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Chapter 1531: Backing Up to the End
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
'My vertical bamboo flute did help me become famous, but the most important thing to me is my capability. The vertical bamboo flute is what I love but not what I live on. Bu Xiangfeng's sword means his life!'
'I can't deny that!'
"You are the famous Mater Xiao, who plays the magnificent songs to the world. Your songs have become a blessing to the world, so you think you are above the masses. You can't let go of what happened in the auction, because you felt offended. Even though you have gotten what you wanted in the end, you still hate the man who tried to take them from you in a proper way. You have gotten used to getting whatever you want easily. You want everybody to step back for you."
"Now you are here, shouting about how you solve to end the problem. Have you thought about it? You have taken the two pieces of metals. Bu Xiangfeng must hate you even more because of it! For him, you are evil!"
"You are brilliant in the art of vertical bamboo flute, so you look down upon the world. You are rich, famous, powerful, and there are forces backing you up. You can have whatever you want with the money and power you got. Bu Xiangfeng has nothing compared to you, so he said something to vent the grudge in his chest. Isn't it understandable? Why can't you just let it go?"
Ye Xiao frowned and blandly said, "That is all this is about. Have I said anything wrong? Who is bullying? Who is being unreasonable? Who is making troubles? Justice is always among us. I am only telling the truth. What about you, Mater Xiao?"
"Master Xiao, you don't have a proper reason to come and attack us. This is dishonorable." Ye Xiao raised his head and said in a deep voice, "No matter how powerful you are or how many people you will gather up to attack, the Monarch's Hall will support Bu Xiangfeng to the end without hesitation!"
He paused and then stared at Master Xiao with fierceness in his eyes. He said, "I don't care who you are, who are supporting you, or how many powerful cultivators are fighting for you, if you dare to start a fight in the Monarch's Hall, we will do whatever we can to bury you. This is my word, and I won't change that!"
Ye Xiao's eyes were sharp like the blade of his sword, full of indifference and sneer!
Nobody could doubt his determination while he had that fierceness in his eyes!
Bu Xiangfeng had stayed silent since Ye Xiao started talking.
He was listening to every word Ye Xiao said.
His eyes were lighting up.
He stood at the same spot since the beginning. As Ye Xiao kept speaking, Bu Xiangfeng became more and more fierce.
When Ye Xiao finished his last few words, Bu Xiangfeng's vibe was rising up to the sky, shaking the atmosphere!
It was a sharp stream of sword qi rushing up to the sky!
He was still standing there, but he looked like an incredible sword!
The sharp and powerful qi seemed to separate the sky and the earth!
Nobody could separate the sky and the earth, but his power seemed to do it at this moment!
His solitude ended up to be settled!
He had been traveling alone for his whole life, and now he found himself a home!
The settlement calmed down his turbulent heart. His cultivation power suddenly rushed up to an upper level!
"No matter how many people you have, the Monarch's Hall will fight to the end without hesitation!"
"No matter where you are from. No matter who is supporting you. No matter how many people you have. When you attack, the Monarch's Hall will sacrifice whatever we have to bury you here!"
Ye Xiao's words were like a thunderclap shaking the world!
Bu Xiangfeng tried to breathe steadily, holding down the excitement in his heart. The blustering light in his eyes was fighting the peace.
Master Xiao and his men were shaken!
The three of them were all extraordinary cultivators, who were able to sense the change of the vibes. They looked at Bu Xiangfeng and felt the drastic rise of his power. The three men all felt danger.
Bu Xiangfeng was like a sharp sword coming out from its scabbard!
It was a breakthrough!
'What the f*ck!' The three of them thought.
'Listening to some touching speech could bring him a breakthrough! How come? Is this even possible? This is unfair!'
They felt it was difficult now. They didn't know whether to give in or not.
They felt frightened, but not because of Bu Xiangfeng. Bu Xiangfeng was powerful indeed. He was a famous itinerant cultivator after all. If he wasn't powerful, he wouldn't survive the fight against three Saint Origin Stage cultivators who worked for Master Xiao. One of the three Saint Origin Stage cultivators was even severely injured by Bu Xiangfeng.
Now that he had broken through to a new level, it would be more difficult to beat him. However, no matter how difficult it was, Master Xiao and his men could still defeat him in the end. It was dangerous, but it was not impossible.
What made them feel it was difficult was the Monarch of the Monarch's Hall, Ye Xiao! Master Xiao came to take revenge. He was here only for Bu Xiangfeng. However, unexpectedly, the Monarch's Hall stood out and protected Bu Xiangfeng. It wouldn't be too difficult to defeat the Monarch's Hall, because there weren't any truly powerful figures in the Monarch's Hall. Master Xiao wasn't scared at all.
However, Ye Xiao had shocked him. This young Monarch seemed to be just a weak shrimp, but the way he talked and acted…
Everything proved how incredible this man might be. Master Xiao knew a lot of lords from some powerful clans, so he knew how Ye Xiao acted like a powerful descendant of a powerful clan. In fact, he was much more like a great man than any of the other young lords. In other words, Master Xiao was afraid that messing with the Monarch's Hall could be a terrible mistake…
…
Chapter 1532: Be Forced to Cave!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Master Xiao wanted to put Bu Xiangfeng down so much that he wasn't reconciled to step back. 'I know it is not wise to mess with you, and I can show you respect. Well, you should show me respect too, shouldn't you?'
He wanted to find some words to say and made a compromise with the Monarch's Hall, but Ye Xiao directly said that he would back Bu Xiangfeng up to the end…
Master Xiao was surprised, and he didn't know how to end this mess now. 'What the hell are you doing? Maybe you are one of the Ye Clan, but we are the stronger one right now!'
Master Xiao couldn't deny what Ye Xiao said, but he just couldn't endure the humiliation. If he caved now, he would feel disgraced. Bu Xiangfeng had just had a breakthrough. If Master Xiao gave up now, it would look like he was scared by Bu Xiangfeng! Master Xiao couldn't accept such humiliation!
"Look, this is all about one mistake. It started from a tiny mistake, and that is all." Ye Xiao disdainfully waved his hand and blandly said, "You know what? I don't understand why you two had to fight so desperately for some rubbish metals."
Master Xiao took a breath and tried not to get angry. He said, "Master Ye, are you saying that we are childish?"
Master Xiao wasn't happy, but he was relaxed. 'It seems he doesn't want to fight too…'
'It means there is still room to turn things over.'
Master Xiao didn't want to become an enemy to this unpredictable young lord!
What Ye Xiao said sounded too arrogant.
'Some rubbish metals?'
'Why don't you find some rubbish metals like these and show me how rubbish it is!'
Ye Xiao pretended to be surprised and blandly said, "Do you really value the metals that much? Aren't you just using it as an excuse to make trouble? Come on. This is unexpected to me. It is absurd to make this a big scene just for some metals. I can understand why Bu Xiangfeng likes those metals that much because he is an itinerant cultivator. He doesn't know as much as you do, does he? Master Xiao, you are a famous person in the world. You are experienced and well-informed… How come…"
Master Xiao's face turned red. He said loudly, "Those are the Feather Bronze and the Brocade Steel, which haven't been seen in the world for many years!"
Ye Xiao rolled up his eyes and blandly said, "Do you really value them so much? Did you get any Cosmos Iron yet?"
Master Xiao was shocked.
Ye Xiao slowly raised his head and smiled. "I happen to have all these metals you need. Did you get enough?"
He slightly turned over his hand, and then a piece of Cosmos Iron that was as big as a human head showed up in his hand. The Cosmos Iron was glowing some mysterious lights.
Master Xiao was shocked, and then was overjoyed!
He came to make trouble but ended up finding the metal he needed.
With a piece of Cosmos Iron, he could reforge his vertical bamboo flute!
Once he had a new vertical bamboo flute, his capability of vertical bamboo flute playing would be greatly improved…
The songs that he played would become more powerful.
If the Farewell Sword was half of Bu Xiangfeng's life, the vertical bamboo flute was also an important part of Master Xiao's life!
