As autumn arrived, a cool breeze swept through the mountains. The forest vegetation was dyed with a light autumnal hue.
Several days had passed since Ye Ling's fifteenth birthday.
On this day, she was walking slowly through the outer areas of the Baiyun Mountain Range, habitually spreading her Divine Sense to scan her surroundings, when she unexpectedly detected a familiar aura.
Slightly surprised, she executed her Flowing Cloud Movement Technique. With a flash of her figure, she silently soared onto an ancient tree by the roadside, concealing herself among the branches and leaves to look down.
In the open clearing below, a fierce battle was underway.
A blood-red, savage-horned Blood Spirit Goat was charging frantically. It exuded a fierce aura, a Houtian Eighth Layer demon beast.
Its four limbs kicked off the ground as fierce winds howled. Its horns, wrapped in brute force, created ear-piercing whistles with every lunge, causing the surrounding trees and grass to tremble violently.
The person locked in combat with it was Ye Chen.
Ye Ling's gaze narrowed slightly. She could clearly perceive that his current cultivation was at the Houtian Sixth Layer.
A wave of emotion rose in her heart. Everyone knew that Ye Chen had been stuck at the Houtian Third Layer for two whole years without making any progress, and many in the clan had written him off as a useless failure.
But Ye Ling knew he had never neglected his cultivation. He had spent those two years entirely on refining his foundation, practicing his swordplay, and tempering his body.
Though his realm appeared stagnant on the surface, his underlying foundation was actually incredibly deep.
Now, he had broken through three layers in one go, reaching the Houtian Sixth Layer.
Facing the rampaging Blood Spirit Goat, which was two layers higher than him, Ye Chen not only held his ground but actually maintained the upper hand, calmly controlling the flow of the battle.
His figure was agile as he dodged and moved, the longsword in his hand dancing with flashes of cold light, his movements exquisite and clean.
Ye Ling could tell at a glance that this sword technique did not belong to the Ye family's Martial Arts Pavilion, and even the movement technique he used was different from the clan's style.
The Blood Spirit Goat counterattacked desperately, charging, rearing its hooves, and slashing with immense ferocity, but it simply could not get close to him.
Ye Chen relying on his movement technique to dodge effortlessly, continuously pressured the demon beast with his swordplay, keeping it firmly suppressed.
Within a few exchanges, the victor was decided.
Ye Chen seized a flaw when the Blood Spirit Goat overextended and was momentarily suspended in midair, suddenly lunging forward. With a flash of sword light, his blade pierced straight through the demon beast's neck.
Blood sprayed as the Blood Spirit Goat's legs buckled. Its massive body crashed to the ground, and it stopped breathing in the blink of an eye.
With only a Houtian Sixth Layer cultivation, he had cleanly and decisively slain a Houtian Eighth Layer demon beast.
Watching from the tree, Ye Ling's thoughts whirled before she finally confirmed her previous suspicion.
It seemed Ye Chen was indeed the protagonist favored by the destiny of this world.
However, this realization did not make her feel the slightest bit of fear or envy.
“So what if he is the protagonist? I am the protagonist of my own life.”
As of right now, Ye Chen's cultivation, strength, and foundation were far from being a match for her.
She was already a full head and shoulders above him, and since she had never slackened in her bitter cultivation, she had long since left him in the dust.
One step ahead meant staying ahead at every step.
Once someone was left behind by her, even with a protagonist's halo, they could forget about ever catching up to her footsteps.
The same would hold true for the long path of cultivation ahead.
With these thoughts resolved, Ye Ling's state of mind became even clearer and more untroubled.
She did not linger. Retracting her Divine Sense and using the forest as cover, she silently turned and slipped away.
On the ground, Ye Chen had just sheathed his sword and stood firm, looking down at the fallen Blood Spirit Goat, when his heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if sensing someone watching him from afar.
He abruptly raised his head and looked toward the direction where Ye Ling had just been hiding, a trace of doubt flitting across his brow.
The mountain forest was completely empty. The gentle breeze rustled the branches and leaves, but there was no aura whatsoever.
After a moment of contemplation, he frowned, dismissing it as the mountain wind throwing off his senses. He thought no more of it and lowered his head to begin processing the demon beast's carcass.
Ye Ling spent another few days wandering around the Baiyun Mountain Range.
She had explored most of the outer region but failed to find even a single rare spiritual herb, and the demon beasts she encountered were all ordinary Houtian Realm creatures.
