Late at night, all was silent.
At the Azure Dragon Gang headquarters in East City, a middle-aged man turned his head to look at Feng Yue, who was respectfully performing a disciple's salute.
"So you mean that after Ye Li met Lu Xiuyuan, he went to the gang's bank and borrowed a large sum of money?"
"Reporting to Elder Yang, that is exactly what happened!" Feng Yue answered honestly and respectfully.
The middle-aged man before him was named Yang Shichang. He had joined the gang thirty years ago.
Before reaching forty, he had advanced to the middle stage of the Post-Heaven Realm through his martial talent.
With such aptitude, while Xiantian Realm was beyond his reach, he still had a chance of reaching the Complete Post-Heaven Realm—the same level as the gang leader—within his lifetime!
And around Feng Yue stood not just Yang Shichang, but eight Post-Heaven Realm elders gathered in one hall, all of them staring at him with bright, piercing eyes.
They were discussing how to handle Ye Li and Lu Xiuyuan, the two talented members of the gang.
Under the gaze of so many Post-Heaven Realm experts, Feng Yue felt as though even breathing had become heavy.
After hearing Feng Yue's report, an elder wrapped in black robes laughed.
"This young man has some clever tricks. He actually thought to borrow money. But does he think that enough resources alone will let him break through to the Post-Heaven Realm?"
The black-robed elder's words won the approval of every elder present.
They had all cultivated step by step from ordinary disciples, so naturally they understood how agonizing the barriers between realms could be.
From the initial stage of the Body Tempering Realm to completion, one could reach it through steady grinding effort, but every minor stage would stall a person for a time depending on their talent.
But going from Body Tempering completion to the Post-Heaven Realm was a whole new level of difficulty.
It required insight into martial arts, mastery over one's strength, and understanding of one's body's inner workings. It was not something that could be advanced through by simply following a fixed sequence like breaking through Body Tempering.
A blind money offensive would only leave one stuck at Body Tempering completion, unable to advance an inch. It might even torment one to the point of wishing for death at the minor stages.
"This is no clever trick."
Hearing the black-robed elder's words, Yang Shichang frowned. "Elder Wang, this already shows signs of him becoming alienated from the gang."
"Clearly, Ye Li thinks the gang is devoting all its resources to cultivating Lu Xiuyuan, so he wants to break through by relying on his own strength rather than the gang's help."
"Surely not? Isn't he still borrowing through the gang's channels?" an elder questioned.
Yang Shichang shook his head.
"Let me ask you all: if this matter got out, what would people think? A genius who broke through the Body Tempering Realm in merely two months has actually fallen so low that he needs to borrow money from his own faction just to sustain his daily cultivation."
Silence—
Hearing Yang Shichang's words, the elders present imagined the scene he had painted.
If such a thing happened in another faction and they learned of it, would they not immediately offer mockery, then decisively pay a great price to poach that person?
A genius was a faction's future. The more, the better!
"Another question," Yang Shichang said.
"Once Ye Li receives the loan, what will he think as he looks at the thousand taels in his hands?"
No one answered. Yang Shichang directly explained, "He will think that the gang is not short of money. It simply does not want to give any to him."
"The gang already has Lu Xiuyuan, a blue-grade talent, so it does not value him."
"Then what if, at that time, another faction offers two thousand taels, or even ten thousand taels, to recruit him?"
"For a genius like him, is ten thousand taels really that much? It might not even cover a year's cultivation resources for a few of us Post-Heaven Realm experts."
No one answered. After a brief silence, Elder Wang, clad in black robes, let out a sinister laugh.
"Young people these days truly do not know contentment. I think Old Yang is making a mountain out of a molehill. When we fought our way up alongside the gang leader, did we have conditions anywhere near as good as his?"
"Getting two Body-Tempering Pills is already not bad. Can't he suffer a little, endure for a while, settle himself for a period? Once he proves his loyalty, we will naturally cultivate him properly."
"At most, it just slows his cultivation by a year or half a year. He is so young—what is wrong with waiting?"
Yang Shichang frowned.
"Forget waiting a year. With the Li Family's threat, Ye Li may suffer the Li Family's retaliation as soon as next month."
"Are you expecting Ye Li to face those Post-Heaven Realm experts of the Li Family with his initial-stage Body Tempering cultivation and the identity of a core disciple?"
Silence...
The many elders present thought of Ye Li's current situation. Putting themselves in his shoes, they realized that the circumstances were indeed severe.
As for Feng Yue, he was merely a small Body Tempering Realm instructor. Faced with the elders' dispute, he watched his nose, and his nose watched his heart, not daring to overstep in the slightest.
Yang Shichang said calmly, "Things are not like before. The gang's younger generation is suffering a gap in succession."
"Those with good talent were nearly wiped out in the fighting against the Poison Wolf Gang over the past few years. Among the core disciples with blue-grade talents, only Xiuyuan remains."
"Although the gang leader's cultivation has barely preserved East City's territory from being encroached upon, we no longer have successors who can take over."
"These past few years have been fine, but what happens after our generation grows old? Who will see us through old age and bury us when we die? The Poison Wolf Gang?"
"Cultivating disciples is also for our own sake. You all understand the nature of those West District beasts from the Poison Wolf Gang. If we lose in this struggle, there will indeed be no need to think about what happens after we retire."
"Elder Yang is right," an elder echoed. "Making promising newcomers in the gang take loans to practice martial arts is rather petty."
"Why not waive the loan, have an elder take him as a disciple, and cultivate him according to Lu Xiuyuan's treatment?"
Seeing everyone voice their agreement, the black-robed elder hurriedly interjected, "The gang can resolve the Li Family matter, but giving a core disciple such preferential treatment does not conform to the rules."
Yang Shichang could not help frowning. He glared at the black-robed elder. "Wang Luhe, you did not speak so much about rules when it came to Lu Xiuyuan. You cannot favor him so blatantly just because Lu Xiuyuan is your disciple."
His scheme having been exposed, Wang Luhe's mouth twitched.
"I am doing all this for the gang. Do not drag irrelevant matters into this."
"You had better be!"
Yang Shichang's calm reply instead left Wang Luhe at a loss for how to respond.
"I propose that these thousand taels be issued to Ye Li as usual, for him to arrange as he sees fit, with no interest!"
"However, there must be a test. If he accomplishes it, he will not need to repay it. If he fails, he need only return the principal!"
Yang Shichang paused. "As for this requirement..."
"Let me reach the middle stage of the Body Tempering Realm within five months!!!"
The next day, inside Wantong Textile.
Having risen early, Ye Li did not head to Spring Return Alley first. Instead, he came here to collect the money.
At that moment, he stared at Ji Yu and Feng Yue before him. Upon hearing this so-called requirement, the shock on his face was impossible to suppress.
"That's right!" Feng Yue solemnly conveyed the elders' decision.
"I know this requirement is extremely difficult, but it reflects the elders' high hopes for you. I hope you can overcome it."
"If you meet the requirement, you will not need to repay these thousand taels!"
Ye Li: There is actually such a free windfall?