Spirit Artifacts

"Tian'er, come with your father to meet the Ye Family head."

Tang Lingyun rose to his feet and glanced at Tang Tian. Regardless of how high his son's cultivation was, his temperament was at least exceptionally mature. There were indeed many matters he could be allowed to take part in.

With the Ye Family head arriving, the person Tang Tian thought of was someone else—Ye Ruxue.

"I wonder if she'll come?"

Tang Tian felt a little anticipation in his heart, while also roughly guessing the Ye Family head's purpose in coming.

The moment he entered the hall, Tang Tian saw the person he had wanted to see.

Clad in white robes like snow, she resembled a sacred lotus atop a snowy mountain—elegant and pure. One glance at her made the heart and mind feel refreshed. It was none other than Ye Ruxue.

Ye Qingyuan, the Ye Family head, had refined and handsome features. Standing with his hands behind his back, he carried an extraordinary bearing. Dressed in a green robe, he exuded an indescribable scholarly grace and unrestrained elegance.

"Brother Qingyuan!"

"Brother Lingyun!"

Tang Lingyun and Ye Qingyuan exchanged greetings and bowed to one another.

"Ruxue greets Uncle Tang."

Ye Ruxue gathered her robes and curtsied, graceful and poised.

"I had long heard of my worthy niece's reputation. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary. You've already reached the Organs-Hiding Realm—you deserve to be called the number one among Starfall City's younger generation."

Tang Lingyun immediately saw through Ye Ruxue's cultivation and could not help but marvel.

Then he thought of his own son, the infamous good-for-nothing of Starfall City, and could not help feeling sorrowful.

"Tang Tian greets Uncle Ye."

Tang Tian cupped his fists in salute, neither servile nor overbearing.

"Hm? How strange. Though my worthy nephew is only at the Initial Blood-Burning Realm, his blood and vitality are exceptionally vigorous. That is indeed quite rare."

Ye Qingyuan was at the middle stage of the Soul-Emergence Realm. Even with Tang Tian's Breath-Concealing Art, he could still perceive some of its mysteries.

Although he had heard his daughter recount how Tang Tian had slain the Heavenly Thunder Python, he had still found it difficult to believe in Tang Tian's strength.

Yet upon seeing the blood and vitality within the youth before him, he could not help but be startled.

Such a peculiar youth—even if his cultivation was inferior to those of his age, his strength far surpassed that of many young people.

How could he possibly be a good-for-nothing?

Tang Tian was somewhat helpless as well. His physical body was too powerful; the Breath-Concealing Art simply could not completely conceal his blood and vitality.

After all, blood and vitality represented a person's essence, energy, and spirit. The stronger the physical body, the more vigorous the blood and vitality, and the more flourishing the life force.

"Thank you for your praise, Uncle Ye."

Tang Tian smiled faintly. He had developed a rather favorable impression of Ye Qingyuan.

Host and guests took their seats, and servants brought tea. Ye Ruxue stood behind Ye Qingyuan.

Tang Lingyun smiled. "Everyone knows that Brother Qingyuan has always loved artifact refinement and paid no heed to worldly affairs. I wonder what brings you here today? If there is anything Tang can help with, I certainly will not refuse."

The marriage alliance between the Qin Family and the Lin Family was unquestionably the most disadvantageous development for the Tang Family.

Ye Qingyuan was a master artifact refiner. Even the Falling Star Sect had to treat him with some courtesy.

Without any powerful backing, the Tang Family would soon be eliminated from Starfall City.

When Tang Lingyun saw Ye Ruxue, a bold thought arose in his mind. But when he considered his son's situation, as well as the life-or-death duel the day after tomorrow, his heart sank.

No one knew of these thoughts. On the surface, Tang Lingyun remained entirely calm and composed.

"I came to deliver something to your son. I hope you will forgive the disturbance."

Ye Qingyuan spoke bluntly. With a wave of his hand, several auras and flashes of light appeared in the hall.

"This is..."

Tang Lingyun was stunned, while Tang Tian's eyes lit up.

On the table before them lay a silver long robe, its patterns bearing the very thunder markings of the Heavenly Thunder Python.

There was also a white longsword, radiating an incomparably sharp aura.

"These are Mid-Grade Spirit Artifacts! Both the robe and the sword are!"

Tang Lingyun simply could not understand why the Ye father and daughter had come all the way to the Tang Family to deliver two Spirit Artifacts.

