Chapter 32

Qingzhou, Ye Family.

In the courtyard, Ye Nan stood bare-chested. After this period of training, his muscles had become extremely lean and strong, with prominent veins like steel bars.

Undoubtedly, the path of physical cultivation is extremely difficult, as it not only requires enduring pain that ordinary people cannot bear but also needs a vast amount of cultivation resources. One could say that the resources needed for physical cultivation are at least five times more than those required by a regular cultivator. The further one progresses, the more precious medicinal herbs and elixirs are needed to nurture the body.

It's like a bottomless pit.

Moreover, the more advanced one gets, the harder it is to improve, as humans are not beasts and are naturally at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength.

Ye Nan was not unaware of these facts; he knew everything. But to him, these were not important. What was important was that as the heir of the Ye Clan and the eldest of the young generation, he could not give up on himself.

If there is no path, then one must create a path!

One can die on the path, but one must never give up and lie down.

In the courtyard, Ye Nan grabbed a handful of black sand from the iron pot in front of him and rubbed it all over his body. This sand, called "iron sand," is a mixture of iron filings, hard sand, and salt grains, the most common method for ordinary families to cultivate their bodies because it is cheap.

The fire under the pot grew larger, and the iron sand became hotter.

But Ye Nan was not afraid at all. He repeatedly grabbed the iron sand and rubbed it harshly on his body, which soon turned blood-red.

This is the first stage of physical cultivation, known as "shedding the skin." As the name suggests, one must completely shed the original fragile skin...

Many people fail at this stage.

But Ye Nan gritted his teeth and endured the excruciating pain without making a sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Eo arrived with a wooden basin filled with a greenish liquid.

Ye Nan was somewhat surprised, "Is this 'Spirit Wood Liquid'?"

Spirit Wood Liquid is a precious liquid extracted from a special type of wood, which has the effect of nurturing the body. For ordinary noble families, this is already a very precious item. Previously, he had only used simple herbal water to nurture his body.

Li Eo nodded slightly, "Father knows you are cultivating your body, so he specially brought it to me."

Ye Nan smiled bitterly, "Father-in-law has spent so much again."

Li Eo took a handkerchief and dipped it in the wooden basin. After a moment, she carefully wiped Ye Nan's body, and seeing the blood-red skin, her heart ached, and tears streamed down her face.

Ye Nan looked at Li Eo, his eyes full of guilt, and said softly, "I'm sorry for making you suffer with me."

Li Eo shook her head gently, "What are you talking about? We are husband and wife, and we should share both good and bad times."

Ye Nan gently embraced her and said with some concern, "I wonder how Tianming is doing in the Central Earth."

He knew that Ye Tianming was in the Central Earth because Deputy City Lord Zhou Yuan had told him. During this time, Zhou Yuan had often secretly taken care of the Ye Family.

At this moment, Song Shi suddenly appeared in the courtyard, and Ye Nan and Li Eo were immediately startled.

Song Shi said, "Don't be nervous. I am the Dean of Guanxuan Academy in the Central Earth."

Ye Nan was surprised, "Dean?"

Song Shi nodded and took out a scroll, handing it to Ye Nan, "This is what Tianming asked me to give you."

Ye Nan did not take it but asked, "Senior, is Tianming doing well there?"

Song Shi smiled, "He is fine. Don't worry about him."

Ye Nan felt relieved, "That's good."

Song Shi said, "This scroll is from him. It is a cultivation technique. This technique is somewhat special, so for now, don't let too many people know about it to avoid trouble."

Ye Nan took the scroll, "Thank you, Senior."

Song Shi looked at Ye Nan, "Are you cultivating your body?"

Ye Nan nodded, "My dantian is already shattered, so I can only cultivate my body."

Song Shi thought for a moment and then said, "That is one path, but your dantian is not irreparable. It's just a matter of money."

Ye Nan smiled, "If it can be repaired in the future, that would be great. If not, I will continue to cultivate my body."

Song Shi said, "The path of physical cultivation is extremely difficult."

Ye Nan said, "Whether it is feasible or not is not important. I will just walk the path and see."

A hint of admiration flashed in Song Shi's eyes. He looked at Ye Nan and sighed inwardly. This person, whether in talent or character, is top-notch. If this incident had not happened, his future would be boundless.

Sometimes, a genius appearing in a small family might not be a blessing but a curse.

Ye Nan suddenly said with concern, "Senior, the Xiao Family..."

Song Shi smiled, "Don't worry. Since he is now a student of my Central Earth, I will take responsibility for him."

Ye Nan bowed deeply, "The kindness of Senior, my Ye Family will never forget."

To him, the kindness Song Shi showed to Ye Tianming was kindness to him and the entire Ye Family.

Song Shi smiled, "Since I have taken him in, I will take responsibility for him. It's not a matter of kindness. However, you should be careful during this time. I'm leaving."

With that, he turned and disappeared.

After Song Shi left, Ye Nan felt a great relief. He had been worried about Ye Tianming, and now that he knew Ye Tianming's specific situation, he finally felt at ease.

He looked down at the scroll and opened it. His expression gradually became serious. After a moment, he suddenly closed the scroll, "Eo, I might be able to cultivate without my dantian."

Li Eo was somewhat puzzled.

Ye Nan said excitedly, "Tianming is truly a genius. This cultivation technique is really special. If I modify it, I might be able to make it suitable for me. I need to explore it further... Eo, go and call Ye Zong..."

Li Eo was somewhat worried, "Modify?"

Ye Nan shook his head, "No, it's not just modification, it's creation. I can use Tianming's technique as a foundation and create a new technique suitable for me. This is what he meant by giving me this technique. I need to study and explore it further. Go and call Ye Zong..."