Master Xiao hurriedly said, "Master Ye, you are such a generous person. Thank you for giving me the metal. I will leave with the Cosmos Iron and never come back for Bu Xiangfeng again!"
"Hah hah hah hah…" Ye Xiao was surprised, but then he laughed loudly. He laughed so hard that he almost shed tears. After a while, he said with heavy breaths, "Master Xiao, are you asking me to give you the Cosmos Iron for free? Do you mean I should give you the metal so you will leave me alone? Do you? Really? Hah hah hah…"
Master Xiao's face turned red.
He glanced at the two young men who came with him. The two men were also looking at him like looking at a fool.
'Come on, big brother. Can't you be realistic? We are not taking any advantage in this now. We can't leave, and we don't dare to fight. Are you serious? Do you really think you can just ask for that Cosmos Iron?'
'What is in your mind?'
'Is your head soaked?'
'Even if he does give you the Cosmos Iron, do you dare to just take it away?'
'Aren't you afraid that you will die when you dare to take it?'
'You are showing no respect to that young lord at all by asking for the metal! You may get yourself killed!'
'We two may get killed because of your stupidity! That is so f*cked up!'
"Let our guests go now!" Ye Xiao stopped laughing. With a bland face, he said, "I was going to sell the Cosmos Iron to you so that you can fix your vertical bamboo flute. Well, since you shamelessly asked me to give it to you for free, I don't think I should help you at all. Guys, let them leave! If they insist to stay, kick them out!"
"Yes, Master!"
Meng Youjiang and his people responded at the same time. Over five hundred men drew out their weapons. The cold lights of the weapons were glittering. Meng Youjiang made a step ahead and said, "Master Xiao, please leave."
"Wait!" Master Xiao did not want to go at all.
He stared at the metal in Ye Xiao's hand and said loudly, "Master Ye, we can still talk. I was stupid. I shouldn't have said those words. I just… The vertical bamboo flute is so important to me… Please, Brother Ye, tell me what you want. We can talk. You wanted to help me, so please show me kindness."
Ye Xiao blandly said, "I never compensate for anything. There is nothing we can talk!"
Then he turned around to leave.
Master Xiao already got the Brocade Steel and the Feather Bronze. The Cosmos Iron was all he needed to complete the vertical bamboo flute. He had been so worried about it, making all kinds of efforts to find it. Surprisingly, Ye Xiao had it!
He would never leave.
He knew that it was not a good idea to mess with Ye Xiao, but he just couldn't give up.
"Brother Ye, wait!" Master Xiao took a breath and said, "As you said, the problem that I keep trying to solve means nothing… I am only here to make fun of Brother Bu about it…"
He did not want to cave, but he had to, because he was afraid that he wouldn't find another piece of that special metal anymore. He was anxious now.
…
Chapter 1533: Twin Killers
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Ye Xiao humphed and stopped. He turned around and said, "I do look down upon you because you are making big trouble for something so small. Do you think the Cosmos Iron is just some normal metal? This piece of Cosmos Iron is the essence of Cosmos Iron. It is as big as a child's head, but it weighs one and a half million grams. Master Xiao… You know what it means. I don't care much about these things, but I hate it when people think that I am stupid."
Master Xiao was thrilled. He kept nodding.
"The essence of Cosmos Iron has everything the Cosmos Iron has. Other than that, it has the power to create space. That makes it the perfect material to make spatial items. You only need a part of it to make your vertical bamboo flute, and the rest of it can be made into Cosmos Rings! At least one hundred rings… Do you have questions about it?"
'Questions? No!'
Everybody agreed.
The scale of the Cosmos Iron in Ye Xiao's hand was so big that Master Xiao wouldn't need more than one-third of it to make the vertical bamboo flute. The rest of it could be made into at least two hundred rings…
That was more than enough.
Master Xiao said, "Master Ye is right. This piece of Cosmos Iron is very important to me, especially now."
Ye Xiao laughed and said, "I was thinking that I would sell it to you for a hundred thousand purple spirit coins, and that could draw an end to this stupid disturbance. However, your shameless request made me angry. I would like to solve the problem that is caused by you, but I am not a fool. I have changed my mind now."
Mater Xiao didn't look happy.
'This is unbelievable. The Cosmos Iron is a special metal, and it is the perfect material for making spatial items, but it is not that priceless. After all, in the Human Realm Upon Heavens, everybody has some spatial items. It is not rare. The Cosmos Iron is not as valuable as the Brocade Steel and the Feather Bronze. Even though that piece of Cosmos Iron is top-quality, one hundred thousand purple spirit coins are still too much. Now he even refuses to sell it, only because of something that I said.'
'That is unreasonable!'
'The problem is… I have been looking for the Cosmos Iron for a long time and can't find any. How can I give up on this?!'
"What should we do for you, Master Ye? What should we do to make you sell that Cosmos Iron to us…" The young man on Master Xiao's right side was talking.
His sharp eyes were locking on Ye Xiao.
Apparently, these two young men were as oppressed as Master Xiao.
They thought they were here to have a good fight but ended up doing nothing, only to bear the oppression. They felt upset about it.
Master Xiao finally found the Cosmos Iron, so he was fine…
What about the two young men?
'We are two of the most powerful cultivators in the Limitless Ocean, yet we are here to bear the humiliation with Master Xiao. Are we going to just leave like this?'
'Isn't it such a disgrace?'
Ye Xiao looked at the young man who talked and blandly said, "What is your name? I don't like to talk to a man who doesn't tell me his name."
Ye Xiao decided to be a total badass young lord!
He couldn't turn weak. Once he stepped back a little bit, people wouldn't believe that he was as powerful as he pretended to be.
He was trying to be tough.
Tough!
A tough guy!
He half-closed his eyes, tilted his head and asked for the young man's name. The young man understood that it was reasonable to ask for his name…
However, he was also worried. 'If he knows my name, will the Ye Clan come after me?'
'If I just tell him my name, will I look like an arrogant person?'
'If I don't tell him my name, will it become a reason for an unnecessary fight to come?'
'This Lord Ye… He is tough… He will start a fight only to vent the anger in his chest…'
The young man was quite nervous when Ye Xiao asked him for his name. In fact, he thought he shouldn't have said anything.
However, he couldn't step back either, because it would be a disgrace. He said, "I am Shui Zhongliu, and this is my younger brother, Shui Zhongtian. Accept my respect, Master Ye."
"Oh, the twins in the water!" Everybody knew who they were.
Shui Zhongliu and Shui Zhongtian were two evil men that were famous in the Limitless Ocean. The two of them were both ranked number nineteen on the Limitless Ocean Killers Ranking List! Nobody liked them!
Everybody knew the famous twin killers, but nobody had ever seen their true faces. Assassins always covered their faces, so it was reasonable. However, the two brothers were hiding because of that.
A few hundred years earlier, while the two of them were on a mission, they chased the target somewhere far from the world. After killing their target, they found some plants that they had only heard in the myth. The two of them ate it and then regained youth. Two white-haired old men suddenly became two young men.
That was a legendary story in the Human Realm Upon Heavens.
After they got their new appearance, they decided to keep it a secret, so they killed everybody who knew their old faces.
The two of them became two mysterious figures in the world, and it made them much more dangerous to people.
Everybody knew that they were two old men, so nobody had ever thought that they would become two young men!
The secret was kept for a long time. Now, under Ye Xiao's oppression, they actually exposed their true identities.
Master Xiao's men were obviously surrendering.
The two killers were only here to help Master Xiao. They wouldn't want to be enemies to the Ye Clan…
It would be a disaster to become enemies to the Ye Clan…
The twin killers were famous and incredible among normal cultivators. However, for the Ye Clan, they were nothing. It was easy to get them both killed immediately. Keeping their secret from the Ye Clan was pointless!
Chapter 1534: What to Do?
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Ye Xiao heard the name Shui Zhongliu, but he was still calm. He had to stay calm and look arrogant, since he truly had no idea who the two men were. He only remembered that these two names were on the ranking list. He slightly nodded and blandly said, "Oh, I see. That is surprising…"
That was a casual response.
