Time Till The Tournament (1)

"Thank you for coming under such short notice, Instructor Qin." Alongside Cang Yue was Qin Wuyou, an Elder of the Blue Wind Profound Palace. "Of course, but is what you said true? The Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace is very neutral and reclusive. It's rare to see a Fairy a few times in your life, let alone for one to fight within the Imperial City."

"The news is confirmed, but I don't know much about the situation." Cang Yue had a slightly worried expression as Qin Wuyou nodded. "I see. Well, it looks as though we aren't the only ones interested. People working under your siblings are making their way to our destination as well." Qin Wuyou could sense other Cultivators not too far away.

Cang Yue wasn't surprised, considering the Messenger had spoken in front of the Crown Prince, Cang Lin. "The Marketplace where this is happening is just ahead." The two of them sped up as they felt the Profound Energy of a half-step Throne ahead. Soon their eyes met a crowd of people stretching across a large area.

"I can't believe it…"

"This is insane..."

The crowd was loud; however, the sound of fighting permeated through everyone's ears. "What's going on?" Cang Yue made her way through the crowd with Qin Wuyou behind her. Eventually, they were able to see what was happening, and their faces began to match the people around them.

Still standing still, Xia Ye's eyes were following Chu Yuechan's figure. Other than the precise area under his feet, everything around him had been practically turned into a world of ice. Her attacks were smooth yet vicious. Many there couldn't even track her body's movements with their eyes, let alone her sword.

However, at the same time, Xia Ye was capable of remaining calm. Chu Yuechan appeared around fifty meters ahead of him before flying into the air above his head. However, the purple mist poured from the gourd on Xia Ye's waist once more the moment she did. Beginning to encompass the air above him, Chu Yuechan pulled back her attack before retreating.

'That artifact is powerful, and its speed is tremendous as well. It's perfect for a defensive offensive.' Chu Yuechan's thoughts almost matched that of the crowd, who couldn't help but be in awe. Xia Ye had not moved an inch while Chu Yuechan got more aggressive in her attacks. However, no strategy seemed to be capable of getting around that mist.

"What a powerful artifact…"

"And they are able to control it so easily."

While some of their words were correct most of them were actually false. The way Xia Ye was using The Purple Red Gold Gourd was the same way a Samurai drew their Katana. With time to prepare and while standing still, they are able to attack and strike at blinding speed. Xia Ye followed the same concept.

The reason he wasn't moving was not that he didn't need to but simply because he couldn't. He needed all of his concentration to focus his Qi into the gourd and utilize its mist to counter someone like Chu Yuechan. He couldn't miss a beat. If he tried to do the same thing while moving, he would not just be a lot less accurate, but the mist would be slower as well.

Taking a silent breath, Xia Ye looked towards Chu Yuechan. "As I said, you won't be able to kill me even if you wanted to. How about we end this here." He repeated his words. However, no one doubted them this time around. Truly in their eyes, as long as he had that artifact, Xia Ye seemed untouchable. There wasn't any injury on Chu Yuechan.

However, it was clear that she was getting tired and exhausted. Staying silent, Chu Yuechan and Xia Ye soon heard another voice interject. "I believe it would be wise on both fronts to end this confrontation. At this rate, you two will end up destroying the marketplace." Cang Yue, along with Qin Wuyou, stepped out.

A person from the crowd looking at them seemed to go into thought before explaining. "Wait a second; I recognize those two. She's the daughter of Emperor Cang Yue. And the one beside her is an elder of the Blue Wind Profound Palace." As his words spread, the crowd only got livelier.

Although they were not as strong as the Four Major Sects, the Imperial Family owned the Blue Wind Empire, and their power was not to be underestimated. 'The princess of the Blue Wind Empire?' Xia Ye was surprised to see such a big figure suddenly come between him and Chu Yuechan.

"I ask both of you to put aside your grudges even if temporarily while in this city." Cang Yue asked kindly without any hints of arrogance or overbearing. Seeing that Xia Ye looked towards Chu Yuechan. She looked at him as well and, after a brief pause, sheathed her sword. "I've given you fair warning."

Turning to leave, Xia Ye watched the others follow her. Shi Xinya stared at Xia Ye for a second, either out of shock or perhaps disbelief, before leaving as well. With the battle over, Xia, Yuanba, quickly ran over to Xia Ye. "Brother Ye! Are you ok? You're not hurt, right? How did you do that?" Hearing a barrage of questions Xia Ye tried to calm Xia Yuanba down.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Cang Yue, who saw Xia Yuanba, was initially confused as he heard him call Xia Ye brother. 'That boy's name is Xia Yuanba, right? But he was calling Yun Che brother in law, and he's calling this person brother.' Xia Ye saw Cang Yue staring at him as he looked back at her. 'Her cultivation is at the 3rd Level of the True Profound Realm. Not that impressive.'

Of course, he could only say that due to the fact he was exposed to incredible geniuses early on. "Ah! Senior Sister Xueruo? You're a princess?" Xia Yuanba's face was displaying overwhelming amounts of shock. At the same time, Xia Ye, who came out of his thoughts, seemed confused.

"Yuanba, you know her?" Xia Ye pointed at Cang Yue as Xia Yuanba nodded. "Well, I thought I did. She came here with Brother In Law." Xia Ye found what he said a bit strange but believed him all the same. He wasn't given time to think about it as Cang Yue walked up to him. "If I may, what is your name?"

"It's Xia Ye." Hearing his name, Cang Yue thought to herself for a moment. 'Xia Ye… I don't believe I've heard that name before. But to wield an artifact with such efficiency, perhaps he's an undiscovered genius like Yun Che was. If that's the case, perhaps recruiting him would be a good idea.'

