A Well-Deserved Scolding, Changes in Secret

Soaring Cloud Peak, with its sky full of red maple leaves, is already showing signs of turning fiery red.

It forms a striking contrast with the emerald-green Spring Welcoming Tea the mountains.

The spirit fruit trees were laden with fruit, bending their branches low, while the mountain springs continued to flow gently, making a melodious tinkling sound.

In a secluded corner in front of Soaring Cloud Peak, a figure suddenly stopped.

It was Ye Jingcheng who had returned from Earth Dragon Valley.

He took a deep breath, and his hands involuntarily opened.

This feeling of familiarity in his eyes, ears, and nose captivated him.

He even wanted to yell it out.

Ten years is not a long time for cultivators, after all, sometimes a period of seclusion can last for several years.

But as Ye Jingcheng stood here at this moment, he still felt an indescribable sense of beauty in his heart.

This feeling has nothing to do with age or experience; it's a thought that comes from the very core of one's being.

After pausing for a dozen breaths, he smiled and, following the footsteps of the wind, quietly used his Lineage Token to pass through the Array and head towards his own courtyard.

No more than ten members of his clan knew that he had gone to the Azure Cloud Sea Region.

Ye Jingcheng naturally had to sneak past.

Moreover, he will not appear in the public eye of the Ye Family for the foreseeable future until he comprehends the Treasure-Linking Art.

His Divine Sense swept across the entire Soaring Cloud Peak.

He discovered that Lineage competition was taking place in the entire plaza of the main hall.

It was also bustling with activity.

This made him think back to decades ago, when he was also one of those people.

On the square, several arenas were used for simultaneous fighting.

More than half of the Ye Family members were present here.

A huge crowd, it looked like there were more than a hundred people.

Everyone's face was beaming with smiles.

Ye Jingyun, Ye Xingqun Ye Jingli on the high platform.

Ye Jingli his body slightly to the side. He only felt that there was a slightly different wind just now, but when he spread his Divine Sense, he did not feel anything.

"What's wrong, Sixth Brother?" Ye Jingyun also looked at Ye Jingli.

"It's nothing, I've probably been thinking about my unique Law Artifact these past few days and I've been lost in thought!" Ye Jingli was also a little puzzled, but his Divine Sense wouldn't lie, so he didn't think much of it.

After all, his unique Law Artifact was indeed powerful. In his opinion, even his eleventh brother, who had already reached the Purple Mansion, would have to praise him!

As he spoke, he looked towards the stage, and then excitedly began to speak:

"Jingting, we're about to win!"

"Indeed, I never expected that Jingting, with her four Spirit Root and her cultivation through Spirit Talisman, would reach the seventh level of Qi Refining at the age of thirty-three. Even Jinglan, who was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, was no match for her. She is much stronger than we were back then!"

Ye Jingyun and Ye Xingqun also showed a look of relief in their eyes.

Following their gaze, one could see a arena in the square, where Ye Jingting, dressed in light armor, was casting four Law Techniques.

He held several Spirit Talisman in his hand, ready to unleash them at any moment, and stood before him a robust Silver Moon Python.

"Hiss!"

The Silver Moon Python seemed enraged, charging fiercely through the air towards a middle-aged man opposite it. The man, however, wielded a Golden-Scaled Beast, and the two clashed.

The already injured Golden-Scaled Beast was struck on the head by the Silver Moon Python's massive tail and sent flying several feet away.

Suddenly, the Silver Moon Python unleashed several more water arrows, heading straight for Ye Jinglan.

Ye Jinglan's eyes widened instantly, trying to dodge, but Ye Jingting had already activated a wooden vine technique to bind his feet, and also had a freezing talisman hidden in it, freezing both his feet.

He had no choice but to cast a protective shield to withstand the water arrow and a flying sword from Ye Jingting.

"Boom!" The protective barrier shattered with a loud crash.

"Ye Jingting wins!" At the critical moment, Ye Jingyun waved his hand, and a crimson fire shield appeared in front of Ye Jinglan, blocking all the attacks.

"Jingting has entered the late stage of Qi Refining and will be among the top three in the competition!" Upon hearing this, Ye Jingting was overjoyed.

"Thank you so much, Brother Jingyun!"

"Brother Jinglan has also yielded!"

Ye Jingting beamed with joy. Not only could the top three in the competition change their Cultivation Method, but they could also choose Spirit Beast.

Of course, it wasn't that she didn't have Spirit Stone; rather, she needed to gather three thousand contribution points to advance her Silver Moon Python.

Only in this way can she break through quickly and even reach the Foundation Establishment before the age of fifty.

Nowadays, the most popular thing in the Ye Family is no longer choosing Spirit Beast, but purchasing the corresponding Advancement Pill after mastering Beast Communion.

After all, many Silver Moon Python and Red Moon Python cubs and eggs were released from Silver Moon Lake, and they are all growing quite well now.

The acquisition of Water-Rank Pills and Meridian-Protecting Pill naturally became even more precious.

