55: Playing the old man in the ring 4

At night, he would go to the cave behind the mountain, improving crazily under Qin Jiuge's hellish training.

A month later, he made a Breakthrough to the sixth level of Qi Gathering.

Two months later, the seventh level of Qi Gathering.

When there were only seven days left until the Qingyun Sword Sect's recruitment ceremony, Ye Huohuo had already reached the eighth level of Qi Gathering!

One day, while Ye Huohuo was practicing his palm techniques in the courtyard, a servant suddenly came to report:

"Young Lord Huohuo, someone outside is looking for you, saying they are an old friend of yours."

"An old friend?"

Ye Huohuo was puzzled and went to the main gate.

Standing outside was a ragged, thin youth with a dirty face, but his eyes were bright.

"A-Shi?"

Ye Huohuo recognized him as his childhood playmate, Shi Xiaoman. Three years ago, the Shi family was wiped out by enemies, and he was the only one who escaped, disappearing without a trace ever since.

"Brother Huohuo!"

Shi Xiaoman ran over excitedly, "I heard you can Cultivate now and even defeated Ye Feng. Is it true?"

Ye Huohuo nodded: "Why did you come here? Come in quickly."

After bringing Shi Xiaoman to his room and getting him clean clothes and food, Ye Huohuo asked: "Where have you been all these years?"

Shi Xiaoman ate as he said: "After I escaped from Qingyang City, I was taken in by an old beggar and learned some skills."

"I heard a few days ago that you could Cultivate, so I rushed back immediately."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice: "Brother Huohuo, I actually came back this time to tell you something,"

"I might know who the person was that placed the Seal on you back then."

Ye Huohuo's pupils constricted: "What did you say?"

"Before my Shi family was wiped out, my father secretly told me that he had accidentally overheard a conversation between the Liu Family Old Ancestor and a person in a black robe."

Shi Xiaoman's voice trembled: "The person in the black robe said they wanted to place a Seal inside the Ye family's Young Lord, so that he could never Cultivate for all eternity."

"I didn't know it was you at the time, until I heard that you still couldn't reach the Qi Gathering stage at sixteen..."

"A person in a black robe..."

Ye Huohuo clenched his fists: "What did they look like?"

"I didn't see their face, but I heard the Liu Family Old Ancestor call him 'Lord Blood Hand'."

Shi Xiaoman said: "And the Shi family's destruction was very likely because my father heard this secret."

Cold light flickered in Ye Huohuo's eyes.

The Liu family! It really was the Liu family!

"A-Shi, thank you for telling me all this."

Ye Huohuo said solemnly: "From today on, you will stay at the Ye family, and I will have my father make the arrangements."

"But Brother Huohuo, the Liu family is powerful, you..."

"Rest assured."

Ye Huohuo patted his shoulder: "Soon, the Liu family will pay the price."

After seeing Shi Xiaoman off, Ye Huohuo asked in his heart: "Senior, did you hear that?"

"I heard it."

Qin Jiuge said: "Blood Hand... that should be the 'Blood Hand Demon Lord', a Demonic Lord at the Middle Stage of the Nascent Soul, who specializes in shady business."

"It seems the Liu family is in collusion with the Demonic Path."

"Then my Seal..."

"It must have been the Liu family who hired the Blood Hand Demon Lord to place it."

Qin Jiuge analyzed: "The purpose was likely to suppress your Nine Yang Battle Body, preventing the Ye family from rising and threatening the Liu family's status."

"But they didn't know that once the Seal on the Nine Yang Battle Body is broken, it will erupt with even greater potential."

Ye Huohuo took a deep breath: "It seems my feud with the Liu family is deeper than I imagined."

"That is why you must become stronger."

Qin Jiuge said: "The Qingyun Sword Sect's recruitment ceremony seven days from now will be the first step for you to stand out."

Over the next seven days, Ye Huohuo Cultivated even more crazily.

Under Qin Jiuge's guidance, he not only consolidated his cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Gathering but also mastered the sixth form of the Blazing Sun Palm, and his Phantom Fire Steps became increasingly proficient.

More importantly, Qin Jiuge began to teach him Alchemy.

"As a Cultivator, the Medicinal Pill is indispensable."

