“Hao’Er, you…
you…?”
Ye Canghai’s eyes were brimming with shock.
For a moment, he actually forgot his anger, staring blankly at the young man meditating cross-legged in the thatched hut, struck with an indescribable astonishment.
Hearing the voice, Jiang Hao smiled faintly.
“Grandmaster Ye can still call me Hao’Er.
That makes Hao’Er very happy.
“Grandmaster Ye, you watched Hao’Er grow up.
Are you truly going to kill Hao’Er with your own hands today?”
Jiang Hao’s genuine feelings showed.
Although Ye Canghai and Father Jiang had no deep friendship, Jiang Hao had grown up in the Ye family and was deeply cherished by the old master of the Ye family when he was a child.
However, this affection had gradually faded after he became the only fool in Xingyue City who failed to awaken a martial soul.
Looking at the placid young man, Ye Canghai felt countless ripples surging in the depths of his heart.
Especially when he sensed the trace of martial soul aura that Jiang Hao deliberately released, the old Patriarch of the Ye family was filled with absolute shock.
“Tiannan, what…
what is going on?
Isn’t Hao’Er…?” Ye Canghai didn’t respond to Jiang Hao; instead, he looked at Ye Tiannan in bewilderment.
Hearing his name, Ye Tiannan struggled to his feet from the side.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and came to Ye Canghai’s side.
Only then did he finally have the chance to fully recount what he wanted to say.
As Ye Tiannan told the story, the expression on Ye Canghai’s face began to shift.
It transitioned from initial surprise, shock, and astonishment to disbelief and incredulity, ultimately culminating in absolute, overwhelming shock.
“What did you say?
“The worldly anomaly just now was…
was caused by Hao’Er fusing with his martial soul?”
Upon hearing that the recent worldly anomaly was triggered by Jiang Hao fusing with a martial soul, Ye Canghai looked as though he had been struck by lightning, frozen to the spot.
With such a world-shaking anomaly, he didn’t even need to think to know how heaven-defying Jiang Hao’s newly fused martial soul had to be.
And when it was confirmed that Jiang Hao had fused with a Saint Tier Martial Soul, Ye Canghai gasped sharply, petrified on the spot.
It was only a long time later, right as Jiang Hao released Soul Power perfectly matching a Saint Tier Martial Soul, that he spoke.
“Xian’Er, Grandpa was just momentarily confused.
I was forced by circumstances.
You must not blame Grandpa.
You are Grandpa’s good granddaughter, my wonderful granddaughter.
“And Tiannan, I was a bit too heavy-handed just now.
It’s my fault.
“Hao’Er, Grandmaster Ye was just a bit loud a moment ago.
I didn’t scare you, did I?”
After confirming that Jiang Hao possessed a Saint Tier Martial Soul, Ye Canghai’s attitude made a sudden one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, catching the three of them off guard.
“Patriarch?” Ye Tiannan said, hesitating to speak further.
However, as soon as his voice fell, the older man immediately put on a solemn expression.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you call me Father.”
“Father.”
Not long after, the four of them exchanged thoughts and agreed to keep Jiang Hao’s martial soul a secret for the time being.
To the outside world, they would continue to firmly claim that he was a fool.
After all, even the Ye family would find it difficult to protect a Saint Tier Martial Soul Awakener from the Qi family’s hands.
But this Saint Tier Martial Soul Awakener was the future son-in-law of the Ye family.
Ye Canghai remained exceptionally excited from beginning to end.
Even as he walked out of the thatched hut, he still couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, muttering to himself.
“A Saint Tier Martial Soul!
Hahaha!
My, Ye Canghai’s, grandson-in-law has a Saint Tier Martial Soul!”
Watching Ye Canghai laugh heartily as he walked out into the courtyard, Ye Qingxian smiled bitterly.
“Grandpa, pay attention to your facial expression.
Keep up your furious look, lest anyone notice something is off.”
Hearing this, Ye Canghai nodded repeatedly, immediately realizing he had lost his composure.
He instantly shouted, “Rebellious son!” and put on a look of uncontrollable rage.
However, the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth simply couldn’t be suppressed.
While Ye Canghai left Jiang Hao’s residence and hurried back to the Ye Clan’s main hall, the entire hall had devolved into absolute chaos, buzzing like a disturbed hornet’s nest.
When the crowd saw Ye Canghai walk into the hall, they all swarmed around him.
“Patriarch, this is bad!
A disaster!
We just received news that Qi Tianyang of the Qi family has awakened a second martial soul, and it triggered a worldly anomaly!
“That anomaly just now was caused by Qi Tianyang awakening his martial soul.
Xingyue City is already buzzing with the news.
They say the Qi family tested his martial soul’s level on the spot, and it’s a Celestial Tier martial soul!
“A Celestial Tier martial soul!
Throughout the history of the Eastern Domain, hardly anyone has awakened a Celestial Tier martial soul, yet this Qi Tianyang actually possesses one!”
