Chapter 4: First Glimpse of the Edge

"Stop! You have no right to enter the Library!"

In front of the Library, two guards recognized him at a glance and blocked his way.

Ye Liuyun scanned the two guards with his Divine Sense and saw that both were at the Body Refinement Sixth Level, and neither had yet condensed a True Qi Seed.

"I've already broken through to Body Refinement Fourth Level! I'm here to see the Elder to receive a technique."

"Yo! A thousand-year Body Refinement Third Level waste can break through?" one of them sneered.

The other, impatient, said, "Get out quickly, don't cause trouble here!"

"If I'm at Body Refinement Fourth Level, after meeting the Elder he'll naturally have an explanation," Ye Liuyun thought, not wanting to waste time with them and intending to go straight in to find the Elder.

One guard, seeing this, narrowed his gaze even colder and shouted, "So you think you can force your way in?"

"Force my way in?"

Ye Liuyun let out a sudden cold laugh.

He didn't believe the Elder inside the Library hadn't noticed the situation, yet he said nothing to stop the guard, presumably also thinking he had no right to enter.

"Then you'll have to let your strength speak!"

Ye Liuyun said, stepping straight into the hall.

What?

He really intends to force his way in?

A few people nearby stopped, watching the commotion.

"Looking for death!"

A guard snarled, his True Qi erupting, his palm forming a claw, laced with fierce Qi, whooshing toward Ye Liuyun.

If the old Ye Liuyun had been caught, his skin would have split open, even if he escaped permanent injury, his muscles and bones would still be damaged.

"Get lost!"

Ye Liuyun barked coldly, launching a fist. He saw the guard's attack trajectory with perfect clarity and sidestepped.

Boom!

"Ah!" A figure was flung away with a scream.

The guard who had attacked didn't manage any resistance; he was simply blasted away, coughing up blood.

His draw of True Qi also revealed his Body Refinement Fourth Level.

Another guard stared in terror at Ye Liuyun, completely cowed by his aura, at a loss!

"Body Refinement Fourth Level! How can the strength be so great?" he asked trembling.

Ye Liuyun was quite pleased with his perception and power, feeling a quiet joy inside.

"Dog eyes looking down on people!"

Ye Liuyun ignored his question, sneered, and walked into the Library's Grand Hall.

The Hall Elder had already noticed the scene outside and now stared in astonishment at the entering Ye Liuyun.

Unbelievable!

Everyone says Ye Liuyun is a waste, yet he defeats a Body Refinement Sixth Level guard with a Body Refinement Fourth Level.

"Elder, I've broken through to Body Refinement Fourth Level, I'm here to select a technique," Ye Liuyun said, slightly cupping his fists.

The Hall Elder relaxed, a smile appearing on his face. The stronger the clan disciples, the happier he was, of course.

"Alright! Which technique do you want to choose? Let me give you some advice!"

The Elder was also interested and personally led Ye Liuyun to the first floor of the Library to pick.

Although Ye Liuyun didn't have a good impression of this Elder, guidance was better than wandering aimlessly.

So he said, "Then it's a trouble for you, Elder! I want to choose a fist technique and a footwork."

"Hmm, you never chose a technique before, yet you can actually pick two."

The Hall Elder only then realized Ye Liuyun had never studied any technique before, and couldn't help but hold him in higher regard.

"I see your True Qi is abundant and you have no elemental bias, so I recommend you choose powerful fists like Mountain-Cleaving Fist, Crushing Dragon Fist, or Nine-Layer Wave."

As for footwork, there's not much difference; pick a Yellow Tier Mid-grade footwork. You can only select on the first layer, limited to one hour.

The Elder even pointed out where the footwork and fist techniques were, making selection easy.

Thus Ye Liuyun spent little time and chose the Yellow Tier Mid-grade Nine-Layer Wave and Wind-Following Step.

On the Cangyun Continent, techniques are ranked into four tiers—Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow—with Yellow being the lowest. Each tier is further divided into Top, Upper, Mid, and Lower grades.

Pills, weapons, and the like are graded by the same system.

Techniques above Yellow Tier Mid-grade for the Ye Clan are on the Library's second floor; he currently lacks the qualification to go up, so he can only practice these two for now.

