Otherwise, fighting against martial artists of the Yuan Condensation Realm would simply be looking for abuse.
The Mysterious Woman had vanished, but many people from Tianji Pavilion were still at the scene.
Among them were quite a few elders at the Yuan Condensation Realm.
However, having witnessed the terrifying strength of the Mysterious Woman, they didn't dare to make a single move.
Moreover, Ye Qing's own combat prowess was equally astonishing.
None of the remaining powerhouses from Tianji Pavilion posed a threat to Ye Qing.
"Set sail, set sail immediately!"
Ye Qing suddenly ordered.
Right now, he was anxious to reach the capital of the Great Zhou Empire.
He needed to find a better chance of treatment for his younger sister.
Both Jizhou City and Jinyuan City were simply too small.
The miraculous medicines and renowned physicians that could be found there were far too few.
In Ye Qing's view, thoroughly curing his sister's constitution of extreme cold required going to the capital.
Furthermore, Ye Qing needed to grow stronger!
He had to become even stronger!
Without sufficient strength, the tragedy that happened today would only repeat itself!
If the Mysterious Woman hadn't stepped in to help today, both Ye Qing and his sister would have been utterly doomed!
In the eyes of the Mysterious Woman, Tianji Pavilion was nothing more than trash.
But to Ye Qing, they were a colossal behemoth!
Right now, Ye Qing was still too weak.
Even with his six-star bloodline and the Shura Blood Sword, he was still too weak!
The Emperor Star Academy in the capital was Ye Qing's opportunity to rise!
Chapter 24: The Capital of the Great Zhou Empire
The Mysterious Woman was very strong.
But she was not Ye Qing himself.
She could help Ye Qing once.
That didn't mean she could help him forever!
A person could only rely on themselves!
Ye Qing had known this very clearly back in the Jizhou prison!
Stepping onto the path of martial arts meant continuously growing stronger, with no other choice.
Hearing Ye Qing's words, the Tianji Pavilion powerhouses present quickly began to make preparations.
Normally, Tianji Pavilion's VIP ships were moored at the docks for evening entertainment.
They wouldn't set sail until daytime.
However, they didn't dare disobey Ye Qing's command now.
Soon, a Tianji Pavilion manager cast off and set sail.
The Tianji Pavilion VIP ship had only one destination: the capital of the Great Zhou Empire.
Ye Qing looted the treasures from the bodies of the Tianji Pavilion powerhouses who had died on the ground.
Many of the people killed by the Mysterious Woman were at the Origin Pill Realm.
In the capital, powerhouses at the Origin Pill Realm were considered quite extraordinary!
The treasures carried by Origin Pill Realm experts were never of poor quality.
After ransacking their bodies, the treasures Ye Qing obtained turned out to be quite decent.
Among them was even a Heaven Tier spirit weapon—a Golden Silk Soft Armor.
It could provide excellent defensive capabilities.
The Golden Silk Soft Armor originally belonged to the master of Tianji Pavilion.
However, when the Mysterious Woman killed him, she directly severed his head without damaging the armor.
In this martial arts world, martial artists forged spirit weapons.
The power of a spirit weapon was far greater than ordinary weapons.
The grades of spirit weapons were the same as those of medicinal pills and martial arts techniques.
They were divided into Yellow Tier, Xuan Tier, Earth Tier, Heaven Tier, and so on.
The Golden Silk Soft Armor belonged to the upper Xuan Tier of spirit weapons.
It was of considerable value.
Upon acquiring the Golden Silk Soft Armor, Ye Qing handed it directly to his younger sister.
His sister was merely an ordinary person who did not cultivate and thus could not refine the spirit weapon.
However, simply putting on the Golden Silk Soft Armor would still provide very decent defensive capabilities.
His sister did not refuse.
She knew that compared to his own life, Ye Qing worried even more about her!
Additionally, on those deceased Tianji Pavilion bigwigs, there were many gold coins and Yellow Tier pills.
The gold coins alone added up to ninety million.
There were also over a thousand Yellow Tier pills and more than ninety Xuan Tier pills.
All of them were stored inside their spatial rings.
Once Ye Qing acquired their spatial rings, he easily opened them to obtain the treasures within.
Having finished looting the treasures, Ye Qing had a manager of the Tianji Pavilion VIP ship arrange a VIP room.
That night, Ye Qing and his sister stayed in the VIP room.
After the events of the day, no one truly dared to come and disturb Ye Qing and Ye Mengling.
Those fellows from Tianji Pavilion felt an inexplicable, bone-deep terror!
The Mysterious Woman had left an extremely profound shadow upon their hearts.
However, the foundation of Tianji Pavilion was still immensely powerful!
