The young girl attacking Di Yi Ye with her sword was named Di Er Meng, the second child the mysterious old man and Di Yi Ye had found.
To be precise, Di Yi Ye found her first, as he was the one who saw her and then held the child in his arms. At that time, she, just like now, hugged him like a koala. This intimate gesture would be repeated countless times in the future.
Di Er Meng was an undeniable genius. Although breaking through to the Soul Condensation Stage at fourteen or fifteen years old wasn't particularly astonishing, and she hadn't awakened any Special Abilities or Genes like Nangong Bingyu or Tong Wei, she possessed exceptionally strong Spiritual Power. This power was often called Psionic Power by many, the Psionic Power that could manipulate objects.
Actually, Di Yi Ye and the others didn't know yet that mental mutations were also a form of awakened Special Ability. Such cultivators were often called Mind Masters.
Although many cultivators embarked on the path of Cultivation, and those with exceptional talent were everywhere, cultivators who possessed strong Spiritual Power and could be called Psionic Power users were rare. Psionic Power wasn't like the power cultivators could cultivate; it was more innate.
Cultivators whose Spiritual Power was strong enough to manipulate objects also had much greater Combat Power than cultivators of the same Realm. Most importantly, they could often attack from a great distance, which undoubtedly gave them a significant advantage, especially during sudden Sneak Attacks.
Furthermore, cultivators with strong Spiritual Power capable of Object Manipulation could often control multiple weapons to attack. For example, Di Er Meng could currently control twelve Flying Swords. As her Realm improved, her Psionic Power would become even purer and stronger, meaning she could fight against many with few. If she became more proficient in controlling her Flying Swords, she could win with ease. In other words, the Combat Power of a strong Psionic Power cultivator was often greater than that of several cultivators.
The reason Di Er Meng's Flying Swords were so easily resolved by Di Yi Ye was not only because he was also a special existence and extremely familiar with Sword Control attacks, but more importantly, she had only just broken through to the Soul Condensation Stage today and was controlling twelve Flying Swords for the first time, making her very unskillful. This gave him an opportunity.
Thinking about it, if one were unfamiliar with Di Er Meng's methods, they would likely be in a panic the moment she launched her Sword Control attack. Twelve Flying Swords could easily kill them.
Based on these factors alone, Di Er Meng was considered a genius in Luo City and even among all humanity, even more so than Nangong Bingyu, firmly holding the throne of genius.
Another slightly more mature young woman was also an orphan found by the mysterious old man, named Di Si Qing Wu. Found with her was her full sibling—Di Wu Chang Feng.
Di Si Qing Wu was slightly older, only a little younger than Di Yi Ye. She had also broken through to the Soul Condensation Stage, specifically the Soul Condensation Mid-stage, and had awakened a Special Ability—she could control Wind Attribute Energy.
Integrating Wind Attribute Energy into Qi Flow not only greatly enhanced attack power but also allowed for special techniques using wind, such as small storm attacks or Wind Riding. Although she could only fly for short periods, it was enough to make countless cultivators envious, as flight was something only cultivators in the Feather Transformation Realm could achieve, a Realm four Major Realms above Soul Condensation.
Four Major Realms, while not a chasm, were close to it. Yet, Di Si Qing Wu, only at the Soul Condensation Mid-stage, could achieve flight, albeit briefly. This was enough to showcase her uniqueness and, indirectly, how powerful cultivators who awakened Special Abilities were.
Indeed, Di Si Qing Wu's strength was formidable, in some ways even stronger than Di Yi Ye. The reason she stayed behind to guard their home was precisely because of her strength. Besides Di Er Meng, there were four or five other orphans at home, all very young, the oldest being no more than eight or nine. Such children naturally couldn't handle Sneak Attacks from Exotic Beasts. After all, Exotic Beasts didn't care where you were; they could attack anywhere. Therefore, leaving a powerful expert to protect them was essential.
Although Di Er Meng was very powerful, her Realm was still too low, and she couldn't take on this responsibility for now. Thus, Di Si Qing Wu had to do it.
"Brother Ye, are you injured?"
Di Si Qing Wu asked with great concern, looking at the somewhat tender skin on Di Yi Ye's hands and feet as she spoke.
"What, Brother Ye, you're injured? Is it serious?"
Di Er Meng asked repeatedly. As she spoke, she also noticed the abnormality on Di Yi Ye's exposed skin on his hands and feet. Her eyes immediately reddened, and she looked on the verge of tears.
"Just some minor injuries, nothing serious. You know my recovery ability is quite good, even if other things aren't my strong suit,"
Di Yi Ye said with a light laugh. He then hastily changed the subject: "But it's a pleasant surprise that you broke through so quickly, Meng'er. Now protecting the children is even less of a problem."
"Hehe, I just broke through without even trying," Di Er Meng said, though anyone could see the pride on her face.
"It's all because Brother Ye defeated you so easily."
Di Si Qing Wu teased, looking at Di Yi Ye with concern as she spoke, because she knew very well that even though he spoke lightly of it, he must have encountered an extremely perilous battle.
"Hmph, that's because I'm not used to it yet. Once I can skillfully control all twelve Flying Swords, I'll be able to defeat Ye easily..."
At this point, Di Er Meng changed her tone: "Defeat Sister Qing Wu, including Di San Liu Yun."
When she said 'little,' Di Er Meng emphasized the word, looking as if she were grinding her teeth.
Nodding again to indicate his injuries were fine, Di Yi Ye chuckled, "Liu Yun has arrived. He didn't even wait for me to return before leaving. But Liu Yun is already at the Late Condensation Soul Stage and can break through to Body Refining at any time. You'll have to work hard if you want to defeat him."
"Hmph, it's just because he's two years older than me. If I were his age, my Realm would definitely be higher than his,"
Di Er Meng snorted again, muttering softly, "He actually calls me 'little sprout.' He's just a big oaf."
Listening to Di Er Meng's muttering, Di Yi Ye and Di Si Qing Wu found it amusing but didn't pay it much mind. The former said, "Liu Yun is always elusive, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. Is there something specific he came for?"
Although Di San Liu Yun was also adopted, or rather, rescued by Di Er Meng and Di Yi Ye, he didn't live in the orphanage and only returned occasionally. As he grew older, he became increasingly mysterious, and his visits became less frequent. Thinking of this, Di Yi Ye couldn't help but feel nostalgic.
"Yes, there are a few things. He said he'll be leaving the city for training soon and specifically came to inform us so we wouldn't worry."
Di Si Qing Wu said, though her pretty face couldn't hide her worried expression.
It was no wonder Di Si Qing Wu was worried. Even within Luo City, safety wasn't guaranteed, let alone outside the city. Outside the city, powerful Exotic Beasts were everywhere, and one could be killed with the slightest carelessness, even cultivators stronger than the Soul Condensation Stage. Thinking that Di San Liu Yun was about to go out for training, she naturally worried.
"Liu Yun is very strong, and he'll surely have many experts accompanying him. As long as he doesn't encounter particularly powerful Exotic Beasts, he can handle them, especially since he can break through at any time, greatly increasing his strength. There's even less to worry about then," Di Yi Ye said, unsure if he was comforting Di Si Qing Wu or himself.
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