One had to know that even low-grade Spirit Artifacts were exceedingly precious, much less two Spirit Artifacts presented at once.

"Thank you, Uncle Ye!"

Tang Tian could not help but sigh. Ye Qingyuan's artifact-refining skills truly were formidable. He could actually refine Mid-Grade Spirit Artifacts from a Heavenly Thunder Python that was merely at the Half-Step Organs-Hiding Realm?

"Kid, what's so surprising about that? That Heavenly Thunder Python had been nourished by the Azure Wood Profound Thunder all year round, and it often devoured spirit herbs such as the Heavenly Thunder Vine and Thunder Cherry Blossom. It was inherently different from demonic beasts of the same realm. If your current realm weren't high enough, did you really think you could have slaughtered it?"

Fan Siren looked down on Tang Tian immensely. Weren't they merely two Spirit Artifacts?

In his previous life, Spirit Artifacts had been no more than toys to Tang Tian.

But now, with nothing to his name, he felt they were truly too precious.

At the very least, aside from some fairly decent spirit herbs, the only thing he had on him was the Primordial Unity Tower.

And he could not take out the Primordial Unity Tower to use it, or he might lose his life at any moment.

"Tian'er, do not be rude. How can you accept Spirit Artifacts this precious?"

When Tang Lingyun saw Tang Tian accept the items without the slightest courtesy, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly tried to stop him.

How could he not know that if Tang Tian possessed these two Spirit Artifacts, then in his duel against Lin Yichen, whether or not he could win, he would at least remain invincible?

Ye Qingyuan waved his hand and laughed heartily. "Brother Lingyun, you misunderstand. These two Spirit Artifacts already belonged to your son. I merely refined them on his behalf. He was the one who provided the materials."

"This..."

Tang Lingyun was dumbfounded, unable to maintain his composure any longer.

He suddenly found the son before him somewhat unfamiliar. Just how much was there that he did not know?

Could it be that his son had remained in the Meridian Refining Realm all this time because he had hardships he could not speak of?

"Allow me to explain what happened."

Ye Ruxue then recounted everything that had happened between herself and Tang Tian, concealing nothing from Tang Lingyun.

After hearing it all, Tang Lingyun was completely stunned.

"Could it be that Tian'er had been suppressing his cultivation all along, tempering his foundation in the Meridian Refining Realm?"

This was the first thought that suddenly surfaced in Tang Lingyun's mind, exactly the same as what Ye Ruxue had once thought.

Ye Qingyuan praised, "For your son to suppress his cultivation at this age, constantly tempering his foundation while enduring the mockery, insults, and even beatings of others—few can compare to such strength of character. Now that he has advanced to the Initial Blood-Burning Realm, this should only be the beginning. His future will certainly be boundless."

Tang Lingyun felt an indescribable mixture of emotions—heartache and wild joy.

Heaven had pity on him. His son truly was not a good-for-nothing.

At such a young age, he had borne so much alone...

For a moment, tears welled in the tiger's eyes...

Fortunately, Tang Lingyun quickly regained his composure. He shook his head with a bitter smile. "Brother Qingyuan, I've made a fool of myself before you. Sigh, when one gets older, these eyes are prone to getting sand in them."

"Haha, Brother Lingyun, at our age, aren't we all living for our children?"

Ye Qingyuan laughed heartily. When he had heard what Ye Ruxue told him, had he not been shocked as well?

Now that he had seen Tang Tian for himself, he knew the youth was no creature to be trapped in a pond. As for the outcome of his battle with Lin Yichen the day after tomorrow, it was still impossible to tell.

"Brother Qingyuan is right. It isn't easy for you to come all this way. Why don't we have a drink today?"

Tang Lingyun laughed freely, also intending to befriend Ye Qingyuan.

Ye Qingyuan nodded. "Good, that is exactly what I had in mind. If Brother Lingyun does not mind, then I shall impose upon you."

The two men actually rose and left, directly abandoning Tang Tian and Ye Ruxue, who still stood dumbfounded in the hall.

Tang Tian felt immensely awkward. Wasn't this their first meeting? How had they become kindred spirits at first sight?

Just as he raised his eyes, his gaze collided with a pair of clear, Ru Xue-bright eyes, and he could no longer look away...

[Author's Note]: The first update of the day is here. More updates will be coming one after another! If you have silver tickets, hurry and throw them my way!