The two men and all the others were surprised. 'Come on, chief. They are two truly influential figures in the world. Can't you at least show some reaction? Surprising sounds like a compliment… but it is more like you have found something interesting… That is not a compliment at all…'
"You want something from me, then you must follow my rules." Ye Xiao nodded and said, "If you don't want to follow my rules, you can go. It makes no difference to me."
Master Xiao asked, "What do you want? I will do my best."
Ye Xiao smiled and pointed up two fingers. "First, two hundred thousand purple spirit coins. No bargain."
Master Xiao's pretty face twisted.
That was four times the reasonable price! That was only the first… There were going to be the second, the third, and the fourth…
'Do I look like pork on your plate?'
Master Xiao tried not to be angry. In a cold voice, he said, "I guess there is a second. May I ask what it is?"
"That is simple. I heard that you are good at playing good songs. Your performance could benefit all cultivators…" Ye Xiao smiled, "I will gather my men, and you will play a song for us all. That should be an easy job for you!"
Master Xiao widely opened his eyes and said, "What?"
Even people of the Monarch's Hall were shocked by what Ye Xiao just said.
They never thought that he would ask for something that valuable.
'Come on, the young master is here to make trouble! Why would he help all the people in the Monarch's Hall improve cultivation capability?'
'Is it really an easy job?… This is too much!'
Master Xiao looked pretty cold. He blandly said, "Do you know how hard it is for me to play a song? Do you know how much one has to pay to listen to my performance?"
Master Xiao was being frank. 'You should know how much you are asking for. Two hundred thousand purple spirit coins for one piece of Cosmos Iron, I can endure it. Do you know how much my performance is worth?'
Well, after what he said, people in the Monarch's Hall were all angry.
'Do you think you are really that valuable?'
'You are just a vertical bamboo flute player…'
'Yes. You have played for the people in the five royal cities. So what? It won't change the fact that you are just a vertical bamboo flute player!'
'Do you really think it matters to us?'
Ye Xiao raised his eyebrows and smiled. He said, "I do not know how much it costs for your performance. I don't care. I know one thing. If you don't do it, you won't get the Cosmos Iron!"
He smiled and said, "That is not all. I promise. If I want, you are not going to get the Cosmos Iron in any other places except the five royal cities. No matter how much you pay, you can't buy it! Do you believe me?"
"I will make sure nobody sells Cosmos Iron to you, not even if you would like to pay billions of purple spirit coins."
Ye Xiao half-closed his eyes and said, "Well, if you find some, you won't get it. Oh, and I am sure that you will have to spend thousands of years to find it."
Master Xiao was shaking because of anger. "You are bullying! This is too much!"
Ye Xiao indifferently smiled and said, "What is this? Do you mean there is no deal here? Well, you can leave now. Goodbye!"
Master Xiao was shocked.
'Did I mean that? No! I didn't! I was just complaining… I didn't say no!'
Ye Xiao turned around and said in a low voice to the others, "Send my message back to the clan. The Cosmos Iron…"
"Hold it!"
Master Xiao had spent so much on the Brocade Steel and the Feather Bronze. One piece of Cosmos Iron was all he needed. How could he give up now? If this young Master Ye sent the message back to the Ye Clan, nobody in the world would dare to give him any Cosmos Iron!
There might be people who dared to mess with Ye Hongchen, but nobody wanted to mess with Ye Hongchen for Master Xiao!
Ye Clan had vanished for one hundred thousand years, and it was time for the Ye Clan to return!
Nobody dared to mess with the Ye Clan at this moment!
Maybe the Ye Clan was going to start a war in the world.
Master Xiao seemed to understand the point. He thought Ye Xiao was trying to find an excuse to build the Ye Clan's authority… 'Why would I be the target? No!'
Therefore, he didn't dare to make any reckless move.
"I promise. I will give you both what you want!" Master Xiao said, "However, Brother Ye, there is a question…"
"You have said yes. What question do you have?" Ye Xiao asked.
"I do have a question, please… You want me to play that song, and I will. However, I need to have a good vertical bamboo flute first… Otherwise, it won't work. Moreover, I can only play that song once in a year. If I play it for the second time in one year, I will die with all my Jing and Mai drained…"
Master Xiao was being honest.
He was so humble and sincere that he nearly cut out his heart to show Ye Xiao his honesty.
"So? What do you think you should do?" Ye Xiao frowned and asked Master Xiao.
'What should I do?'
Master Xiao frowned and didn't know the answer either.
'What should I do? If I know what to do, I will just tell you what I should do!'
'This is clear. I need the last piece of metal for my vertical bamboo flute. I need it. I won't give it up. I can't.'
'But it seems we can't get a deal now.'
'I can't force you to give me the metal…' He thought that messing with Ye Xiao would bring himself to death. That was why he didn't dare to start the fight.
All in all, he had no idea what to do next. There was nothing he could think of that would bring benefits to both sides, so he was pretty anxious.
…
Chapter 1535: How Dare You Threaten Me?
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
It wasn't certain yet. Master Xiao knew that this Monarch was not going to let him get the metal easily, but did want to have a deal about it.
His performance was also something rather valuable for the Monarch's Hall. Monarch's Hall was weak, and the Monarch wanted to improve the organization with Master Xiao's performance.
They both needed something from each other, so they both wanted a good deal. Master Xiao was asked to give more, and he could endure it for the metal that he needed. However…
Master Xiao was cursing in the head. 'F*ck you, Xiao Monarch! Do you think I am a god or something? You have over one thousand men in the Monarch's Hall! How am I going to make you all improve? That is too much to ask!'
'If I am that powerful, I would have built a secret army of mine already, and I would have ruled the world!'
'My performance, the Gate to Greatness, could push the audience one level up, but that is only a possibility! It is not for sure! The audience would have to be knowledgeable about music, who can understand the beauty in the music, who was close to the breakthrough… The vertical bamboo flute music will calm down the audience's mindset and then let it burst into a breakthrough… That is all…'
'It is not as powerful as the story tells!'
Master Xiao was quite proud of his skill in vertical bamboo flute playing. However, now he wasn't. If he was not that famous, maybe he wouldn't be in such trouble. A good fame did not always bring him the best!
Ye Xiao stared at Master Xiao with confusion. He was thinking, 'I don't care if you are telling the truth. I need to believe that you are lying!'
Master Xiao almost shed tears.
"What is it? Do you want to tell me that if I don't give you the metal, you will not be able to play your thing? Are you pretending? Do you think you can threaten me with it?" Ye Xiao frowned and looked at Master Xiao. Suddenly, he shouted with anger. "How dare you f*cking threaten me? How dare you?!"
He acted just like a young lord of a powerful clan!
He was polite and decent in the beginning, but with that shout, he started to talk abusively.
The domineering arrogance that he suddenly showed truly shocked Master Xiao. Master Xiao's face turned colorless!
That angry shout made Master Xiao understand one thing. 'The man is definitely the young lord of the Ye Clan!'
'His domineering vibe… It is much more oppressing than any other young lords from those powerful clans.'
'The dominance… The anger… The arrogance… He is definitely from that powerful clan…'
"I… I was not threatening… That is not a threat… I was just… I just…" Master Xiao was in shock.
'Is he going to be mad at me? That is so unreasonable.'
He made a sigh and thought, 'Well, how would he be reasonable? He doesn't need to. It would not be normal if he is as reasonable as regular people!'
"Please, Monarch Ye. I didn't mean to contradict your opinion. What I said was simply the voice in my heart…" Master Xiao didn't notice that he was losing it during the conversation. He was so confident when he arrived, but now the confidence was completely gone. He was like a young woman who was wronged. All he did was to explain how innocent he was, begging for forgiveness… In his eyes, there was fear…"
"Please, Brother Ye… For example, Bu Xiangfeng needs his sword so much that he has to fix it. If he uses another sword, he won't be the same good. In fact, that is why he would like to spend all the money he had to buy the metals. An ordinary sword won't help him make his powerful moves! It is the same situation for me… Think about it…"
Master Xiao felt terribly wronged. He wouldn't take Bu Xiangfeng as an example to explain for himself if he was still the arrogant Master Xiao.
