34: Chapter 34 The Strength of Families in Cangjiang County

Ye Jiexin briefly recounted his experiences from his youth to Ye Yisong, noting that he had already been in his twenties when he managed a Breakthrough to become a Tier 3 Talisman Master, yet he still faced such an ambush.

Not to mention that Ye Yisong was only fifteen and had already become a Tier 3 Talisman Master, with his Mental Energy also reaching the fourth rank. It was easy to imagine that the other families would not sit idly by upon hearing this news.

They would certainly pay close attention to Ye Yisong's movements and take a series of actions against him as soon as an opportunity arose.

Ye Jiexin also mentioned that after that incident, he had stayed hidden within the Family to Cultivate, only venturing out alone to complete tasks again once he achieved a Breakthrough to Martial Ancestor.

After the Old Ancestor brought Ye Jiexin back to the Family, Ye Jiexin described that vague, intuitive feeling he had, and the Old Ancestor clearly told him that his feeling was correct—the lock-on had come from the Wei Family's Old Ancestor.

If the Old Ancestor hadn't arrived in time, Ye Jiexin would certainly have died.

Hearing about Ye Jiexin's experiences in his youth gave Ye Yisong a new understanding of the cruelty of the martial cultivation world, as well as further insight into the struggles between the families of Cangjiang Prefecture.

Aside from one's own kin, others could not stand to see you do well.

"Old man, at that time you only had the strength of a Martial Master, and your Talisman Making skills had only just reached the third rank. Even if you were hailed as the Ye Family's once-in-a-century Talisman Making Genius, there was no need to mobilize someone of the Old Ancestor's level to assassinate you, right?" Ye Yisong asked, puzzled.

"That has something to do with me being a bit of a homebody back then. I usually basically never left the Family's territory. That time was an emergency situation; I had finally gotten word of Materials for a Tier 3 Talisman for breaking formations, and I was so eager to get them that I made a rare trip outside the Family's territory, never expecting that I would almost fall there," Ye Jiexin said.

Ye Jiexin then went on to tell Ye Yisong about the situation of some of the families in Cangjiang Prefecture.

At that time, besides the Wei Family and the Wang Family, who had Fourth-Rank artisans, no other families had Fourth-Rank artisans; they relied on a few Tier 3 artisans within their families to make a living.

The Wei Family was the most powerful, possessing one Fourth-Rank Alchemist and one Fourth-Rank Artifact Refiner; the Wang Family was second, with only one Fourth-Rank Alchemist.

Among the four smaller families—Liu, Sun, Zheng, and Qi—all had, to varying degrees, mastered one or two Tier 3 skills.

Although the Ye Family had become one of the three giants of Cangjiang Prefecture due to the Old Ancestor's Breakthrough, other aspects had not kept up.

After all, the Ye Family lacked a deep foundation. For hundreds of years, no clansman had managed to achieve a Breakthrough to the fourth rank in any craft. Several major craft halls had always lingered at the third rank, and sometimes, if the Family descendants were incompetent, the highest-level practitioner in a craft hall would only be a Tier 2 artisan.

One could imagine the distribution of profits among the families of Cangjiang Prefecture in the various markets: the Wei Family alone monopolized thirty percent of the market, and the Wang Family occupied another twenty percent.

Other external forces would occupy forty percent of the market, and only the remaining ten percent was left for the Ye Family and the other families to divide.

The Ye Family was a giant in name only; in reality, they struggled in many areas. For the sake of the Family's development, the Old Ancestor even had to personally go out to sea to hunt 5th Rank Demon Beasts to ensure his own Cultivation and maintain the Family's development.

It could be said that the Ye Family was supported by the Old Ancestor alone. If any accident were to happen in the Outer Sea, it was estimated that it would be difficult for the Ye Family to even survive in Cangjiang Prefecture.

This dire situation only saw a glimmer of hope with the appearance of Ye Jiexin—a glimmer of hope to catch up with the Wei and Wang Families.

That was why the Old Ancestor attached so much importance to it when Ye Jiexin met with trouble and sent a distress signal, personally taking action to bring him back home.

