Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
There were all kinds of basic martial arts skills collected and improved by many generations of the Ye family in the Ye family’s martial arts tower.
Only those who ranked in the top three of the Ye inter-family competition or even people with grand achievements could be granted admission into the tower.
The martial arts tower was located in the heavily guarded southern estate. Ye Lingyue did not even dare to approach the area before.
“Father, I’ve brought Lingyue over.” The one guarding the martial arts tower was Ye Huangshu, Ye Yinshuang’s father.
Although Ye Huangshu and Ye Fengcheng were brothers, they had distinct personalities. Ye Huangshu was not business-minded but was honest and reliable. Hence, Ye Gu assigned him guarding the martial arts tower, which was an important place for the Ye family.
Ye Lingyue looked at her second uncle. Ye Yinshuang looked like him since both had round faces, but Ye Huangshu had sharper facial features.
To guard such an important place, Ye Huangshu’s cultivation must be strong.
“Second Uncle,” Ye Lingyue called out to him. Other than Ye Fengcheng and his son, Ye Lingyue’s other uncles were good to her and her mother.
“You’re here.” Ye Huangshu looked at Ye Lingyue.
Ye Huangshu had never looked at his third sister’s daughter carefully before, but now he took a closer look at her. He found out that although she had lost her dazed look from before, she still had some youthful glow to her face, eyes, nose, and lips—her facial features were all exquisite.
She was so young but had such breathtaking beauty. Once she grows up, she would be a beautiful woman.
Ye Huangshu could not help but think of his third sister, Ye Fengyu. She was similar to Ye Lingyue when she was her age. She was young and full of vitality, and her beauty was unparalleled. But she got into trouble with people who she should not have provoked and landed into such a miserable state.
“Lingyue, you did well in the family competition. Why didn’t you challenge Ye Sheng, who was in the first place though?” Although Ye Huangshu did not attend the competition that day, he learned what had happened through his daughter.
The opportunity to challenge Ye Sheng cropped up, but she didn’t take it.
“Ye Sheng is the Big Uncle’s son. He is three years older than me and is at the seventh level of body tempering. I am not his match at the moment,” Ye Lingyue said after thinking for a brief while.
The one in the first place could enter the martial arts tower, as well as the second and third place. Having already offended Ye Qing and his father, she dared not to offend the eldest of the family.
What a clever child!
Ye Huangshu was secretly surprised. Ye Lingyue’s words made sense.
Ye Sheng was the first grandson of the Ye family and his status was naturally different from Ye Qing.
She was not his match now, but that did not mean that she would not be in the future. This child knew that she was depending on others for a living, but deep in her bones, she had some sort of pride that would not lose to anyone.
This child would become an outstanding person in the future. His daughter was a year older than Ye Lingyue, but in terms of astuteness and wit, she was not even Ye Lingyue’s match.
Ye Huangshu could not help but secretly rejoice that he did not object to his daughter becoming friends with Ye Lingyue.
“The rule of the martial arts tower is that you can only enter after you have reached the third level of body tempering. You haven’t tested your elementary force yet, so before you enter the tower, we need to test it,” Ye Huangshu said. He then took Ye Lingyue to an elementary force stone tablet in front of the tower door.
The numbers one to nine were carved on the elementary force tablet, which respectively symbolized body tempering levels one to nine. After the ninth level, they considered one as a Postnatal practitioner.
Ye Lingyue did not take part in measuring her elementary force on the tablet test because she was still dazed before. Following Ye Huangshu’s instructions, she punched the stone tablet.
On the elementary force tablet, the elementary force was like an arrow and it suddenly jumped to level three under Ye Huangshu’s gaze.
Ye Huangshu wanted to end the test already, but the elementary force on the stone tablet did not disperse. Instead, it jumped up two places and stopped after reaching the fifth level.
“Fifth level of body tempering. Lingyue, you are already at level five?” If Ye Huangshu hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, it would be hard for him to believe that Ye Lingyue, who was only 13 years old, reached the fifth level of body tempering.
The information he received was that Ye Lingyue was only at the fourth level of body tempering.
“I broke through when I was training in the mountains. Second Uncle, can I go in now that I’m done with the test?” Ye Lingyue asked.
“Of course. The martial arts tower is divided into three levels. The first level is the basic martial arts skill with no grade, including some fist and foot skills. The second level is the nine types of martial arts skills, and as for the third level, only the head of the Ye family and several elders can enter. Remember, don’t be greedy. You can only choose one skill; otherwise, you will be punished by the family rules,” Ye Huangshu reminded. He then watched her walk into the martial arts tower.
“Out of all her misfortunes, Third Sister is still fortunate enough to have such a daughter. It’s a pity that Third Sister had to be injured…” Ye Huangshu was filled with emotions. For a moment, he watched Ye Lingyue’s back in a daze.
After Ye Lingyue had gone into the tower, Ye Huangshu thought of something and immediately sent someone to go to Ye manor.
“What? Ye Lingyue already broke through the fifth level of body tempering?” This news shocked the members of the Ye family, including Ye Gu.
“It is true. The second Master tested her with the elementary force tablet,” the servant reported.
In the Ye family, there were only 30 martial arts practitioners who had reached that level of body tempering.
And among them, only three people had reached that level at thirteen years of age—Ye Lingyue was the third; Ye Qing’s sister, Ye Liuyun was the second; and the first was Ye Lingyue’s mother, Ye Fengyu.
However, Ye Lingyue was different from Ye Fengyu. She had been practicing martial arts for less than one year, to be exact. It was less than three months.
“Pass the message down that the people from the northern estate are to move out and move into the eastern estate today,” Ye Gu said.
When Ye Fengyu and Ye Gu fell out, she moved into the northern estate with her daughter and had been living there for ten years.
Now, both mother and daughter were moving back to the eastern estate, which meant that Ye Gu was one step closer to forgiving Ye Fengyu.
Ye Fengcheng gritted his teeth as hatred filled his heart at the thought of the past where everyone thought highly of Ye Fengyu and how she had overshadowed everyone in the Ye family.
“Father, since Ye Lingyue broke through the fifth level of body tempering and surprisingly reached it at thirteen, it’s time for her to take part in family affairs according to the Ye family’s rules,” the eldest son, Ye Fengyun, suggested.
The male and female martial arts practitioners of the Great Zhou nation could join the army, do business as long as they are thirteen years old, and are to be treated equally.
They considered someone in the fifth level of body tempering an essential person to the Ye family and must take on the responsibilities of the family in the future.
Since Ye Gu had accepted Ye Fengyu and her daughter, they considered Ye Lingyue a grandchild of the main family. The earlier she takes on the family affairs, the better it would be.
“I’ll send someone to talk to Ye Lingyue after she comes back from the martial arts tower. Fengyun, go and tell Fengyu that Lingyue need not go to the martial arts school from tomorrow onwards. She is to go to the quarry to have a look around and be in touch with some main family’s business.”