Li Eo hurriedly turned to find Ye Zong.

After Li Eo left, a voice suddenly came from the side, "His technique is suitable for you, but it is too slow."

Ye Nan turned to see a man in a Taoist robe standing in the courtyard, who had appeared at some point.

Ye Nan was stunned, "The Great Dao Bookstore, the bookseller!"

The Taoist-robed man smiled, "Bow."

Ye Nan was puzzled.

The Taoist-robed man stared at Ye Nan, "This is your last chance."

Ye Nan immediately knelt down, "Disciple greets Master."

After saying that, he respectfully bowed three times.

The Taoist-robed man laughed, "From now on, you are my ninth disciple. Among your nine senior brothers and sisters, except for An Yan, they have all established their own paths and become patriarchs in the real world. You must not disgrace us."

Established their own paths and become patriarchs!

Ye Nan's heart raced. Although he didn't fully understand, his intuition told him it was very impressive. He respectfully asked, "Master, who is stronger, you or the Guanxuan Sword Master?"

The Taoist-robed man smiled, "A person who needs others to perfect the order is not worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as me. In the entire Yang Family, only Yang Ye can fight. The rest..."

He shook his head with a disdainful smile.

Ye Nan didn't know if what the other person said was true, but he didn't think much about it. Instead, he respectfully bowed again, "Master, my brother Ye Zong is also excellent and has the potential of a great emperor. Master, would you take him in as well?"

The Taoist-robed man glanced at a certain place, "A man who once shattered several ten thousand epochs with his bare fists, does he need a master?"

...

Back Mountain.

From a distance, Li Eo saw Ye Zong wildly swinging his fists. Each punch created a shockwave, which was extremely terrifying.

Li Eo ran over, and at this moment, she suddenly heard Ye Zong muttering to himself, "Damn it, I will destroy the Xiao Family in the future. I will kill them all, leaving no one alive. And that damn Guanxuan Academy, how dare they bully my brother Tianming... Hey, what's this Wu Zu or not Wu Zu? I've told you so many times, my name is Ye Zong, the future great emperor!"

Li Eo was somewhat puzzled and quickened her pace. She then heard Ye Zong say, "What's this suppressing all ancient times? I don't understand... Don't brag, can you lend me some money? Three hundred spirit crystals will do. I swear by the name of the future great emperor, I will definitely pay you back!"

"..."

Li Eo suddenly said, "Ye Zong."

Ye Zong was startled and quickly turned around. When he saw Li Eo, he hurriedly ran over, "Big Sister..."

Li Eo asked curiously, "Who were you talking to just now?"

Ye Zong was immediately nervous, "I... no one..."

Li Eo didn't press further and said gently, "Go find your brother. He needs you."

Ye Zong nodded quickly, "Okay."

Li Eo watched Ye Zong run off, somewhat worried. She noticed that Ye Zong had been training extremely diligently recently, getting up earlier than the rooster and going to bed later than the dog. She was concerned about the pressure he was under, especially since he often spent time alone and sometimes talked to himself like he did just now.

"I need to pay more attention to this young man."

Li Eo worriedly said, "And Tianming, I wonder if he has enough money at the academy. I should send him some more..."

With that, she returned to her room, took out the few pieces of jewelry she had left, and headed to the Immortal Treasure Pavilion pawnshop.

...

Not long after Song Shi left the Ye Family, an old man intercepted him. It was an elder of the Xiao Family, named Xiao Quan.

Xiao Quan smiled, "Dean Song, shall we chat?"

Song Shi remained calm, "Chat about what?"

Xiao Quan smiled, "Dean Song, we know that you took in Ye Tianming entirely because of the Nanling Family. They pressured you, so we can understand."

Song Shi looked at him without speaking.

Xiao Quan continued, "But now, we have taken care of the Nanling Family. They will no longer interfere in this matter. Therefore, we hope that Dean Song will give our Xiao Family some face."

Song Shi said calmly, "Kill Ye Tianming?"

Xiao Quan laughed, "No, no, that's not necessary. Dean Song just needs to find a reason to expel him from Guanxuan Academy. The rest, we will take care of. Of course, we understand Dean Song's difficulties. So, our Xiao Family will send a disciple to Guanxuan Academy in the Central Earth. Dean Song can rest assured, this disciple will at least secure a place in the top twenty. This way, Guanxuan Academy can continue to operate, and its reputation will spread, making it easier to recruit students in the future."

Song Shi was silent for a moment and then said, "This condition is truly tempting."

Xiao Quan felt reassured and laughed, "Our Xiao Family is willing to be friends with Dean Song..."

Before he could finish, Song Shi suddenly disappeared. Then, he saw a large hand slap him, moving so fast—

Slap!

Xiao Quan was slapped several dozen feet away and crashed heavily to the ground.

He was dazed for a moment, then quickly stood up, his face contorted with anger, and glared at Song Shi, "You dare..."

Slap!

Another slap came.

Xiao Quan was thrown out again, this time on his left cheek. Instantly, his head swelled like a pig's head.

Song Shi looked at Xiao Quan coldly, "I, Song Shi, am just poor, not without principles. I don't want to cause trouble, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of it. Go tell your family head that Ye Tianming is now part of my academy. If your Xiao Family has the guts, come and slaughter my Guanxuan Academy..."

He spat, "Disgusting. Do you take me for what? I am the Dean, a high-ranking official. I have my dignity. Can I be as despicable as your Xiao Family?"

With that, he waved his right hand, snatched Xiao Quan's storage ring, and disappeared into the sky.

Xiao Quan: "..."

...