Showing His Mettle

The day of the Ye Family's small martial tournament finally arrived, and the entire family was immersed in a lively yet tense atmosphere. A towering tournament platform had been erected early on the family's training grounds, with colorful flags fluttering all around it. Dressed in neat attire, the younger family members entered and took their seats in an orderly fashion. Not only had members of the Ye Family come, but several friendly factions from Greenrock City had also sent representatives to watch, lending the occasion an even greater air of grandeur.

Ye Lingyun wore a fitted black martial outfit. His expression was calm, but he could not conceal the confidence and anticipation in his eyes. He followed the crowd toward the tournament grounds, drawing all sorts of looks along the way-curiosity, disdain, and a few glimmers of approval. After all, the former good-for-nothing whose martial soul awakening had failed was now actually competing in the tournament. To many, that was still inconceivable.

At a command from the Ye Family's elderly patriarch, the tournament officially began. It consisted of three stages: the preliminaries, the second round, and the finals. The preliminaries followed a knockout format, with the young family members facing off in pairs and the winners advancing to the second round. Ye Lingyun was assigned to the third group. His opponent was Ye Ming, a member of a collateral branch of the family. Brawny and broad-faced, Ye Ming enjoyed a modest reputation within the family. With his solid martial soul foundation and a set of fierce martial techniques, he was something of a figure among the collateral-branch disciples.

When Ye Lingyun and Ye Ming stepped onto the platform, whispers immediately rose from the crowd below.

"How did Ye Lingyun end up facing Ye Ming? I doubt he'll last more than a few moves."

"Hmph, a useless wretch whose martial soul awakening failed should count himself lucky just to compete. You expect him to win?"

Ye Lingyun turned a deaf ear to their remarks. His gaze remained fixed on Ye Ming as he silently considered the characteristics of his opponent's martial techniques and their possible weaknesses. Ye Ming, meanwhile, looked at him with open contempt and sneered, "Ye Lingyun, today I'll show you that some people are born worthless. No amount of struggling will change that."

Ye Lingyun did not respond to the provocation and simply waited quietly for the signal to begin. At the referee's command, Ye Ming attacked first. With a loud shout, his martial soul shone, and he unleashed a martial technique called Mountain-Cleaving Palm. His palms swept through the air, raising gusts of wind as he lunged at Ye Lingyun like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. Wherever the wind from his palms passed, the air itself seemed to tear apart.

Ye Lingyun remained composed. Using Breeze Phantom Steps, he moved with the elusive drift of a phantom and easily avoided Ye Ming's attack. A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Ming's face when his strike missed, but he immediately grew fiercer and launched an unbroken series of attacks. As Ye Lingyun dodged, he carefully studied Ye Ming's palm technique. He discovered that although the strikes were powerful and forceful, a tiny opening appeared whenever Ye Ming transitioned between moves.

When Ye Ming attacked again, Ye Lingyun seized the moment and stopped dodging. He circulated the spiritual power within his body, concentrated it in his right palm, and unleashed his improved Rock-Shattering Palm. His training and refinements over this period had greatly increased its power. With a thunderous bang, Ye Lingyun's right palm crashed into Ye Ming's left.

Ye Ming felt a tremendous force surge from Ye Lingyun's palm, numbing his arm and forcing him several steps backward. The spectators below gasped. They had never imagined that Ye Lingyun, long regarded as worthless, could meet Ye Ming head-on-and even gain the upper hand.

After steadying himself, Ye Ming's eyes flashed with anger and resentment. He knew that unless he defeated Ye Lingyun quickly, he would lose this match. He pushed his spiritual power to its limit and unleashed the strongest move of Mountain-Cleaving Palm-Mountain-Splitting Collapse. Raising both palms high, he gathered spiritual power between them into an enormous glowing sphere, then hurled it at Ye Lingyun. As the sphere swept forward, it plowed a deep trench through the ground, its power astonishing.

Ye Lingyun felt no fear as he watched the glowing sphere hurtle toward him. He swiftly drew a longsword from his storage ring and unleashed Starburst Appears from the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique. A fierce blade of sword energy shot from the tip and collided with the sphere. In an instant, light blazed across the platform and spiritual power surged in every direction.

With a tremendous crash, the sword energy tore the sphere apart, scattering it into countless fragments of spiritual power that dissipated in the air. Using the recoil from his sword energy, Ye Lingyun shot toward Ye Ming like an arrow. Before Ye Ming could recover from his shock, Ye Lingyun was already standing before him, his sword pressed against his throat.

