In Yangzhou City, Ye Fan walked slowly out of the courtyard. He looked up at the familiar scenery around him and gently shook his head.
Afterwards, he turned and walked toward a nearby tavern, ordered some delicious side dishes to go with his wine, and asked the waiter to bring a pot of top-quality liquor. Sitting by the window, he quietly enjoyed the bustling crowd on the street while sipping the wine in his hand.
Ye Fan thought to himself, "Indeed, the matter of affection is hard to untangle. Fortunately, though, the next time Xiao Longnü sees me, her memory will still be fixed on yesterday. The outcome isn't too bad."
At this thought, he couldn't help smiling slightly, raised his wine cup again, and took a small sip. As time passed on, Ye Fan drank cup after cup. Before long, he was feeling a bit tipsy, yet he didn't stop drinking.
In truth, given Ye Fan's current cultivation at the Third Layer of Spirit Martial Realm, ordinary mortal wine could never make him drunk.
However, as the saying goes, one isn't drunk on wine, but drunk on one's own emotions. At this moment, Ye Fan was immersed in his own thoughts, trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Finally, carrying a hint of drunkenness and with unsteady steps, he left the tavern and embarked on the road home.
The next morning, the soft sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon Ye Fan. He lazily stretched his limbs, then reached out to his side, seeming to search for something.
Suddenly, he sat bolt upright, shook his head, and muttered to himself, "Alright, I can't procrastinate any longer. It's time to get down to business."
With that, Ye Fan immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating the Martial Classic to cultivate.
Before long, a milky-white halo blossomed around him, shining brilliantly as if an enigmatic ring of light had enveloped him.
Ye Fan instantly felt the bones throughout his body resonate in unison, as though they were cheering with joy. At the same time, his spiritual soul became exceptionally clear, his thinking sharp and lucid.
Right at that moment, the black sword quietly manifested beside Ye Fan, its blade flickering with a faint radiance like a dazzling star.
Following that, an enigmatic scripture quietly appeared deep within Ye Fan's soul, exuding an ancient and powerful aura. Gazing at this scripture, Ye Fan gradually fell into deep contemplation, completely engrossed and unable to extricate himself.
Two days flashed by in the blink of an eye, and Ye Fan finally woke slowly from his state of meditative concentration.
He opened his eyes, a trace of surprise and excitement flashing through them. He thought to himself, "I never expected my Sword Martial Soul to bestow upon me such a powerful soul skill! Moreover, the effect of this soul skill can act directly upon the enemy's soul, meaning I can use it to directly slay another person's soul. However, this soul skill also has certain limitations."
Ye Fan mentally instructed the System to open his personal panel.
Host: Ye Fan
Cultivation: Fifth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm
Martial Skills: Shattering Cloud Palm (Third Realm of Palm Intent), Lingyun Step (Third Realm of Wind Intent), Dugu Nine Swords (Fourth Realm of Sword Intent)
Cultivation Method: Martial Classic (Mister-Grade Inferior)
Origin Coin: 14
Ye Fan thought to himself: Just like that, I've broken through two minor realms upon returning.
Afterwards, Ye Fan slowly walked out of his room, strolling leisurely and contentedly through the bustling streets, taking a keen interest in the prosperous and lively Yangzhou City.
His gaze wandered everywhere, as if he wanted to take in every corner of this city. Finally, he strolled into the largest local tavern and found a quiet seat by the window.
"Hey, have you heard? The Lin Family is holding a grand family tournament tomorrow, and rumor has it that the infamous good-for-nothing young master will actually come back to participate!"
Suddenly, a wave of noisy discussion drifted into Ye Fan's ears, catching his attention.
"Ah, I heard that good-for-nothing young master offended quite a few people over at the Sea-Cloud Sect!" another person chimed in, curiosity leaking from his tone.
"Say, I also heard that their Lin Family's young master has already cultivated to the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Martial Realm. Do you guys think that's true?" a third person asked, doubt and anticipation filling his eyes.
Those few men exchanged glances, and for a moment the atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.
