Spirit Artifact

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

Tang Lingyun rose to his feet and glanced at Tang Tian. Regardless of the boy's cultivation, his temperament was at least exceptionally mature. There truly were many matters in which he could be involved.

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

I wonder if she'll come?

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

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

Clad in white robes like snow, she resembled a sacred lotus atop a snowy mountain—elegant and pure, a sight that refreshed the heart and delighted the mind. It was Ye Ruxue.

The Ye Family head, Ye Qingyuan, was handsome and refined. Standing with his hands behind his back, he carried himself with extraordinary bearing. His green robes gave him an indescribably scholarly and unrestrained air.

"Brother Qingyuan!"

"Brother Lingyun!"

Tang Lingyun and Ye Qingyuan greeted each other with salutes.

"Ru Xue greets Uncle Tang."

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

"I had long heard of my worthy niece's beauty and reputation. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary. You have already reached the Organs-Hiding Realm, fully deserving of being the number one among Starfall City's younger generation."

Tang Lingyun was no ordinary man. At a glance, he 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 his heart could not help but ache.

"Tang Tian greets Uncle Ye."

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

"Oh? How strange. Though my worthy nephew is only at the Initial Blood-Burning Realm, his blood and vitality are remarkably vigorous. That is truly rare."

With his Middle Soul-Emergence Realm cultivation, even with Tang Tian's Breath-Concealing Art, Ye Qingyuan could still discern some of its mysteries.

Although he had heard his daughter recount how Tang Tian had slain the Heavenly Thunder Python, he 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 feel alarmed.

Such a peculiar youth might have lower cultivation than his peers, but his strength far surpassed that of many young men.

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 stronger the life force.

"Thank you for your praise, Uncle."

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

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

Tang Lingyun smiled. "Everyone knows that Brother Qingyuan has always delighted in artifact refinement and paid no heed to worldly affairs. I wonder what brings you here today? If there is anything Tang can assist 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 show him some courtesy.

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

When Tang Lingyun saw Ye Ruxue, a bold thought arose within him. Yet when he considered his son's circumstances and the life-and-death duel the day after tomorrow, his heart sank.

No one knew of these thoughts. On the surface, Tang Lingyun remained perfectly 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 dumbfounded, while Tang Tian's eyes lit up.

On the table before them lay a silver robe, its patterns precisely the lightning markings found upon the Heavenly Thunder Python's body.

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

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

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

Even low-grade Spirit Artifacts were exceedingly precious, much less producing two at once.

"Thank you, Uncle Ye!"

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

"Boy, what's so surprising? That Heavenly Thunder Python had been nourished by the Azure Wood Profound Thunder for years, and it often devoured spirit herbs such as Heavenly Thunder Vine and Thunder Cherry Blossom. It was inherently different from demonic beasts of the same rank. If your current realm had been any lower, did you really think you could have slaughtered it?"

Fan Siren was thoroughly disdainful toward Tang Tian. They were merely two Spirit Artifacts.

In his previous life, Spirit Artifacts had been nothing more than toys to Tang Tian.

But now that he was poor as a church mouse, they felt incomparably precious.

At the very least, aside from some fairly good spirit herbs, the only thing he possessed was the Primordial Unity Tower.

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

"Tian'er, do not be rude. How can you accept Spirit Artifacts of such value?"

Seeing Tang Tian accept the items without any ceremony, Tang Lingyun's 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 he could win or not, he would at least be able to remain invincible?

Ye Qingyuan waved his hand and laughed brightly. "Brother Lingyun, you misunderstand. These two Spirit Artifacts belonged to your son from the start. I merely refined them on his behalf. He provided the materials for their refinement."

"This..."

Tang Lingyun stared in utter astonishment, no longer able to maintain his composure.

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 always remained in the Meridian Refining Realm because he had hardships he could not speak of?

"Let me explain what happened."

Ye Ruxue then told Tang Lingyun everything that had happened between her and Tang Tian, concealing nothing at all.

After Tang Lingyun listened, he was completely stunned.

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

This was the first thought that suddenly sprang into 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 such an age, continuously strengthening his foundation, while enduring the mockery, insults, and even beatings of others—few possess such resolve. Now that he has advanced to the Initial Blood-Burning Realm, this should only be the beginning. His future will surely be boundless."

Tang Lingyun's heart was filled with indescribable feelings—heartache mixed with wild joy.

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

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

For a moment, tears filled the tiger-like eyes of Tang Lingyun...

Fortunately, Tang Lingyun quickly regained his composure. Shaking his head with a bitter smile, he said, "Brother Qingyuan, I've made a fool of myself. Sigh, when one gets older, it becomes easy for sand to get into one's eyes."

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

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

Now that he saw Tang Tian in person, he was clearly no creature that could be trapped in a pond. As for his battle with Lin Yichen the day after tomorrow, the outcome was still uncertain.

"Brother Qingyuan is right. It is not easy for you to come all this way. How about you and I share a drink today?"

Tang Lingyun laughed freely. He also intended to befriend Ye Qingyuan.

Ye Qingyuan nodded. "Good, that is precisely 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 utterly awkward. Was this not their first meeting? How had they become kindred spirits at first sight?

As he lifted his eyes, his gaze collided with a pair of clear, snow-like beautiful eyes—and he could no longer look away...

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