Ye Zhen's Secret

In the scorching June heat, Black Water Country, Qi Yun Sect.

As one of the oldest cultivation sects in Black Water Country, Qi Yun Sect had an enormous plaza before its mountain gate, more than a thousand meters in both length and width.

At this moment, the Qi Yun Sect plaza was packed dense with people.

Everyone gathered here kept looking toward the path within Qi Yun Sect's mountain gate. Whenever a young person in the gray robes of a Menial Disciple ran out, one or two middle-aged people would rush forward in delighted surprise and embrace them.

Qi Yun Sect managed its Menial Disciples with extreme strictness. Any Menial Disciple of Qi Yun Sect was forbidden from leaving Li Mountain unless there was a matter of family life and death.

Though Qi Yun Sect's Menial Disciples could not leave the mountain, their relatives were allowed to visit them once every year.

June was the only month each year when Qi Yun Sect permitted relatives to visit the sect's Menial Disciples. Thus, from the first day of June onward, Qi Yun Sect's mountain gate plaza had been crowded with relatives who had come to see their children.

Even though it was already the end of June, relatives visiting Qi Yun Sect's Menial Disciples still arrived in an unbroken stream.

Ye Tiancheng and his wife were among them.

They had delivered their letter as soon as the mountain gate opened that morning. It was now nearly noon, yet there was still no sign of their son, Ye Zhen.

Ye Tiancheng was still managing, but Ye Zhen's mother, Mi Jiangxue, who carried a longsword on her back and possessed a gentle grace tinged with heroic spirit, was so anxious that her brow was drenched in sweat.

If Qi Yun Sect's rules had not been so strict, Mi Jiangxue would likely have rushed into Qi Yun Sect to search for her son Ye Zhen herself.

Suddenly, Mi Jiangxue's grip on Ye Tiancheng's arm tightened sharply, and Ye Tiancheng's eyes abruptly lit up with delight.

"Zhen'er, it's Zhen'er!"

Within Qi Yun Sect's mountain gate, a spirited young man in gray robes was running toward them, sweat dripping from his head. He was tall and lean, with sword-like brows slanting upward.

Qi Yun Sect was filled with towering peaks and covered a vast territory. After receiving the steward's voice transmission, Ye Zhen had raced over without stopping, yet it had still taken him more than two hours to reach the mountain gate.

"Father! Mother!"

From far away, Ye Zhen spotted his anxiously waiting parents. With a cry of delighted joy edged with tears, he rushed toward them.

While Ye Zhen was still hesitating, Mi Jiangxue swept him into her arms.

He had left home at fifteen to enter Qi Yun Sect as a Menial Disciple, though it had been Ye Zhen's own insistence.

Yet after nearly a year apart, Ye Zhen missed his parents terribly. The instant he saw them, his nose stung with emotion.

"Zhen'er, you've grown thinner, and darker too."

The family moved to a pavilion beside the road and spoke of how much they had missed each other. Mi Jiangxue in particular touched him here and examined him there; no matter where she looked, her son had grown thin and suffered hardship.

As for the muscles bulging from Ye Zhen's arms and his chest that had grown firm and solid over the past year, she acted as though she did not see them at all.

"Zhen'er, you've been in the sect for a year now. How has your cultivation gone this past year?" After some family talk, his father Ye Tiancheng finally asked.

At that, Ye Zhen's expression dimmed.

Over the past year, Ye Zhen was confident that he had worked no less hard than anyone else, but his cultivation progress had been unusually slow.

"Father, I only just broke through to the Strength Training Late Stage of Blood Refining First Level. My strength fluctuates around a thousand jin, and I've only barely achieved Blood Qi Filling the Meridians." Ye Zhen's voice was somewhat weak.

Ye Tiancheng and Mi Jiangxue frowned at the same time. Ye Tiancheng's brow furrowed so deeply it formed the character for river.

"That shouldn't be. Even if your bloodline talent is only Three Meridians Mid-Grade, after eleven months, you should at least have Blood Qi Like Waves and reached the Blood Refining First Level Peak, with strength close to two thousand jin, shouldn't you?"

Ye Zhen fell silent.

"When I was in Qi Yun Sect, my bloodline talent was half a grade lower than yours, only Three Meridians Low-Grade. Yet after one year, I still smoothly reached the Blood Refining First Level Peak and passed the sect's first annual assessment. Now that your one-year deadline is approaching, could it be that you've been slacking off..."

Just as Ye Tiancheng was putting on a stern face, Mi Jiangxue suddenly jabbed him with her elbow and glared. "What are you saying?"

"My son's talent is ordinary; I accept that. But bloodline talent comes from one's father and mother, so it's not his fault. But if anyone dares say my son doesn't cultivate diligently or wholeheartedly, I'll fight them to the death."

With Mi Jiangxue glaring at him, Ye Tiancheng could only smile bitterly. "Qi Yun Sect holds one examination a year. If a Menial Disciple has been in the sect for one year and has not reached the Blood Refining First Level Peak, they'll be expelled directly from the sect. I'm only worried..."

