"Miss Lin, I only happened to save your grandfather by chance, and what happened just now was just an accident to save you!"
"We met by pure coincidence, let's part ways here..."
As he spoke, Ye Xiaoyao quickly leaped onto his horse and galloped away.
Some sights might be pleasing to the eye, but the hurt Gu Qingqing had caused him made Ye Xiaoyao no longer trust women.
"You..." Watching Ye Xiaoyao's retreating figure, Lin Yuyan couldn't help doubting her own appearance. At that moment, a sound came from behind her.
"Grandfather, you..." Seeing her grandfather standing up, glowing with health and vitality, with an aura as vast as the sea, Lin Yuyan was deeply shocked.
"Yuyan, where is the supreme expert from just now?" The old man asked hurriedly.
"Supreme expert? Are you talking about the young master from just now?" Lin Yuyan looked in the direction where Ye Xiaoyao had already departed.
Although she could sense that Ye Xiaoyao was extraordinary, in her view, he hardly deserved to be called a supreme expert by her grandfather.
Lin Feiyang shook his head slightly. "The fact that he used spiritual energy to form needles to heal my meridian injuries is secondary!"
"His spiritual energy actually contained a profound mystery of the Heavenly Dao, which directly helped me break through my shackles and reach the Heavenly Human Realm. That is the truly terrifying part!"
"Grandfather, you... broke through to the Heavenly Human Realm? Because of him? But he is clearly only at the Spirit Sea Realm First Layer!"
Lin Yuyan knew very well that her grandfather had been stuck at the Transcendence Realm Ninth Layer for nearly ten years.
Yet just a few needles from Ye Xiaoyao had done the trick?
Lin Feiyang nodded slightly and said, "Don't you think that makes it even more terrifying?"
"This..." Lin Yuyan's expression also changed slightly.
Lin Feiyang made a prompt decision. "Alright, let me help you recover your spiritual energy first, and then we must return to the imperial city immediately."
"In any case, a debt of gratitude for saving my life must be thanked in person!"
Meanwhile, after running wildly all the way, Ye Xiaoyao had already arrived at the imperial city of the Tianhuo Kingdom.
Since the Lihuo Sect's trials were set to begin the next day, playing the hero earlier might have looked effortless, but it had actually consumed a significant amount of energy.
Ye Xiaoyao immediately found an inn to stay in and began to circulate his energy to recuperate.
When night had passed and his spiritual energy was fully restored, Ye Xiaoyao headed straight for the Tianhuo Plaza, where the Lihuo Sect trials were taking place.
Looking at the young people along the way, Ye Xiaoyao sighed inwardly. On the path of cultivation, resources were still crucial indeed!
Back in the day, although he possessed the Supreme Bone and was hailed as the number one genius of Yunfeng City.
He had given most of his resources to Gu Qingqing, leaving himself stuck at only the Heaven Spirit Realm Seventh Layer at the time.
Yet the young people before him were almost all at the Spirit Sea Realm First Layer or above, and some had even reached the Spirit Sea Realm Third Layer.
This made Ye Xiaoyao realize that if not for the help of the young girl in his dantian, even if his dantian hadn't shattered, he might not have been able to pass the Lihuo Sect's trials.
Lost in his thoughts, Ye Xiaoyao arrived at Tianhuo Plaza.
By now, the center of the plaza was packed with a sea of people, gathering young geniuses from various countries and regions.
At this moment, high-spirited and full of vigor, they were all waiting for the moment that would change their destiny.
Scanning the entire plaza from afar, Ye Xiaoyao didn't find Gu Qingqing anywhere, and his brows furrowed slightly.
Could it be that she wasn't coming to participate in the Lihuo Sect trials?
Just then, a sudden commotion broke out at the other end of the plaza.
As many people gathered toward that direction, they also proactively cleared a path.
They saw Gu Qingqing walking forward with her head held high, accompanied by a young man wearing a five-clawed python robe. More than a dozen youths followed behind them, every single one dressed in opulent, fine attire, clearly of extraordinary status at first glance.
"Greetings, Miss Gu..."
"Greetings, Third Prince..."
The youths present greeted them warmly.
Ye Xiaoyao was also secretly shocked. He hadn't expected that Gu Qingqing, who had integrated his Supreme Bone, had already broken through to the Spirit Sea Realm Fifth Layer.
Ye Xiaoyao knew better than anyone the boost in combat power the Supreme Bone provided; the current Gu Qingqing was definitely far superior to her father, Gu Han!