The Ye Clan Members and elders were burning with anxiety, every single one of them completely overwhelmed.
Once Qi Tianyang came out of seclusion and learned that Ye Qingxian was no longer pure, he would undoubtedly come to hold them accountable.
What awaited them then would be a bottomless abyss.
However, upon hearing this, Ye Canghai merely gave a subconscious nod.
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
Seeing his reaction, the Ye family crowd was momentarily stunned.
They wondered, “What kind of expression is this for the Patriarch?”
The Ye family had offended a Celestial Tier Martial Soul Awakener; how could a mere “oh” suffice?
Seeming to realize that the crowd’s expressions were off, Ye Canghai quickly caught on and immediately changed his tune.
“A Celestial Tier martial soul?
Not bad, not bad.
Send my congratulations to the Qi family.”
“Not bad?”
All the Ye Clan People spoke in unison, freezing up once again.
What did he mean by “not bad”?
A Celestial Tier martial soul—that was a Celestial Tier martial soul!
Seeing all the Ye Clan Members staring at him with strange looks, Ye Canghai immediately feigned a defeated sigh.
“I’m tired.
Let’s discuss these matters later.”
With that said, Ye Canghai left the Ye Clan’s main hall on his own.
Instantly, the entire hall exploded into an uproar.
“What’s wrong with the Patriarch?
Why did he react like that?”
“The old master must have taken a huge blow.
Is he planning to just give up entirely?”
“Then what should we do?
When Qi Tianyang comes out of seclusion, given his style of doing things, the Ye family will be facing imminent disaster.”
“It’s all Ye Qingxian’s fault.
If she doesn’t want to live, fine, but to drag the entire Ye family down to the grave with her!”
“What does this have to do with our Qingxian?
If you want to blame someone, blame that piece of trash Jiang Hao!
Who knows what kind of bewitching potion he fed Qingxian for her to disregard the lives of the entire clan for a fool!”
“Exactly!
If it weren’t for that useless fool, how would our Ye family have ended up in this state?”
“I’m going to kill him.”
“Kill him!
Kill him!”
The crowd of the Ye Clan was instantly riled up with indignation.
Some even drew their swords, planning to go and kill the fool themselves.
Right at that moment, however, Ye Canghai’s furious voice echoed back.
“Those three rebellious fools have been locked up in the Ye family’s cold grounds by my orders!
Without my permission, no one is allowed to visit them!
Violators will be severely punished without mercy!”
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Ye Clan Members halted in their tracks, looking at each other in dismay.
What puzzled the Ye family crowd even more was that over the next two days, Ye Canghai seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth.
He didn’t show his face at all, and even the Ye Clan elders had no idea what the old Patriarch was actually doing.
Little did they know that for the past two days, their Patriarch had stayed almost exclusively at Jiang Hao’s residence, never taking a single step away.
Two nights later.
“Father, Grandpa, please have some water.”
Ye Qingxian brought over two cups of water and handed them to Ye Canghai and Ye Tiannan.
The two men, however, were staring intently at Jiang Hao, who was meditating cross-legged in the courtyard.
They didn’t avert their gazes for even a moment, only taking the teacups from Ye Qingxian’s hands subconsciously.
But the very next moment, a muffled THUD resonated from within Jiang Hao’s body.
Before the two of them even had time to take a sip, they set the tea back down.
“He broke through again?”
Ye Canghai was the first to rush over to Jiang Hao, his eyes so filled with shock that he was practically speechless.
Ye Tiannan looked as if he had seen a ghost, his breathing heavy and rapid.
“In just one short night, he unexpectedly broke through ten minor stages in a row, reaching the Peak of Body Refining Realm.
How…
how is this possible?
“Heavens!
Could this be the terrifying aspect of a Saint Tier Martial Soul?
“How could it be so fast?
Ten stages in one night!
It’s an absolute fairy tale, purely a fantasy!”
The way the father and son looked at Jiang Hao had completely changed; it was no different from looking at a monster.
At the same time, the entirety of Xingyue City was swept up by a storm of rumors.
News about Qi Tianyang of the Qi family awakening a Celestial Tier martial soul acted like a hurricane, instantly sweeping through dozens of surrounding cities.
The Qi family’s residence was overflowing with people.
Countless factions swarmed in to offer their congratulations.
The various powers within Xingyue City, in particular, turned out almost in full force, all hoping to quickly cling to the coattails of the Qi family’s Qilin Child.
The Ye family was the only exception, showing no reaction whatsoever.
The old Patriarch of the Ye family didn’t even show his face.
Little did they know, at this moment, how could there be any room in Ye Canghai’s mind for the Qi family’s Qilin Child?
“A mere Celestial Tier Martial Soul Awakener is nothing but trash in front of a Saint Tier Martial Soul.
“Hao’Er is the true dragon of Xingyue City.
“Let them jump around.
“That Qi Tianyang of the Qi family won’t be jumping around for much longer.”