Unexpected News

"Nephew?"

Wang Hu nodded and praised, spotting Ye Tian's Qi as he examined him. "Good talent, a Level Two Martial Artist already. He'll have a good future."

A good future?

Ye Ba barely held back his sneer. They knew nothing about Ye Tian or his talent—how could they possibly imagine his potential or his future?

Ye Ba only nodded silently in reply, knowing that Ye Tian had concealed his true strength.

Ye Tian examined Wang Hu, his face filled with naive curiosity that set people at ease. No one was wary of a Level Two Martial Artist child.

"Ye Ba, where is Ye Feng?" Wang Hu asked, turning back to Ye Ba.

Ye Ba smiled as he replied: "Brother Feng had a breakthrough and is now in seclusion. Didn't our Village Chief let you know when you came over three days ago?"

"Oh! Haha, I almost forgot." Wang Hu laughed, his eyes narrowing. When Ye Ba mentioned a breakthrough, the man's expression had shifted for just a moment, and even though a second later he had recovered, Ye Tian still caught it.

This guy is probing Ye Family Village. Village Chief must've intentionally spread the news about Uncle Feng's breakthrough to keep them in check!

Ye Tian nodded to himself.

The Wang Family Village was powerful, but they also had their own struggles. Their Martial Master Expert could only act as a deterrent power, and the man himself couldn't actively fight or else the other villages would all unite against and destroy the Wang Family Village.

And so, the deciding factor of village power was still the Level Ten Martial Artist.

Now that the Ye Family Village had two Level Ten Martial Artist experts, the Wang Family Village could no longer threaten them. If the Martial Master expert dared to move, then the Wang Family Village would have to constantly deal with the threat of two Level Ten Martial Artist surprise attacks. The village would never again have a peaceful night's sleep or enjoy a peaceful meal.

It was this threat that had prevented the Wang Family from uniting White Cloud Town.

Of course, if the Wang Family Chief one day grew powerful enough to deal with the Ye Family and Lin Family all on his own, then that would be a different story.

As he verified some of his speculations in person, Ye Tian grew more confident and at ease. He thought: Uncle Feng is right. The Ye Family Village will be fine for now, and I truly do need to head to Blood Jade City. The sooner I breakthrough to Martial Master, the sooner I can bring the Ye Family Village into the future.

He thought as he walked as Wang Hu brought them to a residence within the village.

"Brother Ye Ba's arrival has truly graced our Wang Family Village. Over here please…" Wang Hu laughed, growing more polite and congenial after confirming Ye Feng's breakthrough.

But it was clear to both Ye Tian and Ye Ba that Wang Hu's smile hid daggers, and the man was surely cursing inside for Ye Feng's breakthrough was a serious blow to the Wang Family Village's ambitions.

But Ye Ba and Ye Tian cared little for Wang Hu's anger, both of them smiling as they followed in the man's wake. Even if the residence they were brought to was purportedly a mansion, it was still quite crude though still a mark above the Ye Family Village's stone and wood houses. Clearly the Wang Family Village was above theirs in prosperity but was still quite a bit away from fulfilling its ambitions.

"Ye Tian, you should get to know the other teenagers here; it'll help you understand White Cloud Town," Ye Ba whispered, leaning in by Ye Tian's ear and acting as if Ye Tian was just a peasant child on his first trip into town.

Ye Tian nodded quietly, examining his surroundings with curiosity.

Many distinguished guests had already gathered in the mansion with Martial Warriors everywhere. Everyone wore beast skin clothing, each upright and frank, just like the earthy villagers of the Ye Family Village.

Nevertheless, this was a gathering of experts. At least a dozen Level Nine Martial Artists were already here with a couple dozen more Level Eight Martial Artists and far more Level Sevens.

The few members of the younger generation gathered here were all around level one or two, with the occasional level four.

Ye Ba had explained that all the villages in the White Cloud Town area would send people for the birthday celebration, and clearly every village had sent their experts.

"Ye Ba, Ye Feng really didn't come this time?" A familiar voice called over. Ye Tian and Ye Ba both turned, their eyes narrowing.

It was Captain Lin Fei and his son Lin Wudi of the Lin Family Village.

Lin Wudi was already eyeing Ye Tian and he quickly challenged Ye Tian: "Ye Tian, do you have the balls to fight again?"

Obviously he was still unwilling to accept his previous defeat.

"You're challenging me?" Ye Tian rubbed his nose in astonishment, looking from the cross-armed Lin Fei to his son, amusement on his face.

"That's right, I'm challenging you. Are you a coward or will you accept?" Lin Wudi replied coldly, his eyes filled with fighting intent.

Ye Tian examined him; the brat had broken through to Level Three Martial Artist—no wonder he was so confident. Breaking through another principal meridian in a year was clearly only possible with the talent of a genius.