Qin Jiuge said: "In the storage ring you obtained from the Golden Core Cultivator, there happen to be a Pill Furnace and medicinal ingredients."

"Today, I will teach you to refine the 'Qi Gathering Pill'."

Under the guidance of Qin Jiuge, an old monster who had lived for who knows how many years, Ye Huohuo's talent for Alchemy was astonishing; on his first attempt, he successfully refined three Low Grade Qi Gathering Pills.

"So-so."

Qin Jiuge was still sharp-tongued: "Back in my day, a casual refinement of mine would produce Heaven Grade Medicinal Pills."

Ye Huohuo smiled bitterly and continued to practice.

On the seventh day, the night before the recruitment ceremony.

In the cave, Ye Huohuo sat cross-legged, with ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones placed around him.

"Tonight, charge toward the ninth level of Qi Gathering."

Qin Jiuge said: "Then take the foundation establishment pill and attempt the Foundation Establishment."

Ye Huohuo nodded and began to circulate his Cultivation Technique.

The Nine Yang Battle Body was fully activated, and Spiritual Qi poured into his body like a whale swallowing water.

The third layer of the Seal loosened faintly, increasing his cultivation speed by another thirty percent!

At midnight, golden light shone brightly in the cave once more!

The ninth level of Qi Gathering, Breakthrough!

"Take the pill."

Ye Huohuo took out the foundation establishment pill he had "taken" from the Liu Family Old Ancestor and swallowed it in one gulp.

The Medicinal Pill entered his abdomen, transforming into majestic medicinal power that assaulted the Foundation Establishment barrier.

For ordinary Cultivators, the Foundation Establishment requires compressing and liquefying the Spiritual Qi in the Dantian to form a pool of spiritual liquid.

This process is incredibly difficult, and eight or nine out of ten Cultivators fail.

But under Qin Jiuge's guidance, Ye Huohuo's path to Foundation Establishment was exceptionally smooth.

The medicinal power was precisely guided, and the Spiritual Qi was compressed in an orderly fashion. In his Dantian, a drop of crystalline spiritual liquid slowly formed, followed by a second drop, then a third...

At dawn, Ye Huohuo opened his eyes.

Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, complete!

Not only that, the third layer of the Seal on the Nine Yang Battle Body was completely removed, and his Physical Body strength reached a terrifying level; the quality of his spiritual power far exceeded that of other Cultivators at the same Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Your true combat power is now comparable to the Middle Stage of the Foundation Establishment."

Qin Jiuge said with satisfaction: "Combined with the Cultivation Technique and Martial Skill I taught you, you even have the power to fight against those in the Late Foundation Establishment Stage."

Feeling the unprecedented power within his body, Ye Huohuo's eyes burned with Battle Intent.

"Senior, at tomorrow's ceremony, I will make everyone remember the name Ye Huohuo!"

The next day, at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, it was a sea of people.

The Qingyun Sword Sect's once-in-a-decade mountain-opening recruitment ceremony attracted young Cultivators from across the entire Zhao Kingdom.

Boys and girls who had rushed from all over were either nervous, excited, or full of confidence.

When Ye Huohuo, Ye Tiannan, and the other Ye family members arrived, they immediately caused a commotion.

"Look, it's the people from the Ye family!"

"Is that Ye Huohuo?"

"I heard he was still a piece of trash who couldn't Cultivate a month ago,"

"And now he's actually coming to participate in the recruitment ceremony?"

"He's probably just here to go through the motions. Daring to come with only the first level of Qi Gathering?"

Ye Huohuo turned a deaf ear to these discussions, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, and he quickly saw the Liu family members.

Liu Yanran was dressed in white, her temperament refined, and she was surrounded by the Liu family members like stars surrounding the moon.

She had clearly succeeded in the Foundation Establishment, and a faint pressure radiated from her body, causing countless people to cast sidelong glances.

Seemingly sensing Ye Huohuo's gaze, Liu Yanran turned her head to look, and a trace of coldness and... surprise flashed in her eyes.

She could feel spiritual power fluctuations on Ye Huohuo, and they were not weak!

【System detection: Target Ye Huohuo, cultivation... Early Stage of Foundation Establishment?】

【Warning: Data anomaly! Three months ago, the target could not Cultivate; now they are at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. The growth rate is abnormal!】

【Suggestion: Perform deep scan immediately... Scan failed, target is shielded by an unknown force】

A stormy sea surged in Liu Yanran's heart.