The branch in Jinyuan City was merely the tip of the iceberg.
The true foundation of Tianji Pavilion resided in the capital of the Great Zhou Empire.
If the events that transpired in Jinyuan City reached the Tianji Pavilion in the capital, those old fogies at Tianji Pavilion would undoubtedly be furious!
Nighttime.
Ye Qing had the inn attendant bring a basin of warm water.
He helped Ye Mengling wipe her body.
After being abducted by Li Feng, Ye Mengling had suffered abuse at his hands.
Li Feng had even whipped his sister.
Seeing the shocking wounds on his sister's body, the anger in Ye Qing's heart became uncontrollable.
This matter would by no means end here.
Ye Qing had killed Li Feng, as well as many powerhouses from the Li Family.
However, the Li Family in the capital of the Great Zhou Empire was now firmly noted in Ye Qing's mind.
Able to nurture a beast like Li Feng, there surely couldn't be many good people left in the Li Family.
In the future, Ye Qing would make the Li Family pay an even heavier price!
Ye Qing finished wiping his sister's wounds.
He applied herbal ointment to them.
Then, he coaxed his sister to sleep.
His sister's injuries were very severe.
Yet throughout the process of Ye Qing applying the medicine, she didn't utter a single sound of pain.
Instead, Ye Mengling's face was filled with smiles.
For Ye Mengling, being with her older brother and having both of them safe and sound was more than enough.
The things she asked for had always been very simple.
"Little sister, once we get to the capital, everything will get better!"
"I will cure your illness!"
Ye Qing said with firm determination.
Her constitution of extreme cold had plagued his sister for far too long.
It had to be completely eradicated.
This was Ye Qing's primary objective in going to the capital.
"Brother, I believe you will definitely succeed!"
"I will be your sister for the rest of my life, and I will stay by your side and accompany you forever!"
Ye Mengling smiled sweetly.
With doting tenderness, Ye Qing stroked her beautiful hair.
A trace of gentleness flashed through his heart.
The blood-red color in his eyes gradually faded away.
The Shura Blood Sword had exerted no small influence on Ye Qing.
Yet, Ye Qing had still overcome it.
Ye Qing was not a killing machine.
On the contrary, deep within his heart, there still remained gentleness!
His sister was the final trace of warmth in Ye Qing's heart!
The long night passed.
That night, Ye Qing told his sister many interesting stories.
His sister fell peacefully asleep.
Even with injuries on her body, it hadn't affected her good mood.
The Tianji Pavilion VIP passenger ship sailed slowly along the canal.
Ye Qing estimated that they would reach the capital in half a month.
Along the way, Ye Mengling admired the beautiful scenery along the banks of the canal.
She also watched the twinkling passenger boats scattered across the river's surface.
Ye Mengling was extremely happy.
It was as if she had even forgotten the injuries on her body.
The outside world was indeed magnificent.
To Ye Mengling, who had always stayed within Jizhou City and had never ventured out, the outside world indeed held immense temptation.
"Brother, will the capital be very beautiful?"
Ye Mengling stood on the deck, admiring the scenery on both banks.
Ye Qing stood right beside her.
Her head rested against Ye Qing's broad shoulder.
"Beautiful, it will be very beautiful!"
Ye Qing smiled.
...
The capital.
Magnificent palaces stood in continuous rows.
Located in the northern part of the capital, this was precisely where Tianji Pavilion was situated!
An elder with a stern expression sat upright on a golden throne.
Radiating an air of grace and nobility.
Involuntarily, an extremely terrifying and fierce aura emanated from his body, giving people an unfathomable feeling.
"Pavilion Master, something terrible has happened!"
Suddenly, a grey-robed elder hurried over in a panic.
"What matter is causing you such panic?"
The expression of the Tianji Pavilion Pavilion Master shifted slightly.
The person who had entered was the Ninth Elder of Tianji Pavilion's headquarters.
Usually, he was always composed and steady.
Today, however, he was in such a panic.
Clearly, a major event had occurred.
"Pavilion Master, our Tianji Pavilion branch in Jinyuan City has been wiped out!"
The Ninth Elder of Tianji Pavilion's headquarters said in a panic, his expression filled with terror!
Tianji Pavilion had always existed as a colossal behemoth within the Great Zhou Empire.
Furthermore, Tianji Pavilion existed beyond the Great Zhou Empire as well.
Even the headquarters of Tianji Pavilion within the Great Zhou Empire was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Given the power and influence of Tianji Pavilion, someone actually dared to take action against it.
They had even wiped out a branch of Tianji Pavilion—this was simply too arrogant!
"Who on earth did this?"
The Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion's headquarters darkened his face, releasing a fierce killing intent.
Chapter 25: Tianji Pavilion's Decision
"A Mysterious Woman!"
"Her cultivation realm is completely unknown!"
"However, according to the news sent back by the Tianji Pavilion disciples in Jinyuan City, the Mysterious Woman wiped out the master of the Jinyuan City branch with a mere wave of her hand!"
The Ninth Elder of Tianji Pavilion's headquarters said tremblingly.
The master of the Jinyuan City branch had a cultivation that reached the peak of the Ninth Stage of Origin Pill.
He was not far from the Life Wheel Realm.
He could be considered an expert in his own right.
To be able to kill him instantly in a split second was enough to prove that the Mysterious Woman's cultivation had reached the Life Wheel Realm.
"How could a tiny Jinyuan City have an expert of the Life Wheel Realm?"
"Have you found out her identity?"
The Pavilion Master asked in a deep voice.
"Not yet!"
"It's very hard to investigate; she seems to have popped out of thin air!"
As the Ninth Elder spoke, sweat poured down like rain, and he felt the Pavilion Master's wrath.
"Our Tianji Pavilion excels most at intelligence gathering, and you're telling me now that it's hard to investigate?"
The Pavilion Master was furious.
"Please forgive my anger, Pavilion Master; I will definitely find out as soon as possible!" The Ninth Elder was terrified.
"Go quickly!"
"Also, summon the other elders to come and discuss this together!"
The Pavilion Master issued his command.
Soon, the elders of the Tianji Pavilion headquarters in the capital gathered together.
They entered the council hall.
Their gazes all turned toward the Pavilion Master seated at the head.
"Everyone, our Jinyuan City branch was destroyed by a Mysterious Woman, and our elders were killed or injured to the last man. How do you all think this matter should be handled?"
The majestic voice of the Pavilion Master resounded, carrying a bone-chilling killing intent.
"Pavilion Master, in my view, this Mysterious Woman's strength is too formidable, and she likely has a powerful background. We had better not act rashly!"
"I heard that when this Mysterious Woman killed people, she used sword qi. She might be an expert at the level of a Grand Sword Master!"
"Pavilion Master, regarding this matter, we should first investigate the Mysterious Woman's identity clearly before making a decision!"
The many Tianji Pavilion elders present all expressed their opinions.
They did not advocate using brute force.
The reason was simple: the identity and strength of the Mysterious Woman had not yet been investigated!
If they acted rashly, what if the Mysterious Woman possessed a terrifying background?
Then Tianji Pavilion could suffer a heavy loss!
"A Grand Sword Master? Even if she is a Grand Sword Master, so what? Could it be that our Tianji Pavilion is afraid of her?"
The Pavilion Master was furious, actual flames of rage spewing from his eyes.
Tianji Pavilion had existed within the Great Zhou Empire for a very long time.
Never before had any force or any individual dared to destroy a branch of Tianji Pavilion.
Sword cultivators were often stronger than martial artists of the same realm.
The Mysterious Woman had displayed sword dao prowess, which many Tianji Pavilion disciples had witnessed at the time.
Therefore, the elders of Tianji Pavilion did not dare to act rashly.
The ranks of sword cultivators were divided into Swordsmen, Sword Scholars, Great Sword Scholars, Sword Masters, and Grand Sword Masters.
One could be called a Swordsman upon initially mastering a Yellow Tier sword technique.
And once a Yellow Tier sword technique was cultivated to perfection, one could be called a Sword Scholar!
Ye Qing was currently a Sword Scholar.
As for Grand Sword Masters, they were unimaginably terrifying existences.
Their sword techniques were unfathomable, and they had even comprehended sword intent.
With a single thought, they could execute enemies using sword intent!
"Pavilion Master, I still feel it is unwise to act rashly!"
The First Elder of Tianji Pavilion stepped forward, his expression extremely cautious.
The First Elder's caution naturally had its reasons.
If that Mysterious Woman truly was a Life Wheel Realm expert and also a Grand Sword Master, things would become very tricky.
Although Tianji Pavilion could still deal with a Grand Sword Master, what they feared most was whether some terrifying force stood behind the Mysterious Woman.
That would be extremely troublesome to deal with.
"Hmm, let's find out the Mysterious Woman's identity first. However, this matter cannot be dragged out for too long!"
"A branch of my Tianji Pavilion was destroyed, yet the perpetrator was not made to pay the due price—in the future, where will the dignity of Tianji Pavilion lie?"
The Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion made his decision.
Just as the many elders had said, attacking now would still be a bit too rash.
They had to gather the relevant intelligence first before deciding.
...
Several days later.