Ye Jiexin did not fail the expectations of his clansmen; he eventually achieved a Breakthrough to become a Fourth-Rank Talisman Master, finally allowing the Family to catch its breath.

Ye Jiexin's Breakthrough to become a Fourth-Rank Talisman Master allowed the Talisman industry in Cangjiang Prefecture to gradually return to the hands of local forces. Previously, Tier 4 Talismans in Cangjiang Prefecture had to be provided by external forces, which were not only expensive but also in short supply.

With Ye Jiexin, Tier 4 Talismans began to be sold extensively in Cangjiang Prefecture, and the prices were ten percent cheaper than those of external forces, allowing the Ye Family to make a fortune.

The external forces had no choice but to lower the prices of their Tier 4 Talismans, and at the same time, they began to lift purchase restrictions.

It could be said that in the Talisman industry, the Ye Family made an indelible contribution to the development of Cangjiang Prefecture by breaking the technological barriers.

This provided everyone with an extra layer of protection when hunting Yao Beasts in the Outer Sea.

With the rise of the Ye Family, the distribution of profits among the families of Cangjiang Prefecture in the various markets was readjusted. The Wei Family still led the pack, monopolizing thirty percent of the market, while the Wang Family occupied twenty percent.

After decades of effort, and thanks to Ye Jiexin frantically producing Tier 4 Talismans day and night, the Ye Family now occupied nearly twenty percent of the market.

External forces now occupied less than thirty percent of the market, and the remaining less than five percent was left for other families to divide.

The rise of the Ye Family could be said to have reclaimed the Talisman market that had previously been occupied by external forces.

They did not encroach upon the interests of the Wei or Wang Families; otherwise, it would not have been merely a probing attack.

This was also related to the fact that Ye Jiexin was a Talisman Maker, rather than an Alchemist or an Artifact Refiner.

Strangely enough, external forces never participated in the struggles of local forces, and the share of profits they occupied in the various markets of Cangjiang Prefecture had always remained at around thirty percent, occasionally reaching forty percent—it was very stable.

There were rumors that the Great Wei government had placed restrictions on the development of these external forces, but whether that was true or not, only they themselves knew.

Ye Yisong listened as Ye Jiexin recounted, bit by bit, the craft levels of the various families in Cangjiang Prefecture, as well as the history of his own Family's development over the past hundred years.

His admiration for Ye Jiexin rose to a new level. Ye Jiexin had managed to break through the Tier 4 technological barrier without any guidance—the old man's talent was truly extraordinary!

He was even more filled with respect for the Family's Old Ancestor. To dare to go out to the Outer Sea alone to hunt 5th Rank Demon Beasts—what kind of strength was that? The Old Ancestor was truly strong. If only he could meet the Old Ancestor.

"Kid, now do you know why I didn't let you tell anyone about your Breakthrough to become a Tier 3 Talisman Master?" Ye Jiexin said.

"Old man, don't worry. You know me, right? I have always prioritized keeping a low profile. When have you ever seen me showing off everywhere?" Ye Yisong said.

Ye Jiexin thought for a moment and realized it was true. This kid was incredibly shrewd and always knew how to hide his strength; he was a sensible child.

"You kid, come with me. I'll take you to meet someone," Ye Jiexin said.

"Are we going to see the Old Ancestor?" Ye Yisong said.

Ye Jiexin gave Ye Yisong a flick on the forehead and said, "Meet your head! Is the Old Ancestor someone you can see just because you want to?"

That was true. A 5th Rank big shot might spend decades in a single seclusion; they weren't that easy to see.

"Come with me to see the Clan Chief," Ye Jiexin said irritably. Young people nowadays always wanted to see the Old Ancestor at the drop of a hat; they weren't steady at all.

"Oh, oh, old man, if we're going to see Grandfather Clan Chief, then we're going to see Grandfather Clan Chief. Why did you hit me?" Ye Yisong said, rubbing his head.

Ye Jiexin picked Ye Yisong up and flew toward the Dali Courtyard.

"Hey, old man, there are so many people watching! Put me down, don't I need Face?" Ye Yisong shouted, quickly covering his Face.