The entirety of Glory City was in an uproar.
Several pieces of news had spread throughout the city, leaving countless citizens shaken.
The first concerned the truth behind Chen Zhenlong's disappearance.
For an entire year, the citizens of Glory City had been led to believe that Chen Zhenlong was in secluded cultivation, attempting to break through to Legend Rank.
After a year of absence, Chen Zhenlong had finally reappeared during the Martial Arts Tournament hosted by the Divine Family.
At first, everyone who saw him was curious about the results of his seclusion. Had he managed to break through after such a long absence?
However, when they confirmed that his cultivation rank remained unchanged, many couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Although they hadn't expected much, they had still hoped that one of the patriarchs of the three major families would manage to reach a higher rank.
Legend Rank was truly a heaven-defying realm. Every Demon Spiritualist worked tirelessly to reach it, yet throughout Glory City's history, only a handful had ever succeeded.
However, their disappointment didn't last long, as another piece of news quickly overshadowed the matter.
Before the tournament officially began, Chen Zhenlong stepped forward to address the attendees and announce several important matters.
First, he revealed that he had never been in secluded cultivation during his year-long absence.
His words left the audience confused, and questions immediately arose.
Where had Chen Zhenlong been all this time? If he hadn't been in seclusion, where had he disappeared to?
Their questions were answered when Chen Zhenlong revealed that nearly a year ago, he had encountered a traveling Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist who had offered him a tremendous opportunity.
The revelation sent shock waves through the Martial Arts Arena.
The spectators erupted into an uproar.
"A traveling Legend Rank expert!?"
"Someone from outside Glory City!?"
Questions rang out from every corner of the arena.
Everyone wanted to know more about this mysterious expert, his name, his origins, and everything else they could learn about him.
Before the arena descended into complete chaos, Chen Fe, an elder of the Divine Family and Chen Zhenlong's younger brother, released his soul force, enveloping the crowd and forcing them to quiet down.
"Everyone, please calm down. There's no need to cause such a commotion. Naturally, we've gathered here to disclose what everyone needs to know. However, we won't be answering any questions, as this matter concerns the Divine Family," Chen Fe announced, silencing the crowd.
Seeing that his younger brother had successfully calmed the audience, Chen Zhenlong continued.
He revealed that he had spent the past year traveling beyond Glory City with the mysterious expert, searching for a cure for his daughter's illness.
As soon as Chen Zhenlong finished speaking, three figures emerged from behind him and stood at his side.
They were Chen Yinying, Chen Wenrou, and a young girl whom many of the attendees had never seen before.
At first, the spectators were confused.
Many had long since forgotten the incident involving the once-celebrated prodigy of Glory City, who had been struck by a mysterious illness that caused her to lose her unique physique.
The tragedy had been so heartbreaking that many had chosen to put the entire incident behind them, including the little girl herself.
Thus, when Chen Linlin appeared before the public for the first time in three years, it took some people a moment to recognize her.
But once they did, their expressions quickly shifted from confusion to astonishment.
She was that little girl, the one many had come to call the Withered Princess.
A far greater uproar swept through the arena.
How could they have forgotten?
She was the little princess of the Divine Family, once renowned for her heaven-defying talent.
And everyone remembered how her story had ended in tragedy.
Yet now, standing before thousands of spectators at the Martial Arts Tournament, Chen Linlin had reappeared, looking healthier than ever.
The question on everyone's mind was simple.
How?
Chen Zhenlong proceeded to explain what had happened.
He recounted how the mysterious expert had appeared at his doorstep and offered him a way to cure his daughter's illness in exchange for accepting someone from the Divine Family as his disciple.
That offer had ultimately led Chen Zhenlong to leave Glory City for an entire year.
The spectators listened intently, their hearts pounding with excitement.
They were thrilled that the little princess, once celebrated for her heaven-defying talent, had finally recovered.
They were thrilled that another Legend Rank expert had entered the picture.
And they were even more excited that this mysterious expert had chosen someone from Glory City to become his disciple.
Any one of these revelations would have been significant on its own.
Together, they filled the citizens with renewed hope for Glory City's future.
After Chen Zhenlong finished addressing the public, he left the Martial Arts Arena with his wives and daughter, leaving the rest of the tournament under Chen Fe's supervision.
By then, however, few people cared about the tournament's results.
