It seemed that this stone chamber was similar to the martial arts tower of the Ye Family, and these scrolls were all kinds of spiritual arts collected by the Liu Family.
Ye Baili and the other elders examined the scrolls, their eyes flashing with a sharp light, and their faces radiating surprise as they grinned from ear to ear.
These were all precious spiritual arts!
"Move all of these spiritual arts back to the Ye Family!"
The First Elder excitedly commanded the clansmen behind him, and the Ye Family forces swept through once again, moving all the spiritual arts out.
While the Ye Family members were busy transporting the spiritual arts, Ye Han was also browsing through the scrolls, curious if there were any high-grade spiritual arts here.
However, to his slight disappointment, most of these spiritual arts were low-grade.
The highest-grade one he found was only a tier-six spiritual art, which naturally failed to catch his eye.
"Huh?"
Just as Ye Han was about to turn and leave the stone chamber, his gaze suddenly fell upon a vermilion wooden rack.
Situated in an extremely remote corner of the wooden rack was a golden iron scroll covered in dust.
What attracted him was the fact that this scroll was cast from metal.
Driven by curiosity, Ye Han took out the golden iron scroll and wiped away the dust on its surface, revealing a few hazy traces of handwriting.
Upon the scroll, it was impressively written:
"Five Elements Tiangang Scripture"
Guided by his intuition, Ye Han had a vague feeling that this spiritual art was somewhat extraordinary, so he hurriedly opened the iron scroll and began to read it carefully.
"Oh? There is such a spiritual art as this?"
After contemplating for a moment, Ye Han slowly closed the scripture, ripples stirring in his gaze as he let out a gasp of surprise.
This spiritual art was somewhat special; it required the assistance of the Five Elements Supreme Treasures for cultivation.
The Five Elements Tiangang Scripture consisted of five spiritual arts, and the cultivation of each spiritual art required the assistance of a supreme treasure corresponding to one of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, or earth.
For instance, to cultivate a spiritual art named the Vajra Pagoda Hand, one needed the assistance of a metal-attribute supreme treasure from the Five Elements.
However, this Five Elements Tiangang Scripture did not specify its grade, so Ye Han had no idea what tier a spiritual art composed of these five distinct arts actually belonged to.
"Since the cultivation method of this Five Elements Tiangang Scripture is so unique, it is definitely no ordinary spiritual art. It was tossed here and covered in dust, which shows that the members of the Liu Family didn't notice it either. I might as well try cultivating it; who knows, it might bring me some unexpected joy."
Thinking to himself, Ye Han put away the iron scroll. Clearly, he had already decided to seize the opportunity to try practicing this spiritual art.
Soon, this stone chamber was also cleared out.
There were still two stone chambers left: one used for storing medicinal herbs, and the other containing a large amount of spiritual stones and other cultivation supplies.
Naturally, the Ye Family did not let these go either, sweeping through them like a gale and cleaning them out completely.
Having annexed so many resources from the Liu Family, one could easily imagine that the strength of the Ye Family would undoubtedly expand rapidly as a result...
Chapter 27: Lord of Yancheng
The next day, the news of the Liu Family's annihilation by the Ye Family swept across the entire Yancheng, causing a massive sensation.
Especially the Wu Family and the Su Family among the four major families; they seemed to sense an ominous aura.
In the past, the four major families kept each other in check, and their strengths were roughly on par.
Now that the Ye Family had annexed the Liu Family, their strength would inevitably swell, and they already assumed the posture of becoming the head of the three major families in Yancheng.
Such a balance was broken, and the Wu Family and the Su Family were naturally worried that the expansion of the Ye Family would threaten their two families.
Therefore, over the past few days, the two clans of the Wu and Su families held meetings, secretly discussing the matter of an alliance.
However, what baffled everyone was that the Liu Family's strength was not weak; for the Ye Family to annex them overnight was nearly impossible.
Yet, all of this had truly happened.