Bu Xiangfeng rolled his eyes up and thought, 'Screw you. Now I am a good example to prove your innocence. Do I know you that well? If you realized how stupid you were, how would you end up disgraceful like this?'
Ye Xiao was surprised. He stayed silent for a while and then said, "That makes sense though. When I play cricket fights, I usually use that special stick. After it was broken, I couldn't find any other sticks that could work so well in the game… It is the same…"
'A stick for the cricket game…'
Master Xiao almost wept for himself.
'You just compared precious vertical bamboo flute to your stupid cricket fight stick…'
'Would it be too improper to explain the situation with something about a cricket game?'
"Well, it makes sense. However, I don't care. I have told you what I want. You don't give me what I want, then I won't give you the metal…" Ye Xiao rolled his eyes up and kept being domineering."
Master Xiao's face was twisting. He gritted his teeth and said, "I can pay you more."
"Hah hah. I don't need money…" Ye Xiao frowned and said, "What should I ask for?"
'I don't need money…'
Master Xiao was wordless.
'I am offering more money! Don't you want it?'
'If you truly are that wealthy, why don't you just give me the metal? Why waste your time thinking?'
'Why do you have to make me suffer?'
Master Xiao didn't know the truth, though. Ye Xiao talked like he had enough money, but actually not. He had quite a lot of money, but not enough to feed the thousands of men for a long time…
Chapter 1536: The More Mistakes, the Better
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
It was a great expense to make sure all those people had a regular life in the Monarch's Hall… The food that was needed to feed these people must cost a lot…
Besides, it was not regular food… To make sure these people improved fast, Ye Xiao provided food that was full of spiritual energy…
Ye Xiao still looked like a wealthy young lord, but deep in his heart, he was anxious for running out of money…
No matter what he said, he was badly in need of money!
"Then… What is your thought, Master Ye?" Master Xiao looked at the Cosmos Iron in Ye Xiao's hand.
The greed in his eyes was popping out of his head.
He couldn't buy it if Ye Xiao didn't let him!
He couldn't take it, or steal it!
He couldn't mess with the Ye Clan.
However, he needed it. He had to get it.
That was killing him.
If he didn't think Ye Xiao was from the Ye Clan, he would have done whatever it was to Ye Xiao!
He would even kill him for the metal!
In the Limitless Ocean, murder was not a rare thing, so he wouldn't care.
That was why Master Xiao understood why Ye Xiao would do this, even though he hated Ye Xiao for doing this.
There was nothing he could do but to do whatever Ye Xiao said.
"What I mean? I mean nothing. Do I mean anything? No." Ye Xiao looked at Master Xiao for a while and said, "You said you had difficulties. I heard you. I am a reasonable man. I never force others…"
Everybody, not only Master Xiao but also people in the Monarch's Hall, almost cried in tears when they heard what Ye Xiao just said.
'Come on! After what you did, you still call yourself a reasonable man?'
'How could you do that?!'
"Look. What about this? Four hundred thousand purple spirit coins." Ye Xiao talked like he was taken advantage of, and said, "Give me the money, and you can take the Cosmos Iron. If you don't have that much money, you don't get the Cosmos Iron."
'How much? What?'
'Four hundred thousand purple spirit coins?'
Master Xiao's heart was shaken.
'It is just a piece of Cosmos Iron! Will I become immortal if I have it?'
'Bastard! How could you even say it?'
'That is far more than greedy!'
'You are going to swallow the entire world…'
Master Xiao was hesitating and Ye Xiao was not happy about it. He frowned and said, "Well, it seems four hundred thousand is a bit lower than the reasonable price. Maybe I should…"
"Gratitude, Master Ye! I will pay for it! Deal!" Master Xiao hurriedly accepted the deal.
The two brothers on his side didn't say a word. Their faces looked unhappy though.
They had never been so humiliated ever. Now they were, yet they didn't dare to fight against it…
One piece of Cosmos Iron should be no more than sixty thousand purple spirit coins…
Ye Xiao wanted to sell it for ten times the price it was worth.
Master Xiao actually accepted!
Master Xiao couldn't wait to pay the money!
'Why did you take us with you if you would do this? Did you want us to be disgraced with you?'
The two brothers were annoyed. 'It turns out we are here to be the background of your humiliating show!'
'Standing and waiting for the disgrace. Nothing else…'
The two of them both felt like they had mistakenly f*cked by some wild dog!
…
After a while, Master Xiao looked happy to have obtained such an important thing. Ye Xiao was still bland and indifferent. He slowly returned to the Hall of Life and Death…
His pockets were full of money, so it was hard for him to move faster!
Ye Xiao pretended to be calm and indifferent, but deep in his heart, he was overjoyed. 'It feels so good to make such a big amount of easy money! It is good to have an idiot sending money to my doorstep.'
'I must be great if idiots like him take turns to give me money every day! I won't turn any of them away!'
Shui Zhongliu and Shui Zhongtian looked frustrated. They followed Master Xiao off the Monarch's Hall, and their faces were both dark and sullen.
As they stepped out of the door, the brothers finally couldn't hold it.
"Master Xiao, we brothers are here to fight for you and not to get humiliated for you! Master Xiao, that was not good! Our reputation was ruined along yours…"
Master Xiao was upset too. "Come on. Do you think I wanted it? Nobody knew that Bu Xiangfeng would end his isolated life and follow such a powerful man! That man is from the Ye Clan! Come on! The Ye Clan finally returns to the world after one hundred thousand years! Who dares to mess with them? They would love to do something to build their prestige… If I didn't get low to them, we might become tools to build their prestige… You can complain now, but if not for me, you would complain in hell… If you two still have a problem with it, go back and start your killings now. Monarch's Hall doesn't have people who can defeat you anyway. Well, just remember. If you go back and do such a stupid thing, I am not involved. Okay?"
The two brothers were annoyed, but they were experienced cultivators as well. They knew that Master Xiao was right. They both made a long sigh and then stayed silent.
"Sigh!"
That was so loud that it sounded pretty heavy-hearted.
…
The old men watched Ye Xiao being arrogant and domineering during the whole thing. In the end, he actually made the three powerful cultivators leave… Other than that, he actually made a lot of money from Master Xiao…
The old men were all impressed.
"That was so good!" Master Guan rubbed his beard and said, "If I were Master Xiao, I would believe there are some really powerful men hiding in the Monarch's Hall… Who would know that the domineering young man is actually alone?! The best man he has is only at level two of the Saint Origin Stage! That was incredible!"
"Indeed, it was!"
Master Song looked serious and said, "I don't really care about the wit… It is that courage that impressed me! He has that natural vibe!"
The other old men all nodded to agree.
That was true. Without courage and confidence, how could anybody be that domineering?
Chapter 1537: Rocketing Improvement
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Master Xiao and the two brothers left with grudges.
The Monarch's Hall was in excitement.
Everybody had the same feeling at this moment. The Monarch's Hall was a new organization that was still weak, but it had a promising future. They realized that having a high position in the Monarch's Hall was important for them!
If the Monarch's Hall became one of the most powerful forces in the world, whoever were in those positions would be greatly rewarded!
That was why everybody in the Monarch's Hall started to cultivate so hard.
The Dark Evil Spirit, Bai Long, and Qiu Luo were the most hardworking ones!
They were risking their lives to improve themselves in cultivation!
If Ye Xiao didn't use some medicines on them several times, they would have lost control and even died cultivating…
After Master Xiao left, nothing serious happened in the Monarch's Hall. There were still some people coming for medical treatments every day, but that was all.
Everybody in the Monarch's Hall was cultivating.
Within one month, over four hundred cultivators decided to join the Monarch's Hall. Everyone was improving fast. Some of them even reached a completely new stage during the thirty days.
Lei Dongtian seemed to be improved quite a lot. Feng'er, his wife, greatly improved as well. The newlyweds finally did what they wanted to do for years. With the help of the spiritual medicines, they were improving unbelievably fast.
Everybody else was jealous of them.
Among all the people in the Monarch's Hall, the Dark Evil Spirit, Bai Long, and Qiu Luo had improved the most.
Ye Xiao's three most trusted followers improved faster than any others.
