The departure of Nangong Jianchen also marked the arrival of the Star Moon City Tournament as promised.
Tomorrow at noon is the annual tournament of Star Moon City.
By then, all those who have awakened their Martial Souls this year will attend, and countless Sect Elders will gather, making it remarkably lively.
Now that Ye Xiaofan's strength has reached the peak of the Seventh Layer of the Profound Spirit Realm, the "Grass Cutting Sword Technique" has advanced further, and it is practically certain that he will enter a Sect during the Star Moon City Tournament. However, he feels that this is still not enough.
If he can apprentice under Sword Saint Dugu Nan, it would undoubtedly be beneficial in the long run.
Therefore, Ye Xiaofan didn't rush to leave, but intended to seize the final night's opportunity to strive for the Eighth Layer of the Profound Spirit Realm. However, before that, the crucial step in "Sword Break" seemed even more important.
Midnight.
In the endless Soul Beast Forest, roaring sounds drew nearer and nearer.
Ye Xiaofan stood with a sharp sword in hand, facing a giant beast.
"An Eighth Tier Soul Beast, the Five-Colored Giant Ape!" Watching the provoked and enraged giant beast, Ye Xiaofan breathed heavily and swallowed hard: "Success or failure depends on this one move. If I can't evoke the Sword Intent, I'll have to turn and flee!"
Having made up his mind,
Ye Xiaofan slowly closed his eyes, carefully recalling the fleeting chance he had captured when he slew the Earth Snow Bear.
He intended to use this Eighth Tier Five-Colored Wugong to force himself into the same situation as that day, thereby stimulating his potential and recapturing that enigmatic insight.
In the roaring Soul Beast Forest, a gentle breeze stirred a few strands of green silk.
Ye Xiaofan, feeling the terrifying pressure from the Eighth Tier Soul Beast, did not panic; instead, he became increasingly calm.
At the moment when the aura of death approached infinitely, Ye Xiaofan felt as if he entered a mystical realm, and that once-sensed mystery re-emerged.
This time, Ye Xiaofan did not let it slip but firmly held onto it in his mind, completely entering a state of ethereal enlightenment.
The giant Five-Colored Giant Ape roared ceaselessly, madly charging at Ye Xiaofan.
The unique terrifying aura of the Eighth Tier Soul Beast shook the mountain forest, and each step it took seemed to make the forest tremble, such was its terror.
At a certain moment, as the Giant Ape charged with unmatched force,
"Now is the time!"
Ye Xiaofan suddenly opened his eyes, two streaks of Sword Intent bursting forth.
"Sword Break!"
Ye Xiaofan shouted explosively, channeling all his Spiritual Power, which flooded into the sharp sword like a deluge, then thrust it out fiercely.
Boom—Roar—!
The shrill cries of the Soul Beast echoed through the mountain forest, and for a moment, the Sword Intent filled the forest, startling countless high-tier Soul Beasts.
Every Soul Beast, sensing that terrifying Sword Intent from afar, couldn't help but tremble.
...
The next morning.
As the golden light of the morning sun cast over the endless mountain range, a small figure slowly walked out of the mountains, heading toward the desolate grass hut outside Star Moon City.
After a night of breakthrough, Ye Xiaofan had stepped into the Eighth Layer of the Profound Spirit Realm, undergoing a stunning transformation, with even his aura seemingly a bit different.
Yet what shocked him the most was the sword he wielded last night against the Eighth Tier Soul Beast, the Five-Colored Giant Ape.
Gently gripping the sword hilt, Ye Xiaofan moved forward with a look of expectancy.
At the same time, in front of the smoking thatched hut,
Ye Xiaoyue stood anxiously under the eaves, occasionally looking toward the Soul Beast Forest.
Until one moment, at the end of the weed-covered horizon, a tall figure walked towards the morning sun.
Upon seeing Ye Xiaofan, a worried expression on Ye Xiaoyue's charming face turned into joy, as she quickly ran towards him.
The siblings embraced in the sunrise, and after a moment of tightly holding her brother, Ye Xiaoyue could not help but ask eagerly: "Xiaofan, how was it? Did you break through?"
As his only blood relative in this world, Ye Xiaoyue dreamed of Ye Xiaofan's breakthrough.
In her view, given her brother's talent, spending half a month in the Soul Beast Forest, he could have at least reached the peak of the Fifth Layer, possibly even the Sixth Layer of the Profound Spirit Realm, for the further up the cultivation realm, the harder it is to break through.
