Inside a private room on the second floor of a bustling restaurant in Yunshui City.
Ye Ling and Ye Chen sat opposite each other, the table before them piled high with exquisite demon beast meat and local Yunshui delicacies.
Ye Chen picked up a succulent piece of demon beast meat, took a bite, and sighed with casual appreciation.
“The food in Yunshui City is indeed different from Baiyun City. It has quite a unique flavor.”
Ye Ling’s expression remained calm. Ignoring his small talk, she got straight to the point.
“You specifically sent a voice transmission asking me to slip away from Yang Qinyao and meet you alone. What exactly is this about?”
After the duel on Tianyuan Peak ended yesterday, the spectators had gradually dispersed once the two main combatants departed.
Ye Ling had originally planned to travel around for a few days before returning to the Qinglan Sword Sect, but she had suddenly received a secret voice transmission from Ye Chen.
He had asked her to deliberately shake off Yang Qinyao and meet him alone at this restaurant the following day.
Having gone to some trouble to slip away from Yang Qinyao, she naturally had no desire to beat around the bush with him now.
Hearing her directness, Ye Chen stopped hiding his intentions and used his spiritual energy to send a voice transmission.
“While on a sect mission earlier, I discovered a hidden demon beast cave. Inside, there are two stalks of Profound-grade mid-tier Spirit-Converging Green Grass.”
“Spirit-Converging Green Grass?” Ye Ling’s expression shifted slightly at his words.
Spirit-Converging Green Grass was exceptionally rare. Its growth conditions were extremely harsh, requiring a high-quality spiritual vein, earth qi, and an incredibly dense concentration of spiritual energy.
Across the vast territory of the Qingyun Kingdom, it was rare for even a single stalk to grow once in ten years.
For Ye Chen to find two at once was an immense stroke of fortune.
Its effects were similar to the Spirit Gathering Grass Ye Ling had used in the Baiyun Mountain Range in the past, allowing a Xiantian Realm martial artist to directly break through a minor realm without any side effects.
But the difference in value between the two was like night and day.
Cultivation was difficult for Xiantian Realm martial artists. Advancing a minor realm often required over a decade, if not decades, of accumulation, and any slight misstep could leave one stuck at a bottleneck.
Yet a single stalk of Spirit-Converging Green Grass could guarantee a stable breakthrough with absolutely no hidden side effects. It was hard for anyone not to be tempted.
Ye Chen continued, “The next Qingyun Grand Tournament is in four months. You and I haven’t been cultivating for very long, so we are already at a disadvantage in terms of foundation and cultivation level.”
“If we can secure these two stalks of Spirit-Converging Green Grass and each break through another minor realm, our chances of winning in the grand tournament will be much higher.”
He looked at Ye Ling with a solemn gaze.
Ye Ling’s mind was sharp, and she instantly grasped the key point.
Ye Chen possessed immense destiny; ordinary peak Xiantian Realm demon beasts could not possibly stop him.
For him to solemnly seek her help and form an alliance, the guardian demon beast was bound to be extraordinary.
She asked directly, “What kind of guardian demon beast is it that makes you so wary?”
Ye Chen paused and sighed softly. “As expected, I can't hide anything from you.”
“The one guarding the cave is a peak Xiantian Realm Tyrant Spirit Tiger.”
“A Tyrant Spirit Tiger?” Ye Ling’s expression instantly turned serious.
The Tyrant Spirit Tiger was one of the most powerful demon beasts in direct combat among those in the Xiantian Realm.
It specialized in close-quarters combat, possessed a violently ferocious physique, and crushed the vast majority of demon beasts of the same rank.
Furthermore, a trace of the ancient White Tiger's lineage lay dormant within its bloodline.
Although extremely thin, it granted the beast physical strength, spiritual energy purity, and explosive power that far surpassed ordinary peak Xiantian Realm demon beasts.
Additionally, the nobler a demon beast's bloodline, the higher the probability that it would awaken a Xiantian bloodline divine ability upon breaking through to the Xiantian Realm.
Ye Ling quickly weighed the pros and cons. The opportunity was immense, but the risk was equally substantial.
Without hesitating for long, she said decisively, “Alright, I will team up with you.”
Ye Chen looked delighted. “With your help, even if we can't slay that tiger in a head-on fight, we will definitely be able to seize the Spirit-Converging Green Grass.”
