Chapter 89 - 90: Bronze List

"Take me as your disciple?"

After leaving the Imperial Tutor’s Mansion, Ye Qingchen let out a long sigh of relief.

Before this,

he had considered all sorts of possibilities, but never expected that Kong Shun would actually want him to leave Taotian Palace and take him as his apprentice.

Thinking this, he had already returned to the small courtyard.

"Brother, you’re back?"

Ye Qing and Jiang Churan, who had been anxiously waiting in the courtyard, hurried over at the sound.

Jiang Churan looked at Ye Qingchen with extreme concern.

The little girl almost clung to Ye Qingchen.

"I’m fine!"

Ye Qingchen smiled.

Seeing that he was indeed unharmed, the two who had been on edge finally relaxed.

"By the way, how is Hong Man?"

Ye Qingchen asked with some concern.

"He’s not in any life-threatening condition, but his injuries are severe. It’ll take at least a few months for him to recover fully!"

Jiang Churan said indignantly.

She seemed to resent the Shifang Sword Sect for being too heavy-handed.

"I’ll go have a look."

Ye Qingchen quickly went inside the room.

He saw Hong Man lying on the bed, wrapped in bandages. Judging from his injuries, he wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for at least three to five months.

Seeing Ye Qingchen come in, Hong Man struggled to sit up and immediately said, "Ye Qingchen, are you alright? I heard you were called by the Imperial Tutor?"

"Lie down, don’t move!"

Ye Qingchen quickly stopped Hong Man and shook his head, "I’m fine! It’s all my fault for getting you involved. Zhao Tianyu was originally targeting me, but you got implicated."

Hong Man’s tiger eyes welled with tears, shaking his head with difficulty, "No, it’s not your fault! If anything, blame our lack of strength. If I could have protected Ye Qing and Jiang Churan from being taken, you wouldn’t have had to go to the Celestial Fragrance Tower alone."

Apparently,

He had already heard about what happened at the Celestial Fragrance Tower.

The situation was so perilous, even he felt a chill. If Chu Yao hadn’t appeared in the end, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Alright, don’t think too much. Here, take this pill."

Ye Qingchen reassured him.

When he left the Imperial Tutor’s Mansion, Kong Shun had given him a bottle of pills, which was just right for treating Hong Man’s injuries now.

Without doubting him, Hong Man took the pill directly.

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound like frying beans throughout Hong Man’s body. His pale face quickly gained a bit of color as he sat up on the bed.

"How is this possible?"

Everyone was astonished to witness this.

"This pill is extraordinary!"

Ye Qingchen’s eyes revealed a trace of amazement, once again feeling the wonder of alchemists.

Just one pill could make the severely injured Hong Man recover immediately. With such miraculous abilities, it’s no wonder alchemists hold such a revered status.

However, he did not regret rejecting Kong Shun’s offer to become his apprentice.

A man must have principles, knowing what to do and what not to do.

Some things, he couldn’t accept without conflict.

"How do you feel?" Ye Qingchen asked.

"I feel completely fine!"

Hong Man jumped up and casually performed a set of punches, the power in his fists whistling through the air, clearly indicating that his injuries were mostly healed.

Seeing this, Ye Qing and Jiang Churan also broke into smiles of joy.

Ye Qingchen nodded in satisfaction.

Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he quickly turned to Jiang Churan, "Do you know what the Bronze List is?"

"The Bronze List!"

Mentioning the Bronze List, Jiang Churan’s expression grew serious, "The Bronze List is a ranking for the disciples in the Spiritual Sea Realm from the eight major sects! Anyone who can make it onto the Bronze List is without exception an extremely formidable presence!"

Ye Qing protested, "How strong can they be? Stronger than my brother? My brother is the Newcomer King!"

Hong Man, standing by, also looked over expectantly.

Clearly, he was very curious about the Bronze List as well.

"As everyone knows, the Genius Rankings are only for the new disciples of each generation. But the Bronze List is different; it’s for all the disciples from the eight major sects!"

"Those who make it onto the Bronze List are veteran disciples like Zhao Tianyu. Without exception, they are unbeatable at the same level and can easily challenge beyond their level!"

"Over the years, the disciples from the eight major sects number in the tens of thousands. However, the Bronze List only has fifty-six people, indicating the extraordinary combat prowess of those who make it onto the Bronze List!"

