Everyone grew excited the moment the Patriarch announced Ye Han's turn.
Ye Lan had already achieved nine chimes, so naturally, the entire training ground was eager to see what Ye Han would produce. Everyone knew about the rivalry between the two of them, and many were also curious which sect would choose him.
The only disappointment was that Ye Lan had already been accepted into the Heaven Layer Sect, one of the strongest sects on the continent, and a sect that only accepted women. That meant Ye Han had no choice but to join another sect if he wished to leave the kingdom.
"He's definitely going to beat Ye Lan!"
"No chance. He'll be one chime below her."
"What do you know? Just watch, he's going to shock everyone!"
Excited whispers spread through the crowd as Ye Han walked onto the stage.
He placed his hand on the Heaven's Blessing Stone.
At once, the same heavenly phenomenon appeared in the sky.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and light burst forth from the stone. But this time, the crowd immediately noticed something different.
When Ye Lan had taken the test, the sky had shone with a brilliant golden-yellow light.
But now, the light was a soft blue.
Mo Chou suddenly rose from her chair, shock flashing across her face.
A moment later, she slowly sat back down, a bitter smile appearing on her lips.
Then the chimes began.
DING...DING...DING...DING...DING...DING...DING...DING...DING...DING...
The clouds dispersed.
The sky returned to normal.
For a brief moment, the entire training ground fell into stunned silence.
Then chaos erupted.
"Ten chimes!"
"Ten chimes! He's a genius!"
"The Second Young Master got ten out of twelve!"
"Only a handful of people can ever achieve that!"
The commotion was even greater than when Ye Lan had produced nine chimes. Some were envious, while Ye Han's followers were nearly shaking with excitement. To them, his rise meant their own future would rise alongside him.
The three sect representatives were equally thrilled.
A genius like this could change the fate of an entire sect.
Suddenly, Bi Da from the True Sword Sect vanished from his seat and appeared directly in front of Ye Han.
"Ye Han, you are truly a genius," he said with a smile. "I invite you to join the True Sword Sect. We will spare no effort in nurturing you."
Fu Peng immediately stepped forward.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Bi Da. Ye Han, if you join the One Saber Sect, we will offer you the same treatment."
Qi Qing also joined them.
"And the Golden Sword Sect will offer no less."
The disciples were stunned.
Normally, sect disciples had to fight for resources after joining.
Yet these sect elders were promising Ye Han everything from the beginning.
At the elders' section, congratulations immediately poured toward Ye Zhong.
"Congratulations, Elder Ye Zhong. Your son is truly extraordinary."
"Even nine chimes can't compare to ten."
"Your son will go very far in the future."
Even the Patriarch said, "Brother, your son is a true genius. The Ye Clan will not be able to hold him for long."
Ye Zhong was all smiles, but he did not respond to a single one of them.
His arrogance made several elders frown in displeasure.
Then Ye Han opened his mouth.
"I decline."
The crowd froze.
"What?"
"He rejected them?"
"He turned down all three sects?"
Even the elders were stunned, and the three sect representatives looked as if they had misheard him.
"Ye Han!" the Patriarch shouted, anger flashing in his eyes. "Why would you decline such an opportunity?"
Before Ye Han could answer, a voice echoed across the training ground.
"Hahaha... Why would he join a second-rate sect from a tiny kingdom when he already belongs to ours?"
The crowd was left speechless.
The three sect elders immediately frowned, but none of them dared respond. They could already tell from the pressure in that voice that its owner was far stronger than all three of them combined.
"So strong..."
"He already belongs to a sect?"
"What sect is it?"
"Why haven't we heard about this before?"
Then Mo Chou's voice rang out.
"What business does the Heaven Gate Sect have here?"
The entire training ground went into an uproar yet again.
"The Heaven Gate Sect?!"
"That's one of the strongest sects on the continent!"
"What is going on this year?!"
A figure descended from the sky.
He landed before the elders with an arrogant smile on his face.
"If it isn't Junior Sister Mo Chou," he said. "It seems you found a disciple for your Heaven Layer Sect."
Mo Chou's expression turned cold.
"Chen Hai, stop acting as though you know me. I am not your junior sister. And don't bother pretending to be kind in front of me. I know exactly what kind of person you are."