How is that possible?

From being unable to Cultivate to the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment in three months?

This simply defies common sense!

Could he have been Reborn too?

Or did he have some other fortuitous encounter?

No, impossible!

I am the one destined by heaven!

With the System, no matter how much Ye Huohuo struggles, he will eventually become my stepping stone!

Thinking of this, Liu Yanran calmed down, and her gaze toward Ye Huohuo became contemptuous again.

So what if he is at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment?

I am already at the Peak of the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, ready to break through to the Middle Stage at any time. Plus, with the various trump cards given by the System, Ye Huohuo is no match for me at all!

"Dong!"

The bell rang, and the whole audience fell silent.

The Qingyun Sword Sect's mountain gate opened wide, and three Elders emerged on their flying swords, standing in mid-air. Their powerful auras made everyone feel awe.

"Golden Core Cultivators!"

Someone whispered.

The white-haired Elder in the middle spoke: "I am Qingxuan, an Outer Sect Elder of the Qingyun Sword Sect, and I will be presiding over the recruitment ceremony today."

"The rules are very simple: the first trial is to climb the Qingyun Ladder; the second trial is to test Aptitude; the third trial is a combat assessment."

"Those who pass all three trials may enter my Qingyun Sword Sect!"

As his voice fell, a stone staircase wreathed in clouds and mist extended down from the mountain gate, totaling nine hundred and ninety-nine steps.

"There are Restrictions on the Qingyun Ladder to test one's Heart-Nature and perseverance."

"Climbing to three hundred steps is passing, five hundred steps is good, seven hundred steps is excellent,"

"Those who reach over nine hundred steps can directly become an Inner Sect Disciple!"

"Now, begin!"

Thousands of young Cultivators swarmed up, stepping onto the Qingyun Ladder.

Ye Huohuo was unhurried, following the crowd onto the first step.

Immediately, a wave of pressure surged from all directions, as if he were carrying a heavy load.

But to him at the Foundation Establishment Stage, this pressure was as light as a feather.

He climbed upward step by step, his speed neither fast nor slow, moving steadily forward.

Those around him were able to climb quickly at first, but after reaching the hundredth step, their speed slowed significantly, and many had sweat on their foreheads.

By the three hundredth step, half of the people had already been eliminated.

Ye Huohuo was still relaxed; he even had the energy to observe others.

Liu Yanran was in the lead, having already climbed to the five hundredth step, and her speed was still not slow.

Around her were a few other Geniuses, all with cultivation at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Gathering or who had just achieved Foundation Establishment.

At the seven hundredth step, fewer than a hundred people remained.

At this point, the pressure was already immense, and every step upward was incredibly difficult.

Many stopped here, only able to watch helplessly as those in front continued to climb.

Ye Huohuo also began to accelerate.

He overtook one Cultivator after another and soon reached the eight hundredth step.

Ahead, Liu Yanran looked back at him, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes, and then she sped up.

Nine hundred steps!

At this time, only ten people were still climbing!

Nine hundred and fifty steps!

Five people!

Nine hundred and eighty steps!

Only Ye Huohuo and Liu Yanran remained!

The whole audience was in an uproar!

"My god! Who are those two? They actually managed to climb to the nine hundred and eightieth step!"

"The woman in white is Liu Yanran of the Liu family, the number one Genius of Qingyang City!"

"The other one... seems to be Ye Huohuo of the Ye family?"

"Impossible! Isn't Ye Huohuo a piece of trash?!"

On the Qingyun Ladder, Liu Yanran's face was slightly pale; the pressure at the nine hundred and eightieth step made her almost unable to breathe.

But what shocked her even more was that Ye Huohuo, behind her, actually looked relaxed!

【System analysis: Target is climbing easily, suspected of having a special Physique or being protected by a treasure】

【Suggestion: Use the 'Luck Deprivation Talisman' during the second trial, the Aptitude test, to weaken his Luck】

Liu Yanran gritted her teeth and, using all her strength, finally climbed to the nine hundred and ninety-ninth step!

Almost at the same time, Ye Huohuo also stepped onto the final step.

The two stood side by side in front of the mountain gate, receiving the baptism of countless gazes.