9: I will climb to the top step by step!

"Ye Chen has gone mad! Men, seize him!"

Ye Di's face was dark. He considered himself wise and illustrious his whole life, yet today he had made such a fool of himself in front of so many servants.

If the uncle could not bear it, the aunt could not bear it either!

Immediately, a group of servants surrounded Ye Chen.

"Whoever comes will be covered in shit!"

Ye Chen once again used the Great Technique of the Shit-Dipped Broom.

He wielded the broom with such vigor that it whistled through the air.

The crowd was suddenly at a loss.

Who wasn't afraid of shit?

Ye Di said coldly, "Ye Wen, you go!"

"Yes! Young Master!"

A lean and capable young man stepped out from the crowd.

His name was Ye Wen, Ye Di's personal guard, with a cultivation at the Condensing Qi Ninth Layer.

Everyone thought he would charge against the shit, but to their surprise, he turned around, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it straight at Ye Chen.

Although it was just an ordinary stone, it contained the force of the Condensing Qi Ninth Layer.

Ye Chen didn't even have time to react; with a miserable scream, he was knocked unconscious.

Ye Di's smile gradually became perverted. "Like playing with shit? Men, give him..."

...When Ye Chen woke up, he had already been thrown into a room where servants lived.

The space was small; a single bed and a table were all the furniture there was.

"So full... what is this smell? Why is it so stinky?"

Ye Chen smacked his lips a couple of times, only to feel an indescribable stench in his mouth.

He touched the corner of his mouth and was instantly dumbfounded.

"Shit... it's shit!"

"Blergh..."

He squatted on the ground and vomited wildly, cursing as he did.

"Bastard, he actually fed me shit! Blergh..."

"I'll kill you, I will definitely kill you! Blergh..."

Back and forth, Ye Chen vomited for over ten minutes, throwing up a full three or four catties!

He was completely exhausted.

He wanted to collapse right there, but found the floor covered in his vomit.

He could only force himself back onto the bed to lie down.

As soon as he lay down, a stream of clear tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.

Pain!

It was too painful!

Without strength, one could only let others insult and bully them!

"I want to become stronger!"

Ye Chen sat up abruptly and began fumbling around his body.

Fortunately, the other party hadn't taken away his Storage Ring.

From the moment he learned of Ye Yunfei's death, he had immediately gone back to put the Sunflower Manual into his Storage Ring.

Perhaps he had anticipated today's outcome.

"Once fallen from power, one is worth less than a dog; a tiger on level ground is bullied by hounds!"

Ye Chen gripped the Sunflower Manual tightly, the struggle in his eyes growing weaker... That night, the wind was high and the night was dark.

Outside Qingzhou City, at the peak of Qingxuan Mountain.

A figure sat cross-legged, his gaze firmer than ever before, filled with determination.

It was Ye Chen.

Resting on his knees was that very Sunflower Manual.

Facing a certain direction, Ye Chen's gaze suddenly drifted, as if he were reminiscing.

"Yao Xi, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I won't be able to marry you in this life."

Ouyang Yaoxi was the child marriage partner Ye Yunfei had arranged for him years ago, and she was also his childhood friend.

She was a member of the Ouyang Family, one of the three major families in Qingzhou City.

However, due to her extraordinary talent, she was scouted by an Elder of the Qingxin Palace and taken in as a Disciple.

She spent the whole year cultivating at Qingxin Palace and rarely returned to Qingzhou City once in several years.

Ye Chen lowered his head and lightly stroked the ring on his right index finger, his expression sorrowful.

Thinking back to those years, he too had been a Genius of his generation.

He should have entered a Sect to Cultivate just like Ouyang Yaoxi.

But life is unpredictable.

In the year he turned fifteen, his cultivation suddenly plummeted. From the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer, he dropped directly to the Qi Condensation Third Layer in less than a month.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not Cultivate back up.

Even when he managed to accumulate a sliver of spiritual energy, it would mysteriously vanish.

It was only in this past year that things had improved slightly; his spiritual energy would not completely disappear, and a sliver could be retained each time.

This allowed his Realm to grow.