Just as they were discussing their plan, a loud crash suddenly erupted from the first floor of the restaurant.
The sounds of colliding tables and chairs, angry shouting, and the clamor of the crowd blended together, rising straight up to the second floor.
Ye Ling and Ye Chen stopped talking and exchanged a glance. Simultaneously sweeping their Divine Sense downstairs, they immediately understood the situation on the first floor.
The atmosphere in the first-floor lobby was tense and hostile. A tall youth from the Burning Heaven Martial Academy, clad in blood-red robes, glared furiously at a woman in green martial arts attire opposite him, barking sharply.
“You dare mock my Burning Heaven Martial Academy? You dare slander my Senior Brother Xiao!”
The woman in green stiffened slightly, but she refused to back down. “What I said is simply the truth!”
Yesterday's duel between Bai Ling and Xiao Jinheng on Tianyuan Peak had already spread throughout Yunshui City.
The two were the representative disciples of Jingshui Yaotai and the Burning Heaven Martial Academy, respectively, and the outcome of their battle directly affected the reputation of both sects.
A vast crowd had watched the duel yesterday. Aside from other sects, families, and rogue cultivators, a large number of outer sect disciples from both sects had also joined the spectators.
However, most of the Xiantian Realm martial artists had departed immediately after the battle. Those currently present were outer sect disciples in the Houtian Realm who traveled more slowly and were still resting in Yunshui City.
Just moments ago during their meal, several disciples from Jingshui Yaotai had been chatting about yesterday's battle.
The woman in green had casually remarked, “Xiao Jinheng really made an absolute fool of himself this time.”
“A few years ago, he could still exchange dozens of moves with Senior Sister Bai Ling. But yesterday? He was defeated by Senior Sister Bai in just over ten moves, knocking him unconscious on the spot.”
“If Senior Sister Bai Ling had unleashed her complete Whip Force right from the start, she probably would have finished him off in just a few moves.”
The surrounding Jingshui Yaotai disciples had chimed in, their voices thick with smug satisfaction.
These words had drifted clearly into the ears of the Burning Heaven Martial Academy disciples sitting at the neighboring table.
The disciples of the Burning Heaven Martial Academy were already harboring a stomach full of anger over Xiao Jinheng's defeat and the loss of their sect's face.
Now, mocked publicly by the people of Jingshui Yaotai, their fury erupted. Slapping the tables, they stood up, their expressions instantly turning hostile.
The atmosphere on the first floor instantly grew incredibly tense. Disciples of the two sects stood on opposing sides, glaring at each other as their shouting grew louder, on the verge of spiraling completely out of control.
Just as the tension between the two sects downstairs reached its peak and a physical clash seemed imminent,
a gentle yet authoritative voice suddenly resounded throughout the entire first floor, firmly suppressing the surrounding noise.
“Disciples of the great sects, please refrain from shouting and fighting inside this restaurant.”
“If you wish to exchange pointers, please take it outside. Do not disturb the other guests in this establishment.”
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a mild-mannered, middle-aged manager in a plain, long robe walking out from behind the counter.
His expression was calm, showing neither fear nor arrogance as he cupped his hands slightly toward the confronting disciples.
Anger flared in the hearts of everyone present, accompanied by deep bewilderment.
Even a city lord would not dare lightly interfere in a dispute between disciples of the Burning Heaven Martial Academy and Jingshui Yaotai.
Where did a mere restaurant manager get the courage to publicly stop cultivators of two great sects?
The hot-tempered, blood-robed youth from the Burning Heaven Martial Academy immediately glared and snarled, “Where does a common shopkeeper get off interfering in our sect affairs?”
“Are you tired of keeping this restaurant open?”
Behind him, the crowd of Burning Heaven disciples chimed in supportively, aggressive and full of arrogance.
The Jingshui Yaotai disciples on the side watched in silence without speaking.
In their eyes, a dispute between two great sects was indeed not something an ordinary restaurant manager had any right to comment on.
Inside the private room on the second floor, Ye Ling and Ye Chen raised their eyes simultaneously, a hint of curiosity flashing in their gazes.
Both of them were incredibly sharp. To step forward so calmly in the face of confronting sect disciples, this manager was certainly no ordinary person and must have some backing.
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