The moment Yama heard the name Chen Hai, a killing intent surged within him.
As expected.
A member of the Chen Clan.
Unlike Mo Chou, Chen Hai had shown no respect whatsoever to the Patriarch or the elders. He treated them as if they did not exist.
Yama's eyes darkened, but he endured.
He was not strong enough yet.
Not yet.
But in his heart, he had already decided something.
The Chen Clan would one day suffer a fate even crueler than the sinners of the Upper Netherworld.
If the officials of Hell had heard that thought, they would have lined up eagerly to watch. When Yama personally tortured someone, it was considered a grand event in Hell.
Chen Hai ignored Mo Chou's hostility and turned to Ye Han.
"Go pack your things. We're leaving."
Ye Han shook his head.
"I want to stay a little longer."
Chen Hai raised an eyebrow, then suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha... So the trash you told me about is here."
Everyone instantly turned toward Ye Ji.
Of course they knew who he meant.
Ye Han's hatred for Ye Ji was well known throughout the clan.
Yet to their surprise, Ye Ji showed no reaction whatsoever. He simply stood in line, expressionless, as though Chen Hai's mockery had nothing to do with him.
Chen Hai narrowed his eyes.
If the elders of my clan hadn't insisted on leaving this matter alone, you would have died long ago, he thought coldly.
He said nothing further. Revealing too much hatred would only raise suspicion.
Several disciples secretly looked toward the Patriarch, wondering if he would react.
To their surprise, Ye Xiang appeared completely indifferent, continuing to speak with the other elders as though Ye Ji did not exist.
In truth, his heart was burning with rage.
But he could not show it.
Not now.
Not when everything depended on secrecy.
The tests resumed.
Some disciples were accepted by the three sects from the kingdom, while others failed and would have to try again next year.
Then, after the sixty-second disciple finished, all eyes turned back to the stage.
It was finally Ye Ji's turn.
"Hahaha! The trash is finally up!"
"Let's see if he can at least get one chime this year!"
"He won't. The Heaven's Blessing Stone didn't even respond the last four times."
"Get off the stage, trash! Don't waste our time!"
Yama ignored them all.
Childish noise.
Nothing more.
He calmly walked to the center of the stage and placed his hand on the Heaven's Blessing Stone.
Silence fell.
Ten seconds passed.
Then twenty.
Then thirty.
Nothing happened.
Laughter erupted immediately.
"Hahaha! Trash will always be trash!"
"You'll never be acknowledged by the heavens!"
"Get off the stage!"
Then suddenly—
CRACK.CRACK.BOOM!
Everyone jumped in shock and turned toward the stage.
The entire training ground fell silent.
The Heaven's Blessing Stone...
Had cracked in half.
The disciples stared in horror.
Even the sect elders and the representatives from the great sects were frozen in disbelief.
No one had ever seen such a thing.
The Heaven's Blessing Stone was supposed to be indestructible.
Then one disciple shouted in outrage.
"Even the heavens hate him so much that the Heaven's Blessing Stone broke!"
It was the disciple standing behind Yama in line.
His face was twisted with anger.
"We can't even continue the test now!"
The remaining untested disciples suddenly realized the same thing.
Their expressions immediately darkened as they stared at Yama.
Yama stood there in silence, almost dazed.
But inwardly, he was furious.
The heavens hate me?
Yes, they do, but that's not why the stone broke.
Those bastards were clearly trembling in fear!
How could a mere stone judge me?
Even the heavens themselves don't dare decide my fate.
He was annoyed enough already, but when he felt the killing intent of the remaining disciples locking onto him, his mood darkened even further.
"Grab him and beat him up!" one disciple shouted.
The remaining disciples charged forward at once.
"Halt!"
A powerful voice rang out across the field.
The force within it stopped everyone in their tracks.
It was Mo Chou.
The disciples hesitated, but one of them still stepped forward unwillingly.
"Senior, the Heaven's Blessing Stone is incredibly expensive. It costs nearly a third of the clan's fortune. This trash destroyed it. How can we not apprehend him?"
Mo Chou's expression remained calm.
"I understand your anger. But what proof do you have that he destroyed it?"