But to challenge Ye Tian…

Ye Ba could barely hide his mocking smile.

What a joke! Ye Tian could already slay a Peak Stage Level Nine Purple Cloud Cheetah in a single strike!

Ye Tian was forced to shake his head and reply: "Sorry, I cannot accept your challenge."

"You… you coward!" Lin Wudi yelled furiously, gritting his teeth and charging forward before he was blocked by Ye Ba.

"Lin Fei, you should control your son. Or did you really want to make trouble on the Wang Chief's birthday?" Ye Ba called out coldly.

Lin Fei was also furious but he couldn't rebut Ye Ba's words. After all, it truly was a special occasion and they weren't in the Lin Family Village.

"That's right, Brother Lin, do this for me. Today is the old man's birthday—you shouldn't cause any trouble," Wang Hu added, joining the group.

Lin Fei's eyes narrowed at the Wang warrior, huffing as he grabbed Lin Wudi and turned to find a seat, calling out: "Let's go!"

"Ye Tian, you're a coward!" Lin Wudi cried out again as he was dragged away.

Ye Tian shook his head helplessly before turning and forgetting the child.

Wang Hu spoke a few words to Ye Ba then turned to attend to the other guests.

Ye Tian frowned at Lin Fei's back. It seemed that the alliance between the Lin Family and Ye Family had completely shattered, with the opposing Hunter Captain even choosing to argue and make trouble in front of the Wang Family experts.

Ye Ba was also eyeing the man with cold eyes, clearly understanding the problem as well. Although his relationship with Lin Fei had never been good, they had always pretended otherwise in front of their Wang Family rivals. After all, they had been allied against a common enemy.

But something had changed and the two Ye experts were filled with doubt, wondering whether the Lin Family Village had prepared some scheme.

"The Elder is here!"

A loud cry filled the mansion, rousing Ye Tian and Ye Ba from their contemplation. Everyone in the mansion turned to look towards the gate.

A bearded, white-haired old man was slowly walking forward surrounded by Wang Family experts.

As soon as the old man showed his face, everyone stood with respect, their eyes lowered and without challenge.

Ye Tian quietly examined the man, recognizing the powerful Qi billowing from the elder. Even though this was the first time he was meeting the man, he already knew who this was—the Martial Master, Wang Xu.

The Wang Family Village Chief, the only Martial Master realm expert in White Cloud Town.

Powerful! The current me cannot compete! Ye Tian confirmed, averting his gaze and lowering his head.

Wang Xu moved to sit in his chair, looking out at the gathered Martial Warriors. A smile filled his old face and he spoke at great volume: "Thank you all for coming…"

A round of applause followed on the tails of the polite speech then the feast began.

Ye Ba left Ye Tian to mingle with the experts of the other villages and soon the teenager grew bored, excusing himself and leaving the mansion.

He was only a Level Two Martial Artist youth, so no one paid any mind as he easily slipped away and wandered the village.

Ye Tian breathed deeply, walking the straight streets and around the large, crude, stone buildings. Indeed the "little city" was simple and rough but it still had the air of a city.

If the Wang Family Village ever managed to unify White Cloud Town, this place would truly become the heart of the area.

As he faced this evidence of the Wang Family Village's ambitions again and recalled the power of their Martial Master, Ye Tian couldn't help but feel restless, eager for more strength.

After wandering around, Ye Tian came upon an open, grassy area and stopped to pee, wandering into the bushes and untying his pants.

After getting comfortable, Ye Tian was turning to leave when he heard a familiar voice.

"Wang Hu, what are you doing? Helping Ye Ba against me?" Lin Fei was saying. Ye Tian frowned, his face darkening as he listened.

"Brother Lin, don't blame me—I can't just help you in front of Ye Ba. If I sided with you then we would just make Ye Ba suspicious. Right now, your Lin Family's alliance with us is still a secret," Wang Hu replied.

Ye Tian's face fell. The Lin Family Village had brokered an alliance with the Wang Family? Were they not afraid of climbing atop the tiger?

"Hmph. I'll let this go, but where's the Hundred Year Fruit you promised me?" Lin Fei snorted.

"Our Wang Family Village will do as we promised. The Hundred Year Fruit will be yours, and perhaps you can break through to Level Ten," Wang Hu replied.

Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, his gaze cold as he began to plot: Hundred Year Fruit? Not if I have anything to say about it.

Lin Fei, you're courting death. You can only blame yourself.

Ye Tian's eyes filled with a murderous intent.

Lin Fei and Wang Hu soon finished their discussion and left. Ye Tian knew now that the Lin village and the Wang village had formed a secret alliance, and that Wang Hu and Lin Fei were the liaisons for their villages.