Seeing Qin Xuan's solemn expression, the worried look on his cheap master Qin Xiao's face, and then glancing at Qin Yan's blank expression, Ye Jingyu understood that although they claimed he had a choice, he could guarantee that if the word "leave" had slipped from his lips, he would have been executed on the spot.

After all, to put so much effort into accepting him as a disciple, only to then inform him that White Cloud Manor was at a critical juncture of life and death, and that he was free to leave if he wasn't willing—that was utter nonsense.

Furthermore, perhaps this was just a test for him?

What a joke. When has this young master ever feared a test?

“The Manor Lord worries too much. Though I, Ye Jingyu, am no saint, I understand gratitude. For my Master to accept me and for me to become a core disciple of White Cloud Manor is a blessing from three lifetimes of cultivation. From this day forward, my life belongs to White Cloud Manor, and my death belongs to its ghosts. No matter what difficulties White Cloud Manor faces, I swear to live and die alongside it…” Ye Jingyu straightened his demeanor and spoke with utmost gravity. Flattery is easy for anyone to utter, but he wasn't some fool ready to be fooled by a few nice words…

As for the oath he claimed to have found, well… Young Master Ye’s secret, internal oath was this: If I do not live and die with White Cloud Manor, then may I be punished by having one less wife—as long as I only have nine hundred and ninety-nine!

Of course, Qin Xuan and the others were oblivious to Ye Jingyu’s internal musings. Seeing his solemn face and genuine gaze, they all nodded in satisfaction. Only Qin Yuting, standing stiffly in the corner, shot Ye Jingyu a fierce glare, her thoughts inscrutable.

The subsequent matters unfolded much more simply. In attendance were the high echelons of White Cloud Manor: the Seven Grand Elders, the Manor Lord, over twenty other senior masters, thirteen core disciples, and more than seventy direct disciples—a full assembly of over a hundred people listening intently to Qin Xuan’s words…

The Shu Yun Kingdom was hardly a sprawling empire; it merely clung to the southwestern edge of the Tianyuan Empire as a minor state, possessing only five prefectures instead of provinces, with a total population barely exceeding five million…

Because the Dou Hun Continent was steeped in martial arts culture, the Shu Yun Kingdom, despite its small size, was riddled with martial sects, leading to a populace that recognized their local sects far more than the imperial court.

Take Ning Lang Prefecture, for instance; many citizens had no idea who the Prefect was, but everyone knew Qin Xuan, the Manor Lord of White Cloud Manor. In essence, the prestige of these martial sects had vastly eclipsed the authority of the government among the common folk.

For a martial sect like White Cloud Manor, this was naturally advantageous; at least they didn't have to toe the imperial line, right? However, for the imperial court, this was an undeniable humiliation, and for a nation, it was a catastrophe. How could a government with virtually no popular influence maintain its rule?

For this very reason, the Shu Yun Kingdom had long sought to suppress the power and prestige of these martial sects. Yet, for years, they had been unsuccessful. After all, these sects were ancient institutions passed down for millennia, possessing unimaginable influence. Many generals in the imperial army were themselves disciples of these martial sects; how could the court possibly crush them?

But this situation had dramatically shifted one month prior. The ruler of the Shu Yun Kingdom, Luo Xiaofeng, had successfully broken through from the Great Grandmaster realm to the Martial Saint realm, becoming the first Martial Saint in the kingdom's century-plus history. Instantly, the prestige of the court swelled to unprecedented heights.

After all, on the Dou Hun Continent, everything was measured by strength.

Practitioners were generally divided into nine realms: Martial Apprentice, Martial Soldier, Martial Master, Innate Martial Master, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, Martial Saint, Martial God, and Martial Venerable.

Don’t let Ye Jingyu’s ability to slay Qin Minglong—a Martial Soldier—fool you into thinking a Martial Saint is unremarkable. One must realize that as cultivation progresses, each subsequent stage becomes exponentially more difficult.

Most people, with sufficient effort, could reach the Martial Master realm, but reaching Innate Martial Master status was impossible without exceptional talent and fortunate encounters.

And advancing from Innate Martial Master to Grandmaster was even more arduous. Grandmaster, as the name implies, is someone capable of founding a lineage or sect; every Grandmaster possesses unique, self-created ultimate skills, something far beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals.

As for Great Grandmasters in the Shu Yun Kingdom, they were few and far between. Aside from the Four Great Manors comparable to White Cloud Manor and the Royal Family, other sects could barely produce anyone at the Great Grandmaster level. A Martial Saint?

That was practically a legendary existence. In all these years, the Shu Yun Kingdom had produced only one: Luo Xiaofeng.

It’s easy to imagine what the status of a Martial Saint truly represented.

Naturally, there were the Martial God and Martial Venerable realms, which lay entirely beyond the scope of common comprehension—they were entities on an entirely different plane.

This clearly illustrates the significance of a Martial Saint.

With a Martial Saint sitting at the apex, the court’s authority naturally soared. Luo Xiaofeng seized this momentum to issue a decree drastically curtailing the power of all major sects: "No terrestrial organization shall maintain an armed force exceeding one thousand individuals."

This meant that major sects could only accommodate a maximum of one thousand martial artists. For smaller sects, this was insignificant, as their total membership might not even reach that number.

But it was a different story for major powers like White Cloud Manor. Not to mention others, White Cloud Manor openly boasted two Grandmasters—Qin Xuan and Qin Xiao. They had seven Innate Martial Masters: the six Grand Elders and Qin Xuan’s beloved son, Qin Yunxiao. Over a hundred Martial Masters, more than three thousand Martial Soldiers, and tens of thousands of Martial Apprentices. It was precisely this formidable military strength that allowed White Cloud Manor to dominate Ning Lang Prefecture.

Now, the ruler’s single decree threatened to strip White Cloud Manor of nine-tenths of its armed might—how could Qin Xuan possibly tolerate this?

The Shu Yun Kingdom comprised five prefectures. Shu Prefecture and Yun Prefecture had always remained firmly under imperial control. Ning Lang, Ba, and Tian Prefectures, while nominally part of the kingdom, were effectively controlled by the three great sects: White Cloud Manor, the Tang Sect, and the Heavenly Sword Gate. Because of this delicate balance, the Shu Yun imperial court had always been forced to placate the three sects, daring not to wage actual war against them. If a conflict broke out, pitting the strength of two prefectures against three, the outcome would be highly uncertain.

But now, everything was different. Luo Xiaofeng had become a Martial Saint. When he first announced this law, it naturally provoked fierce opposition from the three sects. However, Luo Xiaofeng gave them no time to rally. He personally led three thousand Imperial Guards and, with astonishing speed, descended upon Qingcheng Mountain, the seat of the Tang Sect. Although the Tang Sect was renowned throughout the land for its hidden weapons, and their current leader was a Grandmaster, they were utterly defenseless against Luo Xiaofeng, being annihilated instantly. Even the sect’s hidden Great Grandmaster and three hidden Grandmasters were completely wiped out.