The Prodigies of the Northern WastelandIn Ye Sheng's view, Ye Fan's confidence came from Ye Qingchan. After all, back in the day, Cousin Qingchan had even drawn her sword against him to stand up for Ye Fan. But back then, they were all ignorant and childish due to their youth. Now, Ye Qingchan was Young Master Ling Xiao's favored woman—sooner or later, she would enter the Holy State. Yet after all these years, Ye Fan was still a loser who hadn't even broken through to the Zhenyuan Realm. The gap between them was so vast that they were doomed to have no more interactions.
When Ye Fan finally appeared in the Ye family's main hall, Ling Xiao—who had kept his eyes tightly closed—suddenly opened them wide.
"Here he is!"
The System had already chimed in: the new Chosen One had made his brilliant appearance.
Ling Xiao looked at the young man in white standing below in the hall, trying to keep his smile from looking too sleazy. Dressed in white with star-like eyes, he was incomparably handsome—yet not a single wisp of spiritual energy fluctuated around him. Undoubtedly a loser. Truly the standard setup for a Chosen One.
Seven hundred points of Destiny Value—two hundred points more than Chu Yang had. As expected, the more tragic a Chosen One's background, the higher their Destiny Value.
However, even though Ye Fan had hidden it well, Ling Xiao still detected a faint aura about him.
"He's carrying some kind of spiritual treasure that hides his aura? It seems the Ye family is about to have bad luck."
Needless to say, Ye Fan was hiding his aura now just to grow steadily in peace. If Ling Xiao hadn't come to Qingfeng City, it wouldn't have been long before Ye Fan gathered enough strength to trample all these clansmen who looked down on him under his feet one by one.
"What a pity!" Ling Xiao shook his head and let out a soft sigh. "What misfortune for him—to have met me."
Moreover, from the way this kid's eyes had locked onto Ye Qingchan the moment he walked in, if Ling Xiao thought Ye Fan had no interest in his cousin, all the novels he'd read over the years would have been for nothing.
Yet right now, Ling Xiao detected no aura of a powerful cultivator on Ye Fan, nor any trace of a residual soul. So what exactly was Ye Fan's trump card? Holy State cultivation techniques? Mysterious martial arts? Or… a sinister forbidden treasure?
Since Ye Fan had such high Destiny Value, it proved his secret must be even more astonishing than Chu Yang's. At this moment, Ling Xiao was already pondering how to test him a bit.
The members of the Ye family watched Ling Xiao's expression of shaking his head and sighing, and all wore smiles of expected understanding. How could a loser like Ye Fan catch Young Master Ling Xiao's eye?
"Cousin Qingchan!!"
But Ye Fan's gaze never fell on Ling Xiao from start to finish. Instead, it was fixed on that stunning figure that had lingered in his mind day and night.
Cousin Qingchan! We finally meet again!
In Ye Fan's mind, since Ye Qingchan had dared to draw her sword to stand up for him back then, she must care about him. Even though they hadn't seen each other in so long, Ye Fan believed Cousin Qingchan must still think of him.
In the past, Ye Fan hadn't dared to reveal his true feelings—because he really wasn't worthy of Ye Qingchan. But now, he would soon become the strongest in the Ye family; even across the entire Northern Wasteland, he would definitely be regarded as an unparalleled prodigy. Such a status would be enough to stand side by side with Ye Qingchan.
As for this so-called Young Master Ling Xiao… No matter how strong he was, could he be stronger than the demons sealed inside his Eight Desolations Glazed Pagoda? After all, those demons were originally from the Holy State—each infamous for their heinous crimes and terrifying cultivation. If this mere seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy dared to act presumptuously in front of him… Hmph!
"Cousin Ye Fan."
Ye Qingchan smiled politely at Ye Fan. But to Ye Fan, this politeness made his excitement freeze instantly.
This can't be right. This isn't how it should be. Why is Cousin Qingchan being so cold to me?
In Ye Fan's mind, after not seeing each other for so long, shouldn't they hug first and then pour out their longing for each other?
Damn it! It must be because of that Ling Xiao! He must have used his status to threaten Cousin Qingchan!!
Killing a young noble from the Holy State would be a bit troublesome, but if he was careful, no one would notice, right? Besides, everyone in Qingfeng City knew Ye Fan was a loser—naturally, he wouldn't be capable of killing a young noble from the Holy State. Even if others suspected the Ye family, they would never suspect him.
"Ding! The Chosen One's state of mind is damaged. Congratulations, Host, on plundering 50 points of Destiny Value and gaining 500 points of Villain Value."
Already starting? Ling Xiao looked at Ye Fan standing below in the hall with some surprise. From Ye Fan's eyes, he really did detect a faint fluctuation of killing intent. Obviously, in just this short moment, this Chosen One had already imagined many scenarios in his mind.
"Six hundred points of Destiny Value, seven thousand five hundred points of Villain Value… It seems I should find time to improve my cultivation realm."
Ling Xiao glanced at the System interface with satisfaction, then turned his gaze back to Ye Fan. It had to be said—this Chosen One in front of him was far more scheming than Chu Yang. In just an instant, he had hidden his emotions completely and stepped quietly to the side with a calm expression.
Of course, this level of cunning had a lot to do with the environment he'd grown up in. After all, in the Ye family, he couldn't afford to offend anyone. If he didn't know how to hide his emotions, he could easily get killed.
"Young Master Ling Xiao, a few days ago, Xiao Yan—the Crown Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty—came in person. He said many young prodigies in the Northern Wasteland want to visit you. What do you think…"
Ye Liufeng suddenly smiled obsequiously and looked toward Ling Xiao.
"Oh? Did you agree to it?"
Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow. This Ye Liufeng really knew how to handle things—Ling Xiao hadn't even arrived at the Ye family yet, and Ye Liufeng had already curried favor by making promises.
"This old man wouldn't dare!! I only told Crown Prince Xiao that everything depends on Your Young Master's will."
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Ye Liufeng's forehead. He had promised Crown Prince Xiao he would pass a message to Young Master Ling Xiao, but he didn't have the guts to make decisions on Ling Xiao's behalf. Even so, upon hearing the displeasure in Ling Xiao's tone, the Ye family's patriarch felt extremely frightened.
Damn it! Offending Young Master Ling Xiao just for tens of thousands of spirit stones—no matter how he thought about it, it wasn't worth it.
"Xiao Yan? More like 'Xiao Yang' (relieve itching)? Anyway, I'll go meet him."
Ling Xiao stood up and walked straight out of the courtyard. Ye Qingchan and Feng Jiao'er hurried to follow.
"Sheng, stay by the Young Master's side these days. Show him around Qingfeng City properly—all expenses will be covered by the Ye family!!"
Seeing Ling Xiao agree, Ye Liufeng let out a sigh of relief and urgently instructed Ye Sheng.
"Yes, Father."
Ye Sheng broke into a happy smile. If he stayed by the Young Master's side, maybe the Young Master would bestow unparalleled fortune upon him if he was in a good mood. This was such a lucrative task! No—he had to quickly figure out how to curry favor with the Young Master properly.
Ling Xiao had no idea what Ye Sheng was thinking. Right now, he just felt curious. The Great Yan Dynasty, Crown Prince Xiao Yan… If it weren't for the title "Crown Prince," Ling Xiao would have thought the third Chosen One had appeared!