The group returned from their training and went their separate ways at the gates of the Ye family estate. When Ye Ling arrived back at her courtyard, her father and mother were already waiting for her.
After exchanging warm greetings, her father looked at his daughter, his voice tinged with emotion. “Ling'er, your mother and I truly cannot see through your strength anymore. What realm have you actually reached now?”
Her mother nodded repeatedly beside him, her eyes filled with anticipation. “After the family tournament, you spent every day in bitter cultivation behind closed doors. Once that ended, you immediately went into the mountains with Ye Yan for training. You've kept your abilities completely hidden.”
Her father's expression turned serious as he voiced his thoughts. “In a few days, the Baiyun City preliminary selection will begin, followed by the final selection in Heishui Commandery. We don't expect you to reach the heavens in a single bound. Just keep a level head and perform as you normally would.”
He paused, then added, “Too few of the Ye family's younger generation have entered the sects in recent years. It wasn't easy for a promising prospect like you to finally emerge. In the future, if you cultivate diligently out there, you won't just fulfill your own dream of swordplay, but you can also help lift the Ye family up.”
Her mother gently chimed in, “There are many geniuses in the outside world, but also many dangers. Be careful in everything you do. Just do your best. No matter the outcome, your father and I will be happy. If you truly make a name for yourself, the world will be your oyster, and you can cultivate freely as you please.”
Hearing her parents' words, warmth blossomed in Ye Ling's heart. Deciding not to hide it any longer, she spoke softly. “Father, Mother, my current cultivation is at the Houtian Ninth Layer, and I am not far from the Tenth Layer.”
Upon hearing this, her parents were both shocked and overjoyed. They knew their daughter had hidden her strength, but they never expected her to have reached the Houtian Ninth Layer at just fifteen years old.
Suppressing his excitement, her father reached into his robes and pulled out a white jade box, presenting it to Ye Ling with both hands. He lifted the lid. Resting on the dark red velvet was a crimson pill the size of a longan. Its body was as dense as fresh blood, with faint wisps of blood-colored mist drifting upward, instantly dispersing a rich medicinal fragrance.
“This is a Crimson Blood Yang Pill, a top-tier pill for the Houtian Realm. It costs at least ten thousand taels of gold on the market,” her father said seriously. “This pill can temper the physical body and cause spiritual energy to surge. Consuming one in the early or mid stage of the Houtian Realm can raise one's cultivation by a full layer, and even in the late stage, there is a good chance of breaking through. However, a Houtian martial artist can only take one in their lifetime; a second one will have no effect. You are currently at the Houtian Ninth Layer and not far from the Tenth. You can use this pill to make a push and strive for a breakthrough before the preliminary selection.”
Looking at the pill worth ten thousand gold inside the jade box, Ye Ling couldn't help but wonder how much her parents had spent, and her gaze grew solemn. Seeing this, her mother smiled and explained.
“You don't need to overthink it. This pill wasn't just funded by your father and me. Your grandmother contributed the majority of the cost, while we only chipped in a small portion.”
Ye Ling understood instantly. Her grandmother was the Fifth Elder, who was in charge of the clan's discipline.
Her father added, “Your grandmother usually manages the clan's discipline and is too busy with official duties to get away. She made a special trip to see you after the family tournament, but you happened to be in secluded cultivation at the time and weren't seeing anyone. So, she discussed it with us. The three of us pooled our funds and went to great lengths to acquire this pill.”
Learning of the pill's origin, Ye Ling's heart warmed even more. She no longer refused and nodded solemnly. “I understand, Father, Mother. I will go into secluded cultivation right now and not let your and Grandmother's painstaking efforts go to waste.”
Her father and mother quickly left the courtyard, quietly keeping watch outside so as not to disturb her.
Ye Ling closed her bedroom door, sat cross-legged on her bed, and focused her mind. She picked up the translucent crimson pill, tilted her head back, and swallowed it.
The pill slid down her throat without the slightest resistance, instantly transforming into a scalding, majestic torrent of crimson medicinal force that exploded outward, surging into her limbs, bones, flesh, and skin.
The powerful, warm energy washed through her entire body, causing her bones and muscles to emit faint, crisp popping sounds. Any fatigue or blockages left behind from her past bitter cultivation were completely swept clean by the medicinal force.
