They wanted to leave. But they had already committed to sparring with Ye Chen, and they had waited this long. They were essentially trapped, forced to continue waiting. If only they had known Junior Brother Ye Chen was such a slowpoke, they wouldn't have agreed to the match! A collective groan echoed in their hearts. Thousands of disciples were forced to watch Ye Chen eat, and the worst part? He had the audacity to keep eating as if nothing was wrong! Most people would have rushed the spar just to get it over with.
Fang Yan forced a strained smile. "Junior Brother Ye Chen has low emotional intelligence. Case closed!"
Liu Xuan chuckled. This boorish brute, Fang Yan, has the nerve to talk about emotional intelligence? the crowd thought internally. The Grand Dao Sect used to have one eccentric. Now, they had two.
One incense stick burned down. Then a second.
An hour later, the beautiful female disciples from Ethereal Peak finally snapped. Their chests heaved with indignation. "Junior Brother Ye Chen, do you realize? Disciples from Ethereal Peak have never waited for anyone! We gave you our first time, do you know that?"
Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes, looking slightly embarrassed. "Could you give me one more incense stick's worth of time?"
Hearing this, Fang Yan laughed until he was furious. "Fine! Fine! Fine!" He stomped his foot in the air, sending a terrifying shockwave of Qi rippling outward as he let out a low growl. He was set on it. During the spar, he would beat Ye Chen until he was spitting teeth!
By this point, not just Fang Yan, but every disciple's patience had reached its absolute limit. They had come to watch their Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters spar with Ji Fuyao! Instead? They had spent an hour watching Ye Chen eat.
Just then, Lu Xuan spoke languidly. "Ah, people these days are still far too impatient."
The moment the words left his mouth, the faces of the thousands of disciples darkened. They finally understood where Ye Chen's problem originated. It's the Master! If the master is shameless, how can the apprentice learn anything good? Azure Mystery Peak truly was a wonderful place for passing on a legacy! (Satirical tone maintained.)
One incense stick later, Ye Chen finished his meal. He slowly stood up and looked at Lu Xuan. "Master, I'll wash the dishes later. Otherwise, the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters might genuinely lose it."
Lu Xuan nodded. "Go on."
The crowd twitched. At a time like this, he's still worried about his damn pot and bowl!
Fang Yan couldn't hold back any longer. His face flushed crimson. "Junior Brother Ye Chen, I'm not trying to lecture you, but look! You wasted almost two hours on just one person. There are thousands of us here. If you do the math, you've wasted over two years of our collective time!"
Ye Chen was speechless.
Lu Xuan paused, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "Huh, why does that sound so familiar?"
Liu Xuan exhaled a long breath, her chest rising and falling dramatically. She looked at Ye Chen. "Junior Brother Ye Chen, may we begin now?"
Ye Chen immediately stepped into the air. "Yes, we can begin!"
In the sky, the disciples quickly scattered. Finally, the spar was starting! They had waited so long their flowers had practically withered!
Just then, terrifying auras surged in the void above, and brilliant divine light appeared in the depths of the sky. The disciples looked up and realized it was the Sect Master and a host of Peak Masters. They actually alerted the Sect Master!
The Sect Master and the others quickly concealed their forms, calling out with a forced smile, "Ye Chen, don't mind us."
Ye Chen nodded.
Liu Xuan offered a graceful smile. "Junior Brother Ye Chen, your soul power far surpasses your peers, so I will use my full strength."
As she spoke, her delicate hand reached out, and a dazzling, multi-colored light surged forward, enveloping Ye Chen completely. Liu Xuan's hand seals shifted, and she whispered, "Now, Junior Brother Ye Chen, allow me to weave your illusion."
In the space of a breath, the scenery before Ye Chen changed drastically. The clear blue sky vanished, Azure Mystery Peak disappeared, and the thousands of watching disciples in the void blurred into nothingness.
Ye Chen watched the transformation in silence. The next instant, the world shattered and reformed like countless mirrors, each fragment reflecting a scene from Ye Chen's memory. He saw the familiar Ye Family compound. Before he knew it, he was standing in his father's room.
His father, the Patriarch, had thick black hair, no wrinkles, and looked incredibly young and vibrant. Ye Chen looked down and saw his body had shrunk. He was five or six years old!
The Patriarch laughed. "Chen'er, your cultivation speed has broken all records in Qingcheng! You'll be famous across the city after this family meeting."
Seeing his father's youthful appearance, Ye Chen's eyes reddened. In the seven years his cultivation had been crippled, his father had aged so much! It was only a few months ago, when his father got drunk in his room, that Ye Chen noticed the deep wrinkles, the frosted temples, and the overwhelming signs of premature aging.
The Patriarch walked over, gently wiped Ye Chen's tears, and lifted him high above his head. "Chen'er, you should be happy! Why are you crying?"
Ye Chen smiled. "Father, I'm fine."
The Patriarch said, "Tomorrow, I will take you into the ancestral land, and the Old Ancestor will cleanse your marrow and refine your body. Your talent will be further unleashed."
Ye Chen nodded. The next day, he followed his father toward the ancestral land. Along the way, they encountered the Grand Elder and his son, Ye Liangchen.
Ye Liangchen, clad in fine silk, forced a smile. "Brother Chen, hello."
