"Pathetic! Just a mere Fourth Realm of Power and you think you can make me pay in the tournament? You must be dreaming!" Ye Feng laughed loudly.
Everyone thought Ye Tian was just trying to save face. Anyone would have said something similar after the humiliation of being defeated in a single move.
"Ye Feng, do you think that was an honorable victory? You'll be lucky to even make the top ten in this tournament! You should spend this time cultivating properly!
Don't get beaten by an Outer Disciple and bring shame to us Inner Sect Disciples. You'll be in for it then." Ye Hu's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Ye Feng.
"Brother Hu, don't worry! We all know what those Outer Disciples are made of, don't we? Besides, even if they had the strength, they wouldn't have the guts. Not unless they want to be kicked out of the family!" Ye Feng said dismissively.
"So stubborn. If you lose, you'll have to swallow the bitter fruit. What's your relationship with this woman?" Ye Hu abruptly changed the subject, his eyes turning to Ye Shixue.
Ye Feng felt a little uncomfortable hearing this. He had paid a great price to win over Ye Shixue. The Spirit Charm Pills his father had given him to break through to the next Realm, he had given them all to her without hesitation to curry her favor.
'Now, judging by Ye Hu's attitude, he seems interested in her. If that's true, I'm in trouble. If he really wants to do something with Ye Shixue, I'll have no choice but to give her up, as painful as it is.'
Seeing Ye Feng remain silent for a long moment, a hint of anger appeared on Ye Hu's face. "Ye Feng, Brother Hu is asking you a question. Are you mute?" a young man beside Ye Hu couldn't help but ask.
"She's my woman! Surely Brother Hu doesn't intend to steal what another man loves!" Although Ye Feng was afraid, he couldn't stop himself from saying it.
Ye Hu hadn't expected Ye Feng to dare speak to him like that. 'It seems this kid has really fallen for this beautiful woman,' he thought. 'But then again, the first time I saw her, I also had the thought of making her my woman.'
Although there were many women in the family who wanted to be his, none had ever truly caught his eye. If any had, there were only two: one was the she-devil he didn't even dare to provoke, the Patriarch's daughter, Ye Feifei, who was currently ranked number one in strength.
The other was Ye Shixue, whose beauty was no less than Ye Feifei's. He didn't dare provoke the she-devil, but this Ye Shixue was attainable.
"Ye Feng, you shouldn't put it that way. Little Sister Shixue has no future with you. In terms of financial and material resources, you can't compare to me. I think you should focus on your Cultivation. How about you let me take care of Little Sister Shixue?" Ye Hu said shamelessly.
Ye Feng's face turned the color of pig's liver. Fighting with Ye Hu over a woman was undoubtedly courting death. His father was the Grand Elder, a man of high status and position in the family, and highly valued by the Patriarch. There was simply no comparison.
But still, he felt a pang of unwillingness. He couldn't help but glance at Ye Shixue and ask, "Sister Xue, Brother Hu has made his offer. What are your thoughts?"
A small smile played on Ye Shixue's lips. "A fine bird chooses a fine tree to nest in. Brother Hu's prospects are better than yours, so naturally, I choose him. Perhaps following him will allow me to quickly become one of the family's Core Disciples."
"Brother Feng, I know you've been very good to me. If you truly love me, I'm sure you'd want me to have a better opportunity to advance, right? Don't worry, even if I'm with Brother Hu, we can still be good friends."
Ye Feng never dreamed that Ye Shixue's attitude would change so quickly. For a moment, he stood frozen in place.
He had thought that, given how meticulously he had cared for her these past days, she would reject Ye Hu's offer. After all, today was the first time she had ever met Ye Hu. But this first meeting had changed everything. It was a fact he found hard to accept.
In that moment, he finally understood why she had left Ye Tian, her childhood sweetheart. Back then, his own prospects had been better than Ye Tian's, so she naturally chose him. Now that Ye Hu's prospects were better than his, it was only natural that she would choose Ye Hu.
"HAHAHA! Little Sister Xue is as brilliant as she is beautiful! Of course there's no future with Ye Feng! Don't you worry, I'll talk to my father when I get back today and have you admitted directly as an Inner Sect Disciple."
"You'll have better cultivation resources and conditions! And you'll become a Core Disciple at the tournament," Ye Hu laughed happily.
Ye Shixue smiled faintly and walked to Ye Hu's side, taking his arm and cooing, "Thank you, Brother Hu. You're so good to Xue'er!"
At this moment, Ye Feng was so frustrated he felt like he could vomit blood. It was too late for regrets. He could only swallow his anger and quickly leave the area. In his heart, however, his hatred for Ye Shixue's fickle nature reached an extreme.
"Little Sister Xue, these are Celestial Melody Pills, even better than Spirit Charm Pills. Brother Hu will give you two! Cultivate well and wait for my good news!" Ye Hu said, taking out a small green porcelain bottle and pouring out two elixirs.
Ye Shixue hadn't expected Ye Hu to be so generous. Celestial Melody Pills were incredibly precious elixirs. In terms of value, a single Celestial Melody Pill was worth five Spirit Charm Pills, and its absorption effects were also much better.
As she reached out to take the Celestial Melody Pills, Ye Hu took the opportunity to grab her delicate hand. She didn't resist, though a blush appeared on her cheeks.
Afterward, Ye Hu and the young man who came with him left the Martial Arts Training Ground. Ye Shixue also returned to her residence. However, the events that transpired at the training ground today became a hot topic of discussion, and everyone was talking about it endlessly.
Meanwhile, Ye Tian endured the pain and returned to his residence. After taking off his bloodstained clothes, he looked at the wound on his chest and muttered, "Ye Feng, Ye Hu, just you wait. I will repay the humiliation I suffered today."
He then found some ordinary Golden Sore Medicine, applied it to the wound, and bandaged it simply. Then, he began to circulate the Spiritual Power in his body to speed up his recovery.
If Ye Tian knew what had happened after he left, who knows what he would think. At this moment, he was focused on slowly guiding the Spiritual Power through his meridians.
After a long while, a sharp pain shot through his chest. This pain wasn't from the wound, but from the Dragon Pearl inside him.
Ye Tian was suddenly alarmed and couldn't help but look inward at his body's condition. He discovered that the Dragon Pearl was actually shining with a golden light, and at the same time, seemed to be releasing a powerful Energy.
This discovery astonished Ye Tian. The Dragon Pearl was reacting again, something he hadn't expected. But with the Divine Dragon Remnant Soul deep in slumber, it was impossible to get any answers. He could only rely on himself to figure it out slowly.
The Energy released by the Dragon Pearl traveled rapidly through his meridians, circulating throughout his entire body. Ye Tian thought he was about to break through to the next Realm again and couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
But he soon discovered that all of the Energy was converging on his injured chest, repairing the wound at a speed visible to the naked eye...
(This fledgling new book needs everyone's support! I ask all you book lovers to please add it to your collections and cast a recommendation vote if you have one! Xiaoxiao bows in thanks!)