Chapter 206: The Unsurpassable Ling Yun
"Yes." Yun Che did not pretend he hadn't heard Cang Yue's murmur, and responded without any hesitation or dragging: "She is Yuan Ba's older sister, and also the wife who married me eighteen months ago, this year she is seventeen years old... Her birth date is only nine days younger than mine."
However, this "birth date" referred to the birth date of "Xiao Che," not his own birth date of Yun Che. He had no idea what day his actual birth date was.
Cang Yue's lips moved slightly, and then she said softly: "Does she... Do you... have really no feelings for each other at all?"
This question made Yun Che silent for a long time, before he said faintly: "In the few days after we got married, I tried various methods to gradually make her develop feelings for me, but before any results could occur, an accident suddenly happened, forcing me to leave that Xiao Clan. She has no deep feelings for me, at least not the romantic kind between men and women, but she wasn't bad to me. As for me... I dare not say that I have absolutely zero romantic feelings for her. At the very least, her appearance, her temperament, and her personality all made it impossible for me not to be attracted. I even believe that if one were to spend time with her, no man could fail to be drawn to her."
"But compared to admiration, what I feel more for her is gratitude. When she was twelve years old, she was selected by the Bing Yun Fairy Palace to become a disciple there, and even the Palace Master of Bing Yun Fairy Palace placed great importance on her. Yet she remained in Liu Yun City until she was sixteen, instead of going to the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. Although she was a young girl, she was obsessed with cultivating the Profound Arts, and her talent was extremely high, yet she deliberately stayed in Liu Yun City during those crucial four foundational years, all for the sake of marrying me..."
"She did this to fulfill her father's promise and to prevent her father from becoming a person who broke faith. But more than that, it was to protect my dignity and the dignity of my grandfather... After all, back then I was merely a cripple, while she was a Bing Yun Fairy Palace disciple looked up to by the world. The gap between us was like heaven and earth. If any Bing Yun Fairy Palace disciple had appeared, announced that she was a Bing Yun Fairy Palace disciple, taken her away early, and severed the marriage contract from back then, no one would have found it excessive, nor would anyone have accused her father of breaking faith. Instead, they would have found it completely reasonable—it would not only prevent a flower from being planted in cow dung, but also be the most normal, correct, and appropriate choice for someone favored by the Bing Yun Fairy Palace."
"But she didn't do that. The rumors outside said that the Xia family didn't want to bear the name of breaking faith, but I understand that she was grateful to my father Xiao Ying for saving her life back then. She used her precious four years and the act of marriage to protect the honor of my grandfather and me. After marriage, she was also considerate of my dignity in every aspect. When we were alone, she forbade me from touching her in the slightest, but if outsiders were present and I forcibly held her hand, she would only tolerate it, unwilling to hurt my dignity in public. Moreover, she clearly told me that I could take concubines at will and she would never interfere. If I wished to establish another wife, I could divorce her at any time... So no matter what, I cannot develop any negative feelings toward her."
Cang Yue listened silently. The subtle awkwardness she felt toward "Xia Qingyue" dissipated imperceptibly, replaced by a heartfelt admiration and respect.
"However, perhaps my connection with her ends here. And whether the marital status between us still exists is uncertain." Yun Che looked at Xia Qingyue's back and said with a sigh.
"Why?" Cang Yue did not understand.
"...On the day I left the Xiao Sect, everyone accused me of being an outsider and a bastard, saying that marrying Xia Qingyue was a shameless deception against her. They forced me to hand over the marriage contract and tear it up to dissolve the marital relationship. After I left the Xiao Sect, before leaving, I handed the marriage contract to Xia Qingyue. Whether she tore it up afterward... I don't know." Yun Che smiled, but his smile was stiff, proving that he didn't know the result, but it didn't mean he didn't care about the outcome. He had never asked Xia Yuanba about this matter because subconsciously, he didn't want to hear the answer he didn't want to hear.
When Yun Che's words reached this point, all the discomfort Cang Yue had felt due to Xia Qingyue completely vanished. Instead, she hoped that Xia Qingyue had not torn up the marriage contract. Because if that were the case, she would have sacrificed herself to protect Yun Che's last shred of dignity in front of everyone. After all, what Cang Yue truly cared about was not the relationship between Yun Che and Xia Qingyue, but Yun Che himself.
