Violet Palace Realm would be unable to see through her.
Two days later, the spirit vessel finally passed through layer upon layer of clouds and arrived at the Profound Heaven Sect’s mountain gate.
The Profound Heaven Sect was located amid an endless range of spirit mountains.
Nine main peaks towered into the clouds, resembling nine sharp swords thrust straight into the firmament.
Clouds and mist wound through the mountains, while immortal cranes flew gracefully through the air. The spiritual energy was so dense that it had nearly taken solid form. Even a deep breath left one feeling refreshed from head to toe.
“What dense spiritual energy!”
“As expected of a top-tier sect!”
The new disciples on the deck cried out in amazement one after another.
The spirit vessel slowly descended onto the enormous white-jade plaza in front of the main peak.
By then, several thousand young prodigies from all over the Southern Region had already gathered on the plaza.
Every one of them was an outstanding talent who had passed the preliminary selections held in their respective regions.
Among them were quite a few aristocratic scions with powerful auras and arrogant expressions.
Ye Wushuang blended into the crowd and quietly swept the area with her divine sense.
She discovered quite a few people with golden light hovering above their heads.
Clearly, these were all important supporting characters possessing high-grade fates—or even carrying great opportunities within them.
“It seems the Profound Heaven Sect really is a great place to farm opportunities.”
A money-minded smile curled the corners of Ye Wushuang’s lips.
“Silence!”
A majestic voice exploded across the plaza, suppressing all the noise.
The Profound Heaven Sect’s great elder hovered in midair, looking down upon the several thousand new disciples below.
“Congratulations on passing the preliminary selection and arriving at the Profound Heaven Sect.”
“But this is merely the beginning.”
The great elder’s voice held not the slightest trace of emotion.
“The path of cultivation is one of defying the heavens. Talent is certainly important, but without a Dao heart as firm as stone, you will never go far.”
“Next, we will begin the second round of testing—the Heart-Questioning Illusionary Realm!”
The great elder swept out his sleeve.
Rumble!
The white-jade ground in the center of the plaza slowly split apart, and an enormous ancient altar rose from below.
The altar was covered in densely packed formation inscriptions, radiating an eerie light that made the heart tremble.
“Everyone, step onto the altar. The illusion will conjure the things you fear and obsess over most deep within your minds. Those who overcome their inner demons within the time it takes a single incense stick to burn will pass. Those who do so within half an incense stick will be rated excellent. Those who break free within ten breaths… will be deemed unparalleled!”
“The test begins!”