Moreover, the annexation of the Liu Family by the Ye Family seemed to have incurred no heavy casualties. This couldn't help but make people curious: how did the Ye Family pull it off?
Only the members of the Ye Clan understood that the reason they were able to destroy the Liu Family was entirely because of Ye Han.
Without Ye Han, the one facing annihilation probably would have been the Ye Family instead.
Ye Han had become the undisputed primary contributor to the destruction of the Liu Family, and he had also become the object of admiration for the entire Ye Clan.
One had to know that just a few days ago, he was still the disgraced good-for-nothing, but now he had transformed into a dragon, shedding his old skin completely.
Ye Han's status within the Ye Clan was no longer what it used to be.
...
Yancheng, City Lord's Mansion.
Located in the center of Yancheng, a majestic white jade palace stood tall here.
Under the glare of the scorching sun, the entire white jade palace actually cast a faint halo.
This was the City Lord's Mansion!
The four major families were merely a few formidable family forces in Yancheng, but the City Lord's Mansion was the true ruler of Yancheng.
Standing atop this towering palace, one could overlook the entire Yancheng. And at this moment, several figures stood directly in front of the palace.
At the head was a middle-aged man dressed in white robes, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distance at the city.
He had a tall and upright figure, sword-like brows and starry eyes, and a gaze as deep as a whirlpool, as if anyone who met his eyes would sink into them.
Those pitch-black eyes were filled with wisdom, strategy, firmness, and tyranny.
And this middle-aged man was none other than the master of the City Lord's Mansion, as well as the strongest expert in Yancheng—Dugu Xiong!
Dugu Xiong was not only the current strongest expert in Yancheng, but also the only expert in the entire Yancheng who had stepped into the Purple Palace Realm.
If one looked closely, they could see that his physical body actually radiated a faint halo, his skin resembling jade stone.
Upon entering the Purple Palace Realm, one internally forged the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys to make them as hard as iron; externally, one refined the physical body to make it like fine steel, impervious to swords and spears.
With Dugu Xiong's physical body, even a full-strength strike from a Spirit Soul Realm expert would not be able to harm him in the slightest.
Not only that, after entering the Purple Palace Realm, the physical strength would also increase correspondingly, with a single punch possessing a baseline force of ten tigers and ten elephants.
With his strength, a flip of his hand would be enough to easily annihilate the four major families.
At this moment, he looked like a supreme ruler, coldly overlooking the entire Yancheng from above.
Behind him, a man in a black robe stepped forward and cupped his fists, saying,
"City Lord, the Liu Family was annihilated by the Ye Family overnight. According to the intelligence we gathered, the mastermind behind it turns out to be a junior of the Ye Family. And that person appears to be none other than Ye Han, the one who had an upper-grade spiritual vein born within him a few years ago and was hailed as the number one genius of Yancheng."
"To think the Liu Family actually fell at the hands of a mere punk, how laughable. However, the Liu Family has quite a few backup plans and a foundation that is far from weak. I'm just curious what methods the Ye Family used to deal with that Late Spirit Soul Realm demonic beast kept by the Liu Family."
Dugu Xiong frowned, his voice as deep and resonant as a bell.
"This... your subordinate does not know."
The elderly man in black pondered for a moment and shook his head.
"City Lord, shall this old man send people to take care of that Ye Family brat? Three months from now is when the elders of the Three Major Sects arrive in Yancheng for the preliminary trials. We only have one quota in Yancheng, and this kid might just become a stumbling block for the Young City Lord."
Behind him, a white-haired elder said in an aged voice.
Hearing mention of the Three Major Sects, even Dugu Xiong revealed a trace of solemnity.
The Eight Desolations Ancient Domain had eighteen prefectures in total, and Qingzhou was one of them. Yancheng was merely one of the hundreds of inconspicuous cities under Qingzhou.
As for the Three Major Sects—the Cloud Sea Sect, the Star God Palace, and the Wuji Gate—they were the true overlords of Qingzhou, with a resounding reputation.
Countless talented youths would break their heads just to kowtow and enter the gates of the Three Major Sects.
