After that, Ye Qingxuan and Ye Yuhong chatted for a long time.
Once Ye Zhaoheng returned with the resources Ye Yuhong had chosen, Ye Yuhong left Qingxuan Blessed Land.
But before leaving, Ye Yuhong made a trip to see Ye Qingxiao.
Ye Yuhong had sent Ye Qingxiao a message before coming, so Ye Qingxiao was already waiting at his own cave dwelling.
When he saw Ye Qingxiao, Ye Yuhong was once again shocked by how much his cultivation had progressed.
Given Ye Qingxiao’s talent, even if he had broken through to the Golden Core stage, there was no reason he should have reached the middle stage of Golden Core so quickly.
However, Ye Yuhong didn’t know that Ye Qingxiao now had the talent of a six-element spiritual root, which made his cultivation speed twice as fast as before.
After a brief chat with Ye Qingxiao, Ye Yuhong didn’t stay long and left the Xuantian Sect with a satisfied look on his face.
This trip had been incredibly rewarding for him, enough to elevate the Ye family’s strength to a whole new level.
On the other side, outside Qingxuan Blessed Land.
After Ye Yuhong left, Ye Qingxuan didn’t rush back inside.
Because there was still someone else coming to see him.
Sitting quietly in the stone pavilion, Ye Qingxuan sipped his tea unhurriedly, calmly waiting for his distinguished guest to arrive.
Half an hour later, a white-robed young man with sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, and an extraordinary bearing, carrying a long sword on his back, flew through the air and landed outside the pavilion.
Seeing Ye Qingxuan, the white-robed man smiled and said softly:
“Elder Brother Ye, long time no see. I hope you’ve been well!”
The visitor was none other than Liu Tai’an, who had come to visit Ye Qingxuan after joining the Xuantian Sect.
“Tai’an, have a seat.”
As he spoke, Ye Qingxuan poured a cup of tea for Liu Tai’an and gestured for him to sit down.
After sizing up Liu Tai’an, Ye Qingxuan realized he could no longer see through Liu Tai’an’s cultivation level.
But Ye Qingxuan didn’t think too much of it. Liu Tai’an was a peerless genius with a twelve-element spiritual root, so it was only natural that his cultivation had surpassed Ye Qingxuan’s.
Therefore, Ye Qingxuan wasn’t surprised that he couldn’t see through Liu Tai’an’s cultivation.
“Tai’an thanks you, Elder Brother!”
Liu Tai’an respectfully bowed to Ye Qingxuan before sitting down across from him.
Even though Liu Tai’an’s cultivation had now far surpassed Ye Qingxuan’s, he still maintained the same respect for Ye Qingxuan as before.
Once Liu Tai’an was seated, Ye Qingxuan asked with a smile:
“We haven’t seen each other for many years, so what brings you to see me, Junior Brother?”
Since they last parted, this was the first time Liu Tai’an had come to find him. If Liu Tai’an hadn’t sent him a message this time, Ye Qingxuan might have almost forgotten about him.
Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s question, Liu Tai’an looked serious and explained:
“Please forgive me, Elder Brother. The reason I haven’t come to visit you before is that I didn’t have any gift worthy of offering you, so I felt too ashamed to face you.”
After saying this, Liu Tai’an took out a spirit beast pouch and released two small, immortal-energy-filled cranes, saying:
“These are the gifts I’ve prepared for you, Elder Brother. When you’re bored, you can play with them to pass the time.”
Ever since the last time he came to thank Ye Qingxuan, only to end up receiving a gift from him instead, Liu Tai’an had been hesitant to visit Ye Qingxuan casually.
Ye Qingxuan had already saved his life and the lives of everyone in Liu Village.
With his low cultivation back then, he had no way to repay Ye Qingxuan, so how could he keep showing up and let Ye Qingxuan give him more gifts?
Ye Qingxuan looked at the two little cranes Liu Tai’an had brought out, a look of surprise in his eyes as he asked:
“Are these Kongling Immortal Cranes?”
Kongling Immortal Cranes are spirit beasts that can grow to the ninth level, the Tribulation Transcendence stage, and they are quite formidable in battle.
These two Kongling Immortal Cranes were undoubtedly extremely valuable!
Liu Tai’an nodded slightly and said:
“Yes, these are the meeting gifts I specially prepared for you, Elder Brother.”
Over the years, Liu Tai’an had been cultivating in seclusion within the Xuantian Sect and hadn’t gone out to gain experience. These two cranes were the only things he had that were worthy of offering.
After confirming they were Kongling Immortal Cranes, Ye Qingxuan didn’t accept them. He shook his head and said:
“This gift is too valuable. I can’t accept it.”
If it were an ordinary gift, he might have accepted it.
But two Kongling Immortal Cranes, once raised, could become two Tribulation Transcendence stage guardian spirit beasts—truly too precious.
Seeing that Ye Qingxuan wouldn’t accept them, Liu Tai’an said earnestly:
“If you don’t accept them, Elder Brother, I’m not leaving.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan looked at Liu Tai’an’s serious expression and those determined eyes, and he couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing.
Seeing that Liu Tai’an wasn’t backing down, Ye Qingxuan had to relent:
“Alright then. How about you just keep these two little ones here with me? If you ever want them back in the future, you can come and get them.”
But to his surprise, Liu Tai’an firmly shook his head after hearing this:
“These are gifts for you, not things I’m keeping at your place.”
