Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 28: The Battle for the Twenty-Eight Slots

Chapter 28: The Battle for the Twenty-Eight Slots

"Hmm?"

As Yun Xiao was about to utilize some methods from his past life to help Yun Wei have a greater chance of activating her Ancestor Vein, he realized, after all, that he had thought too much.

Because at this moment, Yun Wei did not need Yun Xiao’s help at all. On her right arm, identical to his, an extremely strange aura had emerged, an aura so potent that it even pushed Yun Xiao back a step.

At the same time, an intense cold burst forth from Yun Wei’s right arm, and following that, Yun Xiao saw his sister’s right-arm sleeve being frozen at a visibly rapid pace, appearing incredibly mystical.

"This... This is actually an Extreme Cold Attribute Ancestor Vein!"

When Yun Xiao witnessed this scene, a storm of shock surged within him. It wasn’t that he was astonished at Yun Wei’s activation of an Ancestor Vein – after all, being siblings of the same parents, the likelihood of Yun Wei activating an Ancestor Vein was also considerably high.

Yun Xiao was stunned because of the attribute of the Ancestor Vein that Yun Wei activated. With his extensive memories of the Long Xiao Battle God from his past life, he had never encountered such a miraculous event.

Logically speaking, the ancestors of Yun Xiao and Yun Wei should be the same; normally within a family, the attributes of the Cultivation Techniques practiced are somewhat uniform, or at least similar, and hence the inherited Ancestor Veins should be more or less alike.

But now, Yun Xiao himself activated a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein, while Yun Wei, on the other hand, activated an Ancestor Vein of extreme Ice Attribute – these two attributes are not only dissimilar but entirely opposite.

Even with the knowledge of the Long Xiao Battle God, Yun Xiao was somewhat perplexed as to why this was happening, but the reality was right before his eyes, undeniable.

Yun Xiao felt a sense of ruefulness in his heart but also knew that Yun Wei, having activated an Ancestor Vein of the extreme Ice Attribute, was unlikely to ever become a Meridian Refining Master, as such a master must possess a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein. How could such an extreme Ice Attribute have even a hint of the Fire Attribute?

Yun Xiao, with an unresolved mind, decided not to dwell on it any longer. The strange events that had recently happened to him were bizarre enough. In fact, those top Cultivators on the Nine Dragons Continent would probably be even more astonished if they knew what had happened to him?

Now that Yun Wei had successfully broken through to the Meridian Introduction Realm and activated her first Ancestor Vein, there was no longer anything for Yun Xiao to do here. Seeing that Yun Wei hadn’t yet opened her eyes, presumably consolidating her surging Meridian Qi, he quietly left the room.

"Mother?"

However, as Yun Xiao stepped out of the room, he saw a very familiar figure standing in the courtyard. His heart warmed, and he called out.

Yun Xiao knew that Shang Li had been keeping watch here, worried that Yun Wei might not achieve a breakthrough. Therefore, as soon as he spoke, he stepped forward, gently patted his mother’s hand, and then nodded slightly.

Seeing that Yun Xiao looked somewhat fatigued, Shang Li got the answer she wanted in her heart. Without saying much, she happily watched her son return to his room, while her gaze drifted far away into the sky.

Once back in his room, Yun Xiao immediately sat cross-legged on the bed, and the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique began to circulate, entering a state of cultivation.

In seven days, the battle for the Jade Pot Sect Outer Disciple position with Shang Huixu would commence, and Yun Xiao dared not be the slightest bit negligent. Despite his previous easy victory over Shang Huixu, who knows what tricks those in the Shang Family who disdained him might play?

Yun Xiao’s mindset had matured far beyond what it used to be. From the attitudes of Shang Ying and the others at the Commerce Medicine Pavilion, he began to sense that these people were not very worried but instead seemed to hold an unusual confidence, which made him more alert.

After all, based on the incident at the Righteous Hall of the Shang Family, those members should have witnessed his capabilities—Shang Huixu’s wrist was broken in a single move. If there were to be another encounter, perhaps the outcome wouldn’t change so much.

To ensure absolute certainty of success, Yun Xiao made up his mind to enhance his Meridian Qi Cultivation to the middle stage of the Meridian Introduction Realm within these seven days. With that, even if Shang Huixu made a breakthrough, he would be able to handle it with ease.

While Yun Xiao entered a state of cultivation, somewhere else within the vast Shang Family estate, another young prodigy was undergoing extraordinary trials, which might lead to a tremendous leap in cultivation one day.

...

The seven days flew by in an instant!

As the morning sun of the seventh day shone over Moon Bow City, the Shang Family estate seemed to awaken from slumber all at once. Figures bustled everywhere, all seeming to hurry in one direction.

Because these people from the Shang Family had already received the news, they knew that today was the competition within the Sect to vie for the position of an Outer Disciple of the Jade Pot Sect, and this time, the contest was merely between two people.

The Jade Pot Sect is one of the leading great Sects in the Xuanyue Empire, and for a minor Shang Family, perhaps they could be crushed by just the flick of a finger. Didn’t everyone see how even the Family Head of the Shang Family, Shang Yan, had to greet an Inner Sect Disciple from the Jade Pot Sect with folded hands that day?