A hint of malice flashed in the Grand Elder's eyes. "Chen'er, cultivation requires balance. Don't push yourself too hard. When you have time, let Liangchen accompany you around Qingcheng to relax."
Ye Chen gave a faint nod.
Once they reached the ancestral land, the Old Ancestor revealed that the Patriarch had sacrificed his own opportunity for a breakthrough to secure this marrow cleansing chance for Ye Chen. Ye Chen looked at his father, his eyes red. "Father..."
The Patriarch simply smiled. "Go."
In the time that followed their departure from the ancestral land, Ye Chen witnessed countless scenes... His father repeatedly clashed with the Grand Elder and others in the main hall, fighting to secure more cultivation resources for him. Once, they even came to blows.
Ye Chen’s heart trembled slightly. These memories had been buried deep within his mind. Now, in this illusion, he was in a hidden corner, gently wiping the dust off his recollections, seeing everything anew. The memories were still warm.
Suddenly, Crack! Crack!
Ye Chen looked around. The world of the Ye Family was shaking, threatening to shatter at any moment. He knew that outside the illusion lay Azure Mystery Peak.
Ye Chen murmured, "Senior Sister Liu Xuan cannot sustain this massive illusion."
With that thought, Ye Chen’s hand seals changed. His overwhelming soul power transformed into a vast ocean, surging toward the heavens. This terrifying, peerless force immediately propped up the crumbling Ye Family world. He didn't want to leave the illusion so soon. He wanted to see more of the father buried deep in his memory.
The subsequent years flowed like a gentle river. When Ye Chen wasn't cultivating, he quietly stayed by his father's side. He noticed that late at night, his father would always gaze at the starry sky, sighing softly. Ye Chen hadn't understood before. Now he did: his father missed his mother, Yao Liuli.
Years passed. The animosity between his father and the Grand Elder deepened because of him. Then one day, his cultivation suddenly plummeted. The Grand Elder couldn't hide the smile on his face.
His father immediately emptied his family contribution points, exchanging them for countless rare treasures from the family vault, desperate to restore Ye Chen's power. But it was useless! Useless! The eyes of the Ye Family members grew dim.
In secret, his father begged elders from other branches, borrowing massive amounts of Spirit Stones. His father ran everywhere, consulting numerous physicians. After consuming a mountain of cultivation resources, the physicians shook their heads as they left the Ye Family. "Apologies, Patriarch, we are powerless."
His father then dragged him back to the ancestral land. The three Ye Family Old Ancestors acted together, but even they couldn't help. Over those few months, Ye Chen watched his father's temples frost over, his hair turn white, and his eyes become bloodshot.
Ye Chen murmured, "All of this happened in just a few months." He felt immense self-reproach for never having noticed before. His father, just to protect his position as Young Master, had even humbled himself, lowering his status to beg! Ye Chen's heart ached. A father's sacrifices for his child are never mentioned by the father himself. His father had endured too much for him!
One night, Ye Chen stood outside his father's room. He heard his father sighing in the darkness.
Creak. Ye Chen pushed the door open. His father flinched slightly, secretly wiping his eyes.
Ye Chen looked at him. "Father, I have recovered."
His father grabbed his hand, eager to check. "Is that true?"
Ye Chen slowly activated his spiritual energy, and his realm began to climb! Qi Refining Realm! Profound Knight Realm! ... Profound Spirit Realm! Profound Sovereign Late-stage Great Perfection!
Seeing this, his father hugged Ye Chen tightly and burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Good! Excellent!"
Just then, the space around Ye Chen began to collapse. Endless, brilliant spirit runes were annihilated, the sky above disintegrated, and the ground beneath his feet cracked.
His father was laughing, but tears streamed down his face as he did. Ye Chen stood still, two clear lines of tears tracing paths down his own cheeks. He reached out, and the illusion shattered into dust, scattering on the wind. His hand grasped nothing...
The next instant, Ye Chen was back in the void, the sky above him a clear, familiar blue. Not far away, Liu Xuan's eyes were slightly red, and a trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.
Ye Chen bowed respectfully to Liu Xuan. "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Liu Xuan composed herself and nodded. "I saw it too."
Seeing this, the crowd was stunned. Who had won?
A female disciple from Ethereal Peak asked curiously, "Senior Sister, did you win?"
Liu Xuan gave a charming smile. "I lost."
The Ethereal Peak disciples were shocked. One of them said, "Senior Sister, you used two hundred thousand High-grade Spirit Stones to sustain the illusion for Junior Brother Ye Chen. You still lost?"
Ye Chen took out a Storage Ring and handed it to Liu Xuan. "Senior Sister Liu Xuan, thank you."
Liu Xuan accepted it and scanned the contents with her divine sense, her eyes widening slightly. The Storage Ring contained a full five hundred thousand High-grade Spirit Stones!
Liu Xuan didn't refuse. She smiled. "Junior Brother Ye Chen, your soul power is indeed boundless. Thank you as well. I gained some insight from this."
Earlier, inside Ye Chen's illusion, he had used his immense soul power to forcefully keep the illusion from collapsing. She understood that this was Ye Chen's Willpower, his persistent thought. Junior Brother Ye Chen wanted to see his father. And so, she had chosen to indulge him.