Chapter 79: Wang Yuan's Challenge — Ye Ling, Is That All You've Got?
The next morning, Ye Ling awoke fully rested.
He rose quickly, gave a light pat to the small Silver Dragon King perched atop his head, washed up in silence, and then stepped out of his room.
The moment he opened the door, he saw a slender girl standing there. Her expression was cold as usual, yet her eyes shimmered faintly with light.
And when she saw Ye Ling, that faint light turned dazzling—so bright it nearly stung the eyes.
"Good morning, Brother Ye Ling."
It was Cai'er.
After waking up, she had come straight to Ye Ling's door. But instead of knocking and disturbing his rest, she simply stood there quietly, waiting for him to awaken and open the door on his own.
Judging by her posture, she might have stayed there indefinitely if Ye Ling hadn't come out.
For most people, such solitude and stillness would be unbearable after a short while. But not for Cai'er.
For her, simply standing at the door, waiting for Ye Ling—that alone was happiness.
At least, that was how she saw it.
Of course, this side of her was something only Ye Ling could witness.
If Shengling Xin Lanyan, Shengyue, or anyone else familiar with Cai'er saw her like this, they would probably think she had been replaced by someone else.
It was just too out of character.
Cai'er, acting like this? Unbelievable.
"Good morning, Cai'er."
Ye Ling reached out, gently patting her head before naturally taking her hand in his.
Without another word, he led her away, heading toward the Bright Moon Sub-Hall.
At the moment, the Bright Moon Sub-Hall continued to operate as usual.
Long Haochen was still training diligently beside Ye Hua, striving to reach the fourth rank as soon as possible—because once he did, he could begin forging his own Spirit Armor.
He had been yearning for that armor for far too long.
Unfortunately, his strength was still insufficient.
Even though his current forging skill was good enough to craft an entry-level Spirit Armor, that kind of equipment was far from ideal.
Ordinary Spirit Armor only required thousand-forged rare metals, but its grade would be much lower.
And Long Haochen had no intention of settling for mediocrity.
If it were just up to him, he might have crafted something within his reach and called it done.
But after seeing the Spirit Armors of Ye Ling and Cai'er, his ambitions had changed completely.
He wanted armor of that level—the highest tier possible.
Truthfully, he hoped to forge it with his own hands rather than ask Ye Ling for help.
Ye Ling had no objection to that. It was exactly what he wanted to see. He could assist Long Haochen, but he would never hand him a finished product outright.
That would do the boy no good—it would only stunt his growth and limit his future potential.
After all, in the original story, Long Haochen's path and his hardships were deeply intertwined.
As for Li Xin—when Ye Ling saw her, she was standing there with a sheet of paper in her hand, looking helpless.
When she noticed Ye Ling and Cai'er approaching, she walked over with a sigh.
"You're finally awake, little brother."
"What's wrong, Sister Xin? You look troubled."
Ye Ling asked curiously.
Li Xin gave him a faintly exasperated look and handed him the paper. "Take a look for yourself."
Ye Ling took the sheet from her hands.
The moment he read the letter, Ye Ling immediately understood why Li Xin had looked so exasperated.
It was a challenge letter from Wang Yuanyuan—an invitation for Ye Ling and his team to enter the Warrior Temple. She wanted to "extend the courtesy of a host," and perhaps, within her own domain, she could unleash even greater strength.
It seemed she had also gained new power.
Ye Ling was speechless.
This Wang Yuanyuan… truly was something else.
He sighed softly, unsure what to even say.
He had been considering his next course of action when his gaze shifted upward—to the little Silver Dragon King perched on his head. At that moment, clarity struck him.
"That's right… the first nine segments of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, I obtained them back in the Warrior Division Hall of the Desert City. The remaining nine segments might just be hidden within the main hall of the Warrior Temple. For me right now, that's worth testing."
He muttered to himself, his expression growing resolute.
Clearly, this might be a profitable venture.
Which meant—it was time to head for the Southeastern Fortress.
"Brother, judging by your face, you're planning to go, aren't you?" Li Xin asked curiously.
"Of course. Since the challenge letter's already been delivered, I've no reason to refuse. If a Knight from the Knight Temple backed down from a fight, that'd be an insult to the honor of all knights."
Ye Ling spoke calmly, his tone steady.
"Well, that's true," Li Xin nodded. "And you definitely have the strength to accept. You're already a Fifth-Rank Earth Knight. Even if you step into the Warrior Temple, what could Wang Yuanyuan possibly do to defeat you?"
Then, as if recalling something, she suddenly reached out, grabbed his cheeks, and twisted them playfully.
"Honestly, you're just too strange. Normally, someone at your age should've barely broken into the rank of Apprentice Knight—but in less than two years, you've already…"
She sighed, her voice tinged with envy. "You really make your sister jealous, you know that?"
Li Xin smiled bitterly. Her innate spiritual power had been thirty—exceptionally high. In the Bright Moon City, that had once made her the most gifted of all.
But these new generations…
Each one more monstrous than the last.
Especially Ye Ling—she'd personally watched him grow from a mere First-Rank Knight's Squire to this level.
His progress was almost absurdly fast.
"If you want, Sister Xin, I actually know a way to increase your inner spiritual power," Ye Ling said suddenly. "But there's one condition—you'd have to agree to it."
Li Xin froze, eyes wide. She instantly grabbed his arm and shouted, "I agree!"
The sudden outburst startled even the little Silver Dragon King resting atop his head.
"I haven't even told you the condition yet," Ye Ling said helplessly.
"You wouldn't harm me. That, I know," Li Xin replied softly, her eyes filled with complete trust. "But still—what's the condition?"
Ye Ling smiled faintly. "Become my retainer knight."
"…Whose?" Li Xin asked, blinking.
"Mine, of course," Ye Ling replied.
"…"
"That's it?"
(End of Chapter)
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 8 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 64 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/anish_44
{Please join patreon. I am posting 4 chapters per day there, for any tier you join, you can read 4 chapters for all series i work on. and i currently badly need financial support to keep myself afloat. I will continue to do my best to provide you with good chapters daily. So i hope you can help me escape these troubled times.}