Every three years, the Three Major Sects would hold a disciple recruitment.
Elders from these sects would come to various cities to scout for talents, and Yancheng had only a single advancement quota this year.
Talents from these small cities who passed the preliminary selection would be gathered in Qingzhou for the final selection.
Once chosen by the Three Major Sects, it would be equivalent to a fish leaping over the dragon gate, and their future prospects would be boundless.
Yancheng had only one advancement quota, so the competition naturally would be extremely fierce by then.
"Father, it's just a tiny Ye Family, is it worth you troubling yourself like this?"
At this moment, a clear laugh rang out from behind.
A tall and handsome young man with long hair, dressed in purple robes, was seen walking slowly toward Dugu Xiong.
This remarkably handsome youth was none other than the Young City Lord of the City Lord's Mansion—Dugu Qianxing!
Dugu Qianxing's gaze was extremely arrogant as the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. He said,
"Father, I have successfully refined that Northern Region Golden Eagle and successfully entered the Spirit Soul Realm. Looking across the entire Yancheng, there is no match for me. That Ye Han of the Ye Family is no longer my match. Even if I encounter him on the selection stage, he will undoubtedly die."
"Oh? You succeeded?"
Hearing this, a flash of approval crossed Dugu Xiong's face. He stroked his beard and couldn't help nodding repeatedly with a smile,
"Good! A tiger father breeds no dogs; truly worthy of being my, Dugu Xiong's, son."
Behind them, the black-robed man and the white-haired elder also had faces filled with shock.
Dugu Qianxing had not only stepped into the Spirit Soul Realm, but he had also refined the powerful spirit essence of a Northern Region Golden Eagle!
The Northern Region Golden Eagle was a Tier-Xuan demonic beast spirit essence that Dugu Xiong had spent a massive price to acquire.
Moreover, this Northern Region Golden Eagle was a demonic beast on the Earth Ranking of the Ten Thousand Beasts Record, extremely fierce and powerful.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Record was a roll that recorded various powerful demonic beasts, divided into the Heaven Ranking and the Earth Ranking.
Only demonic beasts with noble bloodlines and formidable strength on the Firmament Continent were qualified to rank on the Ten Thousand Beasts Record.
And the Northern Region Golden Eagle was a demonic beast ranked eighty-seventh on the Earth Ranking of the Ten Thousand Beasts Record!
Having refined its spirit essence, although Dugu Qianxing was only at the Early Spirit Soul Realm, even a Mid Spirit Soul Realm expert might not necessarily be his match.
This was the deterrent power of a high-grade spirit essence.
Dugu Xiong's initial trace of murderous intent slowly subsided at this moment.
A tiny Ye Family—when it came to resources and talent, how could they possibly compare to the Dugu Clan?
"Ye Han..."
The corners of Dugu Qianxing's mouth hooked into a cold smile, his gaze full of playfulness and mockery.
Three months from now, he would personally defeat this fellow and let him understand who the true number one genius of Yancheng was.
As for the sole preliminary selection quota of the Three Major Sects, he was also determined to win it!
Chapter 28: Blood Spirit Lotus
These past few days, the entire Ye Family had been peaceful and quiet, bathed in harmony.
Although after annexing the Liu Family, the strength of the Ye Family had expanded and grown rapidly, far surpassing any other family, the Ye Family's demeanor was no different from usual, even more low-profile than before. They understood that only when the roots were buried deep enough could the tree grow lush and strong.
The same applied to a family.
Following the annihilation of the Liu Family, the Ye Family obtained a good deal of resources and benefits from it.
They acquired a large amount of weapons, spiritual arts, and medicinal herbs, while also gaining many of the Liu Family's territories.
As for that Tianyang mineral vein from before, it was now completely and solely occupied by the Ye Family forces.
With the current strength of the Ye Family, they had expanded at least threefold compared to before.
As the Ye Clan grew stronger, the power landscape of the entire Yancheng naturally shifted.
