Ye Tianling instantly sensed a terrifying danger, a feeling that sent a bone-chilling cold through his entire body.
His heart clenched. He knew instantly that Ye Tianyun, having mastered Sword Qi, was truly someone to be reckoned with.
The number one genius of the Qingyang Town Ye Race had clearly earned his title.
Just as Ye Tianling felt the chill creep over him, his body flickered. A streak of white Sword Qi shot past him.
SLICE—
An inch-deep, half-meter-long gash instantly appeared on the ground!
If that Sword Qi had connected, it would have meant severe injury, if not death!
Ye Tianling's pupils constricted. He locked his gaze onto Ye Tianyun, his eyes filled with a harsh, distinct chill.
"This is the training ground. Are you trying to kill me? In front of all the clan's disciples?"
Ye Tianling demanded coldly.
"Kill you? If I really wanted you dead, could a piece of trash like you even resist? I was just trying to intimidate you! Besides, you dodged it, didn't you? Don't be afraid. Relax, I wouldn't stoop to actually killing a waste like you!"
Having made his move, Ye Tianyun's eyes flashed with surprise when he saw Ye Tianling dodge it.
By now, the Instructor Elder on the training ground had noticed the commotion, and numerous disciples had begun to gather.
Ye Tianyun immediately started to explain.
Upon seeing the gash left by the Sword Qi, a look of excitement and admiration was evident in Instructor Elder Ye Liyi's eyes.
At the same time, his gaze turned to Ye Tianling, filled with extreme displeasure.
"Why don't you just go ahead and kill me? That way, you could be with my Daoist Sword, Ye Yueling, openly and honestly, instead of resorting to such despicable tricks!"
Ye Tianling said mockingly.
His voice was loud, making sure everyone could hear.
His words sent an immediate uproar through the crowd.
The gazes of many people landing on Ye Yueling turned strange.
"Ye Tianling, what nonsense are you spouting?! Who's your Daoist Sword? Who's acting despicably with Brother Tianyun? You shameless fiend, you're just spewing lies—"
Ye Yueling, unable to contain her fury, immediately snapped back.
Ye Tianling snorted, a mocking laugh on his lips. "You and your 'lofty ambitions'... you have a dark red, mung-bean-sized mole right on your chest. And the area three inches from your Qi Sea Dantian? As smooth as jade, without a single hair. I know every inch of you! If you weren't my Daoist Sword, how could I possibly know these secrets?"
"You're shameless! You're lying! Everyone, don't listen to him—"
Ye Yueling shrieked.
"Brothers and sisters! Now that she knows I've become a cripple, that I can no longer get her the clan's Elixirs for her Cultivation, and that I haven't inherited my father's Cultivation Secret Technique, this Ye Yueling immediately decided to throw herself into Ye Tianyun's arms. And this hypocrite, Ye Tianyun, wasted no time cozying up to her. Ye Tianyun, you're my cousin. What's this? You have designs on your own cousin's Daoist Sword?
"But let me make one thing clear. Even if I, Ye Tianling, were to cast this bitch aside, she's still not someone you, Ye Tianyun, are qualified to touch!"
Ye Tianling let out a vicious sneer.
His eyes were cold, his gaze like that of a Fierce Beast about to pounce and devour its prey.
That single look made Ye Tianyun, who was about to retort, freeze. For some reason, his very Essence, Qi, and Spirit felt suppressed.
'I can't let this little bastard grow up—I have to kill him before he gets any stronger! This little bastard... he actually took Yueling's innocence! Damn it! And that bitch Yueling wouldn't even let me hold her hand, acting all pure. What a slut!'
Ye Tianyun stewed inwardly, his expression growing colder by the second.
He didn't explode with rage. If he lost his temper now, it would only make him look guiltier.
"Ye Tianling, I believe you've misunderstood. I simply see Ye Yueling as family. Her Talent is excellent, so I was merely offering her some guidance, just as I am guiding you now!"
Ye Tianyun took a deep breath, forcing down his rage and killing intent as he spoke with forced composure.
As he spoke, he discreetly put a little distance between himself and Ye Yueling.
Ye Yueling never imagined that Ye Tianyun would immediately distance himself from her the moment he heard this.
The disappointment she felt in that moment was palpable.
A young woman with romantic ideals about love often seems to lose all common sense in moments like this.
And at this moment, that was precisely the case for Ye Yueling.
"Brother Tianyun, you promised you would treat me well! Why? I tricked Ye Tianling out of his Elixirs and gave them to you for your Cultivation, so why are you treating me like this? Don't you believe me? Do you believe the lies coming out of that cripple's mouth instead?"
Tears welled in Ye Yueling's eyes as she stared intently at Ye Tianyun and demanded an answer.
"You were the one who insisted on giving me those Elixirs! You said your Cultivation couldn't rely on pills and that you wanted to achieve things through Hard Cultivation. I didn't even use them! I stored them away for you. Why would I want your Elixirs?!"
