Sky Thunder Eagle Diagram

[That same year, after returning to the Ye family, you broke through to the early Earth Origin Realm. The ripples of your breakthrough were sensed by the Ye family elders, who came one after another to offer their congratulations. You became the third Heaven-tier Elder of the Ye family. The other family elders were somewhat puzzled by the arrangement the Ye family ancestor had made for you, but they did not probe too deeply. After all, your talent was plain for all to see—you might well be the next ancestor to lead the family to glory.]

[The reason the ancestor appointed you as a Heaven-tier Elder was not due to talent, but because they understood that with both of your Mortal Grade martial skills having reached Peak Attainment, there were already very few Martial Artists in the entire Earth Origin Realm who could threaten you. Even an early Heavenly Origin Realm Martial Artist would likely be someone you could contend with.]

[After all, most Heavenly Origin Realm Martial Artists only possessed a Minor Accomplishment Realm. Many who had just broken through to the Heavenly Origin Realm and lacked time to settle hadn't even comprehended Minor Accomplishment. Even among the Heavenly Origin Realm Martial Artists of major powers, those with a Mysterious Grade Minor Accomplishment Realm still faced an enormous gap compared to Great Accomplishment Realm. Otherwise, the First Generation Ancestor of the Ye family could never have single-handedly fought three late Heavenly Origin Realm Martial Artists at once.]

[After breaking through to the Earth Origin Realm, your financial pressure increased again. Mortal Grade spiritual herbs and pills had become almost negligible in boosting your cultivation speed. If you wanted to cultivate as quickly as before, you would need to purchase Mysterious Grade Treasure Pills. Treasure Pills were exorbitantly priced. Even with your status as a Heaven-tier Elder, the family could only spare you very few Mysterious Grade Treasure Pills. The funds left over from selling some of your paintings earlier were still there, but they were a drop in the bucket when it came to buying Mysterious Grade Treasure Pills and Treasure Medicines.]

[You were different from the rest of the Ye family. Your talent dictated that if you wanted to cultivate quickly, you could not do without pills. So, since you could no longer enter the blessed land, you decided to head to Yicheng City. Yicheng was a large city in Jiang State. Though not as prosperous as the thirteen great cities of the thirteen prefectures or the Jiang State capital, you could buy the Mysterious Grade Treasure Pills you needed there. Staying in Fengyuan City to purchase large quantities of Mysterious Grade Treasure Pills was impossible—the entire city's supply couldn't meet demand, and very little circulated out.]

[Before leaving, you called Ye Ping'an to see you and took away all the paintings he had made over the years. You gave him two Sky Flame Gold Coins, which was more than enough to cover the purchase of his works. Since it was a purchase, not a direct gift, Ye Ping'an accepted the money. You also warned him to be careful with his Painting Dao talent—he must not reveal it until the family was strong enough to protect him.]

[Ye Ping'an, now a father, was no longer the child he had once been. He understood your advice. Although his Painting Dao talent couldn't compare to yours—the gap was vast, and he could only produce Mortal Grade top-rank paintings—there was still a risk that a major power might take him away and enslave him for free.]

[In the one hundred and fifty-sixth year, you established a foothold in Yicheng. That year, you pretended to explore a secret realm and found a batch of paintings, which you sold. This eased the pressure from your lack of funds.]

[In the one hundred and eighty-second year, a large auction was held in Yicheng. You bid on a Mysterious Grade High Rank treasured blade, several bottles of Mysterious Grade Low Rank Treasure Pills, and some Mysterious Grade Treasure Medicines for which the family already had the pill formulas. After the auction, you handed the Treasure Medicines to a trusted Ye family deacon to take back to the Ye family.]

[In the one hundred and eighty-fifth year, because you were humble and got along well with your neighbors, a Direct Lineage disciple of the Liu family, a Renowned Family in Yicheng, invited you to join the Liu family as a Guest Family Guard. The offer was decent for an Earth Origin Realm Martial Artist, but you didn't think much of the money. You turned him down, but it didn't affect your friendship with him.]

[...]

[In the two hundred and sixteenth year, you painted your first Mysterious Grade Middle Rank painting, titled Sky Thunder Eagle Diagram. It was a Pseudo Beast true-life painting that could summon a Pseudo Beast Sky Thunder Eagle to assist in battle. This beast was extremely skilled in thunder techniques, excelling in offense, and was especially effective against evil spirits. The thunder techniques it unleashed could easily shatter a great mountain, with power comparable to a late Earth Origin Realm Martial Artist.]

[In the two hundred and sixty-seventh year, you learned from your friend Liu Yue'er that a small Copper Ore Vein resource point had been discovered at the border between Yangzhou and Jingzhou in Jiang State. Coincidentally, the Liu family and the Min family, a Renowned Family from Pingcheng, were both near this junction. The two forces had been locked in constant conflict over the copper mine.]

[In the two hundred and eightieth year, the struggle between the Liu and Min families intensified, with Direct Lineage disciples already entering the fray.]

[In the three hundred and second year, two Heavenly Origin Realm Direct Lineage experts from the Liu family died in the copper mine conflict. The Liu family High-level were furious and swore revenge, but the battle over the copper mine continued.]

[In the three hundred and tenth year, rumors spread that two years earlier, one of the Min family's resource points had been slaughtered by a cult, causing massive losses and dozens of Direct Lineage disciples dead or wounded. Some revealed that the Liu family was actually responsible. When this news broke, it drew sighs from other forces, but also a sense of gloom. Both sides were sending more and more people into the fray, recruiting large numbers of cultivators for battle at no small cost. Yicheng and Pingcheng saw a sharp rise in the prices of combat supplies due to the war between these two top-tier powers. Seizing the opportunity, you sold some of your paintings at high prices and obtained some rare Mysterious Grade Treasure Pills that were seldom seen.]

[That same year, your friend Liu Yue'er from the Liu family invited you to assist in the battle. The reward she offered was tempting even to you, but you declined, citing your dislike for combat. Liu Yue'er was somewhat upset by this, and you didn't see her again for several months.]

[In the three hundred and fifteenth year, your cultivation level rose to the mid Earth Origin Realm. Without the boost from the Fengyuan Small Blessed Land, even with the aid of pills over the years, your progress in the Cultivation Realm had been slow. If even you, with your talent and Bone Structure, struggled like this, you could truly feel how difficult it was for ordinary Martial Artists to reach the Heavenly Origin Realm.]

[In the four hundred and ninety-sixth year, your cultivation level reached the late Earth Origin Realm. The war between the Liu and Min Renowned Families had fully erupted, with Void God Realm Great Powers entering the fray, leaving the surrounding area battered and broken. For ordinary Martial Artists and small families, these years had become increasingly hard to endure. Many Martial Artists had already moved to other regions, and some families had even undertaken a Clan Relocation.]

[In the five hundred and second year, as the war between the Liu and Min families intensified, both sides were conscripting people to fight. The Ye family was also required to participate, needing at least one Heavenly Origin Realm Martial Artist and three Earth Origin Realm Martial Artists to join the war.]

[In the five hundred and fifth year, the Ye family's Second Ancestor died on the battlefield, and your father, Ye Changming, was dispatched into the war.]