Yellow Tier Top-grade is probably only available to the top few disciples of the Inner Residence.

As for Mysterious Tier techniques, he didn't know whether any existed within the Ye household.

Ye Liuyun didn't care much; he'd learn whatever was available, register with the Hall Elder, and cheerfully headed back.

Just as he left the Inner Residence, he was stopped.

"You are Ye Liuyun?" a burly disciple sized him up from head to toe, his face full of disdain.

Ye Liuyun looked closely; he didn't recognize the man, but the few beside him were all Ye Hai's followers.

He immediately thought this must be Ye Hai's older brother, Ye Tao, third-ranked in the Outer Residence. Ye Hai only dared act recklessly in the Outer Residence because of his brother.

The surrounding disciples, seeing the tense standoff, kept their distance and whispered among themselves.

"Ye Tao has already reached Body Refinement Seventh Level; this Clan Competition entry into the Inner Residence will be no problem."

"That waste is in for trouble today! He injured Ye Hai; how could Ye Tao let him go free?"

Ye Tao, seeing Ye Liuyun remain silent, thought he was scared and grew even more arrogant: "You hurt Ye Hai that badly; if you don't give me an explanation today, don't even think of leaving!"

Upon hearing that, Ye Liuyun showed no fear at all; instead, he smiled.

"Talk about the law? He completely asked for it! He provoked, yet his skill is inferior, and still wants to lecture? You two brothers have far too thick a skin!"

Ye Tao's expression changed instantly. A worthless person, daring to publicly humiliate him!

He immediately shouted angrily: "Are you courting death? Don't think that defeating Ye Hai gives you the right to act brazenly before me! To me, dealing with you is like crushing an ant!"

The surrounding disciples heard it, their faces also changed, and they couldn't help feeling sorry for Ye Liuyun.

Although Ye Liuyun was right, this world doesn't value reasoning; it values strength!

Seeing Ye Tao's composure about to break, he was about to act.

Ye Liuyun took the initiative and said, "I don't have time to dally with you. Let's settle it on the Life-and-Death Platform three days from now, so you won't be pestering me day after day!"

"Huh—" a voice rang out, and the surrounding crowd burst into uproar!

"Is this kid crazy? Want to go onto the Life-and-Death Platform with Ye Tao?"

"This worthless one, always so bold! Too bad this time it's Ye Tao, not Ye Hai!"

Even Ye Tao was taken aback.

He then laughed loudly, "Fine, you said it! See you on the Life-and-Death Platform three days later!"

Ye Tao, who had originally intended to act, now wasn't in a hurry at all!

After all, there are family rules; he doesn't dare strike too hard. But once on the Life-and-Death Platform, he can act freely!

He had already promised Ye Xinyu to help her eliminate this worthless one, and this is precisely an opportunity.

"Then I'll let you live three more days!"

Ye Tao let out a cold laugh in his heart.

Ye Liuyun, however, was brimming with confidence; he strode away amid the astonished gazes of the crowd!

He dares to challenge Ye Tao, not out of arrogance.

He had just scanned Ye Tao with Divine Sense, yet had not yet formed a True Qi Seed.

Even if he acts now, surviving under Ye Tao's hand wouldn't be a problem.

He would use these three days to redouble his effort, practice his fist technique and footwork, and combine his senses and bloodline power, so that he could defeat the third‑ranked disciple of the Outer Residence.

Ye Liuyun didn't take this duel lightly; after returning, he immediately began studying the newly retrieved cultivation method.

The hallmark of the fist technique Nine-Layer Wave is that its force accumulates—each punch heavier than the last—ultimately stacking the power of nine punches.

Wind-Following Step, on the other hand, is a light‑body technique that is relatively easy to pick up.

Ye Liuyun quickly reached the beginner level. His rapid progress is not only because his Soul is now strong, enhancing his memory, comprehension, and other abilities.

It is also because he often practices punches with Kuailei, having encountered various fist techniques, giving him a solid foundation and a much deeper understanding of fist skills.

This Kuailei was given to him by Feng Wanru; not only does it know many cultivation methods itself, but it can also mimic and improve an opponent's techniques, making it an excellent training partner!