Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Blood Saber Stronghold
"SWISH SWISH SWISH!"
Ye Xuan’s hands were a blur, his eyes preternaturally focused. Streaks of golden light flashed and vanished. In no time, all thirty-two Golden Needles in the box were gone.
"SNAP!"
Closing the jade box, Ye Xuan stretched and yawned. "Instructor Luo Zhan, it’s done."
’It’s... done?’
Luo Zhan was stunned. ’So fast? It’s only been a few seconds! Is he messing with me?’
"Ye Xuan, it’s done already? That was way too fast. Aren’t you going to use any other techniques?"
"You think it was too fast?" Ye Xuan shot Instructor Luo Zhan a look. "Instructor Luo Zhan, this is the Flying Needle Acupressure technique. It’s only thirty-two needles in total. How long did you think it would take? Other techniques? Are you saying you want me to turn you into a human pincushion?"
"Ahem, that’s not what I meant." Despite being chided by Ye Xuan, Luo Zhan didn’t feel the slightest bit angry. He asked, "Right, when will my leg be healed?"
Ye Xuan chuckled. "It’s already healed."
’Already healed?’
Luo Zhan didn’t understand what Ye Xuan meant.
"Pull out the Golden Needles, circulate your Profound Qi, and try giving it a kick."
Luo Zhan dubiously pulled out the Golden Needles and gently circulated his Profound Qi. An indescribable feeling of ease instantly flooded his right leg. When the Profound Qi passed through the Profound Vein in his right leg, there wasn’t the slightest blockage. A powerful sensation, brimming with strength, surged from his leg.
BANG!
Luo Zhan couldn’t help but lash out with a kick. A gale swept out as the terrifying Profound Qi from his leg erupted, slamming into a decorative rockery not far away.
In an instant, the rockery shattered into countless pieces, scattering as a cloud of stone dust and shaking the entire courtyard.
"My... my right leg is completely healed! It’s really healed!"
For more than eight years, Luo Zhan had never been this excited. For the first time, he felt complete control over his right leg. The Profound Qi flowed through its Profound Vein without any obstruction at all.
"Ye Xuan, how did you do it? This is incredible!" he exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.
Ye Xuan smiled. "It was actually quite simple. The injury to your right leg was caused years ago when a powerful expert’s Martial Soul power corroded it. Over the last eight years, while that power was never fully eliminated, it was continuously weakened and lost its potency. First, I concocted a potion for you to revitalize your injured leg and restore its health. Then, I used the Golden Needle acupressure to expel the residual Martial Soul power. With that, it was only natural for it to heal."
"It was that simple?" Luo Zhan found it hard to believe.
"Well, what were you expecting?" Ye Xuan pursed his lips.
Though he said that, it certainly wasn’t that simple in reality. First, the potion Ye Xuan had concocted could quickly revitalize Instructor Luo Zhan’s right leg—something a normal Fourth Grade Alchemist couldn’t do.
Second, when using the Golden Needles to expel the Martial Soul power, Ye Xuan employed a unique technique. If another Soul Refiner were to try it, even if they knew the method, they wouldn’t be able to replicate it.
Of course, Ye Xuan didn’t mention any of this.
"Oh no." As Ye Xuan was explaining, Luo Zhan’s expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly sat down cross-legged.
A terrifying aura suddenly surged from his body. The Heaven and Earth Profound Qi went into an uproar, and for a moment, Luo Zhan’s body seemed to become a vortex, madly absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Profound Qi.
The aura around him rose steadily.
Suddenly—
POP!
Luo Zhan’s aura surged violently, and after reaching a certain peak, it finally, slowly, calmed down.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough to Earth Martial Artist Second Layer, Instructor Luo Zhan," Ye Xuan said with a smile, clapping his hands.
"I actually broke through? How is this possible?"
"What’s so impossible about it? Instructor, even though the Profound Qi in your body couldn’t circulate properly for seven or eight years, it was still accumulating. It was just that because of your leg, you couldn’t break through your bottleneck. Now that the Profound Vein in your right leg is clear, your Profound Qi is naturally flowing throughout your body. All your previous accumulation has erupted at once, allowing you to break into the Earth Martial Artist Second Layer. It was a natural progression; it all just fell into place."
Ye Xuan then added with a faint smile, "Of course, this is also because you got it treated early. If you had waited another two years, your Profound Vein would have completely atrophied. Even if the Martial Soul power had been expelled, you would have never been able to advance your cultivation. You would have been stuck at that level for the rest of your life."
Luo Zhan stared at Ye Xuan in shock. This student of his had given him far too many surprises.
His earlier confident and articulate manner reminded him of the Grand Marshal from years ago, lecturing everyone on the Martial Dao. No, he was even more self-assured and proud than the Grand Marshal. That tone was something only a superior being, standing at the pinnacle above all others, could possess.
"Xuan’Er, what happened?"
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Just then, several figures shot over from the distance, looking nervously at the courtyard, which was covered in stone debris.
Instructor Luo Zhan’s kick and subsequent breakthrough had stirred the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, instantly alerting Ye Batian and the others, who had rushed over.
"Instructor Luo Zhan, you..."
Seeing Luo Zhan standing before Ye Xuan, Ye Batian was stunned.