"You lost," Ye Lingyun said calmly.

Ye Ming's face was pale, his eyes filled with disbelief, but he had no choice but to admit that Ye Lingyun had defeated him. Seeing this, the referee immediately announced, "Third group, Ye Lingyun wins!" Enthusiastic applause erupted below the platform, and many spectators now saw Ye Lingyun in a new light.

Despite advancing smoothly to the second round, Ye Lingyun did not grow arrogant or complacent. He knew his next opponents would be stronger, and every match would be a hard-fought battle. In the draw for the second round, he was paired against Ye Hu's younger cousin-Ye Bao. Among the Ye Family's younger generation, Ye Bao's strength was second only to Ye Hu's. He was an outstanding disciple of the direct line, and his martial soul cultivation stood one tier above Ye Lingyun's.

When Ye Bao learned that his opponent was Ye Lingyun, a disdainful smile appeared on his face. In his view, Ye Lingyun had only reached the second round through luck. Against him, Ye Lingyun had no chance of winning.

As the second round began, Ye Bao strode onto the platform with a spear in hand, cutting an imposing figure. He swung the spear and pointed it at Ye Lingyun. "Ye Lingyun, I thought someone who reached the second round would have some genuine skill. I never expected it to be you. Today, I'll show you that the gulf between the direct line and the collateral branches isn't something you can easily cross."

Ye Lingyun ignored Ye Bao's provocation and focused all his attention on him, carefully observing his every movement. His silence only angered Ye Bao further. With a loud shout, Ye Bao struck first. His spear surged like a flood dragon bursting from the sea, its tip gleaming coldly as it thrust straight at Ye Lingyun's throat.

With a light step, Ye Lingyun used Breeze Phantom Steps to slip aside. When his first strike missed, Ye Bao immediately followed with a string of fierce spear moves, the flashing flourishes dazzling the eye. Ye Lingyun nimbly dodged through the forest of thrusts and barrage of strikes while seeking a chance to counterattack. He noticed that although Ye Bao's spearwork was fierce, it focused too heavily on offense, leaving gaps in his defense.

When Ye Bao thrust his spear with all his strength once more, Ye Lingyun seized the moment and darted to his side. He swept his longsword forward, unleashing Meteor Chases the Moon from the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique. The sword's afterimage streaked like a meteor toward Ye Bao's arm. Sensing danger, Ye Bao hurriedly withdrew his spear to block. With a sharp clang, sword and spear collided in a shower of sparks.

Ye Bao was startled. He had not expected Ye Lingyun's sword strikes to be so fierce. Still, his strength was considerable, and he quickly steadied himself and counterattacked. The two exchanged blows on the platform, their battle raging fiercely. The spectators below were captivated by the thrilling duel and burst into cheers from time to time.

As the match continued, Ye Lingyun gradually grasped the rhythm of Ye Bao's attacks. While dodging, he cleverly guided the direction of those attacks, wearing down his opponent's spiritual power. Realizing what Ye Lingyun intended, Ye Bao grew increasingly anxious. His attacks became fiercer, but that only exposed more openings.

At last, Ye Lingyun found his chance. As Ye Bao launched another full-force attack, Ye Lingyun spotted an opening and unleashed Brilliant Star River from the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique. His spiritual power erupted in an instant, dazzling as a river of stars, and powerful sword energy swept toward Ye Bao. Unable to dodge in time, Ye Bao was struck and sent flying several yards backward before crashing heavily to the ground.

Ye Lingyun put away his longsword and quietly watched Ye Bao lying on the ground. Ye Bao struggled to rise, only to discover that his spiritual power was almost exhausted. He had no strength left to fight. Seeing this, the referee announced, "Second round, Ye Lingyun wins!" Cheers immediately erupted below the platform, and many people gained an entirely new understanding of Ye Lingyun's strength.

With his outstanding performance, Ye Lingyun successfully advanced to the finals. His name quickly spread among the Ye Family's younger generation, becoming the focus of heated discussion. Yet he knew that the finals would be the true challenge: he would face Ye Long, the strongest of the family's younger generation. Ye Long's martial soul cultivation was two tiers above his, and he practiced the Ye Family's finest martial techniques. His strength was unfathomable. But Ye Lingyun did not shrink back. Determination shone in his eyes as he resolved to give his all in the finals and create a miracle of his own...