Supreme of the Heavenly Realm

"Redemption? I'm afraid you won't have that chance."

Ye Xuan's expression was indifferent, having already bested his opponent, the idea of losing to him was impossible.

Seeing this, a surge of anger flickered in Ye Yan's eyes. From Ye Xuan's gaze, he saw a hint of contempt! Yes, contempt, for someone who was once not fit to tie his shoes, now arrogantly positioning himself above everyone else!

"Damn it, don't get cocky! Do you think I'm still at the same level as before?!"

As soon as the words were out, the True Qi around Ye Yan suddenly erupted, forming a tangible ring of energy that spread out around him, stirring ripples.

"A First Grade Martial Master?"

Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, surprised that Ye Yan had indeed reached the level of a First Grade Martial Master; no wonder the latter was so confident in his call for vengeance.

"How about it, Ye Xuan, are you still as confident as before?" Ye Yan waited to see Ye Xuan's expression turn ugly.

However, the scene he had anticipated did not occur. Ye Xuan remained unbothered and even stretched out his index and middle fingers towards him, making a provocative gesture.

"Enough talk, let's see your true skills. Make your move."

Ye Yan wanted to use his cultivation breakthrough to disconcert him, a good plan, but even if he had advanced to a First Grade Martial Master, he was still no threat to Ye Xuan, much less capable of upsetting his composure.

Bang!

Seeing that Ye Xuan was unshaken, a fierce look flashed across Ye Yan's eyes. He suddenly thrust himself off the ground, shooting forward like a cheetah as True Qi surged and emitted threads of icy fluctuation.

"Ice Finger Strength!"

When Ye Yan closed to within twenty steps of Ye Xuan, his fingers suddenly splayed, and a soul-chilling ice-cold True Qi burst from his fingertips, shooting towards Ye Xuan.

Confronted with Ye Yan's sharp Finger Force, Ye Xuan's gaze remained as calm as still water. Only when the Finger Force was on the brink of reaching him, visible in his pupils, did he finally move.

He didn't retreat but advanced.

As he moved, the treasured blade on his back was drawn, its light focused to a point and flicked with an extremely light touch. With several successive "clangs," the Finger Force was shattered, turned to dust.

Swoosh!

He sliced through the dense Finger Force and without a glance, Ye Xuan threw a punch straight out.

Ye Yan's face changed slightly, not expecting Ye Xuan to break through his Ice Finger Strength so quickly. He hurriedly struck out with a palm, colliding fiercely with Ye Xuan's fist.

Bang!

Upon impact, the air seemed to explode in an instant, with True Qi rippling outward.

Pu!

In a flash, Ye Yan felt an overwhelming force invade his body. He couldn't help flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood as he flew out of the arena.

"Ye Xuan wins!"

Up in the VIP seats, Ye Tianxiong appeared somewhat surprised. He had thought the two would have a longer fight; after all, Ye Yan had also reached the realm of a First Grade Martial Master. How could he have lost so quickly?

"Is that young man Ye Xiao's orphan left behind, Ye Xuan?" The Family Head of the Qi family turned to Ye Tianxiong and asked.

"That's right, it's him." Ye Tianxiong nodded.

"So young, yet his Martial Arts are so profound. This boy indeed has the legacy of his father. It seems the rumors from the outside world are not accurate..." The Qi family Family Head showed a hint of appreciation in his eyes. Although Ye Xuan's cultivation might not seem impressive, his methods were highly efficient, not wasting a bit of strength. Such mastery was something that ordinary young Martial Artists could not achieve, showing the style of a grandmaster in Martial Arts.

"Great accomplishments come with ample preparation. To be honest, even I am surprised he has come this far," Ye Tianxiong said with a smile.

Meanwhile, many guests on the training field were shocked. They hadn't expected the so-called useless person of the past had completely transformed himself. Ye Yan was, after all, a First Grade Martial Master, but he lost without any risk of suspense. Such strength no longer bore any relation to the word 'worthless.'

Ye Xuan didn't pay too much attention to those looks; his gaze turned to the other stages where he just saw Ye Ba ruthlessly beating his opponent, causing them to spit blood continuously and blasting them out of the ring.

Having easily defeated his opponent, Ye Ba also noticed Ye Xuan's gaze. He looked back at him, an indifferent and cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

With the end of the first round, the top ten were decided. They lined up, each of them looking spirited and proud. Despite Ye Xuan gaining quite a bit of attention from his defeat of Ye Yan earlier, the one who stole the spotlight was still not him but Ye Ba, who stood unrivaled in the Third Grade Martial Master Realm, followed by several other powerful competitors from the branch families.

