Three days later, Ye Tian had mastered the First Form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. Though he had yet to reach the Perfect Realm, when combined with the Flowing Cloud Step, his movements were as smooth as flowing clouds and water, utterly graceful.
"This Sword Technique is on a completely different level. Thunderbolt Fist is powerful, but it's far too weak compared to the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. Perhaps the First Form alone is enough to kill Ye Feng," Ye Tian muttered to himself.
In truth, Ye Tian didn't fully understand the Dragon Power within his body. His current strength was already comparable to that of a First Vein Seventh Stage Martial Artist. How could the power of the Dragon Pearl be so simple?
It took Ye Tian another two days to cultivate the First Form to the Perfect Realm. He was thrilled to have successfully mastered it in just five days. 'With the First Form alone,' he thought, 'I can definitely make it into the top ten.'
During this time, Ye Feifei visited once to bring him food. She was both shocked and happy to see that he had successfully mastered the First Form. It had taken her nearly half a month to succeed, while Ye Tian had only needed five days. 'The difference between people is just infuriating,' she thought.
Ye Feifei generously shared some key points for cultivating the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, which would help him master the other forms better and faster, greatly aiding his increase in strength.
For the next few days, Ye Tian began practicing the Second Form. With Ye Feifei's insights and the annotations in the Martial Arts Manual, his progress was even faster!
Mastering the Second Form also took him only five days, but he spent those five days practicing day and night, repeating the same moves countless times. The monotony was agonizing.
However, each form had several variations. One could only reach the Perfect Realm by mastering all of them, to the point of being able to switch between variations instantly and seamlessly.
Ye Tian felt like his entire body was about to fall apart. After days of practice, his clothes had been soaked with sweat, worn dry, and soaked again, over and over. He reeked of stale sweat.
"I should go take a bath," Ye Tian said to himself. 'I can't have Feifei seeing me like this!'
His rations were almost gone, and he figured Feifei would be by in the next day or two, which was why he said it.
When he reached the deep pool, Ye Tian leaped into the water without even taking off his clothes. Soaking in the cool pool felt incredibly refreshing.
"Ahh, this feels great! So great!" Ye Tian couldn't help but sigh. But then, the image of Ye Feifei bathing here that day flashed through his mind.
Ye Tian felt a sudden rush of heat erupt in his lower abdomen and shoot straight toward his Dantian. A few breaths later, his whole body began to burn with a feverish heat.
He had never encountered a situation like this before and was instantly alarmed. 'What in the world is happening? Could there be something strange about this pool?'
Ye Tian immediately scrambled ashore, sat on a rock, and began circulating his Dragon Spiritual Power to suppress the burning sensation. An hour later, everything returned to normal. He felt completely refreshed, and it seemed his strength had inexplicably increased by a considerable amount.
Ye Tian had no explanation for such a bizarre event. He wanted to ask the Divine Dragon Remnant Soul about it but didn't know how to communicate with it. He would have to wait for the soul to initiate contact before he could ask.
Ye Tian hadn't brought a change of clothes, and he didn't want to go back. He decided he would just ask Ye Feifei to bring some next time she visited.
Thinking of Ye Feifei stirred an indescribable feeling in Ye Tian's heart. He wasn't sure if he liked her or not.
Ye Tian returned to his training spot, sat on the large rock like an old monk in deep meditation, and continued to practice the Third Form. He believed he could cultivate it to the Perfect Realm within the next ten days.
The sun set and the moon rose. The next day, Ye Tian once again began to brandish his longsword. Now, even a casual swing faintly whistled through the air—and that was without using much of his Dragon Spiritual Power.
If he were to use his Dragon Spiritual Power, the very space around him would tremble with the emergence of his Sword Qi. One could only imagine its power.
While Ye Tian trained day and night on the back mountain, the Ye Family's Ye Hongtao had been burning with rage for the past several days. Ye Tian had suddenly vanished, a fact that he found impossible to accept.
His Feng'er's arm had been crippled, and he himself had been demoted from Elder to Protector, his status and benefits significantly reduced. Ye Tian was the culprit behind it all, and now that he was missing, Ye Hongtao was naturally furious.
The strength Ye Tian had displayed that day had earned him the attention of Ye Weitian, so Ye Hongtao didn't dare do anything to him openly. But what he did in the shadows was another matter entirely.
"Still no word on Ye Tian's whereabouts?" Ye Hongtao asked one of his subordinates in the family.
"Protector, we've searched the entire family estate several times. There isn't a trace of that brat Ye Tian," the subordinate replied respectfully.
"Father, could that brat be hiding somewhere to train? I remember he disappeared for a few days last time, too, before reappearing," Ye Feng chimed in.
Ye Feng's right arm had not been saved; he was crippled for life. His only hope was for a High-Tier Alchemist to craft a prosthetic for him, but one was only likely to encounter an Alchemist of that level in a place like the Imperial City.
Furthermore, the price for such a service was exorbitant; someone of Ye Hongtao's status in the Ye Family simply couldn't afford it.
"Feng'er is right," Ye Hongtao said. "The boy must be hiding somewhere. There aren't many places to hide in Lisha City, and he must still be training every day. That means the only possible place is the back mountain."
"Right, it must be the back mountain. I'll go investigate at once!" the subordinate declared, rushing off without waiting for Ye Hongtao's reply.
Ye Feifei had planned to bring food to Ye Tian during the day, but Ye Weitian had insisted she accompany him on a visit to another of Lisha City's great families, the Qin Family. Apparently, Patriarch Qin was taking a new concubine.
Ye Feifei hadn't wanted to go, but Patriarch Qin had a daughter around her age named Qin Xiaowan, a peerless beauty who was just as famous in Lisha City as Ye Feifei.
Ye Feifei and Qin Xiaowan were on good terms, and it was actually Qin Xiaowan who had specially asked her father to have Ye Weitian bring Ye Feifei, ostensibly so the two of them could catch up.
The visit lasted until nightfall, but upon her return, Ye Feifei still decided to bring food to Ye Tian. It wouldn't do for him to get angry with her.
Meanwhile, Ye Hongtao's subordinate had gone to the back mountain and searched for a long time before finally spotting Ye Tian. It was already dusk when he returned to report his findings to Ye Hongtao.
"Protector, we've found Ye Tian. When do you plan to act?" the subordinate asked.
"When?" Ye Hongtao said. "The sooner the better, of course. I don't want to wait another day. I want that little bastard's life! But this matter must be kept quiet. I will go alone later."
"Father! Remember to bring me back that brat's head!" Ye Feng couldn't help but cry out.
"Don't worry, Feng'er. Father will do as you wish!" Ye Hongtao was also growing impatient. He immediately changed into a set of dark, form-fitting clothes, left his room, and sped toward the back mountain of Lisha City…