She was not a bloodthirsty person, and these demon beasts did nothing to aid her cultivation.
The truly valuable treasures and the powerful demon beasts that could push her to her limits were all located near the inner region of the Baiyun Mountain Range.
The miasma there was thick, ferocious creatures were numerous, and the danger level was high; it was not yet suitable for her current level of strength.
Continuing to stay in the outer area was a pure waste of time.
There was only a little over a month left before the Ye family's tournament. She had been out for long enough, and she missed her parents.
After some thought, Ye Ling decided to return.
She gradually restrained her aura, suppressing all her external spiritual energy. As long as she did not actively circulate her cultivation or engage in a fight, outsiders would not be able to tell that she was already at the Houtian Ninth Layer.
Traveling light, she quickly returned to the Ye family estate.
The moment she stepped into the courtyard, her parents came forward to greet her, their faces filled with the joy of reunion after a long separation.
Her mother pulled her close, scanning her from head to toe with eyes full of heartache.
“Ling'er, you're finally back! You were fighting and killing in the Baiyun Mountain Range every day. The demon beasts are so fierce, and the environment is so harsh. Did you get hurt?”
“The food in the mountains must have been terrible, and you couldn't have slept well. Look at you, you've lost weight.”
Ye Ling comforted her gently, “Don't worry, Mother. I was always very careful. I didn't get hurt at all, and I'm perfectly safe.”
“The food in the mountains was actually fine. I had grilled fish and meat—a bit simpler than at home, but I definitely didn't starve.”
Her mother still looked skeptical, turning her hands over to inspect them before gently touching her face. Only then did she relax slightly.
“You mustn't go away for so long in the future. When you don't come home for a month or two, your father and I worry about you every single day.”
“I understand,” Ye Ling replied.
Her father stood to the side, his expression calm, though his concern was focused entirely on her cultivation.
“How were your harvests from tempering yourself outside all these days? Did your cultivation go smoothly?”
“My gains were decent, and my cultivation has been rising steadily. I didn't slack off,” Ye Ling said flatly, offering no details.
She did not want her parents to know she had encountered bandit cultivators, nor did she want them to know she had already reached the Houtian Ninth Layer.
She would save this surprise for the family tournament.
Only then did her mother fully put her mind at ease. She led Ye Ling into the house, casually bringing up the recent news in the city.
“Oh, by the way, a major event happened in Baiyun City recently. The City Lord's daughter, Qin Fuyue, also went to the Baiyun Mountain Range to temper herself. She encountered great danger on the way and almost met with disaster, causing quite a stir in the city.”
“I heard the City Lord was frantic and sent a massive search party into the mountains. You've been cultivating in the mountains this whole time—did you hear anything about it?”
Ye Ling's expression remained unchanged, her tone natural.
“I was buried in bitter cultivation every day, specifically choosing remote and uninhabited places. I rarely moved around and didn't interact with anyone, so I haven't heard of this.”
Her mother nodded, asking no further questions.
Her father advised, “It is just as well that you do not know. The mountains are full of trouble. Avoid meddling in other people's affairs and focus on your cultivation.”
“With the family tournament just over a month away, you should rest at home, maintain your peak condition, and prepare well.”
“Yes,” Ye Ling agreed.
She sat with her parents for a while longer, chatting about what she had seen in the mountains, naturally picking only the non-dangerous events to share.
For instance, how beautiful the waterfall was, how there were wild fruits in the forest, and how she could occasionally catch some fish.
Her mother listened with great interest, while her father sipped his tea from time to time, occasionally chiming in to ask what the demon beasts looked like and how powerful they were.
Ye Ling answered them one by one, downplaying the severity of her experiences.
The autumn wind blew into the courtyard, carrying a light chill. The leaves of the old locust tree in the yard were beginning to turn yellow; with a gust of wind, a few drifted down and landed on the stone table.
Looking at the fallen leaves, Ye Ling suddenly felt that no matter how long she spent outside, there was truly no place like home.
She picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. It was warm and carried a hint of bitterness—brewed by her father.
It always tasted like this, bitter, but she had grown accustomed to it.
“Father, your tea is still as bitter as ever,” she said.
Ye Qingxuan glanced at her. “Only bitter tea can refresh the mind. You train every day, so you should drink more of it.”
Wu Wanmei laughed from the side. “Alright, alright, that's just your father's little hobby. Don't be so critical of it.”
Ye Ling said nothing more and took another sip.
Outside the window, the autumn wind blew in gusts, making the tree branches rustle softly.
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