Ye Yun smiled confidently, "This Four Sects Tournament, the first place will undoubtedly belong to our Ancient Dao Heavenly Sect."
"Confidence is good. The sect's future rests on you, Qingyun Peak."
Seeing his full confidence, Gu Chen was naturally very happy. Winning first place would be a tremendous boon for the Ancient Dao Heavenly Sect!
"Leave it to me," Ye Yun said with a smile, then his tone shifted. "Speaking of which, I recall we have a high-grade Profound tier ice-attribute profound skill in the sect, right? Why not give that to me as well?"
Gu Chen was taken aback for a moment, then he could only laugh wryly. This fellow was finally showing his true colors. He sighed and chuckled, "I knew you wouldn't be so kind. That profound skill is one of the sect's most precious. How dare you ask for it."
"Well, it would just gather dust if it stayed here. Take it." Compared to first place in the Four Sects Tournament, what was a mere ice-attribute profound skill?
Gu Chen thought for a moment and asked, "By the way, what do you need an ice-attribute profound skill for? Are you planning to have Lin Xueyan cultivate it?"
"No, it's for Bai Xiaoxiao, whom I've just taken in. She's most suited for ice-attribute profound skills."
Hearing this, Gu Chen raised an eyebrow and asked, "It's her? Speaking of which, I heard from Xiao Yue that she's really the second daughter of the Bai family from Misty Mountain?"
"If I recall correctly, she's betrothed to the Volant Dragon Immortal Palace, and their wedding is supposed to be soon. For you to take her in now..." As the Sect Master, he was well aware of the affairs of various powers and their intricate dealings. It wasn't hard for him to realize what taking in Bai Xiaoxiao would mean for Ye Yun, essentially making enemies of the Bai family and even the Volant Dragon Immortal Palace.
Ye Yun, however, raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "What, are you scared?"
"Scared? Are you kidding me, kid?" Challenged by Ye Yun, Gu Chen coldly snorted, "The Bai family or the Volant Dragon Immortal Palace, if they come looking for trouble, this sect will see it through!"
"Of course, you'd best be mindful. With their strength, if they truly decide to tear down the facade and resort to force, this sect might not be able to protect you all." At times, intention didn't equate to ability. Compared to the Bai family and the Volant Dragon Immortal Palace, the Ancient Dao Heavenly Sect was still somewhat weaker.
Ye Yun remained calm, "I understand. I'm aware of the implications."
Seeing this, Gu Chen felt reassured and said no more. After a brief chat, he departed.
The next morning, Gu Chen convened an elder meeting, primarily to inform them of Zhao Qiankun's act of colluding with the enemy, which caused a tremendous stir.
Besides that, there was Ye Yun. Initially, upon hearing he had returned, heavily injured again, everyone felt quite regretful. But the situation had completely reversed. Not only was he unharmed, but he had also broken through to the Venerable realm outside, likely becoming the youngest Venerable in history. Furthermore, he had become a hero for uncovering the major traitor. After the news spread, he was regarded as an idol by everyone in the sect.
Ye Yun himself was completely unaware of this. At this moment, he was leisurely in Qingyun Peak, guiding Lin Xueyan and Bai Xiaoxiao in their cultivation.
"Xiaoxiao, starting today, focus your cultivation on this Profound tier high-grade profound skill, Ice Shadow Art," Ye Yun said with a smile. "Your constitution is most suited for this ice-attribute profound skill. Once you master it, your strength will be terrifying!"
Bai Xiaoxiao looked at the profound skill he handed her, her heart brimming with excitement. She quickly took it with both hands and hugged it to her chest. "Thank you, Master. I will cultivate diligently and master the Ice Shadow Art as soon as possible!" On the continent, ice-attribute profound skills were rare. Coupled with this being from the Ancient Dao Heavenly Sect, her Master must have gone to great lengths to find this skill for her, she thought.
As she was moved, Ye Yun heard a system notification.
[You have bestowed the Profound tier high-grade Ice Shadow Art upon your disciple, activating a hundredfold return. You have obtained the Heaven tier low-grade profound skill, Ten Directions Ice Splendor!]
Upon hearing the words "Heaven tier," Ye Yun almost jumped up in shock. This system had never failed him. Heaven tier profound skills were practically family heirlooms even in the major Immortal Palaces, rarely seen in the outside world. If he could cultivate it successfully, his combat power would surge again, let alone the effect on Bai Xiaoxiao with her Profound Ice Physique once she mastered it.
Ye Yun suppressed his excitement and smiled at Bai Xiaoxiao, instructing her, "Cultivate diligently. When the Ice Shadow Art is mastered, your Master will give you a great surprise." Ten Directions Ice Splendor was somewhat like an ultimate evolved version of the Ice Shadow Art. Once the latter was mastered, cultivating the former would also be much easier. Bai Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly, promising to achieve it as soon as possible.
For the next few days, Ye Yun focused entirely on guiding Bai Xiaoxiao and Lin Xueyan's cultivation. And Bai Xiaoxiao truly did not disappoint him. With her Profound Ice Physique, under Ye Yun's close tutelage, she quickly grasped the basics of the Ice Shadow Art. Lin Xueyan, with her superior physique and comprehension, rapidly mastered all the profound skills Ye Yun had taught her and made significant breakthroughs in her swordsmanship.
"The Way of the Sword is..." On this day, Ye Yun was teaching Lin Xueyan swordsmanship as usual, explaining the true meaning of the Way of the Sword, aiming to help her comprehend Sword Intent as soon as possible. Generally speaking, only after comprehending Sword Intent could one be considered a truly first-class sword cultivator. However, achieving Sword Intent at the Transcendent realm was extremely rare, with only a handful of individuals in the past thousand years on the continent achieving it. Each of them had become a top-tier sword cultivator who dominated their respective regions. Lin Xueyan had great talent in swordsmanship, and coupled with her near-ninth-rank comprehension, comprehending Sword Intent was not too difficult for her.
"Master, what is Sword Intent... I think I understand." Lin Xueyan murmured the last thing he had said, suddenly appearing as if she had understood something, her eyes brightening intensely. In that instant, the long sword in her hand radiated a peculiar aura, formless yet seemingly capable of cutting through anything – it was indeed the ultimate essence of the sword! At this moment, she stood like a supreme Sword Immortal, detached from everything, her presence reaching its zenith!
"Very good. Comprehending Elementary Sword Intent at the first level of Transcendent realm, that's even more impressive than I was back then." Ye Yun praised Lin Xueyan. He himself had comprehended Sword Intent at the peak of Transcendent realm, and Intermediate Sword Intent at the peak of King rank, which had astonished the Eastern Region upon his emergence. Now, his disciple had surpassed him! Just as he was admiring his disciple's Sword Intent, a system prompt echoed in his mind.
[You have bestowed Elementary Sword Intent upon your disciple, gaining a thousandfold return. You have obtained Super-grade Sword Intent!]
The sudden prompt made Ye Yun nearly stumble. Good heavens, even helping a disciple comprehend Sword Intent could trigger a return? And it was Super-grade Sword Intent! What did that mean? The Palace Master of the Featherfall Immortal Palace, the undisputed number one sword cultivator in the Eastern Region, relied on his Super-grade Sword Intent to suppress all others. For his current cultivation level, normally comprehending Super-grade Sword Intent was an unthinkable feat! To put it bluntly, with his Venerable fifth-level strength, relying solely on Super-grade Sword Intent, he might even be able to contend with peak Venerables! Not to mention his numerous top-tier Earth-grade profound skills, and the boost from his Phoenix bloodline, his combat power would ascend to an even higher level!