Some attendees from the various noble families even left early to relay the news to their respective family heads.
This news was bound to bring tremendous changes to Glory City.
Unbeknownst to the public, however, those changes had already begun to take shape, particularly within another major family.
The Snow Wind Family.
The leading family of Glory City, to which the City Lord, Ye Zong, and his father, the Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist Lord Ye Mo, belonged.
One Month Earlier
After spending enough time with his family, Chen Zhenlong finally decided to inform Lord Ye Mo and Ye Zong about his breakthrough to Legend Rank.
Naturally, the story he intended to tell them was the one he and Xue Hui had fabricated.
They deliberately omitted certain details. In particular, they decided to keep Xue Hui's true origins and his knowledge of future events a secret.
Without sufficient evidence, revealing such information would only cause more harm than good to Glory City.
Accompanying Chen Zhenlong was none other than Xue Hui himself.
Bringing the boy along would also allow Chen Zhenlong to introduce him to Lord Ye Mo and Ye Zong.
Xue Hui's identity as the disciple of a mysterious Legend Rank expert gave him sufficient standing to be introduced to both the legendary figure and the City Lord. Chen Zhenlong hoped the boy would become acquainted with them.
However, that wasn't the only reason the two had decided to visit the Snow Wind Family.
The previous night, news had spread throughout Glory City concerning Ye Yurou, the City Lord's wife.
According to the reports, Ye Yurou had fallen ill with an unknown disease and had since lapsed into a deep slumber from which she couldn't awaken.
The news had been circulated throughout the city in the hope that someone capable of treating her condition would come forward.
When Xue Hui and Chen Zhenlong heard about it, they decided to pay the Snow Wind Family a visit and see whether Xue Hui could help.
Given that Xue Hui was supposedly the disciple of a Heavenly Doctor, identifying the cause of the City Lord's wife's affliction shouldn't have been too difficult for him.
Eventually, the two arrived at the City Lord's Mansion. Thanks to Chen Zhenlong's status, they were promptly escorted inside to meet their host.
"Chen Zhenlong pays his respects to Lord Ye Mo."
Chen Zhenlong immediately cupped his hands in greeting upon meeting the person who had come to welcome them.
"Ah... Xue Hui pays his respects to Lord Ye Mo."
After following Chen Zhenlong's example, Xue Hui glanced at the white-haired man beside him and whispered, "Uncle... he's not the City Lord, right?"
The man had long white hair and an equally long beard. His eyes were partially hidden beneath thick eyebrows, yet a faint glimmer could still be seen within them. He stood perfectly straight, showing none of the back problems commonly associated with someone of his age.
With a single glance, Xue Hui could tell that the physique hidden beneath those white robes was in no way inferior to Chen Zhenlong's.
The person who had greeted them was indeed not the City Lord, but none other than Glory City's legendary hero, Lord Ye Mo.
"I am indeed not," Ye Mo replied with a faint smile, having overheard Xue Hui's question.
His sharp gaze studied the boy, and a flicker of astonishment appeared in his eyes.
"Young one, how old are you? Although I can't determine your exact cultivation, I can tell that you're concealing your aura remarkably well."
Ye Mo leaned forward slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing straight into Xue Hui's soul. There was both surprise and approval in his eyes.
"A child as young as you shouldn't be able to conceal his aura to such an extent."
"Hehe..."
Xue Hui scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
'It seems underestimating the people of the Snow Wind Family was a mistake. Lord Ye Mo saw through my soul concealment in less than a minute.'
"Don't worry, young one. I'm the last person who would ever harm a talented child like you," Lord Ye Mo assured him.
He then took a piece of candy from his interspatial ring and handed it to Xue Hui.
After accepting the candy, Xue Hui properly introduced himself, revealing his name, age, and Demon Spiritualist rank.
He also allowed a portion of his soul force to leak out, giving Lord Ye Mo a clearer sense of his strength.
Ye Mo nodded approvingly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"Three-Star Bronze Rank. Furthermore, judging by the quality of your soul force, your strength is comparable to that of a Silver Rank Demon Spiritualist."
He gently patted the boy's head.
"You're a good child indeed."
Although the past few days had been difficult for Ye Mo, with his daughter-in-law's condition continuing to worsen, encountering a boy of Xue Hui's age with such extraordinary talent was still a welcome surprise.
