A Mysterious Woman Comes Calling

The City Lord's Mansion's moves brought peace and calm to Wutan City, and Ye Tian finally welcomed a peaceful life. Every day, aside from gathering medicinal herbs and studying pills, he was dragged by the two women into the mountains for grueling cultivation.

Besides that, Ye Tian had begun studying formations again, intending to set up a formation in the courtyard where the three of them lived.

He acted as soon as he decided. Ye Tian found the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation in the Formation Array Sacred Canon and began studying it.

Seeing this, Elder Pagoda immediately guided Ye Tian, teaching him how to carve Formation Patterns and arrange formation cores.

A few days later, Ye Tian had finally mastered the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation. He then called the two women and headed straight to the market to buy materials for setting up the formation.

There were formations on the Dou Qi Continent as well. Most sects had mountain-protecting formations, and the materials used were generally jade and various rare ores. Though precious, they were not scarce.

After spending more than a hundred thousand Gold Coins on a large pile of jade and rare ores, Ye Tian began carving Formation Patterns. He then arranged those materials throughout the courtyard, forming the formation cores.

"Whoosh..."

Once everything was ready, Ye Tian poured a massive amount of Dou Qi into the formation core at the center of the courtyard.

"Buzz..."

In an instant, the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation began operating, forming a field. Under its effect, the Heaven and Earth Energy from all directions formed a massive barrier that covered the entire courtyard.

"Xiao Tian, is this the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation you mentioned? It's so amazing!"

The two women stared at the massive barrier covered in trigrams patterns, their faces filled with delight.

"If you want to learn it, I can teach you. Powerful cultivators are usually well-rounded. You may not know Pill Refining, but the path of formations is infinitely profound. You must learn some of it."

Ye Tian looked at the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation before him and felt rather accomplished.

"Of course we have to learn."

"The great sects all have mountain-protecting formations. Now even our little courtyard has a protective formation. It feels pretty impressive."

The two women spoke excitedly. Having a prodigy like Ye Tian around was wonderful—there was nothing they could not learn.

"Whoosh..."

Just then, Master Gu Ni and several Guards rushed over from outside. Everyone had been alarmed by the commotion caused by the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation and had come to investigate.

"Ah... is this a Formation?"

"Xiao Tian made this? He even knows how to study formations?"

"What Formation is this? I've never seen such wondrous patterns before."

When Master Gu Ni and the others saw the huge barrier enveloping the entire courtyard, their jaws dropped.

"Whoosh..."

"Sister Ya Fei, go outside first. Let Master Gu Ni attack the barrier from outside and see how effective its defenses are."

Ye Tian temporarily shut down the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation and had Ya Fei leave. Then he activated the formation again.

"Old Man will give it a try."

After receiving the instruction, Master Gu Ni immediately raised his fist and smashed it viciously toward the barrier.

"Bang... Ah..."

However, the moment his fist struck the barrier, the immense rebound force sent him flying, leaving his hand numb.

"Even an attack from a Da Dou Shi can't break it. This formation's defenses are so powerful!"

Everyone stared at the scene before them, stunned once again.

"Elder Pagoda, what level of attack can this formation withstand at the moment?" Ye Tian asked Elder Pagoda.

"Because your soul and strength are not yet strong enough, the Formation Patterns you carved are not very high-grade. This Formation can only withstand attacks at the Dou Ling level."

Elder Pagoda nodded with a smile, then gave his assessment of the Formation Ye Tian had set up.

"That's not bad."

On the path of formations, Ye Tian was only a beginner. Achieving this much was already quite good.

"Whoosh..."

Ye Tian then shut down the Formation. In an instant, the massive barrier slowly vanished. Now that they had such a decently defensive Formation, they could sleep peacefully at night.

"Xiao Tian, your Formation's defenses are so strong!"

Master Gu Ni and the others looked at Ye Tian with smiles, unable to understand how this Little Fellow had worked out such a profound Formation.

"It's average. At present, it can only withstand attacks from Dou Spirit Experts." Ye Tian explained modestly.

"It can withstand Dou Ling attacks?"

Everyone was stunned again. Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian in particular were delighted. With such a powerful Formation, the three of them no longer needed to worry about safety while sleeping at night.

"Alright! You can all leave now!"

