Chapter 33

At the spot, Xiao Quan was almost fuming with rage.

This was a blatant act of defiance against the Xiao family!

Xiao Quan stared intently at the horizon, his eyes filled with murderous intent, but he quickly calmed down. A question arose in his mind: Why would the other party defend Ye Tianming so much?

Justice?

He knew that someone like Song Shi would never confront the Xiao family just for the sake of justice. Such a person had a yardstick in his heart, and he would weigh things carefully.

In other words, it was about value. Ye Tianming must be valuable, which was why Song Shi was acting this way.

Thinking of this, his face darkened. Could it be that Ye Tianming had displayed some terrifying talent?

He immediately turned and vanished from the spot. He had to report this matter to the Xiao clan immediately and not give Ye Tianming any more time.

Delay would only lead to complications.

...

Qingzhou.

On this day, An Xiao led a group of people from the An family to the An clan, and everyone was extremely excited.

The An clan had already agreed to allow their branch to return to the ancestral home.

Returning to the ancestral home!

From now on, they could claim to be members of the An clan, the Martial God family.

The Martial God family!

A first-rate family in the Guanxuan Universe.

Leading the group was An Xiao, who was also barely able to contain his excitement. Beside him was An Qi, who had clearly dressed up for the occasion. She wore a light green dress, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, and her graceful demeanor attracted many gazes.

At this moment, An Qi's face was also flushed with excitement.

The bloodline between their branch and the Martial God family, the An clan, was already very, very thin. Outside, they dared not claim to be of the same clan as the Martial God family, and they never thought they would one day return to the ancestral clan.

This time, they were able to return to the ancestral clan entirely because of An Yan.

An Yan had won the Guanxuan Examination, which was personally hosted by the Young Lord Yang family, with an overwhelming advantage. He was also personally recruited by the Young Lord Yang Jia to join the White Robe Pavilion, becoming the second-in-command, only after the White Chancellor Zuo Ci!

What was the White Robe Pavilion?

It was the Young Lord Yang Jia's think tank, consisting of talents personally cultivated and recruited by the Young Lord. Although these members of the White Robe Pavilion currently had no official status, they could influence the political landscape and were candidates for future positions in the outer and inner cabinets. Moreover, Zuo Ci had already been designated as the next Chief Minister of the inner cabinet!

Now, not only had An Yan entered the White Robe Pavilion, but he had also become the second-in-command. One could say that his future was boundless!

Most importantly, the members of the White Robe Pavilion were all trusted by the Young Lord Yang Jia. They were his own cultivated base, who would eventually govern the Guanxuan Universe!

Although the An clan was a Martial God family, they naturally valued someone like An Yan. Therefore, the An clan decided to allow An Yan's branch to return to the ancestral clan.

Under the guidance of the An clan, An Xiao and his group entered the ancestral temple and respectfully bowed to the three statues of the Martial Gods inside...

After a series of complicated procedures, An Xiao and his group finally recognized their ancestral roots.

Exiting the ancestral temple, An Xiao smiled. From now on, they were not just the An family, but the An clan, a first-rate family in Qingzhou.

Seemingly thinking of something, he turned to An Qi beside him, "I heard that Ye Tianming went to the Central Earth, the Sin Province."

An Qi's eyebrows furrowed.

Ye Tianming!

This name... familiar yet somewhat distant.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "How is he now?"

An Xiao replied, "I had someone inquire, and it seems he is only at the Great Tribulation Realm, four realms lower than you..."

He laughed, "It's a good thing you decisively chose to part ways with him back then. Otherwise, we would be a first-rate family, and we would be marrying into a last-rate family, which would be a laughingstock in the entire Guanxuan Universe."

Red doors for red doors, bamboo doors for bamboo doors.

How could a Martial God family marry into a last-rate family?

The honor of the Martial God family must not be tarnished!

An Xiao continued, "I just received news that the An clan has decided to cultivate you, and they will treat you as a core disciple. Before long, you will become one of the most outstanding talents among the young generation in the Guanxuan Universe, while Ye Tianming... forget about him."

An Qi slowly raised her head to look at the sky and softly said, "I knew we would be from different worlds, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly..."

...

Central Earth, Guanxuan Academy.

In the dilapidated back mountain, Ye Tianming stood among a pile of rocks. His hands slowly moved, and in an instant, countless earth forces surged from the depths of the ground, causing the entire earth to tremble as if in an earthquake.

He was now trying to control and manipulate these earth forces while also testing the limits of his mental strength.

After the last time, he realized that he was not only weak in physical strength but also in mental strength. He had no good way to improve his physical strength, but he discovered that controlling these earth forces could train his mental strength.

Mental strength!

He knew that some people specialized in cultivating mental strength, especially those skilled in spells. Their mental strength was terrifying, and a single thought could destroy an opponent's mind, turning them into an idiot. Even more powerful mental strength cultivators could move mountains and flatten seas, or tear the sky with a single leaf.

In the Guanxuan Universe, a person's strength was not solely determined by their realm. For example, someone might be at the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, but their physical strength could be at the Lesser Tribulation Realm, or their mental and soul strength could be at the Lesser Tribulation Realm. They might also possess a powerful martial technique or divine ability, or have a divine artifact...

Of course, the higher the realm, the stronger the physical strength, mental strength, and soul. However, his current primary goal was not to advance his realm but to stabilize his current realm and push his physical strength, mental strength, and even soul to their limits.

Fortunately, he had Mu Guanchen's guidance, so he avoided many wrong paths. In the past, cultivation was entirely self-taught.

