324: Chapter 324 Know Yourself and Your Enemy

Tianshu Peak, Tinglei Pavilion.

Having become the Eighth True Disciple, Ye Tian possessed an independent Immortal Cave and a resource quota far exceeding that of Inner Sect Disciples.

Tinglei Pavilion was in an excellent location, not only rich in Spiritual Qi but also featuring a Thunder Room that tapped into the earth's meridians, which was of great benefit to his comprehension of Thunder Sword Intent.

A month and a half passed quietly in focused cultivation.

Ye Tian almost never stepped out.

Every day, he absorbed star Spiritual Qi, tempered his blood and Qi, induced lightning in the Thunder Room to temper his body and hone his sword, and mostly sat in meditation, polishing his Gu Hong Sword Intent and blending it with the sword thunder.

His cultivation had reached the True Martial Tenth Stage Peak, waiting only for an Opportunity to break the shackles and step into the Huahai Realm.

However, this Opportunity required accumulation, as well as comprehension and a bit of luck; it could not be rushed.

The Dragon Ape was often nowhere to be found; it was unknown whether it had gone deep into the Qinglan Mountain Range to "spar" with other Yao Beasts, or was lying on some cloud top basking in the sun, carefree and at leisure.

Hou Xiaojie had opened up a simple Immortal Cave near Ye Tian's, and under the occasional guidance of Ye Tian and Elder Tianshu, his cultivation had steadily improved to the True Martial Third Layer Middle Stage. He had shed much of his childishness, and his gaze was becoming increasingly resolute.

On this day, Ye Tian finished his morning session and was practicing the Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword Art before the sea of clouds at the cliff's edge when, suddenly, he felt something, sheathed his sword, stood still, and looked toward the mountain path.

A moment later, several figures arrived together.

The person in front was Leng Feng, whose aura had reached the True Martial Third Layer, showing clear progress.

Behind him were Lei Zhen (True Martial Fifth Stage Peak), Luo Qiushui (True Martial Fourth Level Peak), and Liu Ruyan (True Martial Second Level).

The four of them were now outstanding figures among the Inner Sect Disciples and were close to Ye Tian.

"Senior Brother Ye!" Seeing Ye Tian, smiles appeared on their faces.

Although Ye Tian had been promoted to True Disciple and their statuses differed, they still used the old titles in private, which felt closer.

"Why are you all here?" Ye Tian went up to meet them and led them to sit in the stone pavilion outside the pavilion.

"We came to see if our Eighth True Disciple has been cooped up in his cave for too long."

Lei Zhen laughed, poured himself a cup of Spirit Tea, and drank it in one gulp. "Junior Brother Ye, you don't know, but there are quite a few rumors about you in the Sect now! Everyone is saying you are in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Huahai Realm!"

Luo Qiushui rolled her eyes at him and said to Ye Tian, "Junior Brother Ye, don't listen to his nonsense. We came because of the Imperial Capital Youth Supreme Ranking. The Sect already has preliminary arrangements, and we wanted to ask what your plans are?"

Liu Ruyan softly added, "I heard from the Senior Brothers at the Deacon Hall that the Sect's Cloud Boat to the Imperial Capital is scheduled to depart in ten days. The list of Disciples signed up to participate in this Supreme Ranking has also been preliminarily drafted. Besides the seven True Disciple Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters who are definitely going, about twenty people have been selected from the Inner Sect, and we... are fortunately on the list."

As she spoke, there was a trace of anxiety in her eyes.

After all, this was the highest-level youth gathering in the Great Yan Dynasty, gathering talents from all over the world, and the pressure was immense.

Leng Feng was concise: "Experience, seeking battle."

Ye Tian nodded. Elder Tianshu had mentioned this to him a month ago, and he had already made up his mind: "I have decided to participate. Such a grand gathering is indeed a rare Opportunity for experience. Departing in ten days? The time is quite ample."

"Since Brother Ye is participating, we feel more confident!"

Lei Zhen rubbed his hands, looking eager. "I heard that for this Supreme Ranking, not only will geniuses from all the prefectures and counties of our Great Yan emerge, but descendants of some Hidden Families and ancient Sects will also appear. Even young experts from the neighboring Tianfeng Dynasty and the Mobei Golden Tent might come to join in the fun! Just thinking about it makes one's blood boil!"

Luo Qiushui, however, was a bit worried: "The competition will surely be extremely fierce. I heard that in previous Supreme Rankings, those who could enter the top one hundred almost all had True Martial Ninth or Tenth Stage cultivation, and the top thirty often included Huahai Realm Prodigies. There have even been monsters at the Huahai Middle Stage under twenty-five years old. We... are probably only going to broaden our horizons. It will be as difficult as ascending to heaven to get a good ranking."

