Chapter Seventy-Two: The Young Master

“Haha, it’s alright. The ignorant are blameless. I, Yan Chen, bear no grudges, haha, it was just a misunderstanding.” Hearing Mo You’s humble apology for the first time, Yan Chen was genuinely delighted.

Ye Zihan glanced around the modest inn and felt quite satisfied, especially since it was his brother Yan Chen who had chosen it—he had no reason to refuse. With a smile, Ye Zihan said, “Yan Chen, there’s no need to take it to heart. Haha, Mo You is just a child, ignorant as he is. We should be understanding.”

Mo You, at present, was indeed like a three-year-old, though he hadn’t quite reached that age yet, but was close. From the first time Ye Zihan encountered Mo You, the dragon egg, more than four years had passed without him realizing it. He still remembered the day vividly, though he never expected to become the master of a dragon egg by merely dripping his blood onto it.

Soon, Yan Chen led Ye Zihan and the others into the inn, and they ordered a table full of dishes, preparing for a hearty meal. Yan Chen originally intended to order some wine, but Mo You disrupted his plans, claiming he would drink all the wine in the inn. With such ambition, Yan Chen didn’t doubt him—given Mo You’s one-zhang-long body, it was entirely possible. So, Yan Chen refrained from ordering wine, as his funds were limited.

Buying out the entire inn’s wine was not something ordinary people could do. Although Yan Chen hailed from a hidden family and was a skilled young man, such extravagance was never his style. He wouldn’t waste wine like that, especially since Mo You treated it as water—not a luxury ordinary people could afford.

Many of the world’s rare treasures had already been devoured by Mo You. Even so, he had never encountered any formidable opponents to stop him; rather, his own restraint spared many pharmacies from ruin.

“I heard that recently a young prodigy appeared in Xuanwu City, called Chen Yiyan. He defeated many talented youths, and this time he might make it onto the Beast Domain’s young master rankings.”

“Yes, this Chen Yiyan is quite the braggart—he claims to be the top young master in Xuanwu City.”

“The worst part is, Chen Yiyan has offended the young city lord of Xuanwu City. He may be in great trouble now, since the young city lord himself is a skilled youth.”

“You’re all making too much of it. Don’t gossip about this Chen Yiyan—he’s probably from some other faction in the Beast Domain. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare act so boldly, challenging local heroes on their own turf.”

“Looks like the Beast Domain will produce many young talents this year. But our own human realm’s young masters are impressive too. Aside from the Ye family, which hasn’t seen any extraordinary young talents this year, the other families have plenty. So let’s just wait and see.”

...

As soon as Ye Zihan and his companions sat down to eat, they overheard several human cultivators nearby discussing the major events in Xuanwu City. What caught Ye Zihan’s attention wasn’t the gossip itself, but their mention of the Ye family’s rise and fall. Indeed, apart from his younger sister, Ye Zixue, the other members of the Ye family were little more than useless.

Now, the target for assassination by the Illusion God Palace was Ye Zixue. With her talent’s current trajectory, the Ye family would surely flourish in the future—a prospect the Illusion God Palace could not tolerate. Even if other great families produced prodigies, they too became targets for elimination.

However, the Illusion God Palace was not without scruples. Their actions couldn’t be openly exposed, so they dared not act recklessly. Though it was the greatest power on the Illusion God Continent, it would think twice before turning everyone into enemies.

"The Illusion God Arts" was the mysterious martial secret of the Illusion God Palace, but it had already been taken out by Hong Yan. Though Hong Yan was gone, a trace of his soul remained with Ye Zihan. If Ye Zihan were to revive them, their strength wouldn’t be much less than before.

Now, "The Illusion God Arts" belonged to Ye Zihan, which explained the rapid advancement of his martial skills—ordinary cultivators could never progress at such a pace.

The nearby cultivators continued discussing the situation in Xuanwu City. By now, Ye Zihan and Yan Chen had gained a general understanding of the city. When the conversation turned to the Ye family’s genius girl, Ye Zixue, Ye Zihan listened intently, pleased to hear others praise his own sister.

Yan Chen and Ye Zihan confirmed the location of the aforementioned young prodigy, and countless other young masters of Xuanwu City were dueling there. It seemed their trip hadn’t been wasted—they wanted to see how many young talents Xuanwu City had and perhaps recruit some for their newly established Heaven-Defying Pavilion.

