Everyone present was still immersed in the ultimate shock, their minds trembling as they struggled to process what had just happened.
No one dared to believe that Ye Ling, who was only in the Houtian Realm, had actually mastered a half-step Sword Force.
She had forcefully crushed and defeated Leng Xuerou—a top genius who had long since entered the Xiantian Realm and touched upon the grand Sword Force—in a direct clash.
This completely overturned the predictions and perceptions of everyone present.
Just as the dead silence over the martial arts grounds had yet to dissipate, a vast and majestic voice slowly drifted down from the high clouds, echoing through heaven and earth.
“Very good. Both of you are the future pillars and hope of our Qinglan Sword Sect, especially Ye Ling.”
The voice was gentle, then turned to comfort the defeated Leng Xuerou.
“Leng Xuerou, you need not be discouraged either.”
“In a lifetime of cultivation, suffering an occasional defeat and experiencing setbacks is far better than a smooth life without any obstacles. It will better temper your Dao Heart and help you progress in your comprehension of the Dao.”
Leng Xuerou lowered her eyes and listened, nodding with partial understanding. Most of the resentment and frustration in her heart quietly dissipated.
She stood quietly on the arena, her white dress stained with blood and her posture still upright, but she no longer possessed any of her previous pride and haughtiness.
At this moment, not only her, but also the other four top Xiantian Realm geniuses who shared her fame stood below the stage, their minds churning with emotions as they came to terms with the reality.
Previously, they had all boasted of their extraordinary talent. Cultivating since youth, they had enjoyed smooth sailing all the way and believed themselves to be the leaders of their generation.
But having witnessed the entire process today, they finally saw the absolute chasm in talent, foundation, and comprehension of the sword path.
Ye Ling, with only a Houtian body, had relied on her extremely solid sword path foundation and Great Perfection martial arts to forcefully tangle with the Xiantian Realm Leng Xuerou in close combat.
In the end, she had even revealed her half-step Sword Force, crushing her opponent's rudimentary Sword Force and winning fair and square.
This mindset, this accumulation, and this heaven-defying sword path talent were by no means comparable to ordinary geniuses.
All the resentment, wishful thinking, and conceit in their hearts vanished completely as they thoroughly recognized the truth.
The gap between themselves and Ye Ling was an insurmountable chasm.
They had lost completely and were thoroughly convinced. From now on, no one among the same generation in the Qinglan Sword Sect would dare to compete with Ye Ling.
As the voice fell, the layers of clouds high in the sky suddenly dispersed.
The figures of Leng Zhiwei and the various Peak Masters quietly manifested, standing in the air with a towering and solemn bearing.
The thousands of disciples below the stage instantly fell into a clamor of shock, their faces filled with disbelief.
Who could have expected that during this peak duel today, the Sect Master and the various Peak Masters had been hiding in the clouds the entire time, silently watching the battle until now.
Leng Zhiwei calmly looked around and spoke aloud, her voice echoing through the entire sect's martial arts grounds.
“Since Ye Ling has won first place in this year's new disciple tournament, today, this seat will publicly announce a major event for the sect.”
“Three days from now, our Qinglan Sword Sect will host a grand investiture ceremony to officially ordain Ye Ling as the sect's Tenth True Disciple.”
“At that time, all the great clans and families within the sect's territory will be invited to witness the ceremony.”
“For the next three days, no disciple of the entire sect shall leave the sect without urgent matters. All deacons and disciples outside must return to the sect to participate in and witness the ceremony.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in a colossal uproar, a shockwave sweeping through the crowd.
Everyone's expressions changed drastically, their hearts churning with stormy waves.
The Qinglan Sword Sect had a heritage of thousands of years. Since ancient times, the True Disciple seats had been fixed at nine, and there had never been a mention of a Tenth True Disciple.
Now, the sect had not only broken the rules to add a True Disciple seat for Ye Ling, but they were also treating her with the top-tier standard of a sect-wide ceremony witnessed by ten thousand clans.
Ordering all disciples of the sect to return and witness the ceremony was a supreme honor and immense prestige, completely unprecedented and never to be repeated.
The disciples in the audience were all filled with envy and shock, their discussions boiling over.
Only the various Peak Masters, Elder Leng Yue, and a few dozen people like Su Qinghan, Su Qinghe, and Nalan Yanli remained calm, showing no surprise at all.
