Ye Tianling said, "Correct. A Sword-shaped Soul is merely the foundation. You must first have a sword and become familiar with it before you can achieve the state of 'No Sword is Better than Having a Sword.' To reach a profound state of Sword Intent, you have to enter a realm where having no Sword Intent is superior to having it. But before that, you must first build a rock-solid foundation of having Sword Intent…"
"Very well, Elder Fenghan. We'll part ways here."
Ye Fenghan was deeply shaken, his mind reeling with newfound understanding.
These ideas were unprecedented and incredibly thought-provoking.
Ye Fenghan was finally convinced that Ye Tianling was no ordinary person. Even though he had burned his Talent Bloodline and his life force was now depleted, his future achievements would surely be nothing short of incredible!
As long as he revealed his Sword Intent Talent, a Major Sect would undoubtedly help him recover from his physical and bloodline deficiencies, healing him completely.
Once that happened, how could his future be anything but brilliant?
While Ye Fenghan was lost in thought, Ye Tianling had already turned and strode away.
"Wait."
Ye Fenghan suddenly called out.
Ye Tianling didn't turn back, simply saying coolly, "Go on."
Ye Fenghan bowed deeply. "Thank you for your guidance, both for myself and for Mei'Er. I will never forget this kindness. Furthermore, I sincerely apologize for my earlier insults and my disdainful attitude toward you."
Ye Tianling said coolly, "So does this mean I can be with Mei'Er now?"
The question stunned Ye Fenghan into silence.
"Heh."
Ye Tianling chuckled.
Ye Fenghan said after a moment of contemplation, "If you can survive, and if Mei'Er is still willing to be with you in the future, I will not interfere."
Ye Tianling paused, then turned back to him. "I accept your apology."
Ye Fenghan asked, "And if I hadn't agreed to let you be with Mei'Er, you wouldn't have forgiven me?"
Ye Tianling replied, "Then I would have just run away with Mei'Er."
Ye Fenghan's mouth twisted, the muscles in his face twitching. The expression he made was quite a sight to behold.
Ye Tianling said, "Since you chose to apologize, you chose to compromise. Mei'Er is a good person, and her father isn't so bad either. That's the only reason I don't want to have a falling out with you. You are, after all, my father-in-law, and I don't want to put Mei'Er in a difficult position. At the lowest point in my life, she was the only one who never abandoned me. If it were just you, I wouldn't have given you the time of day."
Ye Fenghan couldn't help but sigh wistfully at his words.
'If it weren't for Mei'Er, why would he ever have crossed paths with Ye Tianling?'
'It was only out of love for his daughter that he, as a father, could repeatedly tolerate Ye Tianling's 'insolence'.'
Ye Fenghan sighed. "Do you want me to draw away the ones spying on you? They have malicious intentions. Even though they were scared off for now, they probably won't give up once I leave."
Ye Tianling shook his head. "They're just trash. If they want to die, let them follow. I'll be happy to grant them their wish!"
Ye Fenghan remarked, "That temperament of yours is just like your father's. Both of you are so proud."
Ye Tianling said after a moment, "Father-in-law, tell me the truth. How exactly did my father die?"
At his words, Ye Fenghan's expression once again became a picture of complexity. 'This kid is truly shameless! Give him an inch and he'll take a mile. He's already calling me 'Father-in-law'? Did I agree to let you be with Mei'Er? What if the outside world dazzles Mei'Er and she gives up on you? Are you really that confident in yourself?'
Though a storm of thoughts raged in his mind, Ye Fenghan's expression grew solemn as he thought of Ye Fengyang. "Your father rose to prominence because of the Qingyang Town Ye Race. But his exceptional Talent provoked the number one genius of the Canglan City Ye Race at the time, Ye Cangqian. Now, Ye Cangqian has entered Carefree Main City and become a peerless figure. His power is immeasurable…"
"He was the one who ruthlessly struck down your father!"