Qiu Luo was free from the restraint of the Gray Parasol Sword Sect because the Gray Parasol Sword Sect was destroyed. All he wanted now was to improve as much as he could in cultivation. Therefore, his power was like wild grasses growing fast on the land. Because he had been through so much in his life, his mindset was stronger than the others. Within one day, he had reached level five of the Divinity Origin Stage from level three.
In fact, in the thirty days after that day, he was still improving fast.
Qiu Luo had a stronger mindset than the others and besides, Ye Xiao had done a great job recovering his physical condition. A lot of valuable medical materials had been used on his body. That was why he could improve so fast.
Bai Long and the Dark Evil Spirit were in a similar situation. They had followed Ye Xiao for the longest time among all the people in the organization, so they got more benefits than the others…
One and a half month earlier, Ye Xiao had a secret meeting with these three men and gave each of them two bottles of dan beads. Those dan beads helped the three of them improve faster than ever!
"The three of you have followed me for the longest time. I trust you… I hope that we can fight together and forever. I hope that you can keep the position of One Blade and Two Warriors with your own capability. We will eventually build our own legend in the Human Realm Upon Heavens!"
"I need you to be stronger! I need you to be the strongest!"
"Remember… I trust you three!"
What Ye Xiao said had thrilled the three men up. They felt their eyes were on fire.
"There are three kinds of dan beads in the bottles, which are all at the supreme level. They are perfect for you now. The first dan bead can enhance your soul energy, the second dan bead can purify the energy, while the third can improve your cultivation. Every one of the dan beads can offer you one hundred years of cultivation. You can eat a lot of it and the efficacy won't get weaker!
"However, there is nothing I can do to help you strengthen your mindset. You need to do it on your own.
"Come on!"
The young master's caring words still resounded around their ears. His eyes seemed to be still looking at them. What he said was deep in their hearts.
They all knew how valuable the thirty dan beads were and how it proved Ye Xiao's trust to them.
They knew it. How could they not?
Every dan bead in those bottles was rare and extremely precious in the world!
For ordinary people, it would be a great fortune to have the chance to look at a dan bead like that. Now, each of them had thirty of their own!
The three men didn't say a word.
They didn't know what to say to show their loyalty and gratitude. It seemed words were meaningless at this point!
They decided to keep that in mind forever.
It didn't matter what they said, but only what they did!
They had carefully kept the thirty dan beads with them and they didn't try to save them at all. During the ten days after the secret meeting, they ate three dan beads every day. Ten days later, the dan beads were all eaten. 'Master gave us the dan beads to improve us this much and as fast as possible.'
'If we stupidly keep the dan beads and didn't eat them, it will disappoint him.'
In that one month, the improvement of Qiu Luo was rocketing. He had reached the top of level eight from level five. That was unbelievable and incredibly fast.
However, as he reached the top of level eight, he had met the difficulty in breakthrough. He stopped there.
He knew why it would stop. He had improved too fast. Within two months, he had gotten over five levels, from level three of the Divinity Origin Stage to level eight of the Divinity Origin Stage. That was a miracle in the history of the Human Realm Upon Heavens!
There were three reasons why the miracle happened. First of all, he had been through so many difficulties in life. The strength of his mindset was better than most of the ordinary cultivators. Second, his physical condition was well repaired and even enhanced. He used to be a level-four cultivator of the Divinity Origin Stage and then became a wasted man, but eventually returned to his prime. That strengthened his body. Third, he was greatly supported by Ye Xiao's medical materials and dan beads. The thirty dan beads had provided him thousands of years of cultivation. His spiritual mind and soul power were greatly enhanced. That was why he could improve so fast!
However, there was an end to the incredible improvement. When all the help he got were finished, he still needed the accumulation of experience. He needed the basic accumulation to support a further breaking improvement.
Therefore, Qiu Luo had been sitting in meditation for a few days. He decided not to join the training anymore, but to give himself more time on thinking. He was in thoughts of his martial arts and the old days that he had been through…
His face looked peaceful and calm.
…
Qiu Luo had improved unbelievably fast, while the Dark Evil Spirit and Bai Long were slower.
After all, Qiu Luo had been through a tough life. He had a stronger foundation and a crueler life. Nobody would choose to live the days that Qiu Luo had suffered from!
In fact, if Qiu Luo wasn't more experienced, he might be slower than the Dark Evil Spirit and Bai Long.
The two of them used to be level two of the Divinity Origin Stage. The Dark Evil Spirit had almost reached level three and he might fail in the breakthrough. After Ye Xiao gave him the thirty dan beads, within one month, he had reached the top of the level six of the Divinity Origin Stage.
Bai Long was in a similar situation. He was also at the top of level six of the Divinity Origin Stage. If Qiu Luo didn't improve that unbelievably fast, the improvement of Bai Long and the Dark Evil Spirit should be astonishing enough.
One day, the Dark Evil Spirit and Bai Long were having training combat. The Dark Evil Spirit was suddenly enlightened and then got a breakthrough during the fight. He reached the level seven of the Divinity Origin Stage! With the improved power, he kicked Bai Long's a*s in the fight.
"This is so unfair!" Bai Long was bleeding and shocked. "How could you get a breakthrough in a fight?! Bastard!"
Bai Long was always calm and steady; he barely said abusive words, but he couldn't help to speak it out this time because it surprised him so much!
He couldn't believe the man who had always been at the same level as him, actually became one level higher. He felt lost.
'This is… This is not fair!'
Besides, it happened when the two of them were having a fight. In other words, he helped the Dark Evil Spirit with the breakthrough…
However, the Dark Evil Spirit didn't say thank you, but beat him up so hard! That provoked Bai Long!
"Well, the Two Warriors are equally important positions indeed, but one is always better than the other!"
The Dark Evil Spirit looked at Bai Long and gloatingly said, "Bai Long, just kneel before me from now on!"
"You bastard! Bullsh*t!"
Bai Long was so angry about the Dark Evil Spirit's gloating look. Without hesitation, he left the fight for more individual training.
The Dark Evil Spirit was greatly improved. If Bai Long kept having the training combat with him, he would be beaten up hard. Therefore, he decided to have individual training and improve himself as soon as possible. He had to surpass the Dark Evil Spirit!
That was how Bai Long kept telling himself in the head.
The contest of the month was coming. Everybody in the Monarch's Hall was getting more and more nervous.
Everybody was aiming at those positions.
Some of them, who were likely to win the contests, couldn't wait to start the challenging.
…
There was one thing that nobody could notice during those days. Neither Qiu Luo nor the Dark Evil Spirit was the man who improved the fastest!
It was Ye Xiao!
Ye Xiao had improved the most!
During the time, Ye Xiao worked as a doctor to save many people, so as to recruit new members of the Monarch's Hall. He seemed to be too busy to cultivate, but as a matter of fact, he seized every second to improve himself in cultivation.
He had to deal with the daily matters in the fortress of trees. The fortress of trees was a place full of spiritual energy because of the energy collecting array formation.
The spiritual energy kept running into the Hall of Life and Death through the array formation, it kept brushing the things inside the Hall of Life and Death. Ye Xiao absorbed a lot from the gathering of spiritual energy. Apart from the array formation, the purple qi inside the Hall of Life and Death also kept pushing energy into Ye Xiao's Jing and Mai. Ye Xiao was improving so fast…
That was not all. If he could give the three men so many supreme dan beads, how could he not give himself some?
Well, he definitely had left a lot more dan beads for himself, which were in much better quality!
…
During the days, the old men who kept watching Ye Xiao were astonished every day. The changes in Ye Xiao kept shocking them day after day.
The four old men always stayed together.
Master Guan, Master Song, Master Ju, and Master Yun.
"Look! Come, guys! Watch this! I think he just got one level up again." In the first few days of the month, Master Guan saw Ye Xiao in the yard, so he excitedly told the other three old men.
The other three old men humphed disdainfully.
They obviously didn't care about it.
'That is right. Master Ye got a breakthrough, not your own child. Why are you so excited?'
