357: Chapter 358 Family Ceremony!

"I must expand our Foundation Establishment combat strength as soon as possible," Ye Changge calculated secretly in his heart. "Either I break through to Core Formation, or... I recruit a few more Foundation Establishment Cultivators to join us."

He thought of Manager Feng. This Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Tianwei Escort Agency had solid cultivation, rich experience, and a forthright personality, making him someone worth befriending. If he could establish a long-term and stable relationship with him, it would provide an external support for the Ye Family of Longmai Mountain should they encounter any trouble in the future.

"Take it slow," Ye Changge withdrew his gaze and turned to walk back into the mountain gate.

Just as he returned to his study, a servant delivered a jade slip for communication. Ye Changge took it, probed it with his Divine Sense, and quickly recognized the familiar spiritual power imprint—it was a reply from Xia Qingyue.

A smile could not help but form on the corners of his lips, and he immediately began to read it carefully.

In the letter, Xia Qingyue first exchanged a few pleasantries, asking about how Ye Changge was doing recently and whether Longmai Mountain was safe.

Then, she mentioned the matter Ye Changge had previously entrusted her with: asking for help to invite a Formation Great Master.

"...Regarding the matter of inviting a Formation Great Master, I had already submitted an application to the Sect, intending to invite a Second-Order Array Master to go to Longmai Mountain to assist.

However, the Demonic Path has been rampant recently, and Formation Great Masters are needed to guard all resource points of the Sect; manpower is truly tight.

After much maneuvering, I only managed to secure a First-Order peak-grade Formation Master. Although it is slightly less than expected, it should be sufficient to set up an ordinary Mountain-Protecting Array.

This matter was beyond my ability, and I am truly ashamed. I hope Changge will forgive me."

Upon reading this, Ye Changge couldn't help but chuckle.

The tone of this girl sounded exactly like she was reporting to an elder. It was clearly him who had asked her for help, yet she acted like she "failed to do a good job and was very sorry," with her words full of seriousness and unease.

"This girl is truly... a blank slate when it comes to matters between men and women." Ye Changge shook his head, but his eyes held a gentle smile.

He recalled that Xia Qingyue had once told him that she was an orphan picked up from ruins by her Revered Master when she was young, and she had grown up in the Sect since childhood.

Although her Revered Master treated her very well, she was strict in nature, teaching her Cultivation Techniques, teaching her how to Cultivate, and teaching her the principles of how to conduct herself in the world, but never taught her about matters between men and women.

As for the fellow Disciples in the Sect, they either kept their distance out of respect, or dared not approach her due to the prestige of her Revered Master. Even if someone occasionally tried to strike up a conversation, they were quickly scared off by her cold, icy face.

Over time, Xia Qingyue became a "strange woman" who had profound cultivation and stunning beauty, yet knew nothing about matters between men and women.

"However... it is precisely because of this that she seems exceptionally cute." Ye Changge whispered to himself, the smile on his lips deepening.

He continued reading the letter.

At the end of the letter, Xia Qingyue mentioned that she would try her best to find time to attend the Family Ceremony of Longmai Mountain, but the specific date had not yet been determined, as it depended on the task arrangements from the Sect.

Ye Changge nodded gently.

He had originally thought that Xia Qingyue would mention the matter of "coming to guard the Family" in the letter, as he had indeed asked her if it was convenient in his previous letter.

But at this moment, it seemed that she either hadn't received that letter yet, or she was tied up with Sect matters and could not spare the time.

"Oh well, I will ask her in person when she comes." Ye Changge put down the jade slip and cast his gaze out the window.

A few days later, at Longmai Mountain.

The morning sun was just beginning to peek out, the horizon turning a pale white, and thin mist shrouded the rolling mountains like a veil. On the main peak of Longmai Mountain, a brand-new mountain gate stood imposingly, with blue stone as the foundation and white jade as the plaque. Inscribed upon it were the five large characters "Ye Family of Longmai Mountain," the strokes powerful and vigorous, with faint spiritual light circulating, clearly the work of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

On both sides of the mountain gate, dozens of flags fluttered in the wind. On each flag was embroidered the Family crest of the Ye Family—a vigorous ancient pine supporting a rising morning sun, symbolizing "Evergreen and Undying, Rising Like the Sun."

Beneath the flags, teams of Ye Family Disciples dressed in uniform green shirts stood straight, swords hanging at their waists, their auras concentrated. Although most were at the Qi Refinement stage, they naturally possessed a spirited and sharp aura.

Starting from the mountain gate, a wide blue stone path wound its way down, leading directly to the foot of the mountain. On both sides of the main road, a Ye Family Disciple stood guard every ten steps, guiding guests up the mountain in an orderly manner.

Along the road, temporary pavilions had been set up, stocked with spiritual tea and spiritual fruits, allowing guests who had traveled from afar to rest for a while.

Today was the very day the Ye Family of Longmai Mountain was holding their Family Ceremony.

Since the invitations were sent out half a month ago, this ceremony had been the talk of the surrounding regions. The name Ye Changge was no longer unknown in this region—Foundation Establishment at twenty-four, Dual Cultivation of Talismans and Formations, and having single-handedly killed two Foundation Establishment Old Ancestors of the Li Family; each and every one of these feats was enough to make Loose Cultivators and small-to-medium-sized families look up to him.

And in the last few days, new news had spread like the wind—Ye Changge was now able to craft Second-Order High Grade Talismans.

The timing of this news was extremely clever, occurring just on the eve of the ceremony. Once the news came out, families that had originally been somewhat hesitant about whether to attend the appointment immediately changed their minds, preparing generous gifts and sending important figures from their clans to offer congratulations.

A Second-Order High Grade Talisman Master was considered a scarce talent in the entire southeastern part of the Zhao State. A single Second-Order High Grade Talisman was enough to turn the tide of life and death for a Qi Refinement Cultivator at a critical moment, and it could even pose a threat to Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Being able to be on good terms with a Second-Order High Grade Talisman Master meant having an extra stable channel for life preservation; who would want to miss that?

What shocked everyone even more was another piece of news—Ye Changge's newly betrothed Dao Companion, Xiao Caiyue, was actually a Second-Order Formation Great Master, and just a few days ago, she had used a set of exquisite and incomparable Formations to kill a remnant of the Jin Family, who was at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, on the spot!

The Jin Family had been wandering throughout the southeast of the Zhao State, destroying two small families in succession as retaliation, causing panic among the people. The surrounding Foundation Establishment Families were all in fear, terrified that they would be the next target.

It was rumored that the Jin Family remnant, for some unknown reason, had set their sights on the Ye Family of Longmai Mountain and secretly infiltrated the outskirts of Longmai Mountain, wanting to spy on the Ye Family's true strength, only to run headlong into a composite Formation set up by Xiao Caiyue.

Once the news spread, the entire region within thousands of miles of Longmai Mountain was shaken.

A female Cultivator at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage killing a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator through the power of Formations? Such a battle record was enough to be recorded in the merit register of Disciples even in a large Sect.

For a time, the reputations of Ye Changge and Xiao Caiyue soared once again. The two words "Ye Family" had shifted in the minds of the surrounding Cultivators from a "newly risen small Family" to a "powerful dragon that cannot be easily provoked."

Precisely because of this, the number of Cultivators who came to attend the Family Ceremony today was far greater than what Ye Changge had expected.

Just past the hour of the Dragon, the foot of the mountain was already bustling with people. Various rays of light from Cultivators descended one after another outside the mountain gate; some arrived on flying swords, some on flying Magical Artifacts, and others rode on Spirit Beasts, crowding the open space in front of the mountain gate to the brim in an instant.