The remaining two major families—the Wu Family and the Su Family—announced an alliance in order to counter the Ye Family...
...
Ye Family Estate, backyard.
By the lake, upon a boulder, a figure was seated cross-legged, looking just like an entering-meditation old monk.
At this moment, Ye Han placed both palms over his lower dantian, circulating the Dragon Absorption Art. In an instant, his entire body was enveloped in golden spiritual power, and his skin shone with a brilliant radiance.
Roar!
After a long while, he abruptly opened his eyes, and the moment he opened his mouth, a deep, resonant dragon roar seemed to echo from his dantian.
Accompanied by that dragon roar, a suction force erupted from the dantian in his abdomen, like a whirlpool crazily devouring the surrounding spiritual power.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
That sensation felt as though all the spiritual power between heaven and earth were flowing into the sea of a hundred rivers, continuously converging into his dantian.
As the spiritual power poured into his limbs and bones, the spiritual power surrounding Ye Han also grew increasingly vigorous, as if a powerful force was about to break out of his body.
After cultivating like this for a full three hours, Ye Han finally opened his eyes and slowly stood up.
"As expected of a tier-nine spiritual art. With this Dragon Absorption Art, my cultivation speed has increased by at least several times. Continuing to cultivate at this rate, I'm afraid it won't be long before I can break through to the Mid Spirit Sea Realm."
Ye Han sensed the abundant power within his body and rejoiced inwardly.
"Young Clan Head."
At this moment, several black-robed figures suddenly appeared like ghosts, cupping their fists respectfully.
"What is it?"
Ye Han regulated his breathing and glanced indifferently behind him.
"The First Elder asked me to deliver this treasure to you, saying it was found in the Liu Family's treasury and will be helpful to your cultivation."
A black-robed guard handed over a red wooden box carved with exquisite floral decorations.
"Oh?"
Ye Han took the wooden box out of curiosity, then opened it to see what kind of treasure it actually was.
Hum—
To his surprise, the moment the box was opened, a wisp of red light blossomed.
Immediately following that, a strange fragrance rushed to his nose.
"This is..."
Ye Han looked closely, his gaze suddenly bursting with a sharp glint of light as he said in slight surprise,
"Top-grade Blood Spirit Lotus?!"
Placed inside this wooden box was a blood-red lotus flower, accompanied by a jade-green stalk.
The petals of the lotus looked as though they were condensed from blood, radiating a glowing light.
Ye Han was somewhat surprised, not expecting the Liu Family to still possess such a precious spiritual treasure in their collection.
This top-grade Blood Spirit Lotus was at least a quasi-Xuan-grade spiritual treasure.
If swallowed, it could not only strengthen the body, but also enhance one's cultivation!
"To think this old fellow didn't hide away such a precious treasure..."
Ye Han took out the blood lotus and examined it closely in detail.
The fact that Ye Baili was willing to hand over such a precious Blood Spirit Lotus to him showed that he had completely acknowledged him as the future helmsman of the Ye Family.
"Dismissed."
Ye Han said indifferently. Seeing the servants behind him leave the courtyard, he then pulled a cauldron out from his universe bag.
A wisp of soul power surged out, supporting the cauldron and causing it to suspend in mid-air.
Swallowing the Blood Spirit Lotus carried a certain probability of assisting in breaking through a realm.
However, the probability was not particularly high.
If it could be refined into a Blood Spirit Pill, then there would be at least a fifty percent chance of boosting a minor realm.
"This Blood Spirit Lotus counts as a tier-four medicinal pill. Given my current conditions, I should also count as a tier-four alchemist, so I can indeed refine it."
Ye Han frowned and muttered to himself.
Although he was a Pill Saint in his previous life, in this lifetime everything about him had to be re-cultivated.
Including alchemy!
Puff—
With that, a flame as emerald-green as jade rose up in the palm of his hand.
This was a tier-three flame, the Emerald Heart Earth Fire!
Under Ye Han's control, this flame nimbly leaped into the cauldron.
