Three Strong Contenders in Balance

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As Ye Chen recalled the past, he finally understood why the Ye Chen of this world had endured bullying without telling his parents. The biggest reason was Ye Batian. Ye Batian was extremely protective of his own; even if his son was in the wrong, he would defend him to the end. That would inevitably lead to conflict with his father, Ye Tianhao. Moreover, the Ye Family was not ruled by Ye Tianhao alone—there was also the Council of Elders. Given Ye Batian's status as an Inner Sect Elder of the Purple Sun Sect, many elders would surely support him. In the end, the matter would still be left unresolved, solving nothing at all.

Besides, matters between juniors were best settled by the juniors themselves. If Ye Tianhao intervened, his prestige would surely plummet, conveniently fulfilling certain people's wishes.

Ye Batian's senses were exceedingly sharp. He immediately noticed Ye Chen's gaze and seemed surprised by his cultivation. He said to Ye Tianhao beside him, "After three years away, even the trash has turned back into a normal person. What a pity—he still has no place in the top three."

Ye Tianhao said solemnly, "Watch your words."

Seeing that the two were at odds, City Lord Lin played peacemaker. "Today is the Ye Family Gathering. Don't let outsiders laugh at us. Brother Batian, I'll treat you to a drink in a few days."

"Heh heh, how could I refuse an invitation from City Lord Lin?" Ye Batian had no desire to clash directly with Ye Tianhao either. Since the other man had offered him a way out, he accepted it.

It was not until the martial contest was about to begin that Ye Xuan finally arrived, fashionably late. Two female disciples of the Ye Family accompanied her, both with cultivation at least at the Qi Cultivation Realm Seventh Layer.

The moment City Lord Lin saw Ye Xuan, his eyes lit up. "What outstanding talent. At such a young age, she has already reached the True Condensation Realm Early Stage Peak."

Ye Tianhao nodded. "Indeed. Her cultivation speed can be called the greatest in the Ye Family's history."

"Ye Wenhao has raised a fine daughter!" City Lord Lin said, with a trace of envy.

Ye Batian felt somewhat uncomfortable. Although his second son, Ye Tang, was a genius, he had only entered the True Condensation Realm Early Stage two months ago, clearly falling far short of Ye Xuan. Fortunately, she was his fourth brother's daughter rather than his second brother's. With that thought, Ye Batian glanced at Ye Tianhao.

When the time came, Ye Tianhao rose to his feet and announced loudly, "The Ye Family's year-end Clan Gathering officially begins! The old rules apply: during the martial contests, stop at the proper point. Deliberately injuring others is strictly forbidden. Violators will be severely punished."

After speaking, Ye Tianhao looked at the Third Elder on the referee's platform and nodded at him.

The Third Elder was responsible for hosting the Ye Family's events, great and small. He cleared his throat, rose, and said, "There are eighteen contestants in total. Each of you will draw a lot from the wooden box. The contestant who draws lot number one will fight contestant number two; the contestant who draws lot number three will fight contestant number four, and so on. Now, draw your lots!"

The Ye Family disciples knew these rules like the backs of their hands. They hurried to the large wooden box in the corner and reached in to draw their lots.

Ye Chen was the last to go. He drew wooden lot number seven.

Once everyone had drawn, the Third Elder called out, "The Clan Gathering martial contest begins! Contestants number one and two, take the stage."

Contestant number one was a relatively unknown Ye Family disciple named Ye Chao. His opponent, however, was Ye Tang.

"I concede," Ye Chao said gloomily, raising his hand.

No one mocked him. One was a Qi Cultivation Realm Eighth Layer martial artist, while the other was a True Condensation Realm Early Stage martial artist. There was no need to fight at all; fighting would only waste time.

Before the Third Elder's seat had even grown warm, he rose again. "Contestant number three versus contestant number four."

It had to be said that aside from geniuses like Ye Xuan, the Ye Family disciples still had some capable talents. Both the third and fourth contestants were at the Qi Cultivation Realm Ninth Layer. Neither yielded an inch, and they battled in the center of the training ground as if fighting to the death, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

"Sunset Palm!"