Her physical body grew stronger and more resilient at a visible rate, her physique becoming significantly sturdier than before.
Immediately after, a massive wave of pure spiritual energy erupted frantically, flowing at high speed through her meridians. It felt as though a great river formed of spiritual energy was surging within her body, stretching every single meridian to its absolute limit.
Steadying her mind, she guided this force toward her dantian. An immense amount of spiritual energy continuously poured into her dantian, stacking layer upon layer and steadily filling it.
Her Houtian Ninth Layer cultivation had already been polished to great perfection, lacking only this final accumulation of spiritual energy. With the continuous supply from the Crimson Blood Yang Pill's medicinal force, her dantian grew increasingly full, and her spiritual energy became exceptionally dense.
She could feel her dantian expanding like a balloon being slowly inflated, growing tighter and fuller, yet it was always just a tiny bit away from breaking through. She did not panic. The pill's medicinal force was still surging, and spiritual energy was still pouring into her dantian. All she needed to do was remain steady and wait.
Time ticked away. After an unknown amount of time, her dantian suddenly trembled slightly. It was a wondrous sensation, as if a door that had been shut for a long time was gently pushed open. There was no loud bang or violent tremor; it simply opened with effortless ease. Then, spiritual energy rushed in like floodwaters breaching a dam, filling her dantian in an instant. The Houtian Tenth Layer was achieved.
Spiritual energy surged within the small room, and a steady, refined aura of spiritual power slowly diffused outward. The teacups on the table were gently nudged by the spiritual energy, emitting soft, clinking sounds.
Ye Ling slowly opened her eyes. A bright, sharp sword light flashed across her pupils before quickly fading away. She gently clenched her fist. Power filled her limbs, her spiritual energy flowed as smoothly as running water, and her dantian was dense and solid, without the slightest hint of instability.
The transition from the Ninth to the Tenth Layer had been entirely smooth and seamless, without a single obstacle. She looked down at her hands and clenched her fists again. Compared to before, her strength had increased by more than just a notch.
If she were to face Ye Ling from the family tournament now, she probably wouldn't even need to draw her sword; she could force him back with nothing but her spiritual energy.
After a moment, the bedroom door opened, and Ye Ling stepped out. Her father and mother, who were guarding the courtyard, immediately looked over. When they truly felt the Tenth Layer aura emanating from their daughter—far more refined and heavy than before—their eyes instantly turned red, their faces filled with relief and excitement.
Her father's voice trembled slightly as he sighed with emotion, “Fifteen years old, the Houtian Tenth Layer!” Those few short words expressed all the shock in his heart.
In the hundreds of years since the Ye family's founding, many geniuses had emerged, but from ancient times to the present, not a single one had reached the Houtian Tenth Layer at fifteen. Even Ye Yan, who had shocked the entire clan by reaching the Tenth Layer at nineteen, paled in comparison to the current Ye Ling.
He could hardly believe that the young girl before him, who had broken through to the Tenth Layer, was his own biological daughter. Her mother's eyes grew moist with joy as she nodded repeatedly. “My Wu family has finally produced a true peerless genius.”
She took Ye Ling's hand, turning it over and looking at it repeatedly, as if trying to confirm whether this was still her daughter who had been quiet and taciturn since childhood. Her mother's maternal clan was a small family from Baiyun City. They were not an influential force within the city itself, but were instead situated in a small town right next to it.
During her youth, Ye Ling had spent a wonderful period of time at her maternal grandmother's home. However, ever since she began cultivating at the age of twelve, she had been entirely absorbed in her training. Hearing her mother's words, she also felt a trace of nostalgia. Calculating the time, there were only two days left until the sect selection, and her uncle should be bringing his people to Baiyun City soon.
Her father took a deep breath, suppressing his swirling emotions, his gaze firm. “With this level of cultivation as your foundation, combined with your practical combat experience, this sect preliminary and final selection won't be much of a problem.” He paused, his voice carrying an unprecedented confidence. “You will definitely be able to enter the four great sects.”
The old locust tree in the courtyard rustled in the wind. Ye Ling stood between her parents, her mother's hand holding her wrist tightly on her left, and her father's straight back on her right. She did not speak, but her heart felt incredibly grounded.
The Houtian Tenth Layer at fifteen years old. This was not the end, but merely the beginning.
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