Ye Tianyun quickly explained.
"Those are my Elixirs. Since you were storing them for me, just give them back. It's not many, just one hundred Qi Nourishing Pills!"
Ye Tianling cut in.
As for Ye Yueling, she looked at Ye Tianyun with a heartbroken and desolate expression, which then turned to one of pure hatred as she glared at Ye Tianling.
"One hundred? How could there be that many?!"
Ye Tianyun frowned, his voice low.
He was starting to lose control.
If the Elder and the clan's disciples weren't all watching, he would have attacked and killed the little bastard, that little mongrel Ye Tianling, on the spot!
"Two to three pills a month, twelve months a year... over three years, that's a hundred and eight pills. Asking for a hundred is actually letting you off easy. Or could it be that you really did trick Ye Yueling out of her Elixirs and consumed them all yourself?"
Ye Tianling demanded coldly.
At this, Instructor Elder Ye Liyi's expression soured. "Ye Tianling, your Dantian is fragile and you suffer from an Innate Body Void. It's fine for the Elixirs to be kept with Ye Tianyun; they're not going anywhere. Once you're able to practice Cultivation again—You... you've actually broken through?"
As he spoke, Ye Liyi's figure blurred, and he reappeared in front of Ye Tianling. A wave of Sword Essence Power instantly rippled from him and entered Ye Tianling's Dantian.
After a moment of Sensing, Ye Liyi's face became incredibly grim. "Useless! Utterly useless! Your Dantian is gone, and the Qi Sea within it is completely absent! Without a Dantian, without a Qi Sea, what good is an empty Realm? Did you force a breakthrough using some reckless bloodline Cultivation Method? Ignorance! Utter foolishness!"
Ye Liyi was furious, but his expression quickly shifted to one of cold indifference. "A tiger father siring a dog son. You're a disgrace to your father, a disgrace to our Ye Race!"
Ye Tianling retorted, "Hypocrites! You seized my Cultivation Resources, took over my training grounds, and threw me out of my father's Spiritual Energy Courtyard and into a woodshed! Is that how you help me recover and grow? The clan has plenty of restorative elixirs like Blood Nourishing Pills, Tiger Bone Pills, Dragon and Tiger Pills, and even Creation Pills. Have I ever been given a single one? And now you're putting on this show of concern, acting as if you care so much about me!"
Ye Liyi's face darkened. "Seeing as you've clearly gone mad, I won't stoop to arguing about your disrespect. I will report this matter to the Clan Leader at once! When the time comes, the Clan Leader himself will decide who is right and who is wrong!"
Turning to the surrounding disciples, Ye Liyi continued, "All of you, watch and learn. Cultivate diligently, build a solid foundation, and don't be impatient for quick success! This Ye Tianling is finished. He has no future. Let him be an example to you all. Remember the disgraceful events of today! Ye Tianling will surely be expelled from the Ye Race and become its shame. You must all take this as a cautionary tale!"
After Ye Liyi finished speaking, the disciples finally retracted their strange, prying gazes from Ye Tianling, Ye Yueling, and Ye Tianyun, and turned their attention back to the training ground.
Ye Tianling sneered and muttered to himself, 'An old mad dog yapping away. How annoying. One day, I'll knock every last tooth out of that old dog's mouth.'
Ye Liyi overheard him. His killing intent surged as he roared, "Little bastard, who are you calling a dog?!"
Ye Tianling replied nonchalantly, "My father is dead. It seems his prestigious name has already been forgotten if his son can be bullied by just anyone. He was a genius of the Ye Race, with countless contributions, and yet this is the fate that befalls his child after his death. Brothers and sisters, you should all take this as a cautionary tale!"
Hearing this, Ye Liyi's expression became extremely ugly.
Ye Tianling ignored him, however, turning his cold gaze back to Ye Tianyun. "I'll hold onto my own things from now on. Are you giving me the Elixirs or not? All our brothers and sisters are watching. The Elder is watching. You'd better think carefully."
Ye Tianling's tone remained just as defiant.
'You little mongrel,' Ye Tianyun raged inwardly. 'I'll let you be arrogant for a little while longer. The moment you're expelled from the Ye Family, I'll kill you, take back the Elixirs, and then I'll humiliate that Ye Yueling until I've vented all this hatred!'
His expression, however, barely changed. In a low voice, he said, "Qi Nourishing Pills are low-Level pills and useless to you anyway. I'll give you ten Small Peiyuan Pills. That's more than enough to compensate for a hundred Qi Nourishing Pills!"
As Ye Tianyun spoke, he waved his hand, and a white Jade Bottle flew toward Ye Tianling.
Ye Tianling reached out and snatched it from the air. "Thanks for holding onto them for me for the past three years."
Ye Tianyun's face was grim, but he said nothing.
"Let's go. You're coming with me to see the Clan Leader!"
Ye Liyi said, his face dark and forbidding.