"Alas!"
Ye Cangtian sighed, glancing at the other party with helplessness upon hearing this.
"Don't you understand yet?"
"The reason you lost is because you underestimated him!"
"Besides, the Shadowless Sword has come through countless life-and-death battles, but as a heaven-favored daughter, how much have you experienced?"
As the voice came, Yan Yun'er's face instantly turned red, yet she found it difficult to refute a single word.
She had indeed underestimated the opponent. If given another chance, she would surely win.
However, many things could not be redone.
Just as the opponent said, if it were truly a life-and-death battle, she would already be a corpse.
And the other reason Ye Cangtian mentioned, she also couldn't refute.
She was a genius of the Misty Rain Tower, rarely seen in a century, and had been praised by everyone since childhood.
Under the protection of the Misty Rain Tower, even though she had experienced life-and-death battles, they were few and far between.
In this regard, she felt she couldn't compare to the opponent.
Thinking of this, she looked at Ye Cangtian and said fiercely, "Fine, I admit defeat! The next time I meet him, I will definitely win!"
After speaking, Yan Yun'er hesitated for a moment and continued, "Although I lost, I still want to fight you!"
"Alright!"
Ye Cangtian looked at her helplessly and slowly stood up from his chair.
He knew in his heart that if he didn't accept the challenge, Yan Yun'er would never give up, as anyone could see how narrowly the Shadowless Sword had won.
"Then how about we decide the winner with one move?"
Ye Cangtian's voice came, and Yan Yun'er was silent for a moment before nodding, accepting the offer.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian directly made a gesture of invitation and said, "You attack first. If I attack, you probably won't get a chance."
"Hmph!"
Yan Yun'er's expression turned cold again upon hearing this, and she angrily said, "Who asked you to let me go! If you look down on me again, I'll fight you to the death!"
Seeing Yan Yun'er's angry expression, Ye Cangtian shook his head helplessly.
He could see that the other party was not joking.
Speaking of which, Yan Yun'er fighting him to the death was a minor matter, but if it caused the Misty Rain Tower to attack the Hidden Group, it would be a major issue.
Thinking of this, Ye Cangtian snorted lightly and said, "Since you're looking for a beating, I'll oblige you!"
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian's figure flickered instantly.
In an instant, he was beside Yan Yun'er. Yan Yun'er was greatly shocked and instinctively swept her long sword horizontally.
But as soon as her long sword was swung out, it became unable to move, and Ye Cangtian's other large hand had already reached her.
*Bang!*
With a crisp sound, his palm flicked her forehead heavily.
Yan Yun'er instantly felt the pain and cried out.
This flick was not light. Although it didn't injure her, it made her shed tears involuntarily.
"You..."
Looking at Ye Cangtian who had retreated with one move, Yan Yun'er's eyes flickered, but she couldn't utter a single word.
If this were a life-and-death battle, she would already be a corpse.
Was she really that weak, unable to even retaliate against him?
The successive defeats weighed on Yan Yun'er like a mountain, suffocating her.
Even her proud dignity was crushed to pieces.
On the other side, seeing Yan Yun'er's chaotic breathing, her expression becoming dimmer, even tinged with despair, Ye Cangtian immediately realized something and quickly said, "Yan Yun'er, if you can't accept such a small setback, then you will have no possibility of stepping into the Heaven rank in the future!"
Ye Cangtian did not want to ruin Yan Yun'er's cultivation ambition because of this battle. If that were the case, wouldn't the Misty Rain Tower be at odds with him forever?
Therefore, he quickly offered guidance.
As the words fell, Yan Yun'er's eyes showed a hint of regaining clarity.
She turned to look at Ye Cangtian and murmured, "I pride myself on being a heaven-favored daughter, capable of fighting Heaven rank experts, yet I can't even withstand one move from you.
In that case, I am a joke. How can I be qualified to become a peerless expert? If it's like this, it's better to give up early..."
"Silence!"
Ye Cangtian let out a cold reprimand, interrupting her, and said sternly, "Cultivation is to defy the heavens and grow continuously through setbacks!
Moreover, it's normal that you couldn't withstand my move. I'm not at the early Heaven rank. If I were, you might have been able to withstand a few more moves, or even had a chance to win! But unfortunately, I'm not..."
