Chapter 560: Chapter 560: Dealing with Ye Qingchen

Li Rui didn’t know how to answer, which was why he gave such an ambiguous response.

After all, onlookers see the game more clearly than the players. The Saint Heir hadn’t noticed his own feelings for Qin Yue, but Li Rui, who was always by his side, had gleaned some clues from the shift in the Saint Heir’s attitude toward her.

If this were the past, the Saint Heir might have hoped for Ye Qingchen to pass the four major academies’ examination and enter the Devil’s Den Battlefield. He would have waited until Ye Qingchen found a way into the Ten Great Ancient Clans, only to then utterly shatter his hopes. After that, he would give Ye Qingchen new hope, forcing him to waver between hope and despair until his Dao heart finally collapsed, turning a genius into a waste.

But now, the Saint Heir himself didn’t realize that his preoccupation with Qin Yue had directly affected his methods for dealing with Ye Qingchen.

Li Rui hadn’t been certain before, but now that the Saint Heir had suddenly asked this question, he understood. The Saint Heir did not want Ye Qingchen to pass the examination and secure a spot.

However, given the Saint Heir’s pride, he would never say such a thing outright. It would make him seem as if he were afraid of Ye Qingchen—afraid that one day Ye Qingchen might actually soar to the heavens and interfere with his relationship with Qin Yue.

Sure enough, after hearing Li Rui’s report, the Saint Heir’s gaze turned cold. The water in the Lotus Pond began to ripple, mirroring his emotional turmoil.

A moment later, the Saint Heir calmed himself and said to Li Rui, "If we let Ye Qingchen get a chance to enter the Devil’s Den Battlefield so easily, wouldn’t that be letting him off too lightly?"

Li Rui understood perfectly. The Saint Heir’s words meant he intended to find a way to nip Ye Qingchen in the bud. But due to his pride, he couldn’t possibly order Ye Qingchen’s death directly, which was why he spoke so euphemistically.

Thus, upon hearing the Saint Heir’s words, Li Rui quickly bowed and said, "I understand. Rest assured, Saint Heir. My cousin is also in one of the four major academies, and he will be leading his junior brothers from the academy in this examination. I will go inform my cousin now to keep an eye on this Ye Qingchen."

After speaking, Li Rui was about to take his leave but was stopped by the Saint Heir. The Saint Heir stared at the Lotus Pond before him with a profound gaze, and Li Rui dared not inquire.

As a genius disciple of his clan, Li Rui had joined a Nine-Star Sect at an early age. After a chance encounter with the Saint Heir, he had sworn an oath of loyalty and followed him ever since. But Li Rui’s clan was no ordinary one. Not only had it produced a genius like Li Rui, but before him, an older cousin had entered one of the four major academies, becoming the leader of its younger generation of disciples. This cousin had asked Li Rui more than once to introduce him to the Saint Heir, but Li Rui had always refused.

The Saint Heir was a man of exceedingly high standards. Even someone like his cousin might not catch his eye, so how could Li Rui dare make such a decision on his own? But now that the four major academies were involved, Li Rui felt it was the perfect opportunity to recommend his cousin, which was why he had suggested his cousin handle the matter. He had assumed the Saint Heir would agree, but to his surprise, the Saint Heir stopped him, leaving Li Rui completely puzzled.

After a long while, the Saint Heir sighed and said to Li Rui, "Since we’re going to play with Ye Qingchen, we might as well play a bigger game. Go to the other three academies yourself. You can offer rewards to anyone who takes action against Ye Qingchen."

Li Rui’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected the Saint Heir to harbor such murderous intent this time. This move was giving Ye Qingchen far too much credit! This was not the kind of decision the Saint Heir of the past would have made regarding Ye Qingchen. Never mind the rewards the Saint Heir mentioned; the mere title of a Saint Heir from the Ten Great Ancient Clans was enough to rally countless followers. Once the news spread, Ye Qingchen would inevitably find himself besieged from all sides the moment he entered the assessment.

Though shocked, Li Rui did not dare question the order. After accepting it, he bade farewell and departed for the other three academies.

...

Inside the Divine Wood Academy, Ye Qingchen had already been meditating on a meditation cushion for three days and nights.

At first, he had urged Elder Yang to hurry and take him to cultivate, but Elder Yang refused every time. He simply instructed Ye Qingchen to meditate and consolidate his recent gains.

Ye Qingchen had his complaints about this. There were only a little more than ten days left until the four major academies’ assessment, and he was still only at the Seventh Layer of the Martial King Realm.

Although Ye Qingchen was confident that he was invincible within the Martial King Realm and even assured of victory against a first-layer Martial Emperor Realm opponent, the other disciples participating in the assessment would be another matter. According to his estimates, they would be at the Martial Emperor Realm at a minimum.

The probability of encountering disciples in the intermediate Martial Emperor Realm wouldn’t be low, and his current combat power was still somewhat insufficient.

Ye Qingchen recalled the instructions in the letter Li Nian’er had left for him. His hope that Elder Yang would take him to the Ten Great Ancient Clans was already shattered, so he valued this opportunity immensely.

But Elder Yang was making him waste such precious time on meditation! How could he not be anxious?

Faced with Ye Qingchen’s urging, Elder Yang always maintained a calm and unconcerned demeanor. Left with no other choice, Ye Qingchen could only continue to meditate.

However, as his meditation progressed, Ye Qingchen was surprised to discover that the energy within his body began to settle. His foundation, which had become slightly unstable due to his rapid breakthroughs, was now being swiftly repaired. What delighted him even more was the meditation cushion’s incredibly potent effect on nourishing his Soul Power. Just one day of meditation had increased his Soul Power by about ten percent.

After all, Soul Power played a vitally important role in controlling nature’s spiritual energy and enhancing the abilities of one’s Martial Soul.

This enhancement of his Soul Power was, in turn, an indirect boost to his combat strength. Furthermore, as his Soul Power nourished it, Ye Qingchen’s Dual Pupil Martial Soul grew even more excited. This was evident from the repair progress of the Divine Wood Cultivation Technique.

Back in the Qingyun Sect, the Dual Pupil Martial Soul had begun repairing the Divine Wood Cultivation Technique, but progress had always been slow. Even now, it was only mostly repaired, and that was thanks to Ye Qingchen’s continuous advancements in strength.

But with the increase in Soul Power, the repair speed of the Divine Wood Cultivation Technique had more than doubled. At this rate, Ye Qingchen could likely restore it completely within the next year or so.

When that time came, the splendor of a Divine-Level Cultivation Technique would grace the world once more, and Ye Qingchen’s overall strength would undergo a qualitative change.

So, after meditating for a day, Ye Qingchen stopped urging Elder Yang. Instead, he began to focus his mind, meditating patiently and without distractions.

Through this meditation, Ye Qingchen’s entire demeanor grew even more steady and composed.