Hearing this, Ye Xiaofan looked at Ye Xiaoyue, smiled mysteriously, and said, "I broke through."
"Really? That's great, that's great, Xiaofan, this time in the tournament, those Sect Elders will surely notice you."
Ye Xiaoyue was overjoyed, but quickly regained her senses and eagerly asked: "By the way, Xiaofan, what layer did you break through to?"
Hearing this, Ye Xiaofan made a gesture, smiling broadly: "Sister, the Eighth Layer!"
Ye Xiaoyue was stunned upon hearing this, her whole body suddenly stiff and staring dumbfounded at Ye Xiaofan's gesture, her eyes full of disbelief and shock: "E-Eighth Layer? Profound Spirit Eighth Layer?"
"Yes!" Ye Xiaofan nodded with a smile.
Boom!
Yet, upon hearing these words, Ye Xiaoyue felt as if struck by lightning, completely frozen in place, the shock in her beautiful eyes beyond measure.
"Profound Spirit Eighth Layer?" She was uncertain if she had heard correctly and reconfirmed.
Seeing Ye Xiaofan nod again, Ye Xiaoyue felt unwell; he had only awakened his Martial Soul for a month, yet he had reached the Eighth Layer of the Profound Spirit Realm—such a genius is sensational.
A cultivator who awakened just a month ago breaking through eight realms? Even the legendary geniuses of the Hundred Broken Mountain Range who competed for supremacy would be only so.
Ye Xiaoyue couldn't imagine if Ye Xiaofan at this moment was reintroduced into the ranks of Star Moon City's geniuses, how many could compare to him.
Just as Ye Xiaoyue was lost in thought, a loud bell resounded through the territory of Star Moon City.
The siblings naturally looked in that direction, a sign that the tournament had begun.
"Sister, let's enter the city."
Ye Xiaofan gazed at the ancient city with deep history, his words slightly heavy.
Ye Xiaoyue nodded heavily, her eyes brimming with tears.
The melodious sound of the bell echoed along the winding rivers.
Today, Star Moon City was more magnificent than ever, with cultivators flocking from all corners, clamoring and bustling.
The moment the bell rang, countless people madly rushed toward the vast ancient city's center.
"The tournament has begun, and this year's scale of Star Moon City's tournament is far grander than in previous years."
"Not just grand, it's unprecedented in a century. Three out of the ten super sects in the Hundred Broken Mountain Range are here, and there are more than ten first-class sects, with an uncountable number of other sects."
"Three out of ten sects came? Which three are they?"
"It seems they are the Divine Sword Sect, Yunlan Sect, and the Li Yang Sect."
As soon as Ye Xiaofan and his sister entered Star Moon City, they overheard various discussions.
Hearing the words Divine Sword Sect, Ye Xiaoyue couldn't help but glance at her brother, Ye Xiaofan.
Ye Xiaofan was publicly rejected for marriage that day in Star Moon City, and while few might have paid particular attention to him, his fiancée Ning Xianyi is a candidate for the Divine Sword Sect's Saintess.
The incident of the Divine Sword Sect's future Saintess annulling the marriage carried an inherent influence, so the story had long spread all over Star Moon City.
Therefore, Ye Xiaoyue worried that the mention of the Divine Sword Sect might affect Ye Xiaofan.
However, seeing Ye Xiaofan unfazed and unaffected, Ye Xiaoyue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After a month, as the siblings stepped into Star Moon City again, everything seemed to matter less.
The outskirts of Star Moon City appeared particularly deserted, with people mostly headed to the city center, causing the exterior streets to have only sparse shadows, yet all in a rush to the center.
Ye Xiaofan didn't linger, walking slowly towards the venue with Ye Xiaoyue, as if stepping toward another life.
The closer they got to the city center, the more rapidly Ye Xiaoyue's breathing quickened.
Because she knew.
This tournament not only concerned Ye Xiaofan's future but also his personal honor and disgrace. All the humiliation and injustice suffered in the past would dissipate in this tournament.
Ye Xiaoyue even eagerly wanted to see what expressions those who once looked down on them would have when they saw Ye Xiaofan shine in the tournament.
Especially the members of the Ye Race, she wanted to see Ye Wuyuan and others regret their past actions.
Of course, what Ye Xiaoyue yearned to see most was her brother standing in the tournament, dazzling at that moment.
That moment might be the most unforgettable of her life, and also the most glorious of Star Moon City.