As the words echoed, Yan Yun'er's eyes held more emotion.
If what he said was true, it wasn't that her strength was too poor, but that she had chosen the wrong opponent.
Otherwise, she would never have lost so miserably.
Thinking of this, she looked at Ye Cangtian and gritted her teeth, "Are you telling the truth? You are no longer at the early Heaven rank?"
Ye Cangtian smiled upon hearing this and nodded, acknowledging it.
"This..."
Seeing his confirming gesture, Yan Yun'er gritted her teeth audibly.
She had thought that Ye Cangtian was at most at the early Heaven rank, as the news of his breakthrough to Heaven rank had not been long ago.
But she hadn't expected that the actual gap was even greater than she had imagined. He had unknowingly left this generation of geniuses far behind.
Thinking of this, she glanced at him and said fiercely, "Thank you for your words to stabilize my Dao heart, but I want to say that no matter what kind of monstrous talent you are, I will surpass you in the future!"
"Heh heh, I hope so. I'm waiting for that day."
Seeing Yan Yun'er regain her confidence, Ye Cangtian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He paused and continued, "Miss Yan Yun'er, are you staying as a guest? I will have someone prepare a banquet now."
"Hmph!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Yun'er snorted coldly. His feigned expression clearly indicated he wasn't asking her to stay!
He was clearly trying to get rid of her!
Thinking of this, she glared at him and said coldly, "Don't worry, I won't overstay my welcome!"
After speaking, Yan Yun'er left the hall without looking back.
Watching her retreating figure, Ye Cangtian wore a faint smile.
Although this Yan Yun'er was a bit cold and unruly, her character was passable, and she didn't act out of line.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian informed Rose and then left the room.
Although he had Geng Chao gathering information for him, Geng Chao was a paid service, so Ye Cangtian would gather information himself whenever possible.
As for Rose and the other members of the Grim Reaper squad, it was better for them to cultivate in the inn, to avoid being schemed against.
After all, Meng Nan was still looking for him for revenge, and if he couldn't deal with him, he might target those around him.
...
In the upper residential area, at a very upscale inn, the inn's name had been changed to Swift Wind Inn.
This was a dedicated inn prepared by the Misty Rain Tower for the Swift Wind Tower.
In a luxurious room, Yi Feipeng, the second tower master of the Swift Wind Tower, sat with his eyes closed, resting.
In the room, two men, after a simple tidy-up, came to the side.
These two were none other than Shen Bingyang, the eldest disciple of the Swift Wind Tower Master, and Hu Lifeng, the second disciple.
When Wan Mingxuan had rebelled earlier, these two had learned of the situation.
However, Wan Mingxuan had been too well-prepared and had a vast power base. Even if they had intervened, they would have only been suppressed.
Therefore, the two of them, deciding to take drastic measures, chose to lie low under the guise of closed-door cultivation, thus preserving themselves.
"Second Tower Master, Bingyang has a question."
Shen Bingyang hesitated for a long time before mustering the courage to speak.
Seeing that the other party had opened his eyes, he then asked, "May I ask what our relationship is with the Hidden Group and the Blazing Fire Academy in this Grand Gathering?"
As his voice fell, Hu Lifeng also cast a glance, clearly wanting to know the answer as well.
"Allies!"
Yi Feipeng glanced at the two and blurted out without hesitation.
Shen Bingyang's eyes flickered, and he asked again, "Second Tower Master, when exploring unknown regions, we can be friends, but what about heavenly treasures?"
Shen Bingyang's meaning was simple: heavenly treasures were always scarce, never enough to go around.
If they didn't use their connections more strongly, these heavenly treasures might very well be snatched away by the Hidden Group and the Blazing Fire Academy.
"Still allies."
Yi Feipeng looked deeply at Shen Bingyang, his tone firm and unchanged.
Ye Cangtian and Yi Feipeng had helped the Swift Wind Tower immensely. Without them, the Tower Master and he himself might have died, and the Swift Wind Tower would have been controlled by Wan Mingxuan.
Such great kindness could not be shaken by mere heavenly treasures.
He paused and continued, "I know very well what you are thinking, but I must remind you that it is best to put away those ill intentions, otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"