Chapter 559: Chapter 559: Saint Heir Gets Jealous

Elder Yang glanced at Ye Qingchen and began, "Your senior brothers and sisters already possess the ability to leave the mountain on their own. Fierce combat is raging on the Devil’s Den Battlefield, so they’ve gone ahead."

Ye Qingchen looked at Elder Yang in surprise and blurted out, "But I thought you could only qualify to join the Devil’s Den Battlefield after passing the assessment of the Four Major Academies?"

Elder Yang smiled. "That applies to you. As for your senior brothers and sisters, their strength is nearly at the peak of the Martial Emperor Realm. They are precisely the kind of core force the Devil’s Den Battlefield needs to cultivate, so naturally, other channels are available for them to enter."

Ye Qingchen nodded. Although he hadn’t truly witnessed the full strength of his seniors, seeing Li Nian’er withstand Wang Tong’s attack was enough to give him a glimpse of their power.

After bidding farewell to Elder Yang, Ye Qingchen returned to his room.

In the month and a half since his senior brothers and sisters had returned, Ye Qingchen had barely had a full night’s sleep. Even with his resilience, he now felt mentally and physically exhausted. This was a new straw hut built for him by his Senior Brothers Zhu Liang and Cheng Lu. However, as he had always been in a hurry on his previous returns, this was his first time actually staying in it.

Upon entering the room, he saw the same simple furnishings as before, but an envelope on the bedside table caught his eye.

Ye Qingchen opened it. Inside, a letter was written in elegant script:

"Little Junior Brother,

We’ve gone ahead to the Devil’s Den Battlefield to wait for you. Cultivate well, and don’t disappoint us, alright? Oh, and if you want to enter the Ten Ancient Clans, you’ll have to rely on your own efforts. The old guy isn’t reliable, and he doesn’t even dare to return to the Ten Ancient Clans himself... I can’t tell you more about that for now. Anyway, just keep up the good work!

—Your Senior Sister, Li Nian’er"

Ye Qingchen put the letter away with a slight smile. Clearly, his senior sister wasn’t angry about what happened on the cliff anymore, considering she had left him this letter. However, the part of the letter that said Elder Yang didn’t dare to return to the Ten Ancient Clans gave him pause. But Ye Qingchen also understood that this was a secret Elder Yang would certainly never reveal, even if asked directly.

Lying on the bed, Ye Qingchen forced his mind to quiet down and soon fell into a deep sleep.

He had returned in the afternoon and slept straight through until noon the following day. When he checked the time, he was startled, remembering that Elder Yang might be anxiously waiting for him. He quickly got out of bed, washed up, and hurried out of the hut.

Elder Yang was still lying in the sun, lazily dozing. Hearing Ye Qingchen emerge, he cracked open an eye to glance at him before closing it again to nap.

Thinking Elder Yang was angry, Ye Qingchen approached him with some embarrassment. "Um, my apologies. I overslept."

Elder Yang shot him a glance, then waved his hand. "It’s fine. Haste makes waste. You’ve truly been exhausted these past few days."

The fact that Elder Yang didn’t mention cultivation made Ye Qingchen even more awkward, so he had to bite the bullet and ask, "Um, Elder Yang? Didn’t we agree that I would start training with you today?"

Elder Yang pointed to the meditation cushion beside his reclining chair. "No rush. Like I just said, haste makes waste. Today, you don’t need to do anything. Just sit on this cushion and sort through everything you’ve recently learned from your senior brothers and sisters."

Although Ye Qingchen didn’t understand Elder Yang’s intentions, he nodded and sat cross-legged on the cushion. The moment he touched it, his eyes widened in surprise, and he involuntarily looked at Elder Yang.

Elder Yang smiled. "Look at you, making such a fuss. This cushion is a treasure in its own right. Its greatest function is to calm the mind and nourish one’s Soul Power. Meditating on it will grant you twice the results with half the effort."

Ye Qingchen nodded. As soon as he touched the cushion, he had felt streams of an invisible aura flowing from it into his sea of consciousness. As the aura merged within, a wave of refreshing clarity washed over him. His sea of consciousness felt pristine, and his Soul Power became exceptionally active. Even his five senses grew sharper.

He was amazed, but it all made sense once Elder Yang explained it was a treasure.

But at that moment, Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but feel a little contempt for Elder Yang. This old guy casually takes out treasures like this, and the Shadow-extinction Sword Technique he gave me has become my current trump card. This just proves that Elder Yang must have a huge collection of amazing things he’s just unwilling to share.

However, these were just thoughts. He didn’t dare voice his grievances to Elder Yang.

...

In a bamboo forest within the lands of the Ten Ancient Clans, the Saint Heir stood by a Lotus Pond next to a bamboo hut, gazing thoughtfully at the blooming flowers.

The Saint Heir had told Qin Yue that Ye Qingchen was also going to enter the Devil’s Den Battlefield. In response, Qin Yue had taught him several new Formations, further improving the Saint Heir’s mastery of the art.

He should have been pleased, but instead, he felt a strange sense of irritation. After spending so much time with Qin Yue, the Saint Heir, who had seen countless beauties and celestial maidens, thought himself immune to falling for any woman. Yet, seeing her day after day, he found himself increasingly drawn to Qin Yue’s talent and temperament. Unknowingly, a flicker of affection had sparked within him.

Seeing how much Qin Yue cared about Ye Qingchen, jealousy quietly kindled in his heart. Still, with his inherent pride, the Saint Heir would never admit to being jealous of Ye Qingchen.

Li Rui stood cautiously a short distance behind him, not daring to speak.

After a long while, the Saint Heir finally sighed and asked faintly, "What is it?"

Li Rui quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Reporting to the Saint Heir, the joint assessment of the Four Major Academies has been scheduled for half a month from now. That Ye Qingchen has also qualified to participate."

The Saint Heir pointed a finger at the pond, and a lotus pod flew into his hand. He toyed with it for a moment before tossing it back into the water. The pod landed some distance away, perfectly intact, as if it had never been broken off at all.

Then, the Saint Heir did something rare and asked Li Rui for his opinion. "Do you think that Ye Qingchen will be able to get a spot for the Devil’s Den Battlefield?"

Hearing the question, Li Rui broke into a nervous sweat, his mind racing. After a moment, he answered cautiously, "Reporting to the Saint Heir, we’ve received news that this Ye Qingchen has several senior brothers and sisters who are distinguishing themselves on the Devil’s Den Battlefield. And this time, it seems Ye Qingchen received some of their true teachings. So, I believe he should have a chance to obtain a spot!"