"Mountain Splitting Fist!"

The two no longer continued their entanglement and unleashed their ultimate techniques against each other.

Bang!

Contestant number four was ultimately slightly inferior and was forced back several steps. Contestant number three pressed his advantage without mercy, launching several fierce attacks before kicking his opponent flying.

"Contestant number three, Ye He, wins!"

Next were contestants number five and six.

The victor was contestant number six.

"Contestant number seven, Ye Chen, versus contestant number eight, Ye Feng. Take the stage." The long-unheard voice rang out. Ye Chen took a deep breath and slowly walked onto the stage.

Ye Feng's expression was extremely ugly. He had thought Ye Chen was only at the Qi Cultivation Realm Sixth Layer and could not possibly threaten him. Who would have thought that Ye Chen had stumbled into such damned luck, breaking through in one stroke to the peak Qi Cultivation Realm Tenth Layer—his cultivation was even one layer higher than Ye Feng's.

"Ye Chen, don't think a higher cultivation is enough. Your grasp of martial techniques is nowhere near mine." Ye Feng's only confidence lay in his advantage in martial techniques. Otherwise, he truly would not have been confident of defeating Ye Chen.

Ye Chen said blandly, "Have you said enough? Begin."

Fury flashed through Ye Feng's eyes. His tall body shot forward like a cheetah, reaching Ye Chen in just a few breaths. He swept a palm horizontally toward him.

"Blazing Sun Cloud-Brushing Hand!"

Whoosh!

The air boiled in an instant, and a savage heatwave swept mercilessly toward Ye Chen.

"Vajra Pestle!"

Ye Chen had no need for any tricks. He directly met force with force, unleashing the Vajra Fist in a straight punch that tore through the heatwave and collided with Ye Feng's palm.

Pfft!

Ye Feng only felt an enormous force invade his entire body. He flew backward against his will, spitting out a mouthful of blood in midair.

On the VIP seat, Ye Tianhao was somewhat taken aback. He had thought the two would struggle for a while, yet victory and defeat had been decided in a single move. Ye Batian merely snorted coldly, his face turning livid.

Among the contestants, Ye Tang sneered. "Keep being arrogant for a little longer. Just pray you don't meet me, or I'll make you lose all face."

Ye Xuan was somewhat surprised. The last time she had seen Ye Chen, he had still been at the Qi Cultivation Realm Sixth Layer. How had he progressed so quickly? Could Sister Xue Yan's matter have provoked him? That made sense, but he should not have possessed such talent. Perhaps he had relied on some Pills to raise his cultivation!

The first round ended quickly. The advancing contestants were contestant number two Ye Tang, contestant number three Ye He, contestant number six Ye Jun, contestant number seven Ye Chen, contestant number ten Ye Hai, contestant number eleven Ye Ming, contestant number fourteen Ye Xuan, contestant number sixteen Ye Jin, and contestant number seventeen Ye Lin.

Although Ye Chen had performed brilliantly, he did not draw too much attention.

The ones who attracted the most attention were naturally Ye Tang, Ye Hai, and Ye Xuan. Their opponents had either conceded or been casually sent flying with a single move, unable to block even half a move. Their strength far surpassed that of the other Ye Family disciples. In many people's eyes, the top three would unquestionably be theirs.

"Three strong contenders standing in balance! I wonder who will come out ahead." City Lord Lin actually favored Ye Xuan more, but he could not say it outright. Otherwise, if he angered Ye Batian, he would be put in an awkward position as well.

Only then did Ye Batian reveal a faint smile. "Ye Xuan is not bad, and Ye Hai is quite seasoned. I hear Tang'er has learned North Snow Manor's Blizzard Saber Technique. I wonder how much mastery he has gained. As for Ye Ming, aside from being somewhat lacking in cultivation, he has no real weaknesses in other areas. He should take fourth place. Fifth place, I suppose, will be contestant number six, Ye Jun. After all, he is also a disciple of the Purple Sun Sect."

Ye Tianhao did not care about Ye Batian's wording. What concerned him was Ye Chen. He wondered whether Ye Chen would give him another surprise and blunt Ye Batian's sharp aura.