The man’s aura was deep and vast, like an unmoving mountain. That feeling of power was on par even with his own. This was definitely the pressure that could only be released by an Earth Martial Artist Second Layer expert.
"Heh, this is all thanks to Ye Xuan. It was only with his treatment that I was able to break through to the Earth Martial Artist Second Layer," Luo Zhan said, his voice filled with gratitude.
He had every reason to be grateful. After so many years—so many long years—he had finally eliminated the hidden ailment that had plagued him.
For all these years, he had dreamed day and night of his leg being healed, of returning to the battlefield, of climbing to new heights once more. Today, that dream had finally come true.
And all of this was because of Ye Xuan. If not for him, he would still be a cripple, still stuck at the Earth Martial Artist First Layer—perhaps forever.
At this moment, Luo Zhan’s feelings for Ye Xuan were beyond words.
"Ye Xuan?"
Ye Batian and the others, however, didn’t understand what Luo Zhan meant. They looked at Ye Xuan in confusion, and what they saw made them jump in shock. "Xuan’Er," Ye Batian said, aghast, "you... you’ve reached the Third Layer of Warrior?"
Ye Xuan smiled. "Instructor Luo Zhan is a Tier Three Earth Profound Realm Earth Martial Artist. His breakthrough is a hundred times more difficult than mine. If he can break through, what’s so surprising about a mere Warrior like me advancing a level?"
Grandfather Ye and the others looked on blankly. ’The logic seems sound,’ they thought, ’but when you first came back, kid, you were only at the First Layer of Warrior, weren’t you?’
’Breaking through two layers in less than a month... Are you trying to give us a heart attack because you think our hearts aren’t strong enough?’
Ye Xuan realized that exposing his cultivation level made normal conversation impossible. The natal Soul Seal in his mind glowed faintly, and the fluctuations of Profound Qi around his body immediately subsided.
"By the way, Grandfather, how has the Ye family’s business been recently? Have the Wang family made any moves?"
Ye Batian’s shocked expression immediately turned serious. "Xuan’Er, the Ye family’s business is going very smoothly. Ever since we re-established our cooperation with the Alchemist Association, they have been taking good care of us. However, our clansmen at the Ye family manors have recently reported that many strangers have suddenly appeared near the manors. After investigating, I’ve found that these strangers are all scouts from the Blood Saber Stronghold."
"The Blood Saber Stronghold?" Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly.
"The Blood Saber Stronghold is a group of horse bandits with a fearsome reputation near Blue Moon City. Their leader is named Blood Saber, and their second-in-command is named Blood Fang. The two were originally brothers who later became outlaws. They are extremely vicious, and their strength is profound. Many families have been slaughtered and extorted by them, but their reach rarely extends to Cyan Mountain Town. For their scouts to appear here so suddenly, I suspect their target is our Ye family’s manors."
Grandfather Ye’s expression was grim. It seemed the Blood Saber Stronghold was no ordinary foe.
"The City Guard knows a fair bit about the Blood Saber Stronghold."
At that moment, Ji Ling suddenly spoke up. As a captain of the City Guard, he was naturally very familiar with the horse bandits around Blue Moon City.
"The Blood Saber Stronghold has two leaders. The main leader, Blood Saber, is an Earth Martial Artist First Layer. His Bloodlight Saber Technique is terrifying; an ordinary Earth Martial Artist First Layer is no match for him. The second leader, Blood Fang, is also an Earth Martial Artist First Layer and is extremely savage. Besides them, the Blood Saber Stronghold has over a hundred members, each one a vicious criminal who burns, kills, and plunders, stopping at nothing."
"They usually target merchant caravans. Once they strike, they often leave no survivors. Their methods are ruthless, and their actions are utterly cruel."
"The reason the Blood Saber Stronghold is so vicious is that many of its members are fugitives who committed crimes in Blue Moon City and later escaped. The City Guard once investigated and discovered that their lair is in the Black Wind Ridge. Because of this, we organized encirclement campaigns against them last year and the year before. However, due to the treacherous environment of Black Wind Ridge and the fact that their lair is incredibly well-hidden, both attempts ended in failure."
"Blood Saber, the leader, is not only vicious but also very cunning. If the people scouting the manors are really from the Blood Saber Stronghold, then you must be careful. The people from the Blood Saber Stronghold never do anything without a reason."
After Ji Ling finished speaking, the atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly grew tense.
Grandfather Ye’s brow furrowed. "According to what you’ve said, the Blood Saber Stronghold usually targets merchant caravans that are transporting valuables and have weak protection. But the Ye family just has manors for cultivating medicinal herbs, and we’ve never had any grievances with the stronghold. Why would they suddenly target us?"
Ye Xuan gave a cold smile. "Grandfather, isn’t it obvious? The Wang family must be behind this."
Just then—
"Old Master, bad news! One of our Ye family manors to the west of town has been plundered!" a clan member exclaimed, running in frantically with an anxious look on his face.
"What?"
The old master and the others were all stunned.
"What exactly happened? Don’t panic. Speak clearly," Ye Xuan said in a cold voice, being the first to recover his composure.
"Yes, Young Master Xuan." The clan member took a breath. Ye Xuan’s voice seemed to possess a kind of magic, instantly calming his panicked heart.
