"Without sufficient strength, never mind seizing everything belonging to others, you can't even protect what you wish to shield. What is the point of living then…" Seeing Ye Jingyu remain silent, Dugu Ba Chen spoke again…
Ye Jingyu snapped back to reality, slowly raising his head to look at Dugu Ba Chen’s gaunt face, and those sharp eyes, which were piercingly bright…
"From this moment on, I will personally train you for three months. After three months, you will remain on this island to cultivate on your own. There are no ferries here; unless you achieve the strength of a Martial Saint, you can forget about returning to the mainland…" Seeing Ye Jingyu still lost in thought, Dugu Ba Chen couldn't be bothered with further words. For someone of his overbearing nature, speaking this much to Ye Jingyu was already rare…
As for the stipulation that he could only return after reaching Martial Saint strength, Ye Jingyu understood well that no martial artist, regardless of their formidable power, could perpetually hover in the void unless they had reached the Martial Saint realm. Even a peak Grandmaster, utilizing Xiao Xiao Ying’s Soul-Snatching technique, could at most traverse a hundred zhang of void; continuous flight was impossible. This small island was hundreds of li from the mainland, and no matter how strong Ye Jingyu became, he couldn't fly there, much less swim. Therefore, just as Dugu Ba Chen stated, without reaching the Martial Saint realm, passage would truly be unattainable…
"I understand, Master. But what is this 'Soul Battle Tournament' you mentioned?" Whether Ye Jingyu consented or not, faced with the violently overbearing Dugu Ba Chen, he had no room for objection…
"You are not yet qualified to know such things. When you are, I will naturally tell you. Now, begin your cultivation…" Dugu Ba Chen said coolly…
"Ah, start cultivating right now?" Ye Jingyu blinked. Even if cultivation was necessary, was there a need to rush this moment?
"Nonsense…" Dugu Ba Chen snorted coldly, leaving Ye Jingyu no choice but to accept with resignation…
Moments later, at the foot of the island's mountain, Ye Jingyu stood before a massive tree, gripping the Heaven Sovereign Blade, relentlessly slashing at the bark to peel it off, then continuously chopping the wood into slender strips. According to Dugu Ba Chen’s requirement, he had to reduce an entire tree into strips fine as chopsticks, with every piece precisely the same size. Only then would the second move of the Thunderous Blade Art be considered mastered…
Thus began Ye Jingyu’s monotonous life of tree-felling. Day and night, he ceaselessly chopped down trees. When hungry, he ate wild fruits or occasionally hunted some game; when thirsty, he drank the dew collected on leaves; when tired, he slept soundly in the branches of the trees…
Occasionally, he would exchange a few words with Dugu Ba Chen and learned about events from three hundred years prior. However, when he inquired about the identity of the scoundrel in the Heavenly Gang Mountain Range, Dugu Ba Chen shut him up with a curt, "Old bastard."
In the blink of an eye, over a month had passed. Ye Jingyu could now dismantle a large tree into tens of thousands of perfectly uniform chopsticks within the span of fifteen minutes—a skill sufficient to start a chopstick factory. Yet, facing Ye Jingyu’s swift progress, Dugu Ba Chen remained unsatisfied…
He concluded the first phase of Ye Jingyu’s training with just one comment: "Barely passable." The second phase required Ye Jingyu to cleave rocks using a single withered blade of grass—an activity that drastically consumed True Qi. Nevertheless, it was immensely beneficial for Ye Jingyu’s cultivation. After only half a month of this practice, his Innate Realm, which had resisted breakthroughs, underwent a sudden transformation: all the Innate True Qi within his body converted entirely into True Essence Power…
This practice continued for another month. When Ye Jingyu, wielding a mere straw, could slice a massive boulder several zhang away into thumb-sized particles, Dugu Ba Chen nodded slightly…
The three-month period was rapidly approaching its end. During the time spent cutting trees and splitting kindling, Ye Jingyu had already mastered the Thunderous Blade Art to perfection; only the strength of its execution remained variable. Dugu Ba Chen taught him no further secret techniques, instead elucidating certain principles, the very essence of the Martial Way…
As the three months neared their close, Ye Jingyu was stunned to find that Dugu Ba Chen had vanished. He hadn't even offered a word of farewell. Simultaneously, Ye Jingyu understood that Dugu Ba Chen had kept his word…
Gazing at the boundless ocean, he let out a heavy sigh, then threw himself desperately into cultivation…
During these three months, the Tian Yuan Empire had been engulfed in continuous warfare. Three months earlier, Sima Xuan’s rebellion had been discovered by Zhuge Yi Shi. After the Bai family departed, Luo Ruofeng launched a counter-offensive, regaining control of Lingyan City. Sima Xuan was imprisoned, and Bie Li was rescued…
He became a Great General under Luo Ruofeng’s command. However, Ye Jingyu’s abduction by the Bai family initially cast a shadow of gloom over everyone. Fortunately, a few days later, Dugu Qian, clad in black, appeared in Luo Ruofeng’s main tent and relayed the news that Ye Jingyu was unharmed, finally easing everyone’s anxiety. Upon learning that Ye Jingyu had been rescued from the Bai family by that great figure, Luo Ruofeng breathed a massive sigh of relief, his admiration and submission to Zhuge Yi Shi’s earlier judgment solidified…
In the days that followed, when Chi Yi Xiu and the others learned of Ye Jingyu’s departure, they did not remain in the military camp. They were loyal only to Ye Jingyu, willing to face death for him alone. With Ye Jingyu gone, why would they stay? Luo Ruofeng understood this and raised no objections. However, before leaving, Chi Yi Xiu deposited two hundred Horned Rhinoceros beasts…
With this formidable force, Luo Ruofeng’s army completely secured Lingyan City and, a month later, together with Luo Haitian and Luo Mu Yan, they shattered Flame City…
The war situation remained chaotic, while our poor Little Ye was still confined to the island, toiling away in strenuous cultivation…
In addition to refining his blade techniques, Ye Jingyu was also cultivating the application of Spirit Arts and the Overlord Origin Art…
Six months passed, and his strength surpassed Level Six. His Soul Art remained at the Spirit Manifestation realm, but his separated Heavenly Soul grew ever more robust. Ye Jingyu vaguely guessed that when this Heavenly Soul fully manifested its form, it would signify the complete mastery of the eighth major stage of the Body Cultivation chapter of the Overlord Origin Art. He just wondered if he could ascend to the Soul Immortal realm by then…
A year elapsed. Ye Jingyu’s martial path smoothly advanced to Grandmaster, and his strength increased to seven million jin. His mastery over Spirit Arts reached the level of effortless execution. Although casting potent Spirit Arts still required some time, unleashing spells capable of wounding a Grandmaster was now merely the work of an instant…
One and a half years passed. Ye Jingyu reached the pinnacle of the Grandmaster realm, and his Soul Art [also] reached its peak. It seemed as if one single step would lead to that next realm, yet Ye Jingyu knew that what appeared as a small gap was, in reality, a chasm separating ten thousand li. This required not just arduous practice, but also a certain stroke of fortune…
But if he stayed on this island day in and day out, what opportunities could possibly arise?
Sitting blankly atop the mountaintop, which he had worn down until it shone like a mirror, his hair a tangled mess and his face obscured by a thick beard, he stared vacantly into the distance…
Suddenly, a black speck appeared in his field of vision. His eyes instantly gleamed…
(Little Ye needs an opportunity to reach Martial Saint; I need an opportunity too~~)
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