But compared to his peers, his speed was still far behind.

A light breeze blew, bringing Ye Chen's thoughts back to the present.

"What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger!"

"I will climb to the top step by step, I will become... the strongest!"

With a metallic clang, Ye Chen drew a short dagger. His eyes flashed with extreme ferocity as he swung the blade down violently!

"AAAHHH!!!"

The miserable scream echoed through the valley and even reached into Qingzhou City.

Many people were jolted awake from their dreams by this blood-curdling cry... At the same time, in the City Lord's Manor.

[Ding! The host has completed the choice. Reward obtained: Destruction Sword Intent!]

Wang Ming's eyes suddenly snapped open.

Boom!

A Sword Intent filled with an aura of destruction soared into the sky, transforming into a pitch-black sword that pierced straight into the clouds!

The dark clouds dispersed, and a ray of moonlight spilled down!

The heavens had been pierced with a hole!

Inside Qingzhou City, countless Cultivators looked at the sky in horror.

"What happened?!"

"The... the sky has been pierced through!"

"What a terrifying aura, who is it?"

"It's coming from the direction of the City Lord's Manor. Could it be that the City Lord has made a Breakthrough?!"

"..."

Inside the Ouyang Family, one of the three major families.

The Family Head Ouyang Mingqiang's eyes burned brightly. "Sword Intent!"

A group of core members of the Ouyang Family walked over, their faces full of shock.

"Family Head, what's going on?"

Ouyang Mingqiang said in a low voice, "In the City Lord's Manor, someone has comprehended Sword Intent."

Comprehending Sword Intent!

Everyone's hearts shook.

Grand Elder Ouyang Mingming said in shock, "How is this possible!"

Unless one was a peerless Genius of the sword, Sword Intent could only be comprehended at the Core Formation Realm.

They were all well aware of the strength of the top experts in the City Lord's Manor.

The strongest was Wang Changfu at the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer.

Moreover, he used a hammer, not a sword. It couldn't possibly be him!

As for Wang Tianfeng, that was even more impossible!

After decades of cultivation, he had barely reached the Foundation Establishment Third Layer. What kind of Genius was that?

If he could comprehend Sword Intent, then why couldn't a pig?

Just then, Ouyang Mingqiang suddenly said, "You are all overlooking one person."

Ouyang Mingming was taken aback. "Who?"

"Wang Tianfeng's son, Wang Ming!"

"Wang Ming?"

Ouyang Mingming and the others' expressions suddenly became strange.

"That playboy who only thinks with his lower half?"

Ouyang Mingming chuckled. "Family Head, I would rather believe that Wang Tianfeng suddenly had an epiphany."

The others all had expressions of agreement.

Indeed, they knew exactly what kind of person Wang Ming was.

If Wang Ming could comprehend Sword Intent, they might as well find a block of tofu and bash their heads against it to end it all.

Ouyang Mingqiang's gaze was deep. "One must not only look at the surface. Appearances are like floating clouds; only by brushing them aside can one see the truth."

The others shook their heads, clearly still unconvinced.

Ouyang Mingqiang didn't continue the topic. "Counting the time, Yao Xi should be returning in the next couple of days, right?"

"Yes, at the latest, it will be in three to five days," Ouyang Mingming replied.

Ouyang Mingqiang nodded. "Go and prepare a betrothal gift. Once Yao Xi returns, we will go to the City Lord's Manor."

To the City Lord's Manor!

And with a betrothal gift!

Ouyang Mingming had a guess in his heart. "What are we going to the City Lord's Manor for? Do you mean to..."

"Propose a marriage!"

Ouyang Mingqiang turned and walked out of the hall.

"Family Head, you mustn't!"

"That Wang Ming is cruel and ruthless, and has no humanity to speak of. Marrying Yao Xi to him would ruin her entire life!"

Ouyang Mingming and the others hurriedly spoke up to dissuade him.

Ouyang Mingqiang shook his head with a smile. "Paper cannot wrap up fire. At the latest by tomorrow, the identity of the owner of this Sword Intent will be revealed. At that time, you will naturally support my decision."