Breakthrough to the Essence Gathering Realm

[Fifty-fifth Year, your realm finally broke through to the initial stage of the Essence Gathering Realm, the first realm of the Three Essences Realm. At this level, you already had the ability to stand on your own. As long as you did not encounter great danger while venturing out, you could protect yourself. In all of Fengyuan City, there were no more than three hundred experts above the Essence Gathering Realm.]

[That same year, after learning that you had broken through to the Essence Gathering Realm, the three Ancestors of the Ye Family received you. They intended to nurture you as one of the Ye Family's vital sparks, granting you Cultivation Resources equal to those of your father, Ye Changming, who possessed a Profound Grade High Rank Bone Structure. Although your Bone Structure was only Yellow Grade High Rank, your cultivation speed was no slower than your father's. The Ancestors could also guess that you surely possessed some hidden Talent. They did not press you on the matter, and you had even less reason to refuse such a windfall falling onto your head. You were originally part of the Ye Family's Direct Lineage, with roots straight and blood pure. If disaster befell the Ye Family, you would never be able to flee. Now that they were increasing their investment in you, your responsibilities would not change.]

[That same year, you noticed that your son, Ye Ping'an, loved painting as much as you did. At only ten years old, he could already create Mortal Grade Low Rank paintings. When you learned that your son possessed a Talent for painting, you were delighted, but a thread of worry also lingered in your heart. You told him that he could not reveal his Talent for painting to anyone else, not even the Ye Family's high-level members, and that he would have to paint only when no one was around in the future. Ye Ping'an agreed to your instructions, but the delight and pride on his face still worried you. Fortunately, Ye Ping'an had inherited a little of both your and Li Furong's temperaments. He was also enthusiastic about cultivation. Though he was not as diligent as either of you, he usually did not go out and stir up trouble.]

[Eightieth Year, your realm advanced to the middle stage of the Essence Gathering Realm. You felt rather helpless as your cultivation speed slowed, but you knew this was something most Martial Artists had to experience. Your cultivation speed was already far ahead of all others in the Ye Family, leaving them in the dust, so you were not overly concerned. After all, Essence Gathering Realm Martial Artists had lifespans of five hundred years.]

[At the same time, because you focused heavily on his upbringing, your son Ye Ping'an had received the weighty paternal love of his father from a young age. You assessed him nearly once a month, and he spent every day cultivating, with only his sleeping hours left peaceful. Although Li Furong felt some heartache over your intense training of Ye Ping'an, she still listened to you.]

[Because there were now more people to support, the funds you had previously saved were nearly depleted. You knew that without the support of Pills and spiritual medicine, your cultivation speed would greatly decline, and your wife and child also needed Cultivation Resources. You planned to sell off some of the paintings you had created over the past several decades. For this, you made a rare journey far from home.]

[Now at the middle stage of the Essence Gathering Realm, you would not face any great threats when exploring Secret Realms. Moreover, although your Mountain Shaking Fist and Mayfly Step Slash were still at the Perfection of the Perfected Mastery Realm, after years of unceasing arduous practice, you were not far from truly taking that final step. In terms of actual combat strength, even if you faced an expert at the initial stage of the Earth Origin Realm, you could easily escape even if you could not defeat them.]

[Eighty-first Year, after investigating several small Secret Realms, you returned and informed the family elders that you had obtained a batch of paintings by a master painter in one of the Secret Realms. The family elders did not harbor the slightest suspicion toward your words. There had already been several similar cases in Fengyuan City. Before long, you handed these paintings over to the Ye Family to sell on your behalf. With the family's power handling the arrangements, the batch of paintings soon fetched a considerable price. After obtaining this sum, you could once again cultivate in peace for a long time.]

[Eighty-fifth Year, you noticed that your son Ye Ping'an had been behaving strangely lately. After looking into it, you learned that the boy had someone he liked. When you questioned him, it turned out that while you had been away exploring Secret Realms five years ago, Ye Ping'an, freed from your restraints, had found the girl he loved in Fengyuan City. Over the following years, he frequently went out to meet her.]

[You would not oppose your child's romance, but you felt that there were certain matters you needed to keep an eye on. You investigated the girl and soon discovered that her identity was somewhat unusual. She was not a native of Fengyuan City, but came from Yicheng City. The faction she belonged to stood only beneath the renowned Liu Family even within Yicheng City, and could be considered one of Yicheng City's top powers. That faction was called the Snow Mountain Sect.]

[Within the Sky Flame Alliance's sphere of influence, any faction that could call itself a sect needed at least one Void God Realm Great Power overseeing it. The Snow Mountain Sect's current supreme Ancestor was a Void God Realm Great Power. Even the Liu Family had to show him a measure of reverence.]

[After learning this information, you were only slightly surprised, not afraid. The girl was merely an ordinary Inner Disciple of the Snow Mountain Sect, while the Ye Family's three Ancestors, together with your father Ye Changming, all possessed the formidable cultivation of the Heavenly Origin Realm. Although Void God Realm Great Powers stood above the Three Essences Realm, you also knew that unless something major happened, such Great Powers would not leave their doors for centuries. They were true old monsters, and it was even more impossible for one to attack the Ye Family over an ordinary Inner Disciple.]

[After investigating everything clearly, you did not interfere with Ye Ping'an's romance. The Ye Family also had several disciples in the Snow Mountain Sect. These disciples could all be considered half members of the Ye Family. Some family disciples whose Bone Structure met the sect's requirements would also join sects, after all, the Cultivation Resources a sect could provide were considerably better than what most Ye Family members received within the family. Even among the Ye Family's Direct Lineage, not everyone could obtain resources superior to those offered by a sect.]

[The Snow Mountain Sect's requirement for accepting disciples was a Yellow Grade Middle Rank Bone Structure, but such disciples could generally only become outer disciples of the Snow Mountain Sect. Only disciples with Yellow Grade High Rank or Mysterious Grade Bone Structures could become true Inner Disciples of the Snow Mountain Sect.]

[Eighty-ninth Year, your child Ye Ping'an reached the initial stage of the Organ Refining Realm. After his breakthrough, Ye Ping'an married the Snow Mountain Sect disciple.]

[That same winter, you painted your first Profound Grade Low Rank painting, naming it Viewing Plum Blossoms. It was a landscape painting. Even an ordinary Martial Artist at the Perfection of the Essence Gathering Realm would be drawn into the painting for several days and unable to escape, so long as they had not comprehended a Yellow Grade Martial Skill to the Perfected Mastery Realm. It could also make an expert at the initial stage of the Earth Origin Realm lose focus for an instant. In battle, perhaps that single instant could turn the tide. You were greatly satisfied with your ability to paint Viewing Plum Blossoms.]

[After painting Viewing Plum Blossoms, you felt that your understanding of certain things around you had changed. You sensed something. After instructing your wife Li Furong not to let anyone disturb you unless it was something important, you entered Secluded Cultivation.]