"Xiao Tian, take a look at this Foundation Establishment Pill I refined. How's its quality?"

After chatting for a while, Master Gu Ni dismissed the Guards, then pulled Ye Tian into a discussion about pills.

"Not bad. Its effects should be about the same as the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid sold at the Xiao Family market."

Ye Tian carefully examined the Foundation Establishment Pill refined by Old Man Gu Ni and found it quite good. It seemed the old man had put in a lot of effort lately.

"Congratulations, Uncle Gu Ni."

"Congratulations, Master Gu Ni."

Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian quickly congratulated Master Gu Ni. In order to study Ye Tian's Foundation Establishment Pill, Old Man had practically forgotten to eat and sleep recently. It had not been easy.

"Passable, passable!" Master Gu Ni chuckled, inwardly overjoyed.

"Master Gu Ni, take out your Azure Flame Art for me to study. I'll see whether the expert behind me can help upgrade it. If it works, you'll obtain an Earth-tier cultivation technique."

At this moment, Ye Tian remembered that Old Man Gu Ni had been wholeheartedly devoted when teaching him pill refining, so he decided to repay him.

"Ah! Xiao Tian, that can be done?"

Hearing that Ye Tian could actually upgrade his cultivation technique, Old Man Gu Ni felt as though a pie had fallen from the sky and struck him.

"It can. But you can't tell anyone, or it'll bring me enormous trouble."

Ye Tian reminded the old man to keep it secret.

"Don't worry. Old Man definitely won't say a word. If I revealed it, I'd become the target of countless experts in the Jia Ma Empire as well."

Old Man Gu Ni assured Ye Tian that he would absolutely keep his mouth shut.

"Here! This is Old Man's Azure Flame Art. It's only a mid-grade Black-tier Cultivation Method."

The old man immediately took out the Azure Flame Art from his Ring of Holding and handed it to Ye Tian.

"I'll go communicate with the expert behind me first. Wait here for a moment."

Ye Tian accepted Old Man Gu Ni's Azure Flame Art, then returned to his room and had Senior Jin take it in.

"What level do you want it upgraded to?" Jin Yan asked Ye Tian while examining the Azure Flame Art.

"High-tier Earth-grade Cultivation Method." Ye Tian nodded.

"No problem."

Jin Yan then began improving the Azure Flame Art. A quarter of an hour later, the cultivation technique scroll floated out from Ye Tian's chest.

Ye Tian took the Azure Flame Art and examined it carefully. He found it truly more exquisite than before, then left the room and handed the cultivation technique scroll to Old Man Gu Ni.

"It's done so quickly?"

Old Man Gu Ni found it hard to believe. Only a quarter of an hour had passed, and the cultivation technique had already been upgraded?

"Of course."

Ye Tian smiled mysteriously. With an expert like Elder Pagoda taking action, upgrading a low-level cultivation technique was child's play.

"Xiao Tian, what level is it now?"

Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian curiously came over to inspect the upgraded Azure Flame Art.

"Di Tier High-Grade." Ye Tian nodded.

"Clack..."

Old Man Gu Ni froze on the spot, and even the cultivation technique scroll fell to the ground.

"Master Gu Ni, don't get too excited."

Ye Tian reacted quickly, snatched up the Azure Flame Art, and stuffed it back into the old man's hands.

"This is a High-tier Earth-grade Cultivation Method! How could I not be excited?"

After coming back to his senses, Old Man Gu Ni felt as though he were dreaming.

"Master Gu Ni, you must be careful. Otherwise, like us, you'll become a target for those with ill intentions who want to assassinate you." Xiao Yi Xian reminded the old man from the side.

"Don't worry, girl. Old Man isn't that foolish."

"Xiao Tian, what are your plans from now on? If you ever need me, just give the word. Old Man will follow all your arrangements."

Old Man Gu Ni chuckled, immediately put away the cultivation technique scroll, and hurriedly pledged his loyalty to Ye Tian.

"Just help Sister Ya Fei. In the future, she wants to expand the Auction House business across the entire Dou Qi Continent."

Seeing Old Man pledge his loyalty, Ye Tian felt rather pleased. Sure enough, sugar-coated bullets were truly effective.

"Miss, that goal is rather huge!"

Old Man Gu Ni had never expected Ya Fei to harbor such grand ambitions.