Under his control, the earth forces around him began to slowly move, and he was clearly struggling, his face gradually turning pale. However, he was very excited. Through his cultivation technique, he found that he could manipulate these earth forces and try to condense them into a sword. This was extremely difficult, and after a short while, he collapsed, and the earth forces quickly returned to the depths of the ground.

This time was better; he did not lose consciousness, but he was very weak.

Ye Tianming was excited because this feeling was excellent. In a few days, he would be able to better control these earth forces and condense them into an earth sword. Thinking of this, he became even more excited because he had a new idea.

Controlling a sword with qi!

Controlling an earth sword!

How awesome!

The small tower suddenly said, "What are you excited about?"

Ye Tianming chuckled, "Grandfather Tower, don't you think I'm a genius?"

The small tower: "..."

Ye Tianming told the small tower his idea. After a moment of silence, the small tower said, "Your idea is indeed feasible. The earth forces are endless, meaning that as long as your mental strength is sufficient, your flying swords can be endless. However, this requires extremely high mental strength..."

Ye Tianming nodded, "I will work hard."

The small tower said, "As for being a genius... little guy, do you know how many prodigies and geniuses I have seen?"

Ye Tianming was curious, "How many?"

The small tower laughed, "Too many. Little guy, this world is vast. Not to mention Qingzhou and the Central Earth, but even the geniuses and prodigies throughout the history of the Guanxuan Universe, if placed in the entire universe, most of them would only be considered ordinary, except for a few exceptional ones."

Ye Tianming softly said, "I have seen too little."

The small tower laughed, "You don't need to belittle yourself. Although your talent is limited, you have my guidance. In the future, you will definitely have a place on the cosmic stage."

Ye Tianming nodded eagerly, "I can doubt myself, but I will always trust Grandfather Tower. Grandfather Tower, I will listen to your advice. If I ever make a name for myself, I will never forget your kindness and will take care of you in my old age."

The small tower was very pleased. This little guy was truly a decent person!

It blurted out, "Actually, I have a method for cultivating mental strength..."

Hearing this, Ye Tianming was immediately excited, "Grandfather Tower, what method do you have?"

The small tower smiled, "Your method of controlling earth forces can indeed improve mental strength, but it's like doing manual labor, and the effect is not significant. You need to learn the right methods, ideally forming a mental domain..."

Ye Tianming was puzzled, "Grandfather Tower, what is a mental domain?"

The small tower explained, "It's like marking a territory that belongs only to you. Within this territory, you have absolute control. However, forming a mental domain is very difficult."

Ye Tianming asked, "Grandfather Tower, if mental strength can form a mental domain, can my sword cultivation form a sword domain?"

The small tower: "..."

Ye Tianming waited for an answer.

The small tower said, "Yes, it is possible. However, we can start with a mental domain. I have a method you can try. First, you need to perceive your own mental strength and then condense it..."

As it spoke, it taught Ye Tianming a method. This method was extracted from the "Cosmic Guanxuan Technique," but it did not give him the entire technique, hoping that Ye Tianming would find his own path.

The "Fate Decision" technique!

This technique had a very high upper limit, and it hoped that Ye Tianming would continue to walk his own path, learning from others but focusing on his own path.

After receiving the method from the small tower, Ye Tianming was very surprised. He never thought cultivation could be done this way... At the same time, he deeply recognized his own shortcomings.

Ye Tianming asked, "Grandfather Tower, who created this cultivation method?"

The small tower replied, "A common genius from the outside universe."

Ye Tianming smiled bitterly. It seemed he had seen too little. A common genius from the outside universe could create such a cultivation method... and he was proud of his small achievements. Now, he realized how ignorant he was!

Of course, he did not know that the person who created that technique was not a common genius.

In the following days, he began to cultivate, trying to perceive his mental strength using the method taught by the small tower. Once he perceived it, he began to condense it. He quickly managed to condense the previously invisible mental strength into tangible threads, one by one...

Seeing this, the small tower was also quite shocked. This little guy's talent was a bit outrageous. It seemed that he needed to be restrained at the right time, or he might become overconfident and face the same fate as the last guy.

Soon, a spider-web-like mental network appeared around Ye Tianming, covering him and becoming tangible.

Ye Tianming was extremely excited. He realized that, whether in work or cultivation, having the right method was crucial. With the right method, things became much easier. Therefore, he needed to learn to find such methods in his future cultivation.

After forming the mental network, he made another discovery: he could clearly perceive everything within the network, even a tiny ant.

This was mental strength!

Ye Tianming began to try using this mental strength to control the earth forces. Once the mental strength became tangible, he found it much easier to control the earth forces. He could easily condense them into swords, but he could only condense up to nine earth swords, which was his current limit.

He began to use his mental strength and sword techniques to control these swords. Soon, nine swords crisscrossed around him, creating a series of whistling sounds.

After a long time, Ye Tianming was exhausted and collapsed on the ground, but his face was full of excitement. The method taught by Grandfather Tower had opened a new direction for him, and he could extend and expand from this...

After a short rest, he turned and walked toward the academy.

As he passed the academy square, he suddenly turned his head. Not far from the mountain gate, a woman was walking toward him.

The woman had silver hair and wore a simple black robe with a purple sash around her waist, highlighting her slender figure. Her features were exquisitely perfect, almost otherworldly.

She walked with her hands behind her back, exuding a powerful aura that enveloped the surroundings.

She walked past, and just as Ye Tianming was about to ask, she ignored him and walked straight toward the main hall.

...