"Ye Tian, you won't blame me, will you? I needed to get his approval to secure better cultivation conditions. I had no choice in the matter," Ye Feifei said.
"So that's how it is. Now I'm in trouble again. I'm sure Ye Feng's father will come looking for me to settle the score!" Ye Tian said with a sigh of resignation.
It wasn't that he was afraid of them, but his own strength was simply too weak to fight back. He understood the wisdom of self-preservation all too well.
"Don't worry! If he dares to cause trouble for you, my father and I will be the first to come down on him. I'll have my dad warn him later. You're now a talent the family wants to cultivate. Even if he has the intention, he won't have the nerve," Ye Feifei said with a smile.
Ye Tian nodded. "Feifei, the family tournament is getting closer. I still haven't started practicing the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique you gave me. I want to use this time to master the first three forms. Otherwise, I'll be at a huge disadvantage if I only know Thunderbolt Fist."
"Do you want me to teach you? I've already reached the Perfect Realm in the first four forms of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. I can't seem to learn the later forms, but my father said they can be deduced from the first four," Ye Feifei said with a serious expression.
"They can be deduced? That must take incredible wisdom. I'll be happy if I can just learn the first three forms!" Ye Tian said with a wry smile.
What he didn't know was that it had taken Ye Feifei nearly half a year to reach the Perfect Realm with those four forms. For Ye Tian to try and master the first three in a mere twenty days was an incredibly difficult task.
However, Ye Feifei didn't say this out loud, fearing it would discourage him and put him under pressure.
"When are you going to the market to draw the sword? I'm sure if you can obtain that Black Glaze Sword, your strength will increase even more. You might even be able to place in the top three at the family tournament," Ye Feifei said with a smile.
There was a reason Ye Feifei hadn't said first place. The gap between the Fifth Layer and the Sixth Layer wasn't huge, but the Seventh Layer was a major watershed. Breaking through to the Seventh Layer was exceptionally difficult.
In the family right now, there were many people at the Fifth Layer and a few at the Sixth Layer, but only she had reached the Seventh Layer. No matter how talented Ye Tian was, it was impossible for him to defeat her—at least, not yet. The future, of course, was another matter.
"I'll be satisfied just making it into the top ten. After all, I only broke through recently, so I can't compare to many of the Inner Sect Disciples. As for the Black Glaze Sword, I plan on getting it right before the tournament.
If I get it now, I'm afraid I'll attract unwanted attention, which would interfere with my Cultivation," Ye Tian said with a smile.
"Hmm, that's a good idea. Why don't you just stay on the mountain to cultivate? You can bring enough provisions, and when you're about to run out, I'll bring you more. That way you won't waste time coming up and down the mountain," Ye Feifei said with a smile.
Ye Tian was deeply moved by Ye Feifei's kindness. However, he couldn't accept her feelings just yet. In his heart, he already considered her a good friend. Perhaps only after the memory of Ye Shixue faded from his mind could someone else truly enter his heart.
"Thank you, Feifei! I'll work hard! It's getting late. I'm going to pack my things and head up the mountain soon!" Ye Tian said.
Ye Feifei looked like she wanted to say something more but held her tongue. Ye Tian, for his part, simply turned and left the room.
Inside Ye Feng's room, the middle-aged man, Ye Hongtao, wore a furious expression. Looking at his beloved son, he said, "Feng'er, don't worry. Father will hire the best divine doctor to treat you and save your arm.
That animal Ye Tian dared to strike you so viciously! Father will not let him get away with this! I want him dead! Utterly and completely dead! He dared to harm my son—he must pay the price!"
"Father! I want that brat's head! I want to stand on his skull and piss on it! Even in death, he must be humiliated!" Ye Feng snarled from his bed.
"Feng'er, rest assured, Father will grant your wish! But we must wait a few days. Everyone knows about the enmity between us and that brat, and the Patriarch has taken an interest in him.
If something were to happen to him now, the Patriarch would certainly suspect us. We can only wait for a while, let this situation die down before we make our move," Ye Hongtao said.
"I understand, Father. As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold. I'll leave the arrangements to you," Ye Feng said.
Ye Tian had already taken his provisions and quietly made his way up the back mountain. He periodically glanced back, checking if he was being followed. After all, he had made a powerful enemy in Ye Hongtao. If the man was determined, he could have Ye Tian killed on this back mountain without a trace.
He checked several times along the way and saw no one, eventually arriving at the flat clearing where he usually practiced his Cultivation.
Sitting on a large boulder, Ye Tian carefully replayed his fight with Ye Feng from earlier that day. He realized something important.
'Ye Feng and I are both at the One Vein Fifth Layer Realm, and he was at his peak. Yet, his strength was far less than mine. Based on that, my own strength must be at least at the level of a One Vein Sixth Layer, perhaps even comparable to the Early Seventh Layer.'
'This must all be related to the Dragon Pearl inside my body. It means my Dragon Spiritual Power is one or two levels higher than ordinary Spiritual Power.'
'By that logic, my actual combat strength should be relative. I should be able to challenge someone at the One Vein Sixth Layer... I could even put up a fight against Ye Feifei.'
'The problem is, I haven't cultivated any suitable Martial Skills. If I rely solely on Thunderbolt Fist, I have no chance of winning.'
A cool mountain breeze swept past, refreshing Ye Tian. He cast aside his distracting thoughts and began to mentally walk through the First Form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique.
He continued this mental drill until midnight before opening his eyes. The moon seemed exceptionally bright tonight, casting a faint, silvery-white glow over everything.
Ye Tian retrieved his hidden Fine Steel Sword and began to practice an Attack Martial Skill for the very first time.
The actual practice was vastly different from the mental rehearsal. It was a classic case of 'easier said than done.'
Ye Tian brandished the Fine Steel Sword, trying to replicate the moves from his mental practice, but after a good while, he still couldn't get the feel for it. A flicker of frustration sparked within him.
Haste makes waste. Ye Tian knew that blindly continuing to practice would be fruitless. He needed to find the root of the problem.
He stopped practicing altogether, sitting down to search for a breakthrough. After pondering for a moment, a smile suddenly lit up his face. 'The Flowing Cloud Sword Technique is probably meant to be used in tandem with the Flowing Cloud Step!
'Ye Feifei might not have cultivated the Flowing Cloud Step, but she must have practiced some other footwork. How could I have forgotten about that?'
Having figured this out, Ye Tian didn't immediately resume his practice. Instead, he ate some of his provisions, drank some water, and sat quietly where he was.
It was nearly dawn, so he decided to wait for the darkness to pass before he began his Cultivation.
Ye Tian's intuition was correct. The Flowing Cloud Step and the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique were indeed complementary. What was strange, however, was that the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique was a Profound Tier technique, while the Flowing Cloud Step was merely a Yellow-tier Lower Grade, making them seem completely mismatched.
On the mountain, Ye Tian brandished his Sword over and over. As he began to unleash slash after slash of Sword Qi, the exhilarating and uninhibited feeling thrilled him to no end…