The old men all had sharp eyes, so they all saw Ye Xiao's improvement. However, they still thought that the young man had spent too long to get one level up, so it was not that impressive. 'Well, he should get one level up again if he is that good!'
Five days after that, Ye Xiao had just done taking care of a patient. Master Ju was having a chitchat with somebody else when he saw Ye Xiao pacing around the yard for a rest. When he saw Ye Xiao, he was shocked.
"Holy sh*t!"
Master Ju's jaw almost dropped on the floor.
"What is it? What is so surprising? Be calm! You are too old for this!" The other three old men were confused.
"Well… Look at that… Ye Xiao had reached the Divinity Origin Stage!" Master Ju kept staring at Ye Xiao and said, "We saw him in the level nine of the Faery Origin Stage the other day… How did he get such a great breakthrough in just a few days?"
The level nine of the Faery Origin Stage was only one level below the first level of the Divinity Origin Stage, but there was a huge gap between the two levels. It was always difficult to break the top of a stage in cultivation!
To break the limitation, one had to be great at one's mindset, experience, skills, cultivation capabilities, soul power, spiritual mind… There were too many!
Ye Xiao had only reached the top level of the Faery Origin Stage, but in a few days, he was already in the Divinity Origin Stage…
The other three old men were also shocked and none of them said a word about it!
Chapter 1538: The Path to Legend
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
After a while, Master Ju suddenly said, "The kid didn't use any forbidden magic to improve himself, did he? He must be eager to improve himself as fast as he could. Is it possible that he made some forbidden dan beads to forcibly raise himself up in cultivation? Is that why he could improve so fast within only a few days? Well, we know some of the forbidden martial arts, but we also know what damage they would bring to a cultivator…"
Master Guan humphed and coldly said, "Save that stupid theory to yourself! We all know what it means to use forbidden martial arts and medicines. Of course, it can help a cultivator improve fast, but it also damages the cultivator's cultivation foundation. Look at the kid. Do you see anything wrong? No! He is good! His spiritual energy is going inside him, which means he has a stronger foundation than what he currently needs! Don't you see that? Really?"
Master Ju wanted to argue, but he knew Master Guan was right so he gave up.
Master Song started to talk, "Old Guan, I think the young man could have been hiding his true power. This is too astonishing… This is unbelievably fast…" He just couldn't believe it. However, after that, he said, "No. It can't be. I was close enough to him, and I am sure he was just a Faery Origin Stage cultivator. He can't hide from me… It is impossible…" After that, he started to laugh at himself.
Master Guan looked at Master Yun and said in a deep voice, "Hey, old man. Yun. What is your opinion? Any strange possibility?"
"Well, look…" Master Yun, who was always calm and steady, rubbed his eyes and said, "I think… Maybe we didn't see the truth of him… What do you think?"
The other three old men looked at him with a sneer in their eyes.
'The four of us made such a stupid mistake at the same time? Come on… Anyone of us couldn't make that mistake!'
…
Ten days after…
The four old men were having tea, and suddenly, something astonished them again…
"Oh, old masters, you are having tea here… That smells really good!" Ye Xiao pushed open the door and walked into the room.
"You… Pah!"
The four old men were going to say something, but when they saw Ye Xiao, they all spat out the hot tea!
They started to sweat heavily!
"Cough, cough, cough…" The four old men started to cough, and Ye Xiao was shocked.
The four old men coughed too hard, and Ye Xiao felt like they were going to choke.
'What is wrong with these old men? Why do they cough? Have they all taken ill together? What is the problem?'
Ye Xiao was confused. 'What is going on?' He walked to the back of Master Guan and gently tapped his back, trying to be caring.
Perhaps he was pretending, but at least he looked pretty sincere.
Master Guan felt good about it, and the awkwardness was gone.
The other three old men looked at Master Guan like they were going to kill him. 'Humph! Old bastard is gloating! I hope he will accidentally kill you on your back!'
"I am fine. Don't worry." The four old men were experienced. They grabbed the cups and drank tea, trying to stop coughing. However, it only made them cough even worse…
Ye Xiao's face was shaking. 'What is going on? Is it even possible that they got the same problem at the same time?'
'It doesn't make sense!'
Well, the four old men's hearts were beating fast. They felt their hearts twisted.
'Oh heavens… What have we seen? How did he do this?'
'He is actually at level one of the Divinity Origin Stage now!'
'The cultivation foundation is solid. The spiritual energy is going inside him. I don't see an end to the improvement! How come?'
'Holy heavens…'
'This is unbelievable!'
'It doesn't make sense!'
The four old men said something to go through the motions and then saw Ye Xiao off, and then they all looked solemn.
"This is not right. We have to discuss it." Master Guan gritted his teeth and it seemed to be painful.
"We have to get the other two old guys out this time. They have been pretending to be indifferent!" Master Yun seemed to be annoyed. "I don't understand how they could be so calm! Don't they understand what we are dealing with now? Don't they? Don't they?"
Ten days after, the four old men were waiting for a message. They were concerned with Ye Xiao's current situation. When Ye Xiao left the Hall of Life and Death, they would focus on him with all their spiritual minds…
Ye Xiao had improved greatly but was still much weaker than the four old men, so he didn't know they were watching him secretly!
"He did it again! He had a breakthrough again…" Master Ju was rubbing his beard, but after checking on Ye Xiao, his hands started shaking, and he accidentally pulled off some hairs on his beard… That was painful, but he didn't have time to care about it. His voice turned sharp and he spoke like a rooster.
"Level two of the Divinity Origin Stage… That is level two of the Divinity Origin Stage… How is this possible…?"
Master Song jumped up in shock. The air around him started to flow fast, and the tea-table before him fell to the floor.
"That is… That is unbelievable…"
"He is a monster! He is definitely a monster…"
Another ten days later, it was the last day of the month.
Ye Xiao casually walked out of the Hall of Life and Death as usual. He felt pretty good because he just saved a powerful assassin who was dying. When the assassin left, he told Ye Xiao that he would come back to join him soon!
Maybe Ye Xiao liked assassins. He was happy to have one more assassin as his follower. It was reasonable though. When he was in the Land of Han-Yang, all those who swore loyalty to him were assassins in the beginning. Ning Biluo, Zhao Pingtian, and Liu Changjun were all top-class assassins in the world. It was understandable that he liked assassins!
Most importantly, this assassin was a Saint Origin Stage cultivator!
The Monarch's Hall was going to have one more Saint Origin Stage cultivator, a powerful assassin!
He was so happy, and that was why he kept a big smile on his face…
When he left the fortress of trees and the array formation was closed, somebody started to watch him.
The four old men, who were having tea under the tree almost passed out when they saw Ye Xiao!
He was in level four of the Divinity Origin Stage!
They had noticed how unbelievably fast Ye Xiao was improving about ten days earlier, so they decided to stay around the Hall of Life and Death after that because it was easier for them to watch the young man.
They wanted to know how surprising the young man could be. When they saw Ye Xiao, even though they knew it would be shocking, they were still astonished.
'We have seen many talented men in our lives!'
'We are old enough to see all kinds of geniuses! We know how fast a cultivator can improve! We know the world's most talented man, the most powerful itinerant cultivator in the world!'
'When he was in the Divinity Origin Stage, it took him three months to get one level up. When he was in the Saint Origin Stage, it took him ten years to get on level up. That is a legendary figure we are talking about.'
'Now… What the hell is with this young man?'
'This is totally unreasonable!'
'If the talented men we know are legends of the world… What is this young man? A sick monster!'
It seemed they could only think of this word to describe how fast Ye Xiao was!
After all, no human beings could improve as fast as Ye Xiao did!
The day before the contests of the month began, a stage was built in the Monarch's Hall. And it was tall.
It was still an empty place one day earlier, but one night after, the stage appeared!
On the stage, four huge flags were flickering in the air. There were a few words on the flags and they were written by the Monarch himself.
When people saw the words, they felt awkwardly speechless.
It was simple. On the first flag, it said, "Do not go any further than necessary!"
It wasn't surprising. Whoever fought on the stage were members of the Monarch's Hall, so they should not cause any unnecessary harm to each other!