"The young generation of the Ye family is more outstanding than imagined," Nangong Bo mused as he watched the young generation of the Ye family, his gaze somewhat complicated.

"Yeah. It might be quite difficult for Brother Ye Xuan to stand out among them," Nangong Yao said, worried about Ye Xuan's situation. With a First Grade Martial Master Realm cultivation, standing out among such excellent peers would be extraordinarily difficult.

"After all, this kid is still green. If he can make it to the top three in this Ye family clan meeting, that would be quite impressive," among the ten competitors, Ye Xuan's cultivation was only average. Although the first battle had ended quickly, most people still thought that Ye Yan's defeat was due to his own rashness and carelessness.

As people continued to discuss, the second round of the competition commenced.

The top ten started drawing lots, and the enthusiasm of many spectators in the stands grew more intense. The following matches were the real highlight; everything before was merely warm-up. Although Ye Xuan's strength was not highly regarded, he was after all the son of Ye Xiao. While most had dismissed him before due to the label of being useless, they were now eager to see if the son of the Great Xia Kingdom's number one expert could manifest even a fraction of his father's brilliance.

One by one, the ten stepped onto the stage. After Ye Xuan quickly took his place in the arena, a tall, lean figure holding a long spear appeared opposite him.

"The third match, Ye Xuan versus Ye Meng."

When this announcement echoed throughout the grounds, an immediate buzz arose amongst the onlookers. The younger members of the Ye family looked at Ye Xuan with sympathy.

The reason was simple: among the prominent competitors from the branch families, Ye Meng was the most outstanding. His cultivation had reached the Second Grade Martial Master level. Initially, he could have contended with Ye Ba for the champion of the clan meeting, but the latter's breakthrough had diminished Ye Meng's chances.

There was no doubt, however, that everyone considered Ye Meng the second powerhouse after Ye Ba, nearly unbeatable among the young generation.

Facing others, Ye Xuan might have still had a chance at the top five, but with Ye Meng as his adversary, the odds were significantly slimmer.

"How boring. Looks like I won't get the chance to beat this kid up on the stage..." Watching Ye Xuan on the stage, Ye Ba let out a cold laugh. Ye Meng was no ordinary character; being able to achieve the Second Grade Martial Master Realm with the limited resources of a branch house showed his formidable talent. If he were a member of the main family, he might very well have taken the title of the top genius of the Ye family.

It seemed that Ye Xuan wouldn't get to face him after all, as this round was as far as he would go.

"Ye Xuan's luck hasn't been the best," Nangong Bo said, shaking his head. He could clearly see Ye Meng's exceptional abilities, solid in his True Qi foundation, unlike many aristocratic disciples who had more style than substance—an outstanding young high hand.

Beside him, Nangong Yao's delicate hands were tightly clenched, concern written all over her face.

"If he loses, so be it. At this point, no one can call him a good-for-nothing anymore. After all, he is younger than both Ye Meng and Ye Ba. The future holds endless possibilities," Nangong Bo didn't believe Ye Xuan had a chance of winning. Advancing from a former cultivation slowpoke to his current level, Nangong Bo felt Ye Xuan had done very well.

On the stage, the tall and thin youth bowed to Ye Xuan and then spoke emotionlessly, "Please, enlighten me."

"Please."

Ye Xuan reciprocated with an inviting gesture. Ye Meng was admirable for having cultivated to such a level from the branch family's resources.

Boom!

As soon as Ye Xuan's word fell, Ye Meng suddenly pulled out the long spear from behind, embedding it fiercely into the ground as his True Qi violently erupted within him.

Yet, while Ye Meng was poised to strike, Ye Xuan still stood with his hands behind his back, showing a complete lack of preparation that could be taken as overconfidence.

Seeing this display, Ye Meng's brow furrowed slightly. However, he quickly dismissed all thoughts – the more his opponent underestimated the fight, the better for him. He decided not to overthink it.

Swoosh!

With a tap of his foot on the ground, Ye Meng raised his long spear and thrust it out fiercely, dragging a trail of light through the air, ruthlessly aiming for Ye Xuan.

Around thirty paces away, Ye Xuan's gaze seemed to focus on a single point. With a sudden tap of his foot, he leaned backward while maintaining that posture and drifted backward.

On the stage, both competitors moved, yet the distance between them seemed constant. The spearhead appeared to be about to strike Ye Xuan, yet it couldn't make contact, missing by just a tad.