"Senior Sister Qiushui, there is no need to belittle yourself," Liu Ruyan comforted gently. "The Sect Head and the Elders are letting us go primarily to broaden our knowledge and temper ourselves. Rankings are important, but they are not the only thing. Being able to fight against prodigies from all sides, verify what we have learned, and discover our shortcomings is the greatest gain."

"Junior Sister Liu is right," Ye Tian said. "Cultivators should have the spirit to not fear strong enemies and to face difficulties head-on. But one must also know oneself and the enemy, and act according to one's ability. When the time comes, we will look out for each other."

He paused and looked at Leng Feng: "Leng Feng, your sword seems sharper recently."

A flash of light appeared in Leng Feng's eyes, and he nodded slightly: "I have had some gains. I am just missing a hearty battle to verify it."

The group chatted for a while longer, exchanging some cultivation insights and scattered news heard from the outside about the Supreme Ranking.

During this time, Ye Tian seemingly casually offered a few tips on sword technique application and True Essence control—all essence he had realized through life-and-death battles—which made Leng Feng and the others' eyes light up, and they benefited greatly.

After seeing Leng Feng and the others off, Ye Tian pondered for a moment and decided to go to the Sect's Library.

Since he had decided to go to the Imperial Capital and participate in that fierce competition of the Supreme Ranking, learning more about the distribution of forces inside and outside the Great Yan Dynasty, information about famous geniuses, and the rules and characteristics of previous Supreme Rankings would always be beneficial and harmless.

The Library was located on Tianquan Peak and was the place where the Liuli Xuan Sect stored classics, Cultivation Techniques, records of experiences, etc. It had seven floors, corresponding to different levels of authority.

With Ye Tian's status as a True Disciple, he could freely access the first six floors.

Stepping into the Library, a scent of old books rushed to meet him.

There were many Disciples inside, some sitting quietly reading, some moving between the bookshelves.

Ye Tian's True Disciple attire attracted quite a bit of attention and hushed discussions, but he acted as if he heard nothing and walked straight toward the area storing geographical records, Sect chronicles, and historical records.

Spending the better part of a day, Ye Tian browsed through dozens of Jade Slips and ancient books.

He gained a certain understanding of the Great Yan Dynasty's territory, major forces (the four great protector families, various princely mansions, top Sects like the "Heavenly Sword Sect", "Xuanming Way", "Shenhuo Gate"), and the situation of the surrounding dynasties.

Regarding the Youth Supreme Ranking, he also learned more: This list was hosted by the Great Yan Imperial Family, held once every ten years, with the arena set up at Huangji Square in the Imperial Capital.

The competition was not a simple arena fight; it often included multiple rounds of elimination and could even have complex stages like Secret Realm exploration, team collaboration, and survival trials, aimed at comprehensively testing the participants' cultivation, combat power, Heart-Nature, wisdom, and adaptability.

The top ten could receive titles personally bestowed by the Sovereign and astonishing rewards, and the top three even had the Opportunity to enter the Imperial Treasury to select treasures.

"The Imperial Treasury! There must be quite a few treasures there..." Ye Tian closed the Jade Slip recording the rewards of previous years, his heart stirred slightly.

For any True Martial Realm Cultivator, especially someone like him stuck at the Tenth Stage Peak seeking an Opportunity for the Huahai Realm, the attraction was immense.

Just as he was preparing to see if there was any specific information about the recent geniuses of various forces, a gentle voice sounded nearby: "Junior Brother Ye is also so concerned about this Supreme Ranking?"

Ye Tian turned his head and saw Feng Xuan, the True Disciple of Tianquan Peak, who had unknowingly stood by a row of bookshelves not far away, holding an ancient scroll in his hand and looking at him with a smile.

He was still wearing a green robe, with a refined temperament, and his half-step Huahai Realm aura was harmonious and natural.

"Senior Brother Feng Xuan." Ye Tian cupped his hands.

He had a good impression of this True Disciple who had spoken fairly and acted calmly at the Heart-Questioning Arena.

"Junior Brother, no need for formalities."

Feng Xuan walked closer, his gaze sweeping over the labels of the Jade Slips Ye Tian had just consulted, and he said knowingly: "It seems Junior Brother is doing his homework. Knowing oneself and the enemy is indeed necessary. The Sect attaches great importance to this Supreme Ranking. Not only us True Disciples, but among the few Grand Elders, there may also be Seniors secretly going to oversee things."

Ye Tian's heart stirred: "Does Senior Brother know how strong the True Disciples and Inner Sect elites from our Sect are this time?"