She glanced at Yama.
"The heavens have already made their judgment clear. He will never cultivate in this life. Why humiliate him further?"
The disciple gritted his teeth.
"But Senior, the Heaven's Blessing Stone..."
Before he could finish, Mo Chou cut him off.
"Do not worry. The Heaven Layer Sect will gift the Ye Clan a new Heaven's Blessing Stone."
She then looked toward the three sect elders.
"The remaining disciples can take the test next month. I assume your sects will return then?"
All three immediately nodded.
"We will certainly return, Miss Mo."
They had no intention of offending someone from the Heaven Layer Sect.
The disciples immediately cheered and thanked Mo Chou.
Their anger toward Yama lessened at once.
But Yama could still feel two sharp strands of killing intent fixed on him.
He did not need to turn around to know who they belonged to.
Ye Han.
Chen Hai.
And Yama hated it.
The Lord of Hell...
Being defended by a woman.
If the Hell Hall ever found out, they would die laughing.
He would rather die than admit such a thing.
Yet right now, he was powerless.
All he could do was endure.
The heavens gave me an ultimatum?
Your mother.
One day I'll drag you down to Hell and show you who truly gives ultimatums.
An hour later, the training ground had finally emptied.
Ye Han left with Chen Hai for the Heaven Gate Sect.
Ye Lan left with Mo Chou for the Heaven Layer Sect.
And before long, a piece of news spread across the Ye Clan.
"Ye Ji has gone missing."
"It looks like he ran away after what happened at the Heaven's Blessing Test."
The entire clan heard about it within hours.
Inside the Ye Clan's main hall, the elders gathered around the Patriarch, trying to console him.
"Patriarch, don't worry. I'm sure he'll return once he realizes how vast the outside world is."
But Ye Xiang looked utterly indifferent.
"Useless son of mine," he said coldly. "There is no future for him after what happened with the Heaven's Blessing Stone. It is better if he never comes back. Otherwise, I will have no face left in this clan."
The hall went silent.
The elders were inwardly displeased.
They had never seen a father who hated his son so openly.
Only Ye Zhong remained expressionless.
He already knew part of the truth between the Ye Clan and the Chen Clan, but he said nothing. In fact, he was quite pleased that Ye Ji was gone.
Ye Xiang, however, knew exactly what had happened.
Because he himself had arranged it.
Right after the Heaven's Blessing Test, he had secretly sent Ye Ji away with his trusted aide.
Although the destruction of the Heaven's Blessing Stone had stunned him, Ye Ji was still his son. Before sending him off, he had spoken a few final words of encouragement.
Several miles outside the Blue Long Kingdom, a wagon pulled by four black horses moved steadily along the road.
Inside sat three people.
Ye Ji.
Yu Yan.
And Ye Ming, the trusted aide of Ye Xiang.
Ye Ming bore the Ye surname because his ancestors had once served Ye Yong loyally. One of them had even sacrificed his life to protect him. Since then, Ye Ming's family had been treated as honored retainers of the clan.
Since leaving the Ye Clan, Ye Ming had barely spoken a word.
Only Yu Yan kept breaking the silence with one question after another.
"Ye Ji gege... why are we going there? I'm going to miss my mum."
Yama looked at her and answered calmly.
"Yu Yan, we're going there so we can earn more money. When you have enough, you can treat your mother properly. Then, once things settle down, you can bring her to the Green Heaven Kingdom and live with her happily."
Yu Yan nodded obediently.
"Okay, Ye Ji gege. Then I won't ask anymore. As long as my mum can be happy, I'll go."
Yama felt his heart soften slightly.
He had truly taken a liking to this girl.
She was too young to bear so much hardship.
A child like her should have been laughing and playing freely, not struggling every day just to save her sick mother.
Yama silently swore he would protect her no matter what.
Then suddenly—
A figure came crashing through the air.
BANG!
A woman slammed into the side of the wagon and tumbled straight inside, landing on top of Ye Ji.
She was stunningly beautiful, no less breathtaking than Mo Chou from the Heaven Layer Sect.
Before Yama could react, a voice shouted from outside:
"Don't let him escape!"
"Quickly! Catch my brother!"