The Profound Force test results of the three Bing Yun Fairy Palace disciples were soon revealed:
Shui Wushuang — Age 20 — Spirit Profound Realm, Level 9.
Wu Xuexin — Age 20 — Spirit Profound Realm, Level 9.
The Profound Force levels of the first two Bing Yun Fairy Palace disciples were not inferior to anyone from the Xiao Sect or Fen Tian Gate. This result made the members of the Xiao Sect and Fen Tian Gate take a long sigh of relief after a moment of shock.
"Last session, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace produced a monstrous disciple, Mu Lingxue, whose Profound Force dominated the entire arena, reaching the peak of Spirit Profound Realm Level 10. It was she who defeated Jue Cheng. Although she eventually lost to Ling Yun, Ling Yun's Profound Force at that time was Spirit Profound Realm Level 9. If we only talk about Profound Force, no one in the entire arena could compare to her." Fen Mo Li from Fen Tian Gate said indifferently. "Almost every session, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace produces such a stunningly talented disciple. However, in this session, the highest Profound Force level of Bing Yun Fairy Palace disciples is on par with Jin Er and also with Xiao Sect's Xiao Kuanglei and Xiao Zhen... Heh, it seems that the second position this time, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace may not be able to hold steady."
The Xiao Sect had the same thoughts. Xiao Jue Tian smiled faintly and said: "In previous sessions, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace disciples always suppressed us to varying degrees in terms of Profound Force levels. But this time, it's a tie. Lei Er, it seems we overestimated our opponents this time. The second position is well within our grasp!"
Everyone's gaze fell upon the third Bing Yun Fairy Palace disciple, the girl wearing a veil.
Xia Qingyue — Age 17 — Spirit Profound Realm, Level 8.
Instantly, the entire arena was silent for a full three seconds, and then suddenly erupted into a massive wave of exclamations. From the elderly to the young, even Ling Yue Feng of Tian Jian Villa stood up from his seat, his face filled with shock as he stared at the information displayed on the Profound Testing Stone.
Spirit Profound Realm Level 8. Although this level was extremely high, it was not exaggerated among the four great sects. What was shocking was the age... Only seventeen years old!
A seventeen-year-old at Spirit Profound Realm Level 8!
Ling Yun, the number one expert among the younger generation, was only at Spirit Profound Realm Level 9 when he was seventeen. This girl's talent was practically matching Ling Yun's!
"Who is this girl? Xia Qingyue? Why have I never heard of such a disciple in the Bing Yun Fairy Palace before?" Xiao Jue Tian could no longer remain calm, his brows tightly furrowed. He had to admit that no matter how prosperous his Xiao Sect was, it was absolutely impossible to cultivate a disciple who was only seventeen years old and had a Profound Force as high as Spirit Profound Realm Level 8.
"I haven't heard of her either. She is only seventeen, so she should be a new disciple taken in by the Bing Yun Fairy Palace in recent years." Xiao Wu Ji said with a heavy brow. "At her age, she can also participate in the next session's ranking battle... I already thought the threat from Bing Yun Fairy Palace had greatly diminished. I never expected they still have such an astonishing disciple. It seems we must fight tooth and nail in this session's ranking. Otherwise, if she comes again next session, and I am not being self-deprecating, I fear that not a single disciple of our Xiao Sect would be qualified to fight her."
Xiao Jue Tian frowned deeply, unable to utter a single word of opposition.
"Spirit Profound Realm Level 8..." Yun Che's chest heaved as he took a heavy breath. Even he was deeply shocked by Xia Qingyue's current Profound Force level.
"Wahhh... Sister is already this strong!" Xia Yuanba's eyes bulged as he let out an exaggerated shout.
"Among the younger generation, no man can surpass Ling Yun. As for this woman named Xia Qingyue, if her talent continues like this, it won't be long before she becomes the number one among women." Qin Wu Shang said with a sigh. He glanced at Xia Yuanba's expression and inwardly lamented again: Are this guy and Xia Qingyue really siblings? One is at Spirit Profound Realm Level 8, the other is only at the Initial Profound Realm. This, this, this...