"Uncle Gu Ni, Xiao Tian set this goal for me, so I want to achieve it too."

Ya Fei smiled sweetly. Although she now had an even greater goal, expanding the Auction House business across the entire Dou Qi Continent was still an immensely difficult challenge.

"Good. Old Man will support you with all his strength and go crazy with you young people for once."

"I'll return to cultivate first and work hard to increase my strength."

Old Man Gu Ni felt that with a prodigy like Ye Tian around, there should not be much of a problem. He immediately expressed his support for Ya Fei.

"Xiao Tian, should we cultivate a few more loyal subordinates?"

"For example, Xiao Ling, Olette, and Zhang Hu. You said before that they were fairly trustworthy too."

After Old Man Gu Ni left, Ya Fei immediately thought of several people at the Auction House who seemed suitable.

"We can. There are many Yellow-tier cultivation techniques in the Auction House treasury. I can help upgrade them. But tell them that I didn't upgrade them; say we found them in some ruins in the mountains."

"As for the grade, Xuan-tier High Grade will do. Once they prove themselves later, we can upgrade them to Earth-tier Beginner."

Ye Tian thought it over. The cultivation techniques given to others could not be too high-grade, or once they grew stronger, they would become difficult to control.

"Alright! We'll do that."

Ya Fei nodded, planning to give it a try and see how things developed.

Ye Tian and the two women then went to the Auction House treasury and began searching for cultivation techniques suitable for Zhao Ling, Zhang Hu, and Olette.

"Zhao Ling currently cultivates a water-attribute technique, Zhang Hu uses an earth-attribute one, while Olette uses a wind-attribute one."

Ya Fei briefly introduced the three people's Dou Qi attributes to Ye Tian. As the person in control of Wutan City's Auction House, she knew something about her subordinates.

"Then these three it is!"

After listening to Ya Fei's introduction, Ye Tian found three Yellow-tier cultivation techniques in the treasury: the Fierce Wind Art, Tornado Water Roar, and Hegemonic Rock Art. He then returned to their residence and had Senior Jin upgrade them into Xuan-tier High Grade cultivation techniques.

Once the cultivation techniques had been upgraded, Ya Fei secretly summoned Zhao Ling and the other two separately, granting them the Xuan-tier High Grade cultivation techniques.

"Miss, rest assured. From now on, even my life is yours..."

After obtaining Xuan-tier High Grade cultivation techniques, the three immediately pledged their loyalty to Ya Fei and swore never to betray her.

Zhao Ling and the other two understood that Ye Tian, the prodigy, stood behind Ya Fei. Faced with such an opportunity to soar into the heavens, none of them would let it pass.

"Zhao Ling, from now on, I'll leave the chief auctioneer's duties to you. Later, I'll have Brother Ye Tian get you Spirit Gathering Pills so that you can become a Dou Master as soon as possible."

Ya Fei planned to focus on cultivating Zhao Ling. After all, she was only twenty-one years old and had already reached six-star Dou Zhe, so she still had room to grow.

"Miss, don't worry. Leave everything to me. You can cultivate with Brother Ye Tian in peace."

Now that Zhao Ling had received such a great opportunity, she had to give even more in return.

"Mm, then work hard. I'll inspect your progress regularly."

Ya Fei now intended to become a behind-the-scenes controller. She only needed to hold the Auction House's financial authority and overall direction. After all, she truly disliked the kind of public-facing work where she had to force smiles.

Time passed slowly. In the blink of an eye, another two months had gone by. The events Ye Tian had caused in Wutan City eventually spread, and the major powers of the Jia Ma Empire were all utterly shocked.

"The investigation is complete. I heard that boy Ye Tian is the child of a Guard from Wutan City's Mite'er Auction House. He came from Qingshan Town and has a very close relationship with that girl Ya Fei."

"I heard he killed over a hundred assassins in Wutan City and was called the God of Slaughter. Even that girl Ya Fei was called the Female God of Slaughter. There was also a little girl named Xiao Yi Xian who was the same. Later, for some unknown reason, the City Lord's Mansion of Wutan City suppressed the matter."

"We need to step in, or the major powers will come after that boy."

"An Earth-tier cultivation technique isn't something a Country Kid like him should possess."

At the Mite'er Family headquarters in the Imperial Capital, a group of elders gathered in the council hall to discuss Ye Tian.