If one could join the Jade Pot Sect, and after hard work, become an Inner Sect Disciple, then perhaps even the Shang Family’s status in the Xuanyue Empire would skyrocket significantly.

The Shang Family of the past undoubtedly had no chance of even obtaining the qualifications for an Outer Disciple. For some unknown reason, this time the Jade Pot Sect had given them such a surprise. Perhaps, as Yin Huan said, it was an encouragement for the tributes the Shang Family had paid over the years.

All members of the Shang Family Clan had always believed that the sole position of an Outer Disciple of the Jade Pot Sect absolutely belonged to Shang Huiyu, the leading figure of the younger generation of the Shang Family. Even the eldest grandson of the second house, Shang Huifeng, was not qualified to contest it.

But who would have expected the emergence of Yun Xiao, this youth, with only half Shang Family blood and the other half from an unknown source—many people could barely even recall what he looked like.

Despite Yun Xiao and his mother residing in the Shang Family for many years, due to their status, nobody paid them any attention. Their small courtyard was like a forgotten corner.

The disturbance that occurred that day in the Righteous Hall was not spread outside, but within the Shang Family, everyone was well aware of it. Thus, the members of the Shang Family all knew that Yun Xiao, who had never been well-known previously, might turn out to be Shang Huiyu’s biggest competitor.

Today, within the Arena Hall of the Shang Family, nearly all members of the Shang Family Clan had gathered; they all wanted to see who would become the Outer Disciple of the Jade Pot Sect.

Not to mention the lower-ranking members of the Shang Family, in the northern direction of this Arena Hall were seated several people, with the Family Head of the Shang Family, Shang Yan, right in the center.

Beside Shang Yan were naturally the two brothers who held power in the second generation of the Shang Family, Shang Ying and Shang Li. It is worth mentioning that there was also an elder with white eyebrows, whose eyes were half-closed, seemingly of no ordinary status.

"Hehe, this time, we really must thank Elder Yan Cheng!"

Shang Ying’s face was filled with joy, suggesting he had received definite news. Knowing the source of these advantages, he turned his head and thanked the white-bearded elder with a smile.

"There’s no need to be courteous, I’m simply being paid to do a job," replied the white-bearded elder, Yan Cheng, whose face lacked excessive expression. He carried an air of a detached sage, which in the eyes of the onlookers beside him, seemed entirely appropriate.

For these strong practitioners from the Shang Family knew all too well that this person’s identity was extraordinary—a genuine Mortal Rank Advanced Meridian Refining Master, a respected figure rarely seen even in Moon Bow City.

"With Elder Yan’s assistance, I’d like to see how that brat Yun Xiao is going to jump around now!"

Fiery anger flickered within the eyes of Shang Li from the second house of the Shang Family. On that day at the Commerce Medicine Pavilion, he was made a fool by Yun Xiao and later even threatened into silence, which was extremely humiliating for him.

Today was the decisive battle in the Arena, and moreover, it was the actual competition for the Outer Sect Discipleship of the Jade Pot Sect. If Shang Huiyu managed to kill Yun Xiao on the arena, even Yin Huan and her mentor Fu Du wouldn’t likely say much.

Although his beloved grandson, Shang Huifeng, hadn’t got the chance to gain entry into the Jade Pot Sect, compared to Yun Xiao, Shang Li was more eager to see Shang Huiyu win. And now, it seemed there was a pretty good chance of that happening.

Listening to Shang Li’s words, Shang Ying’s gaze had already moved to the main arena in the distance. There, a graceful and handsome young man stood, none other than Shang Huiyu, the number one talent of the Shang Family’s younger generation.

At this moment, where was the embarrassment Shang Huiyu had exhibited in the Righteous Hall? Replaced by a certain proud and unfolding spirit, he seemed to have undergone a dramatic transformation, perhaps having gained considerable fortune in these past ten days or so.

Shang Huiyu’s indifferent gaze occasionally swept towards the doors of the Arena Hall, for he knew that the humiliation he had suffered that day would be fully avenged today, and that brat named Yun Xiao would definitely not walk out of the Arena Hall alive.

It’s worth mentioning that while Shang Huiyu stood on the arena waiting for Yun Xiao, in a corner where the Shang Family’s younger generation was gathered, there was also a graceful figure in white, sweeping her gaze over the hall door from time to time, seemingly also waiting for a certain figure to arrive.

This figure belonged to Xue Qi, the woman who had been raised by Shang Li for over a decade, yet ultimately betrayed him for her own interests.

To be honest, ever since Xue Qi was slapped twice by Yun Xiao, she had been harboring a deep grudge. Nevertheless, she was utterly powerless against him. After all, even Shang Huiyu had his wrist broken by him, and she, a Cultivator who had not even broken through to the Meridian Introduction Realm, could only swallow her teeth with the blood.

However, according to the information Xue Qi had received, today in this Arena Hall, there was not the slightest chance for Yun Xiao to win. That man, who had humiliated her so deeply, would lose his life on the main arena today.