The various Peak Masters had already finalized all matters regarding the addition of the Tenth True Disciple and the hosting of the investiture ceremony during their secret meeting in the sect's discussion hall half a year ago, so they had long known about it.
As for Su Qinghan and Su Qinghe, back on the day the sect selection in Heishui Commandery ended, when Leng Zhiwei personally recruited Ye Ling, they had already heard of the Sect Master's plans beforehand and knew the outcome long ago.
As for Nalan Yanli, who stayed by the Sect Master's side year-round, she had long been aware of all the sect's arrangements and remained unperturbed from beginning to end.
Midst the clamor and shock of the crowd, up in the air, Leng Zhiwei quietly gazed at the upright figure of the girl in the blood-stained green dress on the arena, her eyes harboring endless admiration and expectation.
...
Ten thousand miles away, Baiyun City was calm and peaceful. Everything that had just occurred on the martial arts grounds of the Qinglan Sword Sect had not yet reached this region.
However, the entire Ye family had already received the official notification from the Qinglan Sword Sect half a year ago, knowing clearly that three days later would be Ye Ling's investiture ceremony for the Tenth True Disciple.
Now, the vast Ye family ancestral land looked exceptionally quiet, as most of the family's disciples had gone out.
They rushed to various places to manage the newly annexed industries, inspect the newly acquired territories of Baiyun City, and run around to stabilize the foundation of their domains.
Only in the discussion hall did a few top core leaders of the Ye family remain.
Seated on the main seat of the hall was the highest-ranking ancestor of the Ye family, Ye Jingshu, whose cultivation had reached the Xiantian Realm. She possessed an elegant and calm demeanor, carrying a natural majesty accumulated over the years.
Seated below her were the current family head, the Ye family's Great Elder, as well as Ye Ling's parents, Ye Qingxuan and Wu Wanmei.
The family head could not hide his excited and joyful expression. Full of high spirits, he spoke aloud.
“Counting the days, there are only three days left until Ling'er's True Disciple investiture ceremony. We should pack our bags and prepare to set off for the Qinglan Sword Sect.”
“This time, Ancestor Jingshu, Qingxuan, Wanmei, and I will go to the sect together to witness the ceremony.”
“As for all the matters within the clan, I will have to trouble the Great Elder to stay behind and oversee them.”
The Great Elder of the Ye family nodded solemnly. Although she yearned to witness the grand ceremony, she knew that the Ye family had just taken over the resources of Baiyun City, and the new industries and territories urgently needed supervision. The family absolutely could not be left without anyone in charge, so she could only suppress her regret and agree.
Everyone's hearts were filled with endless emotions.
When the Qinglan Sword Sect sent someone to deliver the message half a year ago, they had also stationed a Tongxuan Realm expert to reside in the Ye family.
First, to protect the entire Ye family from any danger, deter surrounding lowlifes, and prevent others from secretly causing trouble out of jealousy.
Second, to wait for the ceremony to approach and personally escort the Ye family group to the Qinglan Sword Sect.
With this Tongxuan Realm expert residing there for half a year, no one in Baiyun City dared to provoke the Ye family.
The four great families of Baiyun City that once stood on equal footing had long existed in name only. The other three families, along with many small and medium-sized clans, had all relocated their entire clans.
The Ye family fully absorbed all the scattered resources of Baiyun City, ultimately defining the landscape.
They monopolized three-quarters of the entire city's cultivation resources, shops, industries, and territorial lifelines, completely securing their absolute position as the number one prominent clan in Baiyun City.
As for the remaining quarter of the resources and industries, the Ye family gifted them all to Ye Ling's maternal clan, the Wu family.
The Wu family, which was originally rooted in Luoyun Town, had long since ridden the coattails of the Ye family's rise, moving their entire clan into Baiyun City to settle down.
The Ye family specially allocated most of the wealthy industries, market shops, and spiritual fields left behind by the Li family—the former head of the four great families—to the Wu family to manage.
Now within Baiyun City, the Ye and Wu families were as close as lips and teeth, one primary and one secondary, monopolizing the city's resources with no other force able to shake them.
When one person ascends to become a dragon, the entire clan rises to heaven.
The Ye family gained the grand trend, and the Wu family gained the blessings; both clans shared in the glory and prosperity.
Rate on N.U.