Qi Yun Sect's Menial Disciples entered at age fifteen, faced one examination each year, and advanced once every three years.

If they broke through to the Blood Refining Third Level Peak by age eighteen, they could advance into Outer Disciples with bright prospects.

Qi Yun Sect's Outer Disciples were the cradle of Black Water Country's military officers.

As long as one became an Outer Disciple of Qi Yun Sect, even if their cultivation never advanced another inch afterward, they were guaranteed at least a Millennial Commander's post in Black Water Country's army.

A Millennial Commander was, by Black Water Country's military standards, barely considered middle-ranking.

To most people, the position of Millennial Commander was already like rising step by step into the blue clouds. With a little further development, one could pass down a family legacy and establish a clan.

But conversely, if one had not broken through to Blood Refining Fourth Level by age eighteen, they would not even be qualified to remain a Menial Disciple, much less receive Qi Yun Sect's recommendation to take up a military post in Black Water Country's army.

More fatal still, Qi Yun Sect held one examination a year. If a Menial Disciple had been in the sect for one year and had not reached the Blood Refining First Level Peak, they would be directly expelled from the sect.

And now, in one more month, Ye Zhen would face Qi Yun Sect's annual Sect Grand Examination for Menial Disciples.

This was precisely the source of Ye Tiancheng's concern.

Looking at his father worrying for him, then at his mother fiercely defending him, Ye Zhen wore a bitter expression.

His father's doubts were also what puzzled him.

Since entering the sect eleven months ago, Ye Zhen's cultivation could not be called anything less than painstaking, yet his cultivation had still grown exceptionally slowly.

Disciples who had entered alongside him, even those with only two meridians of bloodline talent, had broken through to the late stage of Blood Refining First Level two or three months ago, possessing at least fourteen or fifteen hundred jin of strength.

Disciples with bloodline talent similar to his had long since reached the Blood Refining First Level Peak.

This situation left Ye Zhen utterly baffled.

Sometimes, Ye Zhen even suspected that his bloodline talent had been measured incorrectly.

Yet during the bloodline talent test, he had personally seen the three and a half phantom bloodline markings emerge upon his chest.

After this, the atmosphere became rather heavy for a time.

Suddenly, Ye Tiancheng drew in a long breath. "Son, why not come home with your father? There's no future in staying at Qi Yun Sect, only suffering for nothing these years. Come home with me. We won't lack food or clothes, so why suffer like this?"

"That's right, Zhen'er. Our family may not be much, but with this strength of yours, as long as you're willing to work hard, your mother can find you five or six girls from town to marry. That's no difficult matter at all." Mi Jiangxue patted her chest as she spoke.

"Find five or six wives for our son?" Ye Tiancheng froze, seemingly startled by Mi Jiangxue's words.

Mi Jiangxue shot Ye Tiancheng a sidelong glare. "What, do you want that too?" The fierce edge in her expression was fully revealed, as though she were merely waiting for Ye Tiancheng to take the bait.

Ye Tiancheng hurriedly shook his head, afraid that if he denied it too slowly, he would be in for a world of hurt.

The sight made Ye Zhen laugh despite himself.

After the family finished laughing, Mi Jiangxue's expression turned solemn. "Zhen'er, your mother means it. Why not come home with me? Why endure this hardship? All your mother wishes for is for you to live safely and peacefully for the rest of your life."

Ye Zhen was stunned. He raised his head slightly and looked toward the azure sky.

A scene from the past surfaced before his eyes once more: a fleeting glimpse of a young girl, like an immortal fairy, flying over his head.

That scene had stirred an extraordinarily intense urge within Ye Zhen—he too wanted to roam freely across that boundless blue sky. How dashing would that be?

A momentary impulse of youth had become Ye Zhen's lifelong—or rather, current—dream and conviction.

Seeing his son's expression, Ye Tiancheng felt some reluctance, but he still spoke. "Son, even if you don't leave now, one month from now will be Qi Yun Sect's annual Menial Disciple examination. At that time..."

Ye Tiancheng's meaning could not have been clearer. If Ye Zhen did not leave now, he would be expelled from the sect one month later.

Ye Zhen saw it clearly: when his father Ye Tiancheng said those words, his eyes were already filled with disappointment.

His father Ye Tiancheng had once entered Qi Yun Sect as well. But his cultivation had failed to break through to Blood Refining Fourth Level within the three-year limit, and he had been expelled from Qi Yun Sect. Even though he later cultivated bitterly and broke through to Blood Refining Fourth Level, it had been too late.

Yet Ye Tiancheng had always regarded this matter as the lifelong regret he carried in his heart.

Ye Tiancheng had originally placed this wish upon his son Ye Zhen, but now Ye Zhen...

Ye Zhen's expression abruptly turned resolute and solemn. "Father, Mother, I'm not going back. I swear that I will become an Outer Disciple of Qi Yun Sect."

"You're even swearing an oath?"

