Ye Yuan knew exactly what her greatest advantage was.
Unlike ordinary people, she was a reborn soul. Not only did she have the upper hand in every way, but she had also successfully transformed her crippled spiritual root into a pure single-attribute one.
Just like in those storybooks—she was the very definition of a success story.
She’d originally assumed that with such heaven-defying talent, the Grand Elder would naturally want to keep her around.
After all, even the Xuan Yuan family held her in high regard.
She hadn’t expected the Grand Elder to be so indifferent. She’d initially planned to stay in the Ye family, but since that was the case, there was no point lingering—why stick around just to let these people take advantage of her later?
So she extended the invitation for other clan members to leave with her.
What she didn’t know was that, in light of the clan’s glorious ancestral legacy, the Grand Elder didn’t think much of her spiritual root at all—let alone the fact that Ye Shaohua had just shocked him moments ago.
The moment Ye Yuan finished speaking, the very people who had been grumbling with her just a second ago immediately shut their mouths and took a small step back.
None of them answered Ye Yuan.
Some even stepped further back, making it clear they had nothing to do with her.
Even if they felt the Grand Elder was playing favorites, none of them actually wanted to leave the Ye family. After all… what the Grand Elder said was true—part of the reason for arranged marriages was for their own good.
Besides, the Ye family had protected them since they were young. Aside from eating, drinking, and having a good time, they hadn’t really done much to contribute to the family anyway.
“Fine! You’re all so spineless and terrified of death—no wonder you’ll spend your entire lives stuck here, never even reaching Foundation Establishment.” After saying this, Ye Yuan shot them a contemptuous look, then turned to her parents. “Father, Mother, I’m taking you with me.”
Ye Yuan’s father was still processing everything when she spoke.
It wasn’t until she’d already pulled him out the door that he finally came to his senses. “Yuan’er, this—this is too rash! How can we leave the Ye family? What about your engagement with the Xuan Yuan family? And where are we even supposed to go?”
Looking at her parents’ worried faces,
Ye Yuan smiled with confidence. “Father, Mother, don’t worry. Xuan Yuan Che and I have known each other for a long time. The reason he came to break off the engagement this time was for me—not for the Ye family.”
Hearing this, her parents froze for a moment.
Then Ye Yuan dropped another bombshell. “Also, Father, Mother—I’m no longer a fourth-level Qi Refiner. I’ve already reached the sixth level. I’m seventeen this year—a seventeen-year-old Qi Refiner at the sixth level. If I can join Xuan Yue Sect, with my talent, even reaching Golden Core or Nascent Soul wouldn’t be difficult!”
As she spoke, a hint of pride flashed in her eyes.
Ye Yuan’s parents were completely stunned. “S-sixth level? Isn’t the Grand Elder only at the ninth level?”
“Exactly. So now you understand? The Grand Elder has no idea I’m already at the sixth level. If he knew, he’d regret this immensely. But I’m never going back to a place like the Ye family.” Ye Yuan instructed a few maids to pack their things, then prepared to leave. “Don’t worry—there will come a day when they come begging me for help.”
The maids serving Ye Yuan were her trusted confidants.
They’d long known about her strength, and upon hearing her words, they were ready to leave with her.
Before leaving, they also helped themselves to quite a few of the Ye family’s possessions.
They completely forgot that when they’d ended up here with nowhere to go, it was the Ye family that had taken them in. Without the Ye family, they’d have no idea where they’d be right now.
Ye Yuan’s parents had initially been against leaving. But after digesting everything their daughter had told them, they finally came around.
“My wonderful daughter!” Ye Yuan’s mother pulled her into a tight embrace, her face beaming with joy. “I never imagined you’d be such a genius! That Ye Shaohua was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, wasn’t she? You’ll definitely catch Xuan Yue Sect’s attention. We have to keep this well hidden—don’t let those old fossils find out. If they do, they’ll come crawling back with their faces all smiles. To hell with them!”
Ye Yuan smiled, a gleam of self-assurance shining in her eyes.
The family couldn’t wait to leave the Ye estate.
**
Meanwhile, back at the Ye family, the other elders were also somewhat dissatisfied with Ye Yuan’s departure.
Mr. and Mrs. Liu hadn’t expected their visit to spark such a commotion within the Ye family. But since the Grand Elder had spoken, there was no reason for them to stay. After exchanging polite farewells, they took their leave.
Before leaving, however, they took one more look at Ye Shaohua—and the more they looked, the more they liked her.
But then they thought of their own good-for-nothing son and let out a sigh.
Oh well—that brat wouldn’t even show his face when he heard about the engagement.
After seeing off the Liu family’s parents,
several elders and Ye Shaohua’s father, Ye Xuan, gathered in the council hall. “Now that Ye Yuan has ties to the Xuan Yuan family and is a fourth-level Qi Refiner—and from what I saw yesterday, she’s probably about to break through to the fifth level soon—letting her leave like this…”
The Second Elder, who had just spoken, glanced at Ye Shaohua, feeling that letting Ye Yuan go for her sake was hardly worth it.
“I think the Second Elder has a point. That girl Ye Yuan seems to have some real skill. Letting her walk away just like that…”
In truth, most of the Ye family’s senior members still present in the hall—including Ye Shaohua’s own father—shared similar thoughts.
After all, Ye Shaohua’s spiritual root was now ruined.
If this were the old Ye Shaohua, she might have been able to hold her own against Ye Yuan.
If it came down to choosing between the two, there might have been something to weigh.
But comparing the current Ye Shaohua with Ye Yuan—even a three-year-old could tell which one mattered more.
And yet, even Ye Xuan, who was biased toward his own daughter and didn’t want her married off to some playboy, was feeling conflicted. He couldn’t help but think that the Grand Elder’s decision was a bit unwise.
The Ye family was declining with each passing generation—there were far too few people born with spiritual root talent.
To maintain a foothold in the city, a single treasure wasn’t enough to deter enemies. They also needed a high-level Qi Refiner to act as a deterrent, someone like the Grand Elder.
Given her trajectory, Ye Yuan would likely be the one to succeed the Grand Elder’s position in the future.
Hearing everyone’s remarks, the Grand Elder said nothing at first. He simply glanced at Ye Xuan, somewhat surprised. “You think so too?”
Ye Xuan naturally understood his daughter’s current situation. He let out a sigh. “Grand Elder, in that case, I’ll go apologize personally and ask Ye Yuan to come back.”
That was his compromise.
“Apologize?” The Grand Elder laughed and shook his head, then looked over at Ye Shaohua. “Shaohua, why are you hiding back there? Let your father and the elders see your current strength.”