The VIP merchant ship carrying Ye Qing and Ye Mengling arrived at the capital.
The bustling scene of the capital made Ye Mengling look very happy.
In fact, what made her happy wasn't just being able to admire the prosperity of the capital.
More importantly, she could stay together with her older brother.
Upon arriving in the capital, Ye Qing took his sister to wander through stalls of all sizes.
In the evening, Ye Qing and his sister temporarily settled down in an inn.
Compared to Jinyuan City, the public security in the capital was worlds apart.
It was relatively safe within the inn.
Furthermore, having had the Mysterious Woman intervene once and display her terrifying strength, Ye Qing felt much more at ease.
The Mysterious Woman could serve as one of Ye Qing's trump cards.
Of course, Ye Qing could not be certain whether the Mysterious Woman would step in when he needed her.
The Mysterious Woman was simply too proud.
Too aloof!
Along the way, Ye Qing had tried many times to summon the Mysterious Woman.
However, he received no response from her whatsoever.
Ye Qing had no choice.
He could only give up.
Questions regarding the Shura Blood Sword and the Myriad Worlds Tower had to be temporarily put aside.
Right now, his top priority was to enter the Emperor Star Academy and become a disciple there.
Previously, when Ye Qing was in the Ziyang Mountain Range, he had met Zhao Ruoning.
Zhao Ruoning had given Ye Qing a jade talisman.
That jade talisman represented the qualification to join the Emperor Star Academy.
Upon arriving in the capital, Ye Qing heard many things related to the Emperor Star Academy.
Recently, the Emperor Star Academy had been recruiting a new batch of disciples.
Among the younger generation, those who excelled could go and register to participate in the Emperor Star Academy's examinations.
However, those who could pass the examinations were few and far between.
It required exceptional talent.
At least among the younger generation in the capital, one had to belong to the standout elite.
Otherwise, there was simply no possibility of successfully passing the examination.
As the premier academy of the Great Zhou Empire, the difficulty of the Emperor Star Academy's examinations had always been very high.
In two days' time, the examinations for the Emperor Star Academy were set to begin.
By then, holding the jade talisman, Ye Qing would be exempt from the examinations and could directly join the Emperor Star Academy.
Moreover, the existence of the jade talisman proved that Ye Qing's talent was extraordinary.
Entering the Emperor Star Academy, he would be able to enjoy favorable treatment.
In fact, given Ye Qing's foundation, he was fully confident of passing the Emperor Star Academy's examinations on his own.
However, since Zhao Ruoning had given Ye Qing the jade talisman, and having it in hand could spare him some trouble, Ye Qing saw no need to compete alongside other young people.
Joining the Emperor Star Academy exempt from examinations was, one might say, the dream of countless youths.
Unfortunately, during every student recruitment of the Emperor Star Academy, the number of exemption talismans provided was extremely limited.
Only those youths who became famous early on, whose strength and talent were widely known monsters within the capital!
They simply didn't need to undergo examinations because their strength had long since been verified.
Such monstrous figures were the ones who could obtain the jade talisman.
This day.
Early morning.
Ye Qing and his sister got up early, preparing to go out and tour the capital.
At the doorway, however, stood a beautiful woman dressed as a maidservant.
Yet her appearance was exceptionally striking, far more beautiful than those young mistresses from the noble families in Jizhou City!
Chapter 26: Zhao Ruoning's Banquet
The beauty dressed as a maidservant saw Ye Qing and Ye Mengling come out.
She smiled sweetly.
Then, she bowed gracefully.
Very politely.
"Young Master Ye, Miss Ye, hello!"
The maidservant smiled.
Ye Qing's eyes lit up.
If he remembered correctly, the maidservant before him was the very same one who had accompanied Zhao Ruoning back then in the Ziyang Mountain Range.
"Sister, good morning, I remember you!"
Ye Mengling smiled.
"Miss Ye has a good memory!"
The maidservant smiled.
Following that, she produced an invitation card.
"Young Master Ye, tomorrow is my young mistress's birthday, and a banquet will be held in the Hero Hall of the capital."
"Young mistress said you must definitely come, Young Master Ye! Otherwise, young mistress won't be happy!"
As she spoke, the maidservant covered her mouth and giggled mischievously—that last sentence was something she had added on her own.
Ye Qing smiled and accepted the invitation card handed over by the maidservant.
No matter what, Ye Qing had to attend Zhao Ruoning's birthday banquet.
Back then, Zhao Ruoning had helped Ye Qing immensely.
"Alright, please convey my thanks to your young mistress for her kind invitation!" Ye Qing smiled.
"Young Master Ye, and Miss Ye, your arrival is most welcome. I shall take my leave now!"