Chapter 17: Battle for First Place

Clan Chief, bearing that Divine Sense pressure, asked Ye Liuyun with concern: "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" Ye Liuyun replied, then stepped down from the arena to consolidate his Soul!

At this moment, the Soul pressure above everyone's heads finally dissipated.

The Clan Chief also let out a breath and slowly sat down.

Then he looked at the fallen Grand Elder and had someone carry him away.

He felt helpless as well. The owner of that overwhelming Divine Sense pressure was someone he could not provoke. If that person became angry, the whole Ye Clan would likely not have enough people to be slain.

As for the Grand Elder, had he not brought this on himself, he wouldn't have met such an end.

"Father!" Ye Xinyu cried out in grief, tears streaming as she rushed over, directly carrying the Grand Elder's corpse back to the residence, skipping the competition entirely.

Ye Liuyun had been hit by the Grand Elder's Spiritual Soul Attack; he originally intended to challenge Ye Xinyu in front of him, publicly humiliating her and the Grand Elder. But seeing how things had unfolded, he let it go.

He also thought that if Ye Xinyu stopped provoking him in the future, he would find a chance to return the marriage contract to her.

The disciples outside the arena did not feel the Soul pressure on the stage. Like the Elders on the stage, they all thought the Clan Chief had acted against the Grand Elder on behalf of Ye Liuyun.

At that moment everyone thought to themselves: "Even the Clan Chief values Ye Liuyun so much; who would dare to provoke him later! That Storage Ring is better left untouched!"

Among the many disciples, their feeling toward Ye Liuyun was mostly admiration!

Not to mention he defeated Ye Wanjian. Just the fact that he dared to argue with the Elder on principle was enough to make these disciples take notice!

As Ye Liuyun stepped down from the stage, he wondered to himself. He had only dispelled the Divine Sense from the Grand Elder's attack; it shouldn't have backfired so severely, should it?

He also felt that overwhelming Soul pressure, which oddly reminded him of his aunt's anger. He quickly dismissed the thought.

How could that be? Aunt hadn't even come!

He had no mood to dwell on it now; the competition was still ongoing, and he needed to seize the time to improve his strength.

So he swallowed another pill, began restoring his true Qi, and simultaneously familiarized himself with his Divine Sense power.

After a short rest, he stepped onto the stage again to challenge Ye Mingzhen.

"Please, senior sister, teach me!" Ye Liuyun said politely to Ye Mingzhen.

Although Ye Mingzhen appeared cold on the surface, she was not arrogant, and she hadn't singled him out, so he naturally treated her with courtesy.

Ye Mingzhen was surprised by his politeness and courtesy, and couldn't help saying, "I thought you were a reckless person! I didn't expect…"

"Hehe, it depends on who it is! Those who intend to harm me, I naturally won't respect them," Ye Liuyun explained.

"Then why did you put away the hammer? Do you look down on me, thinking I'm inferior to Ye Wanjian?"

"No, senior sister, you misunderstood! I've observed your technique and simply felt that not using the big hammer is actually more advantageous for me."

Wielding the big hammer while dancing would hinder his agility. Since this battle was mainly won through his Soul, Ye Liuyun simply chose not to bring out the hammer.

"I see! I overthought it!" Upon hearing him say that, a faint smile finally appeared on Ye Mingzhen's face.

"Junior brother, be careful!" Ye Mingzhen warned him, and her figure split into three forms that attacked.

Ye Liuyun immediately closed his eyes, floated toward one direction, and then punched at a silhouette.

"Ah!" Ye Mingzhen instantly dodged, then halted.

"So your senses are that strong!" she said, a mix of surprise and helplessness.

There's no need to continue the match. She couldn't even reach Ye Liuyun, and if she were hit by him, the contest would end.

She had already witnessed Ye Liuyun's strength. Though her cultivation realm was lower than his, her true Qi was not inferior, and she had no confidence in a direct clash. Moreover, she hadn't refined a body, so she couldn't match Ye Liuyun in a brute fight.

Finally, she bit her lip and outright conceded defeat!

Ye Mingzhen's concession didn't surprise Ye Liuyun much. He had a way to restrain her, so she was bound to lose this battle.

Thus he only exchanged a few polite words before descending to prepare for his match with Ye Tianci.

The audience below the stage exchanged puzzled looks.

That victory was achieved far too easily.

If they hadn't previously seen Ye Liuyun defeat Ye Wanjian, they would suspect that Ye Mingzhen had deliberately yielded to Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun's victory over Ye Mingzhen brought him little joy; instead, he felt a bit nervous.

In Ye Tianci's eyes, excitement flickered, and he eagerly anticipated a duel with Ye Liuyun.

Ye Tianci not only had a higher cultivation realm, but his practiced techniques were also more advanced than Ye Liuyun's.

Therefore, regarding the outcome between the two, Ye Liuyun himself was uncertain.

Suddenly, he recalled the Grand Elder's Spiritual Soul Attack against him.

The Grand Elder's Spiritual Soul Attack involved no particular skill; it simply released Divine Sense to strike the opponent's Sea of Consciousness. In Da Yan Soul Technique, this is a low‑level attack method, and if mishandled it can backfire.

However, Ye Liuyun hasn't cultivated to that level yet; he is only at the preliminary stage of applying Divine Sense.

"Why not use the rest period to try it? If I can master it, it would be like having an extra Trump Card for survival."

In other aspects, significant improvement in a short time is impossible, so this method is the only option to try.

Thinking that, he immediately began cultivating.

He didn't attempt to release a massive amount of Divine Sense at once; instead, following the Da Yan Soul Technique, he started training with a single strand of Divine Sense.

First he practiced control, then detachment, and finally attack.

Half an hour later, he emerged from his cultivation state. Though his complexion was weary, joy lit his eyes and brows.

Since he hadn't prepared a pill to restore his Soul in advance, he could only continue seated rest. After another half hour, Ye Liuyun recovered about seventy‑plus percent.

At this point, no one remained to issue challenges on the arena; the rankings were essentially set. Everyone awaited his final duel with Ye Tianci.

Ye Tianci wasn't in a hurry. Having finally found a worthy opponent, he also wanted Ye Liuyun to fight him at his peak.

His pride differed from the arrogance of Ye Wanjian and the others!

At least he wouldn't bully the weak, nor would he insult others! Ye Liuyun had heard this long ago, so he still held great respect for Ye Tianci.

After stepping onto the stage, Ye Liuyun clasped his fists toward Ye Tianci and said, "Brother senior, sorry for keeping you waiting! Please teach me!"

"No problem! I hope you can give your all, so I can enjoy a thrilling battle!" Ye Tianci leapt onto the stage, his anticipation evident.

"As you wish, senior brother!" he said, and Ye Liuyun drew his great hammer, standing ready in a tight formation.

Feeling the battle aura emanating from Ye Liuyun, Ye Tianci couldn't help but nod in silent approval. At that moment he stopped hesitating and gave his all.

When the contest began, Ye Liuyun swung his great hammer, unleashing the power of an advanced technique. From above, a hammer blow crashed down toward Ye Tiansi.

Ye Tianci answered with a Crushing Dragon Fist, hard‑blocking Ye Liuyun's hammer. His Cold Light Finger relies on speed and icy attributes, unsuited for this kind of brute‑force clash, so it was of no use for now.

Their all‑out collision shook the entire arena, causing it to tremble slightly. The surrounding onlookers—disciples watching the spectacle—stepped back, fearing they might be caught in the shock.