Not long after the Bing Yun Fairy Palace finished, Ling Wu Gou finally called out the name of Tian Jian Villa.
"Tian Jian Villa — Ling Yun, Ling Fei Yu, Ling Jie."
The Sword Discussion Platform immediately quieted down again. After all, this was the arrival of the true number one dominant force in Cang Feng. Ling Yun took the lead, placing his hand on the Profound Testing Stone first.
Ling Yun — Age 20 — Earth Profound Realm, Level 3.
Ling Yun slowly lowered his hand from the Profound Testing Stone and walked away gracefully, allowing the clamor around him to surge like waves. His steps, expression, and gaze were as calm as a gentle breeze, like a flawless, dustless cloud floating over the ground.
The first Earth Profound Realm in the Profound Force test had appeared. At the same time, it was the only one in the entire Profound Force test. And this sole one was not at the very edge of the Earth Profound Realm, but had already reached Earth Profound Realm Level 3.
This level exploded like a thunderclap in the eyes and hearts of countless participating disciples, leaving them completely stupefied, unable to believe or recover for a long time. Because to them, this was an incomprehensible fact. A twenty-year-old at Earth Profound Realm was a near-mythical reality.
In the Cang Feng Empire, there were countless Spirit Profound Realm profound practitioners. But the number of Earth Profound Realm profound practitioners was less than one percent of the Spirit Profound Realm. Because reaching the Earth Profound Realm, not just among the young, but throughout the entire Cang Feng Empire, meant truly stepping into the ranks of experts. For instance, Qin Wu You, also at Earth Profound Realm, was qualified to be a mentor at the Cang Feng Mystic Palace. If going from Initial Profound Realm to Entry Profound Realm, from Entry Profound Realm to True Profound Realm, and from True Profound Realm to Spirit Profound Realm were major realm transitions, then going from Spirit Profound Realm to Earth Profound Realm was a transition of a whole new dimension. Not only did the difficulty of breakthrough skyrocket, but the difficulty of increasing Profound Force also grew exponentially.
And Ling Yun, only twenty years old, had not only stepped into the Earth Profound Realm but was already at Level 3! A realm that even young profound practitioners at very high levels dared not imagine.
Based on the Profound Force he displayed, let alone defeating any single disciple from the Xiao Sect or Fen Tian Gate, even if all six participating disciples joined forces, Ling Yun could defeat them as if playing a game.
Looking back at the Xiao Sect and Fen Tian Gate, their shock only lasted a short while before they calmed down. This realm, when applied to Ling Yun, was not so hard to accept. There was no other reason—it was simply because he was Ling Yun!
"Last session, Ling Yun, who was only seventeen, easily took the first place. In this session, it's even more impossible for anyone to compete with Ling Yun. This child will become another Ling Yue Feng in the future." Qin Wu Shang sighed.
"Earth Profound Realm... Level 3." The corners of Yun Che's mouth twitched several times. "Calling this guy a monster is being polite."
After Ling Yun, it was Ling Fei Yu and Ling Jie.
Ling Fei Yu — Age 19 — Spirit Profound Realm, Level 9.
Ling Jie — Age 16 — Spirit Profound Realm, Level 6.
The two others besides Ling Yun also moved the entire arena. Tian Jian Villa was, after all, Tian Jian Villa.
And Ling Jie was also the only participating disciple in this ranking battle who was only sixteen years old. Unlike Ling Yun's elegant and cloud-like demeanor, he was full of energy, his eyes shining with excitement, and he was rubbing his hands as if he couldn't wait to fight someone.
"As expected of Ling Yun's younger brother. This Ling Jie's progress in the past eight months is quite extraordinary." Yun Che muttered to himself.
Immediately following Tian Jian Villa, the name "Cang Feng Imperial Clan" finally rang out.
"Cang Feng Imperial Clan..." After calling the name, Ling Wu Gou's voice suddenly hesitated. His gaze fixed on the name list for a moment before he continued shouting in a peculiar tone: "Yun Che."
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