Right at that moment, a middle-aged man stood up, cupped his fists in salute to those around him, and said hurriedly, "Pardon me, I have some urgent family matters to attend to, so I must take my leave first." Without waiting for a reply from the others, he strode eagerly out of the tavern.
Seeing this, the rest of the men also realized that things might not be so simple, so they quickly scattered and left on their own.
Witnessing this scene, Ye Fan couldn't help wondering to himself, "I wonder which family those fellows belong to." Then he thought, it seems the great drama of the Yangzhou City martial competition is about to unfold; I need to make some preparations as well.
At night, the moonlight was like water, spilling over the Listening Wind Tavern and adding a mysterious hue to the building.
Ye Fan crouched quietly in the dark corners of the tavern, his sharp gaze fixed ahead.
Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps entered Ye Fan's ears.
Ye Fan immediately turned alert, casting his gaze in the direction of the sound. A group of figures had quietly appeared on the street, holding crossbows with solemn expressions—clearly, they meant business.
Before long, the sound of breaking glass rang out, and a dark shadow leaped down from a tavern window, landing steadily on the ground.
Looking closely, Ye Fan saw it was a man dressed in black night-raid clothes. His build was sturdy and his movements agile; upon landing, he dashed forward without the slightest hesitation.
A thought stirred in Ye Fan, and he followed behind the man, thinking to himself: This must be the protagonist, Lin Feng.
Immediately following, more than a dozen figures dressed similarly in black rushed out from the tavern. They glanced at the direction the man in black had left and quickly gave chase.
Ye Fan quietly trailed behind them, keeping a set distance.
Following them all the way, Ye Fan arrived at a desolate patch of woods. At that moment, he heard an angry shout from ahead: "Lin Feng, you good-for-nothing! How dare you insult the Princess; today you shall surely die!" With that, the man waved his arms, and several fierce arrows shot toward the man in black like lightning.
Yet Lin Feng only laughed easily, "Heh, with her appearance, can she even be considered a princess? Her character is nothing much, either."
Just then, Lin Feng's body suddenly jerked, dodging the arrows with astonishing speed.
Immediately after, he rapidly closed in on one of the men in black, a flash of sword light cutting through the air.
In an instant, a head hit the ground and blood splattered everywhere. Lin Feng's movements were as agile as a phantom, and within a few moves, all the surrounding men in black were slain.
Afterward, Lin Feng walked slowly toward the fat man. The fat man was terrified out of his wits; his legs went soft, and he dropped to his knees, kowtowing twice to beg for mercy: "Spare my life, My Lord! This was all instigated by the young miss, it has nothing to do with me, please let me go!"
Lin Feng looked coldly at the fat man, replying in an icy tone, "Hmph, you're all someone else's running dogs anyway, it's no great loss if you die." With those words, before the fat man could speak again, the long sword in Lin Feng's hand swept across, a cold flash cut through the air, and the fat man's head instantly rolled away.
Having finished off all the enemies, Lin Feng walked forward with unsteady steps. Not long after walking, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Hearing Lin Feng's final words, Ye Fan couldn't help smiling inwardly: "If you mess around like this, you'll probably find it very hard to break through to the Emperor Realm in the future."
Then Ye Fan crouched beside Lin Feng, staring intently at his body, a mixture of curiosity and vigilance flashing in his eyes.
He saw chains faintly visible all around Lin Feng, as if some mysterious power was binding him, while the illusory shadow of a book kept battering against the chains, trying to break free.
Before long, that book finally smashed open a corner, wriggled out from the chains, and merged into Lin Feng's soul.
Ye Fan marveled inwardly, "Is this the legendary Forbidden Physique?"
Seeing that Lin Feng was about to wake up, Ye Fan hurried to his feet, walked swiftly aside, and found a concealed spot to hide.
At the same time, he did not forget to wipe away any traces he had left behind to avoid discovery.
Then, Ye Fan watched quietly as Lin Feng slowly got to his feet, wobbled back toward the tavern, and Ye Fan also returned to his small courtyard to cultivate.