"Hahaha! Excellent!"
Ye Nantian laughed aloud, his joy evident in every expression.
"Brother Qin, I am certain Wushuang will not disappoint you!"
With the head of the family having made his choice, smiles bloomed across the faces of the Qin Family members, and they began conversing warmly with their Ye Family counterparts. The main hall bustled with life once again, radiating an atmosphere of harmony and cheer.
Ye Wushuang sat quietly beside Ye Nantian, remaining silent from start to finish as he listened to the two patriarchs converse. Although his soul belonged to a modern person from Earth who had embraced ideas of freedom and equality, he held no aversion toward the feudal practice of a political marriage. When in Rome, do as the Romans do—let alone after transmigrating to an entirely different world. Without an alliance with the Qin Family, how could the Ye Family alone protect him amidst a horde of powerful enemies? He was not a rigid man; when weak, compromises that did not involve matters of principle were entirely acceptable.
"Brother Ye, haha, I say this without fear of your amusement."
"The most talented genius I have ever laid eyes on is none other than my granddaughter, Ruoxue."
"Back when she underwent her spirit vein test, the testing stele lit up with five beams of light, which left me utterly ecstatic."
"I can only imagine just how magnificent an Earth-grade Lower-tier Spirit Vein truly is!"
Qin Qingxiong said, half-joking and half-sentimental.
Ye Nantian, being an old fox himself, grasped the underlying meaning instantly. An alliance through marriage was, after all, no trivial matter, and Qin Qingxiong wanted to verify Ye Wushuang's spirit vein grade with his own eyes. Far from feeling the slightest displeasure, Ye Nantian felt even more at ease. Bringing issues out into the open was always better than plotting behind closed doors. This further demonstrated that Qin Qingxiong was genuinely sincere about forming an alliance.
Thus, Ye Nantian replied with a chuckle:
"In that case, Brother Qin shall witness a sight to behold today!"
Without needing a gesture from Qin Qingxiong, a Qin Family elder quietly stepped out of the hall. Before long, he returned carrying the testing stele.
"Wushuang, do not be nervous. We are merely testing your spirit vein once more."
Ye Nantian looked at Ye Wushuang with a gentle smile.
"Understood!"
Ye Wushuang familiarly placed his hand upon the testing stele, and Ye Nantian personally channeled his spiritual energy to activate it.
Whoosh!
Seven beams of light burst forth simultaneously, their brilliant radiance instantly flooding the entire hall.
"Hahaha, truly... breathtaking!"
"Tell me, how can a mere few beams of light be so magnificent to behold?"
The smiles on the faces of Qin Qingxiong and the rest of the Qin Family grew even brighter as they lavished praise without reservation.
Only Ye Wushuang harbored a faint trace of doubt in his heart. Both tests had indicated an Earth-grade Lower-tier Spirit Vein—could it be that his own perception had truly been mistaken?
Shortly after, under the witness of the elders from both the Qin and Ye families, Ye Nantian and Qin Qingxiong personally signed the marriage contract for the two youths. Should either party ever truly wish to renege, this document would be nothing more than a worthless scrap of paper. Yet at present, it served as a necessary ritual and a vital proof that granted peace of mind to both clans.
"Brother Qin, since our two families are now bound by marriage, there is an urgent matter that requires your full support!"
Ye Nantian said with deep earnestness.
"Oh? Brother Ye, please speak your mind!"
Qin Qingxiong showed not the slightest sign of minding this behavior of "asking the in-laws for assistance the moment the match is made." The more effort he put in now, the richer the harvest would be in the future!
"Brother Qin, as you know, with the Ye Family producing a talent like Wushuang, we have naturally pushed the other two families into a position of hostility against us!"
"While our two-family alliance is currently strong enough not to fear them..."
"As the saying goes: it is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."
"To ensure Wushuang's safe growth, no protective measure could possibly be too thorough."
Ye Nantian replied.
"Brother Ye speaks absolute truth!"
Qin Qingxiong praised first, then pondered for a moment before asking:
"What does Brother Ye propose?"
Ye Nantian smiled slightly and revealed the core objective:
"I intend to take Wushuang to Tianxuan Academy, so he may seek discipleship under a giant of the Heavenly Sun Realm!"
"What?"
Qin Qingxiong was startled at first, but upon recovering his wits, a wave of excitement washed over him.