His father Ye Tiancheng's eyes immediately widened. "Never mind whether you can break through to Blood Refining Fourth Level within three years—how will you pass the Sect Grand Examination one month from now?"

Ye Tiancheng could not bear to say anything harsher.

"Father, Mother, believe me. I can definitely do it!" As Ye Zhen made this solemn vow, he could not help recalling the little secret he had discovered some days ago. His gaze suddenly became incomparably resolute.

Whether for his childhood dream or for his own aspirations, he had to persist!

Just as Ye Tiancheng was about to say something else, Mi Jiangxue jabbed him with her elbow again, and the atmosphere grew heavy once more.

"Fine. If you want to stay, then keep staying." With a cold snort, Ye Tiancheng darkened his face and said no more.

Mi Jiangxue, however, pulled Ye Zhen aside and stuffed several bundles into his hands. "Your father knows how things work inside Qi Yun Sect. Many things there require extra money.

"Inside is one hundred taels of silver your father earned through hard work this past year. Keep it safe. If you lack anything, buy it..."

"In this bundle are several pairs of shoes your mother made herself, along with a few sets of new clothes, and roast chicken and cured meat that you like..."

Listening to Mi Jiangxue, Ye Zhen's eyes instantly blurred.

He knew his family's circumstances well. Though they had a few acres of land, eating their fill was easy while becoming well-off was difficult, and they still had to endure exploitation from their clan. If not for his father's Blood Refining Fourth Level cultivation, which enabled him to do hard labor and earn silver to support the family, how could Ye Zhen have lived as he did now?

After one year apart, a trace of gray had appeared at his father's temples. Clearly, he had overworked himself.

At that instant, Ye Zhen nearly felt the urge to return home with his parents.

"Here, take it." Seeing the tears welling in her son's eyes, Mi Jiangxue forcibly stuffed the bundles into Ye Zhen's hands.

"Wait!"

Just as Mi Jiangxue was placing the bundles in Ye Zhen's hands, Ye Tiancheng suddenly strode over and took them.

Then, under Mi Jiangxue and Ye Zhen's somewhat surprised gazes, he fumbled inside his robes, took out two large silver ingots, and stuffed them inside.

Seeing Ye Tiancheng's actions, Mi Jiangxue froze. "Tiancheng, why did you put our travel money for returning home in there..."

She was only halfway through before Mi Jiangxue realized what was happening and abruptly covered her mouth.

Ignoring her, Ye Tiancheng shoved the bundles back into Ye Zhen's hands. "Zhen'er, if I remember correctly, a Blood Origin Pill costs two hundred taels of silver in Qi Yun Sect, right?

"I've scraped together two hundred taels for you. Remember to buy one when you go back.

"With this Blood Origin Pill to raise your cultivation, it will be enough to carry you through Qi Yun Sect's annual sect examination."

Having said that, Ye Tiancheng slapped Ye Zhen hard on the shoulder as usual. "Good boy, don't disappoint your father!"

Feeling the greatly diminished force in that slap compared with before, then seeing his father Ye Tiancheng's haggard face, Ye Zhen's expression changed. He grabbed his father's wrist pulse and cried out in shock, "Father, your cultivation?"

In the past, the surging blood and qi in his father's body and the throbbing pulse in his wrist could make Ye Zhen's fingers ache faintly from the rebound. This had been Ye Zhen's favorite game when he was young and affectionate with his father; he had always thought it fun.

But now, the force of that pulse...

"Making a fuss over nothing. Your father hasn't broken through to the Essence Realm. When one grows old and their blood and qi decline, their cultivation naturally falls..."

Ye Tiancheng rather forcefully pulled his hand from his son's grasp, desperately concealing the bitterness on his face.

"Son, we're leaving. Your father believes in you!"

Waving hard, Ye Tiancheng tugged at Mi Jiangxue, who still wanted to say something, and headed down the mountain. Ye Zhen was left standing there in a daze, tears already blurring his eyes.

His father was not even forty yet, in the prime of his life.

With proper nourishment, how could his blood and qi possibly decline?

Clearly, his father had worked himself to the bone at hard labor to save silver, while begrudging himself even decent food...

Watching his parents' backs vanish among the mountains, Ye Zhen fiercely wiped his hand across his face. Carrying the bundles that now felt increasingly heavy, he headed back through the mountain gate.

As he walked along the mountain path, Ye Zhen had wiped his tears dry, and his expression had become incomparably steadfast.

"I will become an Outer Disciple. Only by becoming an Outer Disciple can I lessen my parents' burden and fulfill Father's wish."

Ye Zhen knew that his persistence was excessively stubborn.

But Ye Zhen was not someone with a dead mind who drilled into a bull's horn.

Ye Zhen understood very clearly that at his current cultivation speed, never mind breaking through to Blood Refining Fourth Level and becoming an Outer Disciple, even smoothly passing Qi Yun Sect's annual Sect Grand Examination would be a great problem.

Ye Zhen knew this very well.

The reason Ye Zhen still persisted so firmly was because he possessed a little secret that no one else knew.

A little secret that filled Ye Zhen with anticipation.