"Don't even think about it. Old Man has a feeling that if we try to move against Ye Tian, we'll end up like those assassins. If he can kill over a hundred assassins, then he can certainly kill us too."

"Also, why would Wutan City's City Lord's Mansion cover for him? Have you thought about that? Do you really think a prodigy of that caliber has no powerful expert protecting him? Use your brains, will you?"

"Furthermore, Ye Tian is the child of an Auction House Guard. In a sense, he counts as one of our people. If we move against him, wouldn't we be openly driving such a genius away?"

At that moment, the old man who had kept his eyes narrowed opened them and warned the elders.

This man was Mite'er Tengshan, the Great Elder of the Mite'er Family. As he looked at everyone, his gaze carried a wolf-like sharpness, leaving the old man deeply helpless.

"Great Elder, that's an Earth-tier cultivation technique!"

The elders were still unwilling to give up. The temptation of an Earth-tier cultivation technique was simply too great.

"Then do as you please. Old Man won't interfere."

"Perhaps he'll spare your lives for Ya Fei's sake. Or perhaps he'll leave you intact corpses."

Mite'er Tengshan shook his head helplessly, then left the council hall. He planned to personally visit Wutan City and meet Ye Tian, to see whether he could recruit that Little Fellow into the Mite'er Family.

When the people of the other major powers received news of the young Ye Tian, they too began making restless moves.

Within the Misty Cloud Sect, the upper ranks gathered to discuss Ye Tian. The sect had spies in Wutan City, and while investigating information about Xiao Yan, they had also learned of Ye Tian.

"Chief Great Elder, should we take action?"

The elders looked toward Yun Leng, the Chief Great Elder of the Misty Cloud Sect.

"Of course we should act, but we must handle this matter carefully."

How could Great Elder Yun Leng resist the temptation of an Earth-tier cultivation technique? The grand Misty Cloud Sect did not even possess a single Earth-tier cultivation technique, yet a Country Kid had one. How could that be allowed?

"None of you should act rashly. I'll investigate first and see whether we can recruit that young man named Ye Tian into the sect."

At that moment, a woman's voice drifted over from afar. Immediately afterward, an incomparably beautiful woman in a light blue dress walked in from outside.

She was Yun Yun, the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect. Earlier, Na Lan Yan Ran's father had come to the Misty Cloud Sect to reprimand Na Lan Yan Ran, and he had also brought news of Ye Tian. Yun Yun was naturally curious about the youth who had appeared out of nowhere. If she could take him as her disciple, there might be unexpected benefits.

"Since the Sect Master wishes to go personally, then that is for the best."

Seeing Yun Yun step forward, everyone no longer had any objections. However, each of them continued making their own calculations in secret.

Far away in Wutan City, Ye Tian had yet to realize that he had already caught the attention of all the major powers.

Ye Tian had now broken through to the Five-star Dou Master realm, while Ya Fei had long since stepped into the Dou Master realm as well.

Xiao Yi Xian was even more outrageous. Her strength had risen directly to the Eight-star Dou Practitioner level. To speed up her cultivation, she had swallowed a great deal of poison. Now that she had the Myriad Poisons Primordial True Art, she no longer had to worry about toxins accumulating in her body.

That day, Ye Tian, Ya Fei, and Xiao Yi Xian flew directly from the Back Mountain behind the Mittel Auction House toward the deep mountains outside Wutan City, intending to continue their arduous cultivation.

"Who's that...?"

When the three reached the deep mountains, a woman in blue spotted them from the horizon. She then quietly flew over, intending to investigate.

"Xiao Tian, your sister here plans to cultivate hard this time. I won't go back until I break through to the Two-Star Dou Master realm."

"I want to break through to the Nine-star Dou Practitioner realm too, but it'll definitely take a while."

Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian had now become Cultivation Maniacs, thoroughly enjoying the joy that cultivation brought them.

"Then keep working hard! I'm still some distance away from becoming a Six-star Dou Master. The higher the realm, the more Dou Qi is needed, and the slower one's strength improves."

Seeing how diligently the two women cultivated, Ye Tian could only accompany them in their hard training.

"Xiao Tian? Could he be Ye Tian?"

