Ye Feifei hadn't gone out much these past few days. Ever since returning from seeing Ye Tian, she had been consolidating her Realm, for she had discovered a small change in the mysterious Divine Phoenix Feather within her.
The Divine Phoenix Feather was actually releasing faint wisps of Energy that quickly merged with the Spiritual Power in her body, creating a new kind of Energy. Although there was very little of it, its quality was exceptionally high.
Ye Feifei didn't quite understand this Energy. If it were Ye Tian, however, he would surely know. The power within his own body was Dragon Spiritual Power, so what she now possessed must be Phoenix Spiritual Power—an incredibly potent force.
Ye Feifei knew this change was definitely related to Ye Tian. More specifically, it had only appeared after... that time with him. 'No wonder that mysterious voice inside me said only he could help,' she thought. 'So there really was a reason.'
By the time Ye Tian arrived outside Ye Feifei's door, she had already stopped her Cultivation. She was currently sitting on the edge of her bed, staring into space, lost in thought.
"Feifei, are you in there?" Ye Tian called out softly.
Ye Feifei seemed to hear Ye Tian's voice, and her gaze snapped to the door. 'Did I hear that right?' she wondered, a little doubtful. Still, she walked toward the entrance.
Thinking his voice had been too quiet, Ye Tian decided to knock instead. He had just rapped on the wood once when the door swung open. Ye Feifei's exquisite face appeared before him, her expression a mixture of surprise and a sweet smile.
"Brother Tian, what brings you here? Did you need something?" Ye Feifei asked gently.
Ye Tian glanced at her and said, "Yes, there is. I'll leave as soon as I'm done."
"You're not coming in to sit for a while? Is it something you can't say inside?" Ye Feifei was taken aback. She felt that Ye Tian was acting a little strange.
It wasn't that Ye Tian didn't want to go inside; he was just genuinely a little afraid of being alone with Ye Feifei. He had no idea when that strange Pure Yang Qi in his body might flare up again. Although it could enhance both of their power, he really didn't want *that* to happen again, not before they were formally married.
"Feifei, I came to give you something," Ye Tian said. "Elder Qing gave it to me before he left. It's an incredibly powerful Spirit Talisman called a Celestial Thunder Talisman. You can only use it when you're in extreme danger. Its power is immense, so you must keep it safe."
A Celestial Thunder Talisman appeared in his hand. Ye Feifei, however, just stared straight at him. "Elder Qing left? When will he come back? You should keep this Celestial Thunder Talisman. Your protection is more than enough for me."
"I have another one," Ye Tian said. "Elder Qing probably won't be back for a while. The Shen Li Palace has a lot of matters to deal with. Besides, the day we're supposed to enter Linyuan Academy is drawing near. I'm planning to enter seclusion for a period of training. You should train hard, too! Please, take good care of this Celestial Thunder Talisman."
After a moment's thought, Ye Feifei accepted the Celestial Thunder Talisman from his hand. "Thank you, Brother Tian! I'll keep it safe! I'm going to enter seclusion for a while, too. That way, we can become elite disciples of Linyuan Academy together."
Ye Tian nodded. "Yeah, let's work hard together! We can do it!"
With that, Ye Tian didn't linger. He turned and left immediately, afraid that if he stayed a moment longer, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from pulling Ye Feifei into his embrace. If he did, that strange Pure Yang Qi would surely emerge again.
A wave of disappointment washed over Ye Feifei as she watched Ye Tian's retreating figure. He had been acting so strangely today. 'Did I do something to upset him? Or is he deliberately avoiding me?' She didn't dare to dwell on the possibilities.
Back at his residence, Ye Tian packed some clothes into his Storage Ring and headed out. Cultivating within the Ye Family compound wasn't very effective; many of his Martial Skills and Body Techniques required wide-open spaces to practice. The cave in the back mountains where he had trained before was the ideal location.
Ye Tian walked to the Lisha City marketplace, planning to buy some dry rations for his trip. However, as soon as he arrived, many people who saw him scurried away, their eyes filled with fear.
At the same time, many people were whispering about him. "That's him—Ye Tian, the Ye Family's top genius. A peerless expert took a liking to him and is planning to take him as a disciple. That same expert was the one who single-handedly annihilated the Liu Family. It's terrifying!"
The whispers weren't loud, but with his Perception Power, Ye Tian could hear every word clearly. He had no desire to engage with their gossip, so he simply offered a faint smile and kept walking.
When he reached a stall selling dry rations, Ye Tian spoke directly to the Shopkeeper, "Prepare a month's worth of rations for me. Be quick about it, I'm in a hurry!"
The Shopkeeper's expression changed the moment he saw it was Ye Tian. "Y-Young Master Ye, please wait! I'll prepare it for you right away!" he stammered, scrambling to get the order ready.
The rations were brought over quickly. "Young Master Ye, your rations!" The Shopkeeper's tone was extremely respectful.
"How many Spirit Stones?" Ye Tian asked calmly.
"You must be joking, Young Master Ye! How could I possibly dare to take your Spirit Stones? Your patronage is an honor for my humble shop!" the Shopkeeper said at once.
Ye Tian smiled faintly. 'I never expected my status in Lisha City to have become so high.' He knew that most people were only so polite because they were afraid of him—or rather, they were afraid of Elder Qing.
"Paying for goods is the proper thing to do. Don't refuse, Shopkeeper," Ye Tian said. Two Lower Grade Spirit Stones appeared in his hand, and he tossed them onto the counter before turning to leave.
The Shopkeeper felt a surge of panic. The rations were worth one Lower Grade Spirit Stone at most, yet Ye Tian had given him two. This put him in a very awkward position. 'If anyone finds out I took an extra Spirit Stone from Ye Tian, will they hunt me down and kill me?'
Ye Tian placed the rations directly into his Storage Ring and left the city. Once he reached a less populated area, he executed the First Form of Dragon Form Hundred Transformations and raced toward the back mountains. He was much faster than before, likely because his Power Level had reached the One Vein Ninth Layer.
Before long, he reached the cave. With a mere thought, Ye Tian summoned the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python. Being here all alone was a bit isolating. With the python for company, at least he wouldn't feel so lonely. Plus, he could have it guard the entrance to prevent any disturbances.
"Boss, I knew you'd come here for your Cultivation!" the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python said.
"What made you so sure I'd come here?" Ye Tian asked, puzzled.
"No one will disturb you here, and this is where the Three-leaf Golden Ganoderma grows," said the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python. "Besides, on the night of a full moon, you might even witness a very strange phenomenon."
"A strange phenomenon on the night of a full moon? You mean in this cave?" Ye Tian asked, his curiosity suddenly piqued.
"That's right. But it doesn't happen every full moon. Sometimes it only occurs once every two or three months. Every time it does, though... it's bone-chilling!" said the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python.
Ye Tian gave the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python a skeptical look. "Are you serious? What is it that appears?"