Jiang Churan explained.

"Is that how it is?"

Ye Qingchen nodded silently.

No wonder today at the Celestial Fragrance Tower, Elder Yao said those words before leaving.

It was clear that...

He placed all of his hopes on these Bronze Rank disciples! He hoped these Bronze Rank disciples could help Shifang Sword Sect make a comeback.

"I wonder if I, possessing two types of Second-Layer Sword Intent, can match up to these Bronze Rank elites!"

Ye Qingchen squinted his eyes.

He knew that given the current circumstances, it was only a matter of time before he would have to face these people in battle.

Inside Celestial Fragrance Tower.

He had relied on Chu Yao to get through a crisis, but what about next time?

"Strength!"

Ye Qingchen clenched his fist.

Only with enough strength could he be fearless!

"Once Hong Man’s injuries are fully healed, I must head back to the Martial Arts Arena!"

Ye Qingchen thought to himself.

Whether it’s dealing with the eight major sects or the future journey to Dragon-Clutching Mountain, he must quickly enhance his strength.

In the coming days.

Ye Qingchen stayed indoors, continuously contemplating and familiarizing himself with ’Breezy Sword Intent.’

Gale Sword Intent emphasizes speed, as they say, "in martial arts, speed breaks all." Breezy Sword Intent, however, emphasizes being still to counter movement, responding to changes with constancy.

"These two Sword Intents are completely opposite, yet they hold some degree of compatibility. What is fast, and what is slow?"

"And besides these, what are the characteristics of other Wind Sword Intents?"

In his contemplation.

Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but start practicing his swordsmanship.

Zheng!

The sword light danced, like a dragon and snake in a frenzy.

As the sword tip leaped, an area of several dozens of meters around was filled with sharp wind sounds.

Looking around, the entire area within sight was dazzling with sword light.

"Even faster!"

"My sword is the speed of the wind!"

Swoosh!

The Silver Dragon Sword spread wide, and in an instant, the courtyard was completely shrouded in its mighty sword light.

From the sky to the ground, it almost formed an expansive sword net.

It was then.

Ye Qingchen’s eyes suddenly gleamed with a brilliant light, and the boundless sword light unexpectedly converged sharply, as if ten thousand swords returned to one, transforming into a dazzling sword beam, striking horizontally.

"Zheng!"

Instantly.

A stone pillar standing a few dozen meters high in front of Ye Qingchen was directly sliced in half, crashing heavily to the ground with a bang, the cut smooth as a mirror.

With a ’swish,’ the Silver Dragon Sword returned to its scabbard. Ye Qingchen frowned as he looked at the stone in front of him.

"Seems like something is missing..."

Ye Qingchen felt.

His swordsmanship still could be enhanced further.

Squeak!

At this moment, the door creaked open, and Hong Man stepped out.

"Have your injuries healed?"

Ye Qingchen’s eyes lit up, and he quickly asked.

"I’ve fully recovered!" Hong Man replied apologetically, "All those elixirs went to me, what will you do in the future?"

"It doesn’t matter, as long as you’ve recovered!" Ye Qingchen patted Hong Man heavily on the shoulder, looking at Ye Qing and Jiang Churan who followed, "You guys should head back to Taotian Palace first, I’m going to the Martial Arts Arena."

"I’ll go with you!"

Hong Man quickly said.

He naturally knew that Ye Qingchen was going for a task this time, and he also wanted to gain more resources to quickly boost his strength.

"I’ll go too!"

Jiang Churan said firmly.

Seeing Ye Qing’s eager face as well, Ye Qingchen thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Alright, let’s go together!"

The four of them headed straight to the Martial Arts Arena.

Zhou Yuntian was not present; a Silver Robe Steward greeted Ye Qingchen.

However.

Most of the tasks had already been taken, and the remaining ones either took too long or offered low rewards.

"So there’s no suitable task?" Ye Qingchen was somewhat disappointed.

Just as everyone was about to leave, the Silver Robe Steward, biting his lip as if making a big decision, said, "Young Master Ye, there’s actually one more task in the Martial Arts Arena, but it’s quite challenging. Just accepting it offers a reward, and if completed, there would be even more generous rewards afterward!"

"Oh, what task?"

Ye Qingchen’s eyes lit up.