Ye Qingchen smiled. In front of his senior martial brothers, there was no need to hide his intentions. After all, they would all be heading to Eternal City to battle the Demon Clan together in the future. When the time came, he would need his seniors’ help with his plan to join the Ten Ancient Clans.

So, Ye Qingchen said to Qin Chuan, "Senior Brother, you flatter me. I’m only participating in the Demon Clan’s trial to win a spot in the Ten Ancient Clans."

"The Ten Ancient Clans?" At Ye Qingchen’s words, everyone turned to look at Elder Yang with strange expressions. The embarrassed elder coughed and then changed the subject.

"Qingchen, the joint contest between the four major academies is in two months. Your current strength would barely rank you within the Central Celestial Academy, let alone against all four academies combined. Therefore, I’ve decided to personally instruct you over these next two months. However, your strength is still too weak and your foundation is poor. For now, you should learn from your senior martial brothers and sister. When you’ve met the requirements of all four of them, you can come find me."

After speaking, Elder Yang vanished on the spot without any perceptible movement, as if he were desperate to avoid the topic of the Ten Ancient Clans.

Ye Qingchen didn’t dwell on it. After all, this wasn’t the first time Elder Yang had acted this way. However, Elder Yang’s promise to guide his cultivation over the next two months filled Ye Qingchen with anticipation.

Having witnessed Li Nian’er’s combat prowess, he was only just beginning to understand how extraordinarily talented each of Elder Yang’s disciples was. As Elder Yang’s disciple, he naturally couldn’t fall behind. Furthermore, his goals of winning a place in the Ten Ancient Clans and rescuing Qin Yue from their grasp made improving his strength an urgent priority.

Seeing Elder Yang leave, Li Nian’er pouted and said resentfully, "That old geezer is just being lazy. Our Junior Brother’s foundation isn’t nearly as bad as he claims. I think he’s just too lazy to teach. First Senior Brother, what do you think we should do?"

Qin Chuan seemed quite experienced with such situations. It was clear he commanded great respect among his martial siblings, as even the normally fearless little demoness, Li Nian’er, willingly deferred to his judgment.

With a smile as warm as the spring breeze, Qin Chuan said to Ye Qingchen, "Junior Brother, there’s no need to rush. It’s already late. You’ll begin your training with me tomorrow. After you pass my assessment, I’ll arrange the next steps for you."

Ye Qingchen nodded, finding Qin Chuan’s plan reasonable. It was, after all, their first time meeting, and Qin Chuan didn’t yet know the extent of his abilities. It would have been reckless to arrange a training plan for him without that knowledge.

The others had no objections to Qin Chuan’s arrangement. Then, Second Senior Brother Zhu Liang spoke up, "First Senior Brother, we’ve been gone so long that the houses have fallen into disrepair. Where are we supposed to sleep tonight?"

At that moment, Li Nian’er stood up and walked toward the thatched hut Ye Qingchen had been living in, saying over her shoulder, "You all can stay wherever you want. I’m going to get some rest."

Cheng Lu quickly followed after her, calling out gently, "Junior Sister, will you be lonely tonight? How about I keep you company? I can tell you all about what’s happened in the past few years. You’ll be missing out if you don’t listen..."

Before Cheng Lu could finish, Li Nian’er firmly shut the door in his face. Undeterred, he simply smiled and returned to Qin Chuan’s side.

Qin Chuan looked at the dilapidated thatched huts around them and said, "We’ve been training out in the wilds for years, so we’re used to roughing it. Let’s just make do in the courtyard for tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll take Junior Brother to train, and the two of you will repair these rooms."

Zhu Liang and Cheng Lu nodded in agreement. Qin Chuan then turned to Ye Qingchen.

"Junior Brother, I’m afraid you’ll have to rough it with us tonight."

Ye Qingchen smiled and nodded. "I couldn’t ask for more."

Inside a quiet bamboo hut within the territory of one of the Ten Ancient Clans, the Saint Heir was adjusting a formation map laid out before him. In the distance, Qin Yue sat with a melancholy expression.

I wonder how Qingchen is doing now?

The question echoed constantly in Qin Yue’s mind. Ever since she had come to the lands of the Ten Ancient Clans with the Saint Heir, what she longed for most was news of Ye Qingchen. At the same time, it was also what she feared most. She knew the Saint Heir had cut off her contact with the outside world. Every piece of news she received about Ye Qingchen was just another step in the Saint Heir’s plot to lure him into a trap.

The Saint Heir paused his work, looking at Qin Yue with a smile. "Thanks to Miss Qin’s guidance, I have benefited immensely in the dao of formations."

Qin Yue ignored him. The Saint Heir’s sole reason for keeping her here was to exploit her mastery of formations, constantly using Ye Qingchen’s safety as a threat. The thought of it disgusted her.

Accustomed to her indifference, the Saint Heir simply smiled unconcernedly and called toward the door, "Come in."

Outside the bamboo hut, Li Rui, who had been waiting for some time, gently opened the door. He knew this was the Saint Heir’s designated time for practicing formations, so he hadn’t dared to disturb him. He was surprised that the Saint Heir had already sensed his presence. It seemed the Saint Heir’s strength had progressed yet again.

After entering, Li Rui bowed respectfully. The Saint Heir nodded and asked, "What is it?"

Li Rui smiled and said in a fawning tone, "Reporting to the Saint Heir, the formation you set up in the Demon Kiln was a great success in the battle against the Demon Clan. It not only halted their advance but also killed many of their experts. The Clan Leader is extremely pleased and has sent a special reward for you."

The Saint Heir waved his hand dismissively, signaling for Li Rui to withdraw.

After another respectful bow, Li Rui quietly backed out of the room, but not before shooting Qin Yue a meaningful glance.

Once Li Rui had left, the Saint Heir said to Qin Yue, "Compared to some vague reward, I am far more interested in the gains from my own cultivation of formations. And for that, I have Miss Qin’s meticulous guidance to thank."

Qin Yue snorted, her voice icy. "This is nothing but coercion and theft! If I had any choice in the matter, I would never teach you a single thing!"

The Saint Heir laughed. "Miss Qin is a woman of real skill and true character. To be honest, I’m finding myself quite taken with you."

Qin Yue glared at him fiercely. "Forget about it! If you continue to press me, I will stop teaching you anything at all!"