Seeing Cang Yue go silent, Xia Ye shrugged. "Anyway, Yuanba, I'm going to be staying in Imperial City until the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament comes around. I'll come to find you later, ok?" Xia Yuanba was surprised as he looked towards Cang Yue and then Xia Ye. "Um, right, ok, Brother Ye."

Hearing what Xia Ye said, Cang Yue looked surprised. Xia Ye was already entering the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament under Qing Huanying's guise. Which also meant that him joining their Blue Wind Profound Palace was nearly impossible. Immediate disappointment appeared on her face as she watched Xia Ye leave.

"Well, I accomplished my initial goal here. Instructor Qin, you may return to your duties. Thank you for your assistance."

"Of course." Qin Wuyou replied courteously as the two split paths. At the same time, Cang Yue turned to Xia Yuanba. "I have reason to speak to Yun Che. Would you mind bringing me to him?" Xia Yuanba was taken back by the sudden interaction. "Of course!" He seemed a bit nervous, knowing Cang Yue was a princess, as she laughed quietly.

"There you are." Xia Ye kicked Ao Qin, who was sleeping in the middle of a deserted road. "Hmm?" Waking up, Ao Qin spotted Xia Ye. "Master, did you find who you were looking for?" Xia Ye was honestly speechless. She actually managed to sleep through that entire encounter. Shaking his head, Xia Ye gestured for her to follow him.

Sitting up, she did so while asking a question. "So what now, Master?" Xia Ye looked back at her and smiled. "What do you mean? Where going to train, of course. I've been taking it way too easy lately." He could handle Ruyi Jingu Bang's full weight as well as it stretching up to three miles at max.

Yet overall, he had been ignoring basically all levels of practice or training. Other than the 72 Earthly Transformations, all of his other techniques and capabilities were at the beginner level. Overall, it came down to the fact he got overconfident. "Wait, you're training me too?" Xia Ye looked back at Ao Qin and nodded like it was obvious.

"Of course, your way too weak as you are. I'm going to beat that laziness out of you and, of course, utilize you for training as well." Hearing Xia Ye's plan of action, Ao Qin immediately objected. But she couldn't do much when Xia Ye could simply drag her away by her tail. Being that this was the Imperial City, there were naturally many places made for cultivation.

Buildings large enough to dwarf people's houses thousands of times over offer room's for cultivators to rent. In return, they would be able to practice and train to their heart's content inside without worrying about damage. Xia Ye was currently inside one such building. Its overall size was no smaller than that of the Blue Wind Profound Palace.

A large hall with a roof at least a hundred meters tall stretching as far as the eye could see in each direction contained multiple sealed doors embedded into the walls. As one went closer to the central areas of the building, the doors looked more high quality as their material became tougher.

On his right, Ao Qin was remaining silent as Xia Ye spoke to a middle-aged female receptionist. "This is one of our most expensive and high-quality rooms. Not only does it increase cultivation speed significantly, but it is highly durable." Like a salesperson, she planned on listing off its features and pros before mentioning the price.

But before she could even finish she Xia Ye pulled out his Profound Currency Card. "How much will it cost to rent a room until the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament?" The receptionist immediately had her eye widen slightly after hearing Xia Ye's words. 'Only certain geniuses are allowed to participate in the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament… And he wants to rent a room until then?'

This was a jackpot situation for her and even an opportunity for a promotion. Xia Ye paid with no issues using a fair portion of the two hundred thousand Profound Coins he had. Entering the room, it was like an entirely sealed off-world. Using a Spatial Profound Formation, the inside was a lot bigger than the outside would present.

The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of smooth black obsidian-like stone. And there was only one way in and out, keeping any chances of breaking things to a minimum. In any case, it was perfect for him.

Pulling out Ruyi Jingu Bang and holding it out in front of him, he thought to himself for a moment. 'The nine tons it normally weighs is no longer an issue for me. I can easily support it up to twenty, if not more, in my current state. At the same time, controlling it properly past the two-mile mark is too much for me.'

And that didn't just boil down to having enough strength. His manipulation when it came to enhancing his attributes with Qi was quite poor. Sun Wukong told him in the past that using Qi; he should be able to double his natural speed and strength, even if temporarily at his stage. Yet the best he could do was get a sixty or seventy percent increase.

Adding that to his level of the Somersaulting Cloud, he should be able to move three times his current max speed. Yet as he stated, his overall mastery had been lacking severely. The only true change Qi wise was he was capable of controlling elements and morphing his attacks now.

Earth through the Goldex Ox along with Ice through the Qingniao Luan Bird and lastly Metal through the White Tiger of The West. 'On Top of that, the Nimbus is capable of calling down lightning, but I'm not sure about its other abilities.'

Of course, he could just ask Sun Wukong, but at the same time, he didn't want to. He had been relying on Sun Wukong for everything. Being practically a fragmented soul, the day may come where he disappears. Based on how much he relies on him now, he may not be able to make due in the future.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Ye cracked his neck. "I've got plenty of time, so for now, it would be best if I go back to the basics and work my way back up." And so that's exactly what he began to do. Sitting down on the ground, Xia Ye began to meditate, focusing inwardly on his control and body.

He had experienced massive changes inwardly but hadn't taken the time to focus on them. But now that he did, he could start learning about everything inside of his body that had changed. The Fiery Lotus that resided within his Dantian was constantly bringing him a new level and influx of Qi.

'Focus…'