On the second flag, it said, "A fight between brothers!"
That was reasonable too. Whoever fought on the stage were brothers, who could show their back to each other in the battle against the enemies someday. Nobody should forget that!
On the third flag, it said, "The winner goes up, and the loser goes down!" That was a bit awkward.
He first told everybody to be careful and not to do anything to hurt each other, but then he told them whoever lost the contests would go down! It definitely raised the bellicosity. Nobody wanted to be a loser! What did Ye Xiao want? Did he want to humiliate the ones who lost?
In fact, some clever ones gave a good explanation for Ye Xiao. "The winner goes up and the loser goes down doesn't contradict the first two lines! Who wins the fight becomes the winner while who loses becomes the loser! That is the truth! Being weak is not pride. Those who bear humiliation know they should work hard. To solve a problem, you must admit it first!"
People all agreed to it!
The words on the last flag had truly astonished everybody. On the last flag, it said, "Who stands on my way to becoming a legend will have to fight me with life and death!"
That was unbelievable, shocking, astonishing, and unreasonable.
Over two thousand Divinity Origin Stage cultivators in the Monarch's Hall felt awkwardly wordless.
'Please, dear Lord Monarch… What are you doing?'
'You want us to be careful, and you want us to try not to hurt each other. However, you want us to fight with our lives!'
'The winner goes up and the loser goes down, so we must fight our best to take the opponent's life?'
'That is ridiculous…'
'Aren't they contradictory?'
'If you don't think so, then you must be out of your mind!'
'What should we do? Which one is right?'
People had to question Ye Xiao about the contradictory part, but Ye Xiao did not give them any explanation, and he didn't change a single word on the flags.
In the end, he gave a new order.
"The Monarch's Hall has a new rule. The order has been given by the great Monarch. The stars can be destroyed, and the sky can be ripped, but the order remains. People in the Monarch's Hall, listen. Whoever questions my words will have to see himself out!"
People all turned silent after these words were said.
The Monarch had clearly shown his attitude!
'I gave the orders, and you don't get to question me!'
'You have to obey, and that is all you should do!'
'If you don't understand, I don't care! You don't get to ask!'
'It annoys me!'
As the new order was given, everybody knew what the Monarch meant.
'I have given the order. I am the boss. I am the chief. I don't care if the order is wrong. You must obey it! You have to! There is no explanation, and there will never be!'
'My order will not be changed!'
'Nobody questions my words!'
'It is your own business how to understand my words. Just mind your own sh*t and that is all!'
That was an unreasonable rule, and it wasn't good for a new organization.
People started to feel resentful about it, of course, secretly.
…
"Lord Monarch, please! You can't do this." Master Guan's face turned pale when he knew what happened. He grabbed Ye Xiao's sleeve and said, "You… This… This is going to stir a big disturbance in the Monarch's Hall!"
Ye Xiao frowned and said, "Old Master, I know what I am doing."
Master Guan was angry and he said, "What do you know? If you are stubborn about this, you will bring damage to the Monarch's Hall. Itinerant cultivators are always unruly people. They aren't cold-blooded, but definitely harsh. If some of them does not draw back the attack in time, people will die on the stage. If people die, you have to take good care of it. If you punished the one who kills our own man, you are wrong too, because he only follows what you said on the flags. It will be unreasonable if you punish the winner for doing what you told him to do! However, you can't just ignore it, because people die! Things will go wrong. It will become a mess. You will be in trouble. Please, you can stop it now? It isn't too late. Everybody makes mistakes, but you must fix it! It is important for a leader! It isn't disgraceful at all to take back your words!"
Looking at the old man, who was talking with a red face, Ye Xiao showed a warm smile.
He was sure Master Guan was on his side. Master Guan was caring for the Monarch's Hall.
Ye Xiao decided not to hide from him and he said, "Master, you are right, but I did this on purpose. I need things to be this way."
"What? Do you mean you are planning on this? Why?" Master Guan was confused.
"Because…" Ye Xiao looked serious and said, "I need to know something."
…
Chapter 1539: Fight for the Throne; Five Kings
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Master Guan seemed to be enlightened but really did not understand anything.
"In my place, with the Hall of Life and Death, nobody dies. I am sure I can keep everybody alive. No matter had badly our men get hurt, I will save them. There will be no fatal damage!
"Other than that, there is a simple reason… I wrote on the four flags. They seemed to be four rules. The last one was quite different from the other three. Think about it. I want to have a winner in a contest, but I don't want any of my men to die. However, on the last two flags, I am telling them to fight as hard as they can. Meanwhile, if anybody would like to sacrifice our own men to build their own prestige, I don't need them. I will let them go. No matter how powerful they are, if they don't see others as their brothers."
Ye Xiao blandly smiled and said, "I need people that I can trust with my life. They will be absolutely loyal to me. The most important thing about them is honesty. I won't take any risk on that.
"Old Master, you are an experienced man. You know how important it is for me."
Ye Xiao looked at Master Guan and said, "This group of people, who only serves me, is the most important part of the organization. The contests will help us find out who are the most capable men, but also the most caring and beneficent to the organization."
"Relax, Master Guan." Ye Xiao looked at Master Guan and said, "I know what I am doing. I do."
After a while, Master Guan was still thinking about what Ye Xiao said, "I know what I am doing. I do."
"I know what I am doing. I do."
He didn't mean the possible consequences, because he had explained it already. What he meant was, 'I know you are kind to me!'
He really did!
Ye Xiao was young, but he was so wise. That was rare and commendable. He didn't just want to have some capable men who won the titles… What he wanted was to knock out those who were dishonorable!
He wanted something deeper than others could think of… He didn't want to run a gang in the martial world. He wanted an organization that would stand in the world forever! He wanted a strong foundation for that!
"For those who survived the severe competition…"
Master Guan murmured and staggered away.
It didn't seem to be wise to use those glorious titles just to knock out some suspect people…
However, it was such an efficient and powerful way to do so.
Nobody could pretend to be what they were not before such valuable offerings!
In the end, Ye Xiao would be able to choose some really loyal ones who would build the strongest foundation for his organization!
These people together would eventually create a great future!
As Ye Xiao said, Master Guan knew how important it was!
It was the most important to have a group of really reliable people!
Master Guan surely understood!
"He is going to build his powerful team…" Master Guan murmured, and then made a sigh.
"If we showed ourselves earlier and pledged loyalty to the Monarch's Hall earlier, things would be different. We would have gained enough trust. If we still hold back from supporting him now… I am afraid… the opportunity is going away from us…" Master Guan was worried.
The Guan Clan was in a much better situation than the other clans because Master Guan had gotten many of his men to join the Monarch's Hall already. However, the really capable ones in the clan were still hiding, and they would have to keep hiding.
If Master Guan let them out now and join the Monarch's Hall, the other clans would be pissed. The Guan Clan couldn't afford the cost to mess with the other clans.
Besides, when he got his men into the Monarch's Hall, he told Ye Xiao that his people could only offer civil service, and they were all weak cultivators. If he told Ye Xiao that any of his people could destroy the entire Monarch's Hall alone, what would Ye Xiao think of it? The Guan Clan would become a threat!
Master Guan had done the right thing in the beginning, but now it became a restraint to his people.
He tried to think of a way to solve the problem, but there was nothing he could think of.
The next day.
This day was known as, The Beginning of the Legend afterward.
It was September the second!
(Author's Note: Ahem. September the second is my birthday… Hah hah…)
September the golden season, the sky was blue and the air was fresh. It was a good day.
There was a piece of empty land before the entrance of the Hall of Life and Death, which was a thousand feet wide.
The giant tree, which had become the sign of the Hall of Life and Death, was waving in the wind. On the leaves, there seemed to be some glow. When the leaves moved, it was like the waves of light.
The tree was like the entire sky with all the stars, which was splendid.
Ye Xiao and all the members of the Monarch's Hall had gathered together. They had flown up to the sky and stayed in the air, a thousand feet from the ground.
Ye Xiao was staring at the giant tree of the Hall of Life and Death. The shining starlight on the tree had drawn everybody's attention.
It was the color of life.