At that moment, the sound of discussion reached Ye Xiaoyao's ears.
"Who on earth is that Miss Gu? People pay respects to her first and then to the Third Prince, yet the Third Prince doesn't look displeased at all?"
"This Gu Qingqing is no ordinary person. As soon as she entered the imperial city, she revealed her Supreme Bone, which had already drawn the attention of many elders from the Lihuo Sect!"
"Rumor has it that those elders all want to take her as their personal disciple and are arguing fiercely over her, neither willing to yield, which is why the matter is still left hanging!"
"Even so, after the trials, her status as a personal disciple is a 100% certainty!"
"Although the Third Prince is a noble prince, his status is only extraordinary within the mortal world, so now he can only try to curry favor with her..."
"Damn, even if we pass the trials, we can only become outer sect disciples, while she gets to become a personal disciple directly. To be born in the same era as such a genius, how miserable we are..."
Despite their sighs, everyone's eyes were filled with envy as they looked at Gu Qingqing.
Gu Qingqing seemed to thoroughly enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by stars like the moon, casting a proud gaze over the entire crowd.
When her eyes landed on Ye Xiaoyao, her brows immediately furrowed.
Then, the corner of her mouth curved slightly, and she walked toward Ye Xiaoyao.
Suddenly, the whole crowd was taken aback!
In everyone's opinion, with the status of Gu Qingqing and the Third Prince, they should be heading straight to the front seats closest to the ceremonial stage.
Yet now they were moving sideways!
Even so, the surrounding crowd hurriedly cleared a path.
Suddenly, Ye Xiaoyao, standing motionless in the center, appeared exceptionally conspicuous.
Gu Qingqing walked up to Ye Xiaoyao, her gaze darkening as she sneered, "You really are like a ghost that refuses to go away. Did you think that by using sweet words to trick my father into trusting you, I would marry you?"
"A trash like you, what makes you worthy of me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire crowd instantly erupted. "What? He was actually pursuing Gu Qingqing?"
"Kid, with just your Spirit Sea Realm First Layer cultivation, you dare to pursue Miss Gu? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the reflection?"
"Is your bladder empty? I've got plenty, just right to wake you up with a splash!"
Amidst the contemptuous mockery from the crowd, the Third Prince walked directly up to Ye Xiaoyao. "Kid, I'll give you ten breaths of time to disappear, and from now on, you are not allowed to appear within ten zhang of Miss Gu!"
"Otherwise, execution without mercy!"
Ye Xiaoyao couldn't help but inwardly admire Gu Qingqing's viciousness.
With just a single sentence, she had made him the target of public criticism.
Even if he were to tell everyone the truth right now—that Gu Qingqing had gouged out his Supreme Bone—no one would probably believe him!
Yet Ye Xiaoyao only smiled with disdain, because now his sole purpose was to kill Gu Qingqing; right or wrong no longer mattered to him.
He then sneered coldly, "It has been seven days since that day. Do you suppose I've been to the Gu family or not?"
"And after going to the Gu family, I am still able to appear here. Why do you think that is?"
"You..." Gu Qingqing's expression changed slightly.
She knew the grievances between the Gu family and Ye Xiaoyao better than anyone, and at the same time, she vaguely guessed what Ye Xiaoyao was hinting at.
But thinking of her father's Spirit Sea Realm Fifth Layer cultivation, she immediately realized that Ye Xiaoyao was deliberately trying to scare her; there was no way he could possibly possess that kind of strength.
She sneered, "I've already said it, even if my father agreed, I would never agree!"
"At worst, I'll die to repay the debt of parental upbringing. Even if I have to bear the charge of being unfilial, I will never marry you!"
Sure enough, Gu Qingqing's words instantly infuriated the Third Prince, who had been preparing to win her over.
"Kid, three breaths left!"
Clang...
As he spoke, the Third Prince drew the spiritual sword at his waist, and the momentum of the Spirit Sea Realm Fifth Layer burst outward, howling as a boundless, scorching heat instantly swept through the surroundings.
"Is this the legendary Fire Spiritual Root?"
"Before he even makes a move, there's such terrifying heat... It seems only the Third Prince is worthy of Miss Gu!"
That the Third Prince of the Tianhuo Kingdom possessed a natural Fire Spiritual Root was no secret, but only now did everyone truly experience its terrifying power!
Yet not a trace of fear showed on Ye Xiaoyao's face. Instead, he sneered, "If you dare draw your sword, you will surely die!"