After all, even Ye Mo himself hadn't possessed such strength at the same age.
If the boy continued to grow at this rate, he might very well become Glory City's next Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist.
"Lord Ye Mo, may we take a look at Madam Yurou's condition? We've come to see if we can help her."
Upon hearing their request, Ye Mo's hand, which had been resting on Xue Hui's head, came to a stop.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he shifted his gaze between the two people standing before him.
After a brief pause, he nodded.
"Very well. Follow me."
Turning around, Ye Mo led them deeper into the City Lord's residence.
"He's... so... cool!" Xue Hui whispered in astonishment.
Chen Zhenlong could only sigh bitterly upon hearing him.
He was also a Legend Rank expert, just like Ye Mo, yet he didn't possess the same kind of imposing aura.
At least, he couldn't make Xue Hui feel giddy with admiration simply by being himself.
Upon entering the main residence, they were greeted by several members of the Snow Wind Family.
Their expressions were grim, and their faces were clouded with helplessness.
"Brother Chen, you've come."
The person who greeted Chen Zhenlong was Ye Xiu.
In terms of strength and authority within the Snow Wind Family, Ye Xiu ranked below only Ye Mo and the City Lord himself.
"We came to see if my nephew could do anything about Sister Yurou's condition," Chen Zhenlong replied.
He wasn't surprised by the confused expressions his words elicited from the others.
While the two men were talking, Xue Hui continued walking until he reached the door of the room where Madam Yurou was being treated.
He was just about to reach for the door when an aura locked onto him, halting his movements.
"Boy, it's rather improper to simply waltz into someone else's home."
After reprimanding the boy, the man turned his attention back to the door, concern etched across his aged face.
This was Ye Shuo, the fourth most influential figure in the Snow Wind Family.
However, like everyone else present, Ye Shuo felt utterly helpless. Unable to do anything to help Ye Yurou, he had taken to standing guard outside her room.
He was about to continue lecturing the boy about proper etiquette when something unexpected happened.
He suddenly felt his soul force being severed. A chilling sensation spread through his body, disrupting his senses and leaving him momentarily disoriented.
By the time Ye Shuo managed to dispel the frost chill within his body, the boy had already disappeared.
"What!? How!? Where did that brat go?"
His sudden outburst interrupted the conversation between Ye Xiu and Chen Zhenlong.
The two men glanced at him in confusion before realizing that Xue Hui was no longer with them.
Meanwhile, Ye Mo, who had remained silent throughout the exchange between Xue Hui and Ye Shuo, was momentarily stunned by what he had just witnessed.
He had deliberately said nothing, wanting to see how Xue Hui would conduct himself when confronted by someone like Ye Shuo.
However, he hadn't expected the boy to be so capable.
Severing someone else's soul force was no small feat.
And this wasn't just any ordinary soul force.
It belonged to a Black Gold Rank Demon Spiritualist.
With his keen spiritual perception, Ye Mo had witnessed the entire process. The boy's spiritual energy had condensed into a needle-thin thread, which then pierced the weakest point in Ye Shuo's soul force.
Using an unknown technique, Xue Hui had caused the tiny puncture to ripple like disturbed water. In the next instant, the damage spread rapidly, severing Ye Shuo's control over his soul force.
Normally, an expert as powerful as Ye Shuo should have immediately sensed that his soul realm was being pierced and torn apart.
Yet Ye Mo had noticed that the Law of Water was gently soothing the affected area, preventing the damage from spreading too violently. As a result, Ye Shuo had barely felt anything wrong with his soul realm.
Only after Xue Hui released a trace of frost chill into Ye Shuo's soul force had the older man become disoriented, giving the boy enough time to slip past him.
'To possess such a technique and such profound insight into the Law of Water... No wonder the boy has reached such a frightening level of strength at such a young age,' Ye Mo thought.
Ignoring the trio who were now frantically searching for Xue Hui, Ye Mo followed the boy into the room.
As he walked, Ye Mo also noted that Ye Shuo had grown careless, leaving his soul realm unguarded in Xue Hui's presence.
Had the boy unleashed a tremendous amount of frost chill at that moment, Ye Shuo might not even have realized what had happened until it was too late.
"Perhaps there's still hope," Ye Mo muttered under his breath.
End of Chapter 31