Ye Zihan looked at the chatting cultivators, then turned to Yan Chen, saying, “Brother Yan Chen, it looks like our journey wasn’t in vain. I think we should go have a look—perhaps we’ll meet some like-minded friends.” Ye Zihan was eager for talent, as his Heaven-Defying Pavilion was just founded and he needed to expand his influence on the Illusion God Continent.

The Beast Domain would one day host the Heaven-Defying Pavilion, and the Demon Abyss as well!

This was part of Ye Zihan’s plan and wouldn’t be easily changed. The Illusion God Continent was already a land of competing powers, and even with the rise of new forces like the Heaven-Defying Pavilion, Ye Zihan could balance them against one another.

Yan Chen smiled and said, “Yes, let’s go have a look. I didn’t expect Xuanwu City to produce a challenger like Chen Yiyan. Last time, there was a similarly arrogant fellow who boasted in Xuanwu City, but that one has already met the King of Hell.”

Recalling that previous young master, Yan Chen noted that although he was skilled—about on Yan Chen’s level—he was ultimately slain by the young city lord of Xuanwu City.

Hearing this, Ye Zihan’s eyes brightened. He smiled and said, “Yan Chen, tell me what happened—someone was so reckless as to challenge Xuanwu City’s young masters and was killed on the spot? Truly, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers here.” Ye Zihan understood well the rules of martial contests among cultivators: the elder generation was forbidden from interfering, as it was a rule of the Illusion God Continent.

If an elder attacked a junior, it was considered disgraceful, and so this custom formed: in youth tournaments, elders could not intervene except in emergencies to save lives—otherwise, intervention was forbidden.

Once an elder did step in to save someone, the saved person had to concede defeat, as the elder’s involvement meant automatic surrender. This was the law of the Illusion God Continent.

Yan Chen nodded and said, “It was the young city lord of Xuanwu City who killed him. But this time, we should avoid trouble; that young city lord is truly formidable—a master among masters. Years ago, he had already reached the Five Elements stage, and now he may have advanced even further. We must be cautious.” Yan Chen felt a headache coming on. Though he was confident in his abilities, the young city lord of Xuanwu City was without doubt his superior.

As for Chen Yiyan, Yan Chen could already foresee his fate—grim and likely doomed. The young city lord would surely act in the end, leaving Chen Yiyan to fend for himself.

From Yan Chen and the surrounding conversations, Ye Zihan gained a rough understanding of the Beast Domain: each region had a massive city like Xuanwu, each with its own city lord whose strength was unfathomable—no one dared challenge their authority lightly.

Anyone who challenged the city lord of Xuanwu City faced two outcomes: either you die, or I die. Success meant inheriting the city lord’s position and becoming the new lord. The Beast Domain was a cruel realm; few dared to act recklessly.

Although Xuanwu City seemed to lack guards or overseers to enforce its rules, no one dared challenge the city lord’s prestige—such an act meant almost certain death or injury. Even if the city lord spared the challenger, other cultivators would seek the city lord’s favor by taking action themselves.

Those who broke the rules of the Beast Domain were the most unwelcome. Even if they fled Xuanwu City, the other eleven regions would not accept them, and might even hunt them down for their violations.

After pinpointing Chen Yiyan’s location, Ye Zihan slowly rose and said to Yan Chen, “Yan Chen, let’s go to the center of Xuanwu City. I want to see just how many talented youths there are—then I’ll have a clearer understanding of the Beast Domain.” Ye Zihan understood human nature well; Chen Yiyan’s loud proclamations were the perfect lure to draw out hidden talents, so he was sure all the young masters of Xuanwu City would emerge.

In truth, Xuanwu City attracted Ye Zihan for two reasons: Chen Yiyan, and the young city lord. Judging by Yan Chen’s tone, the young city lord was a ruthless figure, certainly not one to show mercy.

Thus, Chen Yiyan—who challenged Xuanwu City’s young masters—was undoubtedly in danger. Yan Chen shared this view, as he was familiar with the young city lord’s strength and had witnessed his actions, so he could make such a confident prediction.

Yan Chen nodded and said, “I was thinking the same. Let’s go—there’s nothing here to interest us anymore.” With that, Yan Chen headed out of the inn. By now, the cultivators had discussed Xuanwu City thoroughly, and Yan Chen’s group had gained a solid understanding of its current state.

“Alright,” Ye Zihan agreed, rising to his feet. Mo You, uninterested in the food—since it wasn’t his beloved treasures and he wasn’t hungry—didn’t eat at all.