Chapter 148: Chapter 129 Reunion
"Jiang Yao."
Holding the girl's soft hand and seeing the lively joy in her clear eyes, Ye Chen's heart was filled with warmth.
After four months and seven days, he finally reunited with Jiang Yao once again!
"Ye Chen, you finally came to the Taixuan Sect."
"I just exited my retreat today and rushed to the plaza at the sect's gates, and sure enough, I saw you!"
"How long have you been here?"
Jiang Yao felt like she had so much to say to Ye Chen; seeing that he really came to the Taixuan Sect and was truly preparing to participate in the True Disciple selection, the joy in her heart couldn't be contained.
Originally, her master Fairy Jia Luo had said that if Ye Chen wanted to be with her, he had to participate in the Taixuan Sect's True Disciple selection competition.
Now that Ye Chen had appeared here, the implication was clear, naturally filling Jiang Yao's heart with unstoppable delight.
"Eh? Ye Chen, you've reached the eleventh layer of the True Qi Realm?"
With all her heart and soul focused on Ye Chen, Jiang Yao was stunned when she sensed the faint flow of protective True Qi around Ye Chen's body.
She remembered that when she parted with Ye Chen, he was at the sixth layer of the True Qi Realm. Now, in just four months and seven days, Ye Chen had actually advanced to the eleventh layer.
Of course, this left Jiang Yao utterly shocked.
But soon, that shock turned into a delighted surprise deep within her eyes.
Back when Ye Chen was at the sixth layer of the True Qi Realm, he had been strong enough to overpower those at the tenth layer. Now that Ye Chen had advanced to the eleventh layer, didn't it mean that he genuinely had a chance to take one of the top three spots in the Taixuan Sect's True Disciple selection competition?
Even, there was a great possibility of claiming the first place!
"Jiang Yao, trust me, in the True Disciple selection, I will definitely take one of the top three spots!"
Four months ago, when Fairy Jia Luo set the Taixuan pledge, Ye Chen's earnest words were something Jiang Yao still remembered.
She had always believed in Ye Chen.
Now, four months and seven days had passed, and faced with the heavy burden of her master's Taixuan pledge, Ye Chen had indeed accomplished it, truly making such progress in just a short period of four months!
Watching the refined and beautiful young girl in front of him, who couldn't stop talking, and seeing her expressions of both joy and amazement, Ye Chen smiled gently and ruffled Jiang Yao's hair.
He understood that the way Jiang Yao was ceaselessly talking was a sign of how deeply she cared for him!
"I have been in Dongyang City these past few days, and I just arrived at the Taixuan Sect today."
"During this period, I had a great opportunity within my family and successfully broke through to the eleventh layer of the True Qi Realm. When there's time, I'll tell you all about it," Ye Chen said to Jiang Yao with a light smile.
"Mmm," Jiang Yao nodded her head.
Holding the young girl's soft hand, Ye Chen looked around.
The martial artists surrounding them were completely stunned by Jiang Yao's affection towards Ye Chen, even the Spirit Sea Realm warrior who tried to block Ye Chen's path was dumbfounded.
"Jiang Yao, look at them; they're all stunned by your sudden appearance," Ye Chen joked with Jiang Yao.
"Ah!" When Jiang Yao looked up, she saw countless martial artists staring at her and Ye Chen, catching sight of their astonished expressions.
It was then that Jiang Yao remembered they were at the Taixuan Sect's plaza, under the scrutiny of everyone, and yet she was holding Ye Chen's hand and talking non-stop.
Embarrassment rose in Jiang Yao's heart, her fair earlobes flushing red in an instant.
Jiang Yao didn't understand why the moment she saw Ye Chen, she couldn't help wanting to fly to his side, couldn't help wanting to talk to him.
This feeling of embarrassment made Jiang Yao want to withdraw her hand from Ye Chen's grasp, but she found that Ye Chen flipped his hand and tightly clenched hers.
Lifting her beautiful eyes to look at Ye Chen, she saw him smiling back at her, "Let them be shocked. I want to hold your hand and make them envious!"
Feeling the warmth of Ye Chen's firm grip and hearing his gentle laughter, Jiang Yao's bashfulness deepened, and she lowered her head, letting Ye Chen hold her hand without any further resistance.
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Not long after Jiang Yao landed beside Ye Chen, numerous figures appeared in the sky above the Taixuan Sect's back mountain.
These figures swept across the sky and in a moment, landed in the third large area of the plaza at the sect's gate, where only the Taixuan Sect's dignitaries and the other sect's honored guests invited to observe the competition had access.
"The dignitaries have arrived!"
"The Taixuan Sect's True Disciple selection competition is about to begin!"
The arrival of these individuals caused an uproar in the Taixuan Sect's plaza, already packed with tens of thousands of people. Discussions and cheers swept through the plaza in an instant!
"Hahaha, the Taixuan Sect's True Disciple selection competition is really lively indeed!"
At the front of the mountain gate plaza, there stood fifteen figures whose presence was so formidable and terrifying that even Ye Chen, who now had the ability to suppress mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm experts and contend with late-stage ones, felt a tremor in his heart upon encountering their aura.
He had the feeling that, regardless of how many tricks he had up his sleeve, he could be easily killed by any of these fifteen individuals!
These fifteen were all fearsome beings who had transcended the True Qi Realm and the Spirit Sea Realm, reaching the terrifying Rotating Pill Realm! Each possessed incredible divine abilities!
The one who spoke was an old man standing at the center, with withered clothes and white hair. He was not very tall, carried an ancient sword, and slung a large wine gourd over his back, making for a distinctly odd appearance.
Ye Chen, looking towards the elevated front area of the mountain gate plaza, saw that Jiang Yao's master, Fairy Jia Luo, was standing right beside the white-haired