Chapter 189: Branch Institute Struggle

Ye Liuyun sees Qiong Qi not intending to stop, so he begins forging the Soul Sword. At that moment, he remembers the Demon Slaying Sword strapped to his back.

He is startled, "Don't let it get refined!" He quickly stops and reaches to feel.

Fortunately the sword is still there, and he lets out a sigh of relief.

He takes the sword off, examines it closely. He finds the blade glowing red from heat, its surface coated with many minerals from the lava.

Moreover, the Demon Slaying Sword's transmitted consciousness is now clearer. It seems to like the environment here, absorbing the lava's substances and forging itself again.

Ye Liuyun did not expect the sword could refine itself. It appears that adding his bloodline and Divine Sense when he forged it was correct. The sword has turned misfortune into blessing!

Ye Liuyun straps the sword back onto his back, leaves it alone, and continues cultivating.

After waiting a little while longer, Qiong Qi finally stops. Looking at the Earth Core True Flame that has shrunk tenfold before him, he feels a tinge of reluctance.

After a final glance, he finally resolves to leave.

"Let's go! If we completely absorb this Earth Core True Flame, it will never recover, and the lava here will gradually cool, which would cause us big trouble."

Qiong Qi, somewhat reluctant, explains a bit to Ye Liuyun, then leads him back the same way.

"I wouldn't have guessed, you even have a code for thievery!" Ye Liuyun laughs.

"What code? If it weren't for the fact that this is your sect, I would have taken the Earth Core True Flame and left right away!"

Qiong Qi says disdainfully.

When the two emerge from the tunnel again, it is deep night of the next day.

Qiong Qi covers the traces, and the two of them leisurely walk back to Tianqian Feng.

Upon returning, they see Hao Chengfeng blocking the entrance of the Grand Hall, waiting for them.

"You two, did you steal the Holy Medicine? The Holy Medicine Hall has already discovered it and is searching for thieves everywhere! You haven't left any clues, have you?" Hao Chengfeng asks anxiously, fearing the Holy Medicine Hall will come after them.

"No problem! We didn't leave any trace." Ye Liuyun doesn't hide it.

"Hurry and dispose of the herbs, don't leave any aftermath!" Hao Chengfeng reminds them. Then he says, "By the way, the branch institute's disciples have all arrived. Tomorrow you should go see them first, then come find me; I'll take you to the Spirit Soul Saint for cultivation."

"Alright! Then I'll trouble you, senior brother!" Ye Liuyun also wants to see who has arrived at the Main Institute. That way he won't be alone and unfamiliar later!

After returning, Ye Liuyun's first action is to retrieve the other two Holy Medicines he secretly picked from Lingyao Peak, refine them into pills and store them, so they won't be discovered later.

These two herbs also promote realm advancement.

With his Soul, realm, and flame strengthening, the pills he refines, plus his alchemy furnace—the sacred Jiangshan Cauldron—have raised the quality of his pills a notch; about ten percent of them have reached the middle grade of Heaven Tier.

That night Ye Liuyun immediately consumed two Crossing Origin Pills. The dense energy in the pills instantly lifted his realm to the peak of Sea Transformation Second Layer, with faint signs of a breakthrough.

But as dawn approached, he paused temporarily. He recalled his master telling him that in the Sea Transformation realm, each layer increase requires expanding and consolidating the Qi Sea as much as possible.

Lei Ming, upon hearing he was leaving, immediately followed Ye Liuyun. She had been cooped up these days. While Ye Liuyun was cultivating blade intent, her realm also broke through to the Ninth Sea Transformation. She wanted to go out with him for a stroll!

So she transformed into a pet beast form, leapt onto Ye Liuyun's shoulder, and followed him to the branch institute disciples' residence.

The branch institute disciples had just arrived yesterday. The northern branch institute where Ye Liuyun originally was, under the Grand Elder's care, was allocated a relatively spacious manor.

The southern branch institute disciples, arriving later, were assigned less ideal residences, and the spiritual aura there was not as dense as that of the northern branch.

So some southern branch disciples, after probing, found the north had few capable people, and tried to drive them away and forcibly seize their residences.

The highest‑realm disciples of the northern branch were each defeated by a single southern disciple named Xu Mo.

That disciple was only a Sea Transformation Fifth Layer disciple. However, most of the higher‑realm northerners had already perished at Ye Liuyun's hands, so the remaining ones naturally could not stop him.

The northern disciples wore helpless expressions! Leng Yue, Han Feng and others could only sigh.

Their realms gave them no chance to act; even if they advanced, they'd only invite suffering.

"If Junior Brother Ye were here, they'd never dare be so reckless!" Leng Yue thought of Ye Liuyun.

"Junior Brother Ye has already entered the Main Institute's inner gate; at this moment he probably doesn't even know we've arrived! Looks like we have to give up this place today!"

As they spoke, Xu Mo boasted, "The academy originally encourages competition. You trash aren't fit for this good place; you have one quarter‑hour to move out, or else…"

"Or what?" a cold voice interrupted him.

A white‑shirt youth, bearing a black blade on his back, a rare pet beast perched on his shoulder, his Golden Pupils shining, walked slowly from afar.

"Junior Brother Ye!" the northern branch disciples shouted, as if they'd seen a savior.

"Brothers and sisters, I just received word that you arrived, so I rushed over immediately. Luckily I was in time!"

Ye Liuyun greets the crowd. Seeing Qi Tianyue and Nan Xin'er there, he smiles and asks, "Sisters, have you also broken through?"

The two of them, upon seeing Ye Liuyun, lit up with radiant eyes.

"Thanks to the pills you gave us, otherwise we wouldn't have made this batch!" Qi Tianyue smiled brightly, speaking affectionately.

"How dare you say that! You knew you were coming to the Main Institute, didn't you? You should've told us earlier so we could prepare. I still have some merit points I haven't redeemed!" Nan Xin'er pretended to be angry and began to complain.

Ye Liuyun calmly says, "Then how about I compensate you with some pills later?"

"Hm? Heh, that's reasonable, I'll count that as quick reflexes!"

The group chatted, completely ignoring the southern disciples.

Xu Mo scans Ye Liuyun, finding him somewhat unfathomable. Yet he thinks his own Sea Transformation Fifth Layer is far higher than this Sea Transformation Second Layer.

So he taunts, "Your northern district is really declining! A Sea Transformation Second Layer disciple is treated as a savior by you! Little beauties, why not join our southern district, follow us, and we'll guarantee you…"

"Racket!"

Before Ye Liuyun could finish, Yi Dao slashed forward.

The domineering aura that erupted in that instant made everyone's hearts tremble. Xu Mo, lacking even the strength to resist, felt his heart race at the slash.

By the time he recovered, Ye Liuyun had already sheathed the sword again.