Many people didn't know why they must watch the tree, but they just did.
"Guys, when I was a child, I heard a story. I wonder if you heard about it before."
Ye Xiao's voice was deep and powerful. He was still staring at the shining tree when he was talking. He said, "Somebody told me that every influential figure in the world used to be a star in the sky. As their lives in the sky end, they come down to the world with the different colors of the stars, and the stars remain in the sky."
"A man is living, if he lives like a hero, the star that he represents will shine brightly. If he dies, the star will be dim, and even fall off the sky."
Everybody slightly nodded.
It was a story that widely spread in the Human Realm Upon Heavens. Everybody had heard about it.
It wasn't special.
However, they didn't know what the Lord Monarch truly wanted to say yet.
"I believe you all know there are many low-level realms below the Human Realm Upon Heavens." Ye Xiao blandly said, "In the eyes of those who lived in the lower realms, we are gods. Well, we know what we are. We are not gods, and we are not sacred. Over our heads, there are stars.
"A man should travel the world, and we should have the world in our heart. The stars are shining in the sky. Do you want to take one of them, and become a legend?"
"Do you want to be a legend of the world?"
What Ye Xiao said suddenly thrilled everybody up.
Everybody wanted to be a legend, but they need an opportunity!
"Because of the Hall of Life and Death, the Monarch's Hall is built." Ye Xiao said, "The Hall of Life and Death is exactly this giant tree, which never dies! For us, this giant tree is our foundation, our root!
"Every leaf of the tree is shining, and the glow of the leaves are the lights of the stars!"
Every leaf glowed like a star!
Everybody stared at the tree, looking at the waving lights of the leaves!
"This is our world, and these are our stars!
"Today, the Monarch's Hall starts the path to our legendary story. When we become an influential force that shocks the world someday, we are the stars of the world! We will become the stars! We will be the ocean of stars!"
Ye Xiao turned around. His clothes were flickering in the air. His eyes were sharp like lightning. He looked around the people in front of him. Those were over one thousand and seven hundred cultivators.
Everybody stood straight up, looking ahead with spirited and sharp eyes.
"There are twenty-two positions of the Monarch's Hall that any of you have the chance to take!" Ye Xiao looked around and said, "One Blade, Two Warriors, Seven Stars, and Twelve Divine Stands!"
"The Five Kings will remain empty until the next contest."
"Qiu Luo, who will stand on the stage for the challenge as the One Blade. The Dark Evil Spirit and Bai Long will stay on the stage for the challenge as the Two Warriors. The Seven Stars are the seven guardians. The Twelve Divine Stands are the twelve leaders of the twelve units of the Department of Battle!"
"The legendary contest begins today. Who wins the fight takes the position."
"After the fight, the position will be kept for the winners for three years. Three years later, we will have another legendary contest. Who wins the contest takes the position."
"If you want to have the position, you must fight for it! There is no other way to get the title!"
"No cunning schemes are allowed in the contest. This is only about power!"
It became silent.
Everybody was lost in thought. They had to make a choice about which position they should fight for.
"Well, remember this though. The Twelve Divine Stands are different from the One Blade, Two Warriors, and Seven Stars. We need to think more about the twelve special positions. Guys, you must think deeper.
"From a point of the past, there are twelve symbolic animals associated with a 12-year cycle. The twelve units are associated with the twelve animals."
"Think about it, guys. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, why are these animals the twelve symbolic animals? Why not other animals?"
"We know there are phoenix, rosefinch, and swan… These animals are more famous and powerful than some of the twelve symbolic animals, but they didn't get selected. Why?"
Ye Xiao's eyes glittered, and he kept looking at the people.
The others were confused.
They surely knew about the twelve symbolic animals, but not the reason why these twelve animals were selected. Ye Xiao's question had made them lost in thoughts.
'That's a good question. Why?'
'Everybody knows about phoenix, rosefinch, and swan… These are famous, known as powerful creatures. There are some beasts known to be fierce too. They didn't get selected, but the weak ones, such as dog, goat, ox, were chosen. Is there a secret behind it?'
'Didn't our ancestors know about those fierce and powerful animals?'
'Impossible.'
'Those animals are from the old stories. Our ancestors knew it more than we do.'
'Since they knew those famous animals, why didn't they choose these powerful ones?'
'However, the twelve symbolic animals aren't all weak and normal animals. Dragon is a special and powerful one, just like phoenix. Tiger and snake are fierce and powerful.'
When everybody was confused, Ye Xiao said, "I am going to share my opinions with you today. It is simple. Think about it. The twelve symbolic animals have different dispositions, habits, and methods in doing things.
"As I know, the twelve animals represent the twelve different kinds of personalities of a human. No matter how powerful the other animals are, these twelve animals have shown all the personalities we have."
"These twelve animals live with the methods that we need to live our lives! They got all the talents we need!"
"That is why these animals were selected."
"And that is why I set up these twelve units in the Department of Battle."
"It is also something I want you to know before you decide to fight for the position in any of the twelve positions. You must know who you are and what you are going to be. Whoever wants a position of the twelve must understand what the position stands. Before that, you don't get to fight for it."
"As the leader of the unit, you should be brave and responsible, also capable to deal with things alone!"
"Enough for the talks. Let's begin now!"
Ye Xiao had started the contest, but the crowd was still in silence. Nobody moved.
The old men, who were the judges of the contest, were also lost in thoughts. They were thinking of every word Ye Xiao had just said.
Master Ju was lost in thought. 'One Blade, Two Warriors, Seven Stars, and Twelve Divine Stands… beyond these, there will be five kings…'
'What is the plan behind all these positions? What does he want?'
'Personalities? Twelve symbolic animals? That is some theory…'
'The five kings are empty…'
On the other side, Master Yun was also lost in thoughts.
He frowned and thought while rubbing his beard. 'Well, it is not difficult to understand his opinions about the other positions, but the five kings… Why does he keep these five positions empty?'
Suddenly, maybe he thought of something important because he accidentally grabbed off some hairs of his beard after a tremble. It hurt, and the pain made him take a cold breath immediately.
"You old guy, what is going on? Have you taken ill?" Master Song asked.
The old men knew each other well. Master Song saw Master Yun pull of some hairs on his beard, so he was shocked. He knew that Master Yun had some ideas in mind, so he asked.
The other two old masters looked over as well. 'Yun is always cautious and calm. How come he lost it this time? What the young man said is shocking, but not this shocking, is it?'
"Why the five kings?" Master Yun slightly groaned about his painful chin, and there were still some white hairs in his hand. He was murmuring, and he looked lost.
"The five kings? What is the matter with the five kings? What shocks you so much?" Master Ju humphed and asked with a sneer,
"What is the matter? Are you sure? You actually asked this? You don't get to call yourself a smart man anymore!" Master Yun coldly smiled and looked at Master Ju. "Have you ever thought of the fact that how many conquerors there are in the Human Realm Upon Heavens?"
"Five… Everybody knows that! Do you really need to… Wait… You…" The answer slipped out of Master Ju's mouth, but then he realized something. He was shocked. He was not smiling anymore!
The other two old masters were shocked as well.
"The East, West, South, North, and Glaze Skies!
"The five sky kings are the only kings that are recognized in the world. Even the Great Master Ye is only known to be equal to the kings, but not a king himself."
"Ye Xiao wants to set up five positions in the Monarch's Hall, the Five Kings!"
"When he first mentioned the positions, there were the One Blade, Two Warriors, Seven Stars, and the Twelve Divine Stands… He never mentioned the Five Kings to any of us!"
"He added it afterward."
"If he added it afterward, he must have spent a long time considering it."
"Why does it have to be Five Kings? Is it just a coincidence? Or does he want something?"
"The positions of Five Kings are only below the Monarch in the Monarch's Hall! What does that mean?"
Master Yun's voice started shaking and he said, "What does it truly mean? Have you thought of anything?"
The old men were all shocked.
As they were lost into the void of thoughts, the first fight of the contest had already begun. Swords and sabers were glittering. Wind and shadow were fleeting. The stage was like under a snow storm…
The old men didn't notice anything from the fight, because they were still in shock!
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