The two-year term had reached its conclusion. Li Ye did not waste a single heartbeat lingering at the academy; the moment his status as a transfer student expired, he set his sights back on the Rising Cloud Sect.
When he finally stood before the sect's grand entrance, the air around him had shifted. He no longer carried the raw, unrefined energy of a youth. Instead, he was composed and impenetrable, resembling the silent depths of an ancient cavern where the bottom remains hidden from the sun.
"Ye'er, you've finally returned."
Li Canglan, the Sect Master and his father, descended the temple steps to meet him. The man's face was a mask of poorly concealed pride and relief. As he drew closer, he felt a wave of spiritual pressure so dense it caused his own internal energy to stir in reflexive caution.
"Father," Li Ye said, offering a concise nod.
The two retreated into the inner sanctum, dismissing the guards. Li Canglan's voice wavered with anticipation as he leaned in. "Tell me. What level have you reached?"
"Seventh Level, Spirit Origin Realm," Li Ye replied, his voice devoid of any boastful heat.
Li Canglan staggered, his eyes widening in disbelief before a roar of laughter escaped him. A twenty-year-old at the Seventh Level of the Spirit Origin Realm was a monster that appeared perhaps once a century. In the entire Grand Azure Empire, such talent was reserved for the legends.
"Incredible! Truly incredible!" Li Canglan paced the floor, his hands behind his back. "With this, you could claim the position of a Grand Elder today if you wished."
Li Ye remained silent. An Elder? He had died once as a master; he hadn't reincarnated to settle for a local title in a minor sect.
"There is a shift in the wind," Li Canglan said, his tone turning grave. "The Grand Azure Competition, held every five years, is being restructured. The Imperial Decree has opened the gates. It is no longer just for the academies. Sects, noble houses, and even rogue cultivators are being called, provided they are under twenty-five and at the Seventh Level of Foundation Breath."
"Why the sudden expansion?" Li Ye asked, his eyes narrowing.
"The borders are bleeding," Li Canglan sighed. "Friction with neighboring states is at an all-time high. The Throne wants to harvest every drop of genius it can find to bolster the military. Our Rising Cloud Sect is a small fish in this pond. Aside from you, our best disciple is only at the Eighth Level of Foundation Breath. They would be lambs to the slaughter. I need you to stand as our pillar."
A cold, sharp light flickered in Li Ye's eyes. This wasn't just a tournament; it was a fast track to the resources and influence he needed for his true endgame.
"I'll go," he said simply.
Four months of focused refinement passed. By the time the gates of the Imperial Capital loomed before him, Li Ye had pushed his cultivation to the Ninth Level of the Spirit Origin Realm.
The capital was a hive of activity. Thousands of flying vessels, draped in the banners of a hundred different powers, congested the sky. Li Ye walked through the bustling streets alone, preferring the anonymity of the crowd. He was heading toward the registrar when a boisterous voice cut through the noise.
"Brother Ye! Is that really you?"
Li Ye turned to find Fatty Han, his face as round and cheerful as ever. The boy practically bowled him over with a bear hug.
"I thought you'd vanished into the mountains to become a hermit!" Fatty Han exclaimed. "Are you really here to represent that small sect of yours?"
"I am," Li Ye replied.
"Man, you've got guts," Fatty Han said, lower his voice. "The Golden Sun Sect sent their prime disciple, the guy reached the Seventh Level of Spirit Origin a year ago. And the Five Great Families? They've brought monsters."
As Fatty Han prattled on, his voice suddenly trailed off. He stared toward the entrance of a nearby pavilion, his mouth hanging open. Su Qingxue had emerged. Two years had refined her beauty into something ethereal, and her aura had stabilized at the Third Level of the Spirit Origin Realm.
She spotted Li Ye almost immediately. The cold, practiced grace of a noble lady vanished, replaced by a flush of genuine surprise and warmth as she hurried toward him.
"Li Ye!"
Fatty Han looked like he'd been struck by lightning. He grabbed Li Ye's sleeve, whispering fiercely, "Brother Ye... you know the Star Orchid of the South? Since when?"
"She's mine," Li Ye said calmly.
"You absolute rogue!" Fatty Han wailed. "We're out here fighting for scraps, and you've already won the heart of a goddess!"
The moment was interrupted as several young men stepped out of the pavilion behind her. Their leader, a youth with an arrogant tilt to his chin, stepped forward to block Su Qingxue's path.
"Junior Sister, is this the 'peerless talent' you're always whispering about?" Mu Chen sneered, looking at Li Ye's plain traveling robes. "A disciple from a nameless sect isn't fit to carry your sword, let alone your heart."
Su Qingxue's expression turned to ice. "Senior Brother Mu Chen, watch your tongue. My private life is not a subject for your critique."
Mu Chen, a core disciple of the Moonlight Academy at the Fifth Level of the Spirit Origin Realm, laughed coldly. He turned to Li Ye. "Walk away now, and I might let you leave this city with your legs intact."
Fatty Han tugged at Li Ye's arm. "Brother, don't. He's a big deal in the Moonlight Academy. Let's just go."
Li Ye didn't even look at Mu Chen. He reached out, took Su Qingxue's hand in his, and started walking. "Ignore the noise. Let's go register."
The silence that followed was the fuse of a bomb. Mu Chen's face twisted into a mask of fury. "You dare ignore me? Die!"
He lunged, his Fifth Level spiritual energy erupting in a violent gale. His fist was a blur of light aimed at the back of Li Ye's head. The crowd gasped, expecting to see the traveler's skull shattered.
Li Ye didn't turn around. He didn't even lift a hand.
He simply released a pulse of his intent.
BOOM!
An invisible shockwave hammered into Mu Chen like a physical wall. The arrogant youth was launched backward, crashing through a row of market stalls and coughing up blood. His companions were blown off their feet, pinned to the cobblestones by a pressure they couldn't even name.
The street became a graveyard. Not a single person moved. Li Ye had neutralized a Fifth Level expert without even breaking his stride.
"What... what kind of monster is that?" someone whispered.
Li Ye retracted his aura as if he were simply folding a garment. He continued walking with Su Qingxue, leaving the stunned crowd behind. Fatty Han stood amidst the wreckage, blinking in disbelief.
"I didn't just hitch my wagon to a powerhouse," he muttered to himself. "I hitched it to a god."