Afterwards, a stalk of Blood Spirit Lotus was placed into the pill cauldron, which was then sealed, and the refining process began.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Under the burning of the flames, before long, the Blood Spirit Lotus transformed into a pool of "blood water."
Boom—
Then, formidable soul power surged forth, continuously extracting the medicinal efficacy within the spirit lotus.
"My soul power right now should barely count as Great Perfection of Spirit Realm, only a step away from the Heaven Realm."
Ye Han muttered inwardly in a deep voice.
Soul power was the key to becoming an alchemist, and most people's soul power remained at the Mortal Realm.
Only those with innately strong soul power could break through the Mortal Realm and step into the Spirit Realm.
The Spirit Realm was divided into the Small Spirit Realm, Great Spirit Realm, and Great Perfection of Spirit Realm. Beyond the Spirit Realm lay the Heaven Realm, Deity Transformation Realm, Transcendence Realm, Rebirth Realm, and so on.
In his past life, Ye Han's soul power stepped into the Deity Transformation Realm the moment he was born, and later, at the tender age of sixteen, his soul power even broke into the Saint Realm!
The soul talent of this physical body's owner was also quite extraordinary; for his soul to enter the Great Perfection of Spirit Realm at age seventeen could already be considered extremely rare.
Ye Han was not worried. With such a miraculous physique as the Firmament Pill Body, his soul power would grow alongside it.
And if the owner of this physical body had awakened the Firmament Pill Body from the very beginning, his soul power right now would be even more terrifying.
As the massive soul force poured in, a round medicinal pill formed within the cauldron.
Hum!
Ye Han waved his sleeve, and the lid of the cauldron slowly opened, sending rolling heat waves billowing out.
A red pill floated up, flying down into Ye Han's palm, exuding a rich medicinal fragrance while still warm.
He looked down and saw a dense network of pill patterns intricately spread across the medicinal pill.
Sure enough, possessing the Firmament Pill Body meant his alchemy talent was extraordinary.
Even when refining a tier-four Blood Spirit Pill with a tier-three pill fire, he was still able to make the pill condense pill patterns.
With that, Ye Han sat down cross-legged once again, swallowed the Blood Spirit Pill into his belly, and began to cultivate.
...
Half an hour later, a soft, explosive roar echoed from within his body, and a formidable surge of spiritual power spread outward like waves.
"The efficacy of the Blood Spirit Pill isn't bad..."
Ye Han slowly opened his eyes and clenched his fists. At this moment, there seemed to be an ocean of spiritual power within his body, brimming with a sense of strength.
His realm had successfully broken through to the Mid Spirit Sea Realm!
And aided by the Dragon Absorption Art, the vigor of his spiritual power was already no less than that of the Late Spirit Sea Realm.
Even against a Spirit Soul Realm expert, he was afraid he could now tangle with them head-on for a while.
"This tier-three pill fire is lacking after all. It seems I need to find a more suitable pill fire as a replacement."
Ye Han stared with his pitch-black eyes at the emerald-green flame in his palm, murmuring to himself.
Chapter 29: Monster-Hunting Mercenary Corps
As an alchemist, a pill fire was an absolute must.
For an alchemist, being able to possess a high-grade pill fire of superior quality was an even more coveted dream.
Because the auxiliary effect of a top-tier pill fire on alchemy was simply too great.
With different grades of pill fire, the quality of refining the exact same medicinal pill would vary.
There was a Pill Fire Ranking in this world, which recorded the top-tier pill fires that all alchemists across the continent dreamed of.
And the Chaos Divine Fire that Ye Han possessed in his previous life was enough to rank among the top three on this Pill Fire Ranking!
However, as Ye Han toyed with the Emerald Heart Earth Fire in his hand right now, he felt somewhat unsatisfied.
Although everything had returned to square one, Ye Han had now re-entered the ranks of tier-four alchemists, and at the very least, he needed a tier-five pill fire to justify it.
This couldn't help but spark in him the idea of finding a superior pill fire.