"Two more games to go, I have to do my best!" Ye Jingting exclaimed excitedly and began to prepare actively.

After all, there's still the competition for the top one or two spots, with even richer rewards and the option to choose more and better Spirit Beast.

However, the first two were both at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and both were true geniuses of the Ye Family.

Extremely difficult.

In the Ye Family's grand competition, the rules remained the same as before: the top ten in the early stage of Qi Refining, the top five in the middle stage of Qi Refining, and the top three in the late stage of Qi Refining.

There are generous rewards for passing this threshold. Of course, even if you don't pass, you will still receive rewards as long as you have made progress compared to the previous three-year competition.

The annual salary will be higher.

At the same time, since those at the ninth level of Qi Refining can become elders, they do not participate in the Grand Competition.

Ye Jingting is at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and with her Spirit Talisman in creating talismans, she naturally still has a chance.

"The mid-stage Qi Refining competition over there is about to determine the first and second place winners!" Just then, Ye Qingwen walked up to a nearby arena.

Opposite him was Ye Qingfeng, also in his early twenties and belonging to the Qing generation.

Both were at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but the former had two Spirit Root and was Ye Jingyong's son, so everyone naturally looked at Ye Qingwen more favorably.

Most importantly, Ye Qingwen, like his father, also followed the path of Body Cultivator.

So the two are about the same age, but Ye Qingwen is a head taller and his muscles are more prominent.

"Brother Feng, I'm about to make my move!" Ye Qingwen said politely before shooting off like an arrow.

It then hurled it at Ye Qingfeng, who quickly retrieved a Law Artifact shield and a firebird Spirit Beast, unleashing torrential flames.

However, a pair of winged magical Law Artifact suddenly appeared behind Ye Qingwen, drifting mysteriously to the side, dodging the flames and passing over the shield.

He raised his fist and slammed it towards Ye Qingfeng.

Just as the fist was about to strike, a gauntlet suddenly appeared and kept growing larger, catching Ye Qingfeng off guard.

Fortunately, he had two Law Artifacts: a shield in the open and a sword in the shadows.

But the flying sword's advantage lay in its lightness; how could it withstand a heavy punch? It was quickly smashed away.

Ye Qingfeng continued to defend, while Ye Qingwen sent out a bell-shaped Law Artifact, which trapped the fire sparrow inside the bell.

Ye Qingwen won in no time.

Ye Jingli on the stage laughed heartily, completely oblivious to the fact that he had now become a senior.

"Those two Law Artifacts were designed by me, aren't they ingenious!" Ye Jingli looked at Ye Jingyun.

Even Ye Xingqun praised Ye Jingli.

Ye Jingyun naturally gave a thumbs up as well.

"It's a pity that Second Brother wasn't here. His son was displaying his incredible power, and we didn't even get to see it!" Ye Jingli couldn't help but say.

This caused the other two to change their expressions as well. The Ye Family was still not at the Foundation Establishment, while the Yuan Family and Wei Family were causing a great deal of trouble in the market, and sometimes even Bandit Cultivator. Ye Jingyong naturally had to be there at all times.

"Next is the draw for the top three in the late Qi Refining stage. Those who have time will be in the top two!" Ye Jingyun, as the acting head of the family, announced.

Among those who drew lots, two were from the Jing generation and one was from the Qing generation. The one from the Qing generation was Ye Qingyan, who had two Spirit Root.

With his exceptional Dao of Alchemy and dual Spirit Root, he has already broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining, even without the Beast Communion.

The remaining member of the "Jing" generation is Ye Jingjiang, who has also Beast Communion.

He was a bit older, hovering around forty-five, which was close to the age at which the Ye Family could participate in the competition.

She was a full twelve years older than Ye Jingting.

He is also the most likely to win the competition, and his cultivation level is not far from the ninth level of Qi Refining.

The draw ended quickly, and when Ye Qingyan was not selected, Ye Jingting couldn't help but purse her lips.

On the contrary, Ye Qingyan was overjoyed. His Spirit Beast was not very talented. It was very useful when he was in the middle stage of Qi Refining, but now it could not keep up. He had heard that his Lineage still had high-level Spirit Beast that he could inherit.

At this moment, he also longed to have a Spirit Beast that could assist him in alchemy, just like the person in his heart.

Being able to get a bye at this moment meant he was guaranteed at least second place, which naturally made him extremely happy.

"Jingting wants to learn from Brother Jingjiang!" Ye Jingting and Ye Jingjiang stepped onto the stage, and Ye Jingting spoke first.

Then she took out several of her Law Artifact, a few Spirit Talisman, and a late-stage first-tier Silver Moon Python.

Ye Jingjiang's Spirit Beast is a Fire-Swallowing Sparrow that has reached the peak of the first tier.

Its fire-breathing ability is definitely among the top tier of first-tier Demon Beast.

This perfectly counters the Silver Moon Python, coupled with Ye Jingjiang's impenetrable defense.