Looking at Liu Tai’an’s stubbornness, Ye Qingxuan chuckled softly:
“Fine, fine. In that case, I’ll accept them.”
This junior brother of his was certainly stubborn in an endearing way.
Since Liu Tai’an insisted so much, Ye Qingxuan decided not to refuse his kindness anymore.
Hearing that Ye Qingxuan was willing to accept his gift, Liu Tai’an’s face broke into a smile again.
Then, Ye Qingxuan asked curiously:
“What is your current cultivation level?”
Facing Ye Qingxuan’s question, Liu Tai’an didn’t hide anything and answered directly:
“I’ve just succeeded in transcending my tribulation, so I’m currently at the early stage of the Divine Transformation realm.”
These two cranes were actually a gift from Liu Tai’an’s master, Cen Zhe, the sect leader of the Xuantian Sect, to celebrate Liu Tai’an’s successful tribulation and breakthrough to the Divine Transformation realm.
“Divine Transformation realm?”
Hearing Liu Tai’an’s words, Ye Qingxuan felt a bit dazed.
So this is the difference talent makes?
He knew Liu Tai’an had the talent of a twelve-element spiritual root and cultivated quickly, but he still hadn’t expected Liu Tai’an to break through to the Divine Transformation realm so soon.
What Ye Qingxuan didn’t know was that Liu Tai’an had actually lingered in the Nascent Soul realm for quite a while just to be absolutely certain he could overcome the Divine Transformation tribulation. If not for that, his breakthrough would have come even earlier.
The upper limit of the Earth Mysteries Realm is high, so the tribulation thresholds for each stage are also higher.
Apart from cultivators like Blessed Cultivators, who have made significant contributions to the Earth Mysteries Realm, every other cultivator faces a heavenly tribulation when breaking through to any realm above Nascent Soul.
Only by successfully passing the tribulation, proving they have the qualifications to wield such vast energy, and gaining the recognition of heaven and earth, can they truly break through.
It’s survival of the fittest. The energy of heaven and earth isn’t something just anyone is qualified to control.
The standard for the heavenly tribulation is fixed for each realm and doesn’t vary from person to person.
Of course, this assumes the cultivator hasn’t caused massive destruction to heaven and earth in the past.
The main purpose of the heavenly tribulation is to test the cultivator, but at the same time, it also tempers their foundation.
The more solid a cultivator’s foundation, the easier it is to overcome the tribulation.
In a sense, the Earth Mysteries Realm and its cultivators have a symbiotic relationship.
When the Earth Mysteries Realm nurtures a cultivator who ascends, the energy and law fragments that flow down from the higher realm when the ascension passage opens greatly benefit the Earth Mysteries Realm as well.
It could be said that the Earth Mysteries Realm’s smooth growth to the peak level of a medium-thousand world is largely due to the many ascendant cultivators throughout its history.
Seeing Ye Qingxuan’s dazed look, Liu Tai’an spoke again:
“Now that I’ve broken through, I need to go out and gain experience. That’s why I came to say goodbye, Elder Brother.”
Ye Qingxuan snapped back to reality and nodded, giving him some advice:
“For your first time going out to gain experience, Junior Brother, you should be careful.”
Then Ye Qingxuan added with a light smile:
“With your current cultivation level, there’s not much I can help you with. This time, I won’t be giving you anything.”
Hearing this, Liu Tai’an quickly shook his head and said:
“You don’t need to give me anything, Elder Brother. Your lifesaving grace is already something Tai’an will remember for a lifetime.”
Before Ye Qingxuan could respond, Liu Tai’an continued:
“I’ve bothered you for long enough, Elder Brother. Tai’an will take his leave now. When I return next time, I’ll come to see you again.”
With that, Liu Tai’an bowed to Ye Qingxuan and then flew away.
Watching Liu Tai’an’s departing figure, Ye Qingxuan thought to himself:
“The Divine Transformation realm… I wonder when I’ll ever reach that level?”
He had to admit, faced with Liu Tai’an’s incredible speed of cultivation, he couldn’t help but feel a ripple in his heart.
But in the end, Ye Qingxuan’s mind returned to its original calm.
Everyone has their own path to walk. The endpoint of his path, Ye Qingxuan’s path, would surely be no less than anyone else’s.
That was enough. There was no need to compete over who was faster or slower.
At the same time, after Liu Tai’an left.
Far away at the peak of Xuantian Peak, Cen Zhe quietly withdrew his gaze and murmured to himself:
“So this is Ye Qingxuan? The senior brother my disciple acknowledges? Interesting. In just a hundred years as a Blessed Cultivator, he’s already reached the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm? Not bad at all!”
After all, his precious disciple had rushed out as soon as he received his gift after breaking through. How could Cen Zhe not be curious?
He just hadn’t expected to accidentally discover another interesting little fellow.
“The path of the Blessed Cultivator is ultimately incomplete. I hope you can forge your own way from it and help the Xuantian Sect perfect this path once and for all.”
With that, Cen Zhe stopped paying attention to Ye Qingxuan.
Ye Qingxuan surely had his own secrets to have advanced to the late Purple Mansion stage so quickly after becoming a Blessed Cultivator.
But Cen Zhe had no intention of prying. As long as Ye Qingxuan was a disciple of the Xuantian Sect, whatever secrets he had didn’t really matter.
The Xuantian Sect has tens of millions of disciples, and countless among them have their own secrets. There’s more than enough room for one Ye Qingxuan.