Tianxuan Academy, originally known as the Royal Academy, was established by the Tianxuan royalty for the purpose of cultivating royal descendants and absorbing untamed talents from the outside. Later on, due to the complex political environment, various top-tier families and sects gradually infiltrated its ranks, eventually giving birth to a distinct "academic faction" within the institution. Tianxuan Academy slowly evolved into a cradle of geniuses and a breeding ground for powerhouses. To this day, nearly ninety percent of Tianxuan Country's renowned experts hailed from Tianxuan Academy!
Most importantly, a powerhouse of the Heavenly Sun Realm was a towering figure who commanded absolute authority, a divine dragon whose tail was rarely seen by ordinary mortals! How could such a person be easily encountered by the common folk? Yet within Tianxuan Academy, there were visibly several top-tier instructors who had attained the Heavenly Sun Realm! If Ye Nantian wished for Wushuang to become the disciple of a Heavenly Sun Realm giant, Tianxuan Academy was undeniably the best and only choice!
"This is simply marvelous!"
"With a master in the Heavenly Sun Realm, Wushuang will have all the protection he needs to grow up safely!"
Qin Qingxiong said, thrilled and excited. True, the admissions criteria for Tianxuan Academy were exceedingly harsh, and becoming a disciple of a Heavenly Sun Realm expert was no easy feat either. But what did all of that matter to Ye Wushuang? Rules existed to be shattered! One could easily imagine that once Wushuang displayed his true spirit vein grade, it would undoubtedly send shockwaves throughout the entirety of Tianxuan Country! By then, even beings at the Heavenly Sun Realm would surely fight over themselves to take him as a disciple!
Powerhouses, as a rule, did not lightly take on disciples. Taking on a disciple meant pouring immense effort and blood into their growth, only to watch helplessly if they failed to break through a certain realm and ended up with a lifespan shorter than one's own. Who would willingly endure such anguish repeatedly? Therefore, experts rarely accepted disciples; but once they did, they treated them as their own flesh and blood. This often made the bond between master and disciple even deeper than ties of actual blood.
"Therefore, to prevent any complications that might arise from prolonged delays, I plan to take Wushuang and set off for the Royal Capital immediately!"
"I sincerely hope Brother Qin can lend us his full support!"
Ye Nantian looked at Qin Qingxiong with burning intensity.
"Oh?"
Qin Qingxiong paused, his gaze shifting to Ye Wushuang before turning toward the nine elders of the Ye Family. So that was why he had brought every single elder of the clan along! This old fox had truly thought of everything and come fully prepared!
Seeking a master in the Heavenly Sun Realm was a long-term strategy, while allying with the Qin Family was a countermeasure against immediate dangers. Operating on both fronts simultaneously was the only way to guarantee Wushuang's safe development!
A thought flashed through Qin Qingxiong's mind for a fraction of a second before he waved his hand decisively:
"It should be so!"
"Rest assured, Brother Ye. Since Wushuang is already my prospective grandson-in-law, the Qin Family will naturally not stand idly by!"
"Second Brother, you shall stay behind to guard the clan along with the Eighth and Ninth Elders."
"All other elders, ready your weapons and pills at once, and accompany me to escort Wushuang to the Royal Capital!"
Hearing this, Ye Nantian felt completely at ease. The Qin Family possessed a total of two Wheel Sea Realm experts and thirteen elders; committing this force was no different from throwing their entire clan into the fray! As for his own Ye Family, they had burned their bridges entirely—their sole Wheel Sea Realm expert and all nine elders were deploying in full force!
Upon hearing this, Ye Wushuang thought to himself that events were progressing far too rapidly! Spirit vein testing, a marriage alliance, and a journey to the Royal Capital—they were not resting for even a single moment!
He quickly spoke up:
"Grandfather, my mother is still back at the clan!"
With the elite forces of the Ye Family leaving en masse, if any enemies decided to take desperate gambles, the clan grounds would be in grave danger!
Ye Nantian looked at Ye Wushuang with a benign smile:
"Rest easy, Wushuang. Until those scoundrels deal with people like us first, not a single one of them will dare to make a move against the Ye Family."
"Your mother will be entirely safe staying within the estate."
"Once we reach the Royal Capital and you secure a master in the Heavenly Sun Realm, all those malicious ghosts and monsters will vanish into thin air!"