Although she fell slightly short of the ancestor’s level, it was still a height that most people could never reach.
Back when the ancestor was at the Qi Refining stage, his mental power had been so immense that he elevated the Ye family to the pinnacle of the cultivation world.
He was a legend in the hearts of all weapon smiths, and even to this day, the annals of the cultivation world still carried tales of the ancestor.
Throughout the entire history of the cultivation world up to now, the only person ever known to have forged immortal tools and divine artifacts was that one ancestor of the Ye family!
Yet their descendants did not dare to carry the ancestor’s name with pride.
The Ye family had lain low in obscurity for twenty thousand years. This secret had been passed down only to each generation’s Grand Elder. But this time was different. The Grand Elder looked at Ye Shaohua, a flicker of fervent hope gleaming in his eyes.
“This is the ancestor’s legacy on array deduction and weapon-forging insights,” the Grand Elder said, handing the manuscript to Ye Shaohua. “Shaohua, do not show this book to anyone lightly. Our Ye family fell because we provoked demonic cultivators back then, and the founding ancestors of those three great sects have always kept their eyes on our clan. If they ever discover that the Ye family still exists, they will surely uproot us completely.”
This was a treasure that the entire cultivation world was searching for.
With a mixture of excitement and reverence, Ye Shaohua accepted the book from the Grand Elder with the utmost respect.
Even without reading it, she could already imagine just what kind of powerhouse the Ye family had been twenty thousand years ago.
And that ancestor of the Ye family was undoubtedly an extraordinary figure.
She lifted her head, looked at the Grand Elder, and said with utmost seriousness, “Grand Elder, rest assured. I will devote myself to studying this diligently and strive to forge an immortal tool.”
If possible, she wanted even more to restore the Ye family to its former glory.
Hearing this, the Grand Elder was taken aback.
After a long pause, he smiled and shook his head at Ye Shaohua. “Shaohua, I don’t expect you to forge an immortal tool. After all, even back then, the Ye family’s immortal tools were accumulated over tens of thousands of years, and that was during the golden age of the cultivation world, when all kinds of spiritual treasures were abundant. The present cultivation world has declined. Every heavenly treasure we use is one less in existence. If you can craft even a single spirit tool, the Ye family will already have a place in this world.”
At the very least, a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining wielding a spirit tool could contend with a Golden Core cultivator.
Even if that weren’t the case, the Ye family could use spirit tools as bargaining chips to hire a Nascent Soul expert for protection.
After all, even among the experts at the Nascent Soul stage in the Xuan Yue Sect, very few possessed spirit tools—unless they held an exceptionally high status.
If they could achieve that, the Ye family would no longer be so perpetually passive and vulnerable.
However, even when it came to spirit tools, the Grand Elder didn’t actually expect Ye Shaohua to succeed in forging one.
For one thing, the Ye family was no longer what it used to be. There was no one to teach Ye Shaohua, so she would have to stumble through many detours on her own. For another, the family lacked sufficient materials for her to practice with.
What’s more, there was one more thing the Grand Elder hadn’t mentioned.
Back in the day, the ancestor was also a cultivation prodigy who possessed an exceptionally pure fire spirit root.
Just on those grounds alone, Ye Shaohua was at a significant disadvantage. Reaching the ancestor’s level would be incredibly difficult.
If she could forge a treasure tool, the Grand Elder would already be overjoyed.
A spirit tool? Ye Shaohua listened to the Grand Elder’s words but didn’t reply. There were many things she hadn’t told him either—for instance, that her current mental strength actually surpassed the Golden Core stage.
She had held back earlier because she didn’t want to seem too monstrous.
But she hadn’t expected that the Ye family’s ancestor had been even more freakish, so she hadn’t truly shocked the Grand Elder.
By cumulative calculation, her current mental power was no less than the Nascent Soul stage.
More importantly, she wasn’t even a cultivator like the original owner had been at the Qi Refining stage. She was simply an ordinary person who hadn’t cultivated at all. If she actually reached the Qi Refining stage, her mental strength would undergo a qualitative leap.
“Keep it safe,” the Grand Elder said as he handed it over. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he tossed a ring to Ye Shaohua. “This is a storage ring. Take it. If you’re serious about forging weapons, a storage ring is absolutely essential.”
Although the Ye family had declined and their immortal tools and spirit tools had been plundered, they still had plenty of these most basic storage rings.
But the Grand Elder rarely showed them to the younger generations and had always kept a low profile.
After all, an innocent man may be safe, but possessing a treasure invites trouble.
Only after he saw Ye Shaohua imprint her mental power onto the storage ring did the Grand Elder lead her out. “Let’s go. The Liu family members should still be here. I’ll take you over to have a look.”
Now that Ye Shaohua had shown this talent, the Grand Elder had no intention of marrying her off to the Liu family.
After all, she was… the last sliver of hope for the fallen Ye family. Even if that hope was faint, he wouldn’t give it up.
**
In the main hall, Ye Yuan was also watching Ye Mu chat with the others, a faint, mocking smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
She wasn’t surprised at all that Liu Yunshen hadn’t shown up this time.
After all, in her previous life, Liu Yunshen had been exactly that kind of scoundrel—not only did he never apply himself to anything worthwhile, but he was also a womanizing playboy. That was precisely why, in her past life, Ye Yuan had chosen to flee the marriage when Ye Shaohua refused to take her away.
“Let’s go,” Ye Yuan said, withdrawing her gaze and addressing the person beside her. “There’s nothing interesting to see here.”
In this life, Ye Shaohua would no longer pose any threat to her. Her most outstanding water spirit root was already destroyed. Ye Yuan didn’t think the current Ye Shaohua could ever be like the one from her previous life.
She was just saying this when—
At that moment, Ye Shaohua walked into the hall alongside the Grand Elder.
“Grand Elder.” Everyone in the hall, upon seeing the Grand Elder’s arrival, quickly bowed with respect.
Even Liu Yunshen’s parents did the same.
Ye Yuan had initially been looking forward to seeing Ye Shaohua make a fool of herself, since in this life she was being married off to someone like Liu Yunshen. But before she could even enjoy the spectacle, she was stunned by a single sentence from the Grand Elder—