The mysterious woman concealed in the shadows was extremely shocked. This youth was already a Five-star Dou Master. What kind of Prodigy was this? Or was an Earth-tier cultivation technique truly that powerful?

"There aren't any powerful experts protecting him within a thousand meters. I'll go take a look first. If I can take in such a genius, he'll be far better than that troublesome girl who keeps making me worry."

The woman in blue muttered to herself for a few moments before flying into the sky and slowly descending toward where Ye Tian and the others were.

"Whoa!"

Ye Tian was startled when he saw a beautiful woman in blue suddenly descend from the sky.

"Who are you?"

Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly stepped in front of Ye Tian.

"Don't worry. I was merely passing by and happened to encounter you. I came over specifically to take a look."

The woman in blue revealed a gentle smile, showing that she bore no ill intent.

"You're a Dou Emperor!"

At that moment, Ye Tian looked at the woman in blue before him and suddenly thought of Yun Yun, the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect.

Damn! It looks like what I did in Wutan City has already spread. The major powers have all set their sights on me now. I never expected Yun Yun to come all the way to Wutan City?

After thinking it over, Ye Tian figured that the Misty Cloud Sect's informants had probably discovered him by accident while gathering information about Xiao Yan.

Interesting! Truly interesting!

"A Dou Emperor expert! Are you Yun Yun, the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect?"

Ya Fei also guessed the identity of the woman before them.

"That's right. I am Yun Yun."

Seeing that she had been recognized, the woman in blue had no choice but to admit it.

"I am Mittel Ya Fei, manager of the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City. May I ask why Sect Master Yun has graced us with her presence?"

Ya Fei could only introduce herself. At this moment, she knew that Ye Tian's affairs had already spread throughout the Jia Ma Empire. It seemed the peaceful lives of the three of them were about to be disrupted once more.

"I heard that an extraordinary genius had appeared in Wutan City, so I came specifically to take a look. I never expected to encounter him here."

"Ye Tian, I wish to take you as my disciple. Are you willing?"

Yun Yun stated her purpose directly. She had come to Wutan City this time precisely to see Ye Tian, this genius.

"No."

"The only reason Sect Master Yun came here is because you heard that I possess an Earth-tier cultivation technique. Once I enter your sect, I'll become meat on the chopping block. Who knows how many people will set their sights on me."

Ye Tian rejected her outright. Joining the Misty Cloud Sect now would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's den. More importantly, that Old Man Yun Shan had already colluded with the people from the Soul Hall. If those people latched onto him, the trouble would be immense.

"That's right! Xiao Tian has his own life and doesn't want to be controlled by others."

Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian also made their stance clear, firmly supporting Ye Tian. The three of them now possessed cultivation methods that surpassed even the Heaven Tier. Why would they care about the powers of the Dou Qi Continent?

"Ye Tian, I can promise you that I will never covet your cultivation technique. Moreover, I will protect you until you have the ability to defend yourself."

Seeing Ye Tian's arrogance, Yun Yun offered even greater sincerity.

"Still no!"

"First, you can't protect me."

"Second, I don't need your protection either. Maybe someday, you'll even need my protection. So what would I join your sect for?"

Ye Tian rejected her again. Yun Yun was not bad herself, but the Misty Cloud Sect was currently filled with all sorts of unsavory people. To put it bluntly, she was merely a Puppet with no real authority. If he went there, he would have to clean up the mess. Things might even end with blood flowing through the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

For now, Ye Tian did not want to disrupt the Three-Year Agreement between Xiao Yan and Na Lan Yan Ran. After all, that part of the story was rather interesting.

Jin Yan also cooperated with Ye Tian, activating the Chaos Tower and releasing a faint, barely perceptible Aura that locked onto the female Dou Emperor.

"Pfft...!"

"Stop boasting. Does a mighty Dou Emperor expert really need your protection?"

Seeing Ye Tian spout nonsense with such a serious expression, Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian could not help but laugh.

Even Yun Yun nearly failed to hold it in. This Little Fellow was simply too amusing.

"Very well! Ye Tian, you are the most outstanding genius I have ever seen. I hope you can grow stronger."

"Many people already know about you. They will surely set their sights on you, so be careful."

"Farewell!"

Yun Yun had already sensed that Ye Tian was protected by a supreme expert. She no longer pressed the matter and flew directly into the sky, disappearing from sight.