"He didn't just sever your father's limbs; he crippled his meridians and Dantian and even shattered his Soul. After your father died, he couldn't even have a proper burial. He was left in a desolate grave, barred from the Ye Race's ancestral records, with no memorial tablet to his name."
Ye Tianling's expression turned cold. "Ye Cangqian? What's his Realm now?"
Ye Fenghan replied, "He is now a peerless genius in Carefree Main City, and indeed in the entire Azure Flame Mansion. They call him the 'Child of Celestial Mandate' of the Ye Race. I don't know his exact strength, but he has certainly surpassed the Sword Heart Realm. The path of a Swordsman is divided into stages. The first stage includes the Realms of Swordsman, Sword Beginning, and Sword Qi. The second stage includes the Realms of Sword Essence, Sword Intent, and Sword Heart."
"He may have even completed the second stage entirely. Although you possess Sword Intent, even if I stood here and let you attack me undefended, you could barely scratch me. In a true life-or-death battle, I would never give you the chance to make a move. And compared to Ye Cangqian, I am less than an ant! Even our Clan Leader, Ye Wannian, who has already reached the Sword Intent Realm, is nothing but an ant that Cangqian could crush with a flick of his finger!"
"The fact that your father offended Ye Cangqian is the real reason the family ostracizes you."
Ye Tianling asked, "Ye Cangqian drained my father's Essence Blood, didn't he? I've heard he's hailed as the peerless 'Child of Fiery Flame' with a 'Fiery Flame Sword Body.' In reality, he stole it from my father's Fiery Sun Sword Body, correct?"
With a complicated expression, Ye Fenghan nodded. "If you already knew, why ask? It's something of an open secret."
Ye Tianling nodded, changing the subject. "Father-in-law, until we meet again."
With that, Ye Tianling gave Ye Fenghan a slight bow with cupped fists and departed.
It was a long while after Ye Tianling left that Ye Fenghan finally came to his senses, still somewhat dazed.
'This young man… he's really something else. Could it be that he didn't burn away his latent Talent, but that it actually transformed and mutated? No, that should be impossible. If that were the case, given the Clan Leader's meticulous and cautious nature, he would have surely known. He never would have let him leave the Ye Race.'
A whirlwind of complex thoughts spun in Ye Fenghan's mind.
He shook his head, let out a self-deprecating laugh, and departed from the Celestial Language Mountain area.
...
「In the private courtyard of the Ye Race's Ye Tianyun.」
"Instructor Elder, that Ye Tianling is so arrogant, and he isn't even a member of our Ye Race! How could the Clan Leader just let him leave? That rebellious bastard! If he ever gets some lucky break and becomes powerful, won't he become a nightmare for our Qingyang Town Ye Family?"
Ye Tianyun wore a grim expression.
A full hour had passed since Ye Tianling's departure, but Ye Tianyun still couldn't swallow his anger.
Furthermore, when he had tried to follow and ambush Ye Tianling earlier, a single glare from Guardian Elder Ye Fenghan had been enough to freeze the murderous intent in his heart.
The thought of Ye Fenghan's daughter, Ye Yuemei, fawning all over Ye Tianling made Ye Tianyun feel as disgusted as if he'd swallowed a fly.
"That little bastard certainly can't be allowed to become powerful! But rest assured, there's a reason the Clan Leader gave him that Earth Tier Lower Grade Treasure Sword, the Fiery Sun Sword, and let him go. What you may not know is that a certain great personage from our Ye Race Main Race—Ye Cangqian, the Child of Celestial Mandate—also despises that little bastard's father. If he doesn't want the boy to have a quick death, wouldn't we be asking for trouble by taking matters into our own hands?"
Ye Liyi said in a sinister tone, pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back.
Ye Tianyun frowned. "So you're saying we can't touch that bastard?"
A cruel, vicious look appeared on Ye Liyi's face. He said grimly, "Not necessarily. As long as the little bastard doesn't die within the borders of our Qingyang Town Ye Family, there won't be any problem at all!"