The Ye Family Martial Arena was a massive square paved with sturdy bluestone, capable of holding thousands of people. Today, it was packed to the brim. Flags fluttered in the wind, and the atmosphere was boiling with excitement.
Once a year, the Family Tournament was the most important event for the younger generation. It determined their ranking, their resource allocation for the next year, and most importantly, their status within the clan.
On the high viewing platform, the top brass of the Ye Family sat in grand chairs. Sitting right next to the Patriarch was the First Elder, Ye Kuang, an old man with a face full of wrinkles and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
Ye Kuang glanced at the sundial in the center of the square, a cold smirk playing on his lips.
"Patriarch," Ye Kuang stood up, his booming voice amplified by his Qi, instantly silencing the noisy arena. "The time for registration is over. It seems our 'former genius', Ye Chen, has decided not to show up."
A wave of mocking laughter erupted from the crowd of disciples below.
"Haha! I knew that cripple wouldn't dare to come!"
"After being publicly dumped by Nalan Yan yesterday, he's probably hiding in his blanket crying!"
"A trash with a shattered Dantian entering the martial arena? He'd just be a punching bag anyway!"
Ye Kuang raised his hand to quiet the crowd, his expression turning stern and self-righteous. "Our Ye Family does not harbor cowards! Not only has Ye Chen lost all his cultivation, bringing immense shame to our clan, but he doesn't even have the courage to face his peers. According to the clan rules, anyone who absents themselves from the grand tournament without a valid reason... shall be stripped of their status and permanently expelled from the Ye Family!"
The Patriarch frowned slightly, wanting to speak, but seeing the unanimous agreement in the eyes of the other elders, he merely sighed and closed his eyes.
"Now, as the First Elder, I officially declare—" Ye Kuang's voice was filled with vicious satisfaction. "Ye Chen is hereby expelled from..."
"Expelled?"
Suddenly, a calm, indifferent voice echoed from the entrance of the arena, cleanly cutting off the First Elder's sentence. The voice wasn't loud, but it possessed a strange penetrative power that reached everyone's ears.
The crowd parted like the red sea.
A young man dressed in simple black robes walked in at a unhurried pace. His back was straight as a javelin, his handsome face devoid of any panic or fear. His eyes were deep and profound, carrying a terrifying calmness that made people subconsciously want to avoid his gaze.
Following closely behind him was a beautiful, pale girl in a patched dress—Ye Qingyue.
"Ye Chen!"
"He actually dared to show up?!"
Ye Kuang's face darkened instantly. "You insolent brat! You dare to interrupt the First Elder? You are late for the tournament! You are already disqualified!"
"Late?" Ye Chen stopped in the center of the arena, pointing lazily at the sundial. "The shadow has just touched the midday mark. I am perfectly on time. Or is it that the First Elder's eyes are getting too old and blurry to tell the time?"
"Presumptuous!" Ye Kuang slammed his hand on the armrest, shattering it into splinters. "A crippled piece of trash dares to speak to me like this?!"
Before Ye Kuang could explode further, a figure leaped onto the central fighting stage with a loud bang, creating a small crater in the bluestone.
It was Ye Hai!
He pointed a thick finger at Ye Chen, his eyes bloodshot with hatred and excitement. "Grandpa! Don't waste your breath on this garbage! Let me handle him!"
Ye Hai turned to Ye Chen, grinning savagely. "Ye Chen! Yesterday at the Martial Pavilion, you used some dirty demonic trick to suppress me. Today, in front of the whole family, I challenge you to a life-and-death duel! Do you dare to accept, you cowardly cripple?!"