The outcome was quickly decided.

Despite being behind in both Spirit Beast and cultivation level, Ye Jingting ultimately couldn't avoid defeat and only managed to secure third place.

The competition between Ye Jingjiang and Ye Qingyan was not particularly intense.

Ye Qingyan's strength lies in his exceptional fire control and mastery of fire magic, but his Spirit Beast is merely a mid-stage first-tier Azure Cloud Wolf.

"Jingjiang won first place in the late-stage Qi Refining competition, Qingyan second, Jingting third, Ye Qingwen first in the mid-stage Ye Qingwen competition, and Ye Jingxing second..." Ye Jingyun read out the list of award recipients one by one.

"The day to receive the competition rewards is today... tomorrow!" Ye Jingyun paused, then made a sudden reversal, leaving everyone stunned.

Even Ye Jingli and Ye Xingqun looked at Ye Jingyun with confusion.

The award-winning clansmen below were even more puzzled, as according to the Lineage's rules, it should have been a little later tonight.

But now Ye Jingyun has suddenly changed it to tomorrow.

Although it was only a one-day difference, it still left them feeling somewhat disappointed.

He couldn't help but mutter some complaints.

These soft murmurs would be inaudible to ordinary people, but this is the Cultivation World!

Ye Jingyun froze, his eyes widening.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't worry, you'll all be rewarded. Don't let your guard down just because you think you've made great progress. Do you even know that our Ye Family was once Purple Mansion Lineage!"

"The current head of the family, Jingcheng, of the Jing generation, reached Foundation Establishment at thirty-eight. Now, at less than seventy, he's already breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm. Do you think you're very capable?" Ye Jingyun's brows furrowed in anger as he spoke!

This immediately silenced the crowd below.

Not only the Jing-generation cultivators and Qing-generation clansmen participating in the competition remained silent, but even the Hai-generation Clan Elder and Xing-generation cultivators watching from the sidelines kept quiet.

From the Purple Mansion Lineage to Foundation Establishment Lineage, it is naturally a perpetual pain for any cultivation Lineage!

This is something every member of the Ye Family must remember.

After scanning the area, Ye Jingyun headed towards the main hall at the back.

Ye Jingli and Ye Xingqun followed along.

The two of them were also somewhat puzzled at this moment.

The Ye Family has made significant progress this time; someone from the Qing generation, at just twenty-nine years old, has already won second place in the late-stage Qi Refining competition.

They should be praised.

"The patriarch has emerged from seclusion!" Ye Jingyun transmitted his voice to Ye Jingli and Ye Xingqun.

"And we need to increase rewards and change the reward pool!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Xingqun and Ye Jingli immediately understood why Ye Jingyun was acting this way.

These kids are in luck.

This immediately sparked a hint of envy in both of them.

"Well said! They're all so arrogant!" Ye Jingli echoed after a moment's thought.

The three of them hurriedly headed towards the summit of Soaring Cloud Peak and Soaring Cloud Lake, because Ye Jingcheng had asked them to meet there.

Ye Jingcheng very cautious in front of his own courtyard. Because he had told others that he was in seclusion to break through to the Purple Mansion, he had set up a second-tier top-grade Spirit Gathering Formation in his courtyard.

The entire courtyard was also set up with a more elaborate Array, naturally refusing requests from Lineage members to clean it.

Even the area within a ten-mile radius of his courtyard was forbidden territory of the Ye Family.

Ye Jingcheng followed the Array, examining the outermost layer of the Array he had prepared.

He incorporated many details, including fixed wooden branches, special hair, and ordinary array flags.

These banners are actually not very useful; they only collect spiritual energy.

What alarmed him was that under a secluded tea tree, he discovered several spirit flags that showed subtle changes.

He then took out the Azure Spirit Mirror to examine it closely. Although the Azure Spirit Mirror could not go back in time, it could still give a simple look at the differences in spiritual energy and detect some special fluctuations in Spiritual Qi.

As he looked through the Azure Spirit Mirror, he discovered that some of the spiritual energy of the spirit flag had been silently erased.

He became increasingly certain that someone was frequently there, monitoring his breakthroughs.

Moreover, ten years have passed, and those branches and hairs have not changed at all, clearly indicating that someone remembered and preserved the scene.

Otherwise, how could ten years have passed and nothing have changed?

Seeing this, Ye Jingcheng continued to conceal his aura and did not enter the courtyard again. After all, entering the courtyard would leave behind the aura of the broken Array, indicating that someone had either left or entered the formation.

On the contrary, the fact that he doesn't go in means that the real Ye Jingcheng is still inside, undergoing seclusion to break through his limitations!

So they headed directly towards Soaring Cloud Lake at the summit of Soaring Cloud Peak.

He was also wondering who was spying on him here.

But who is being infiltrated?

At the same time, is the mastermind behind this from the Taiyi Sect?

These are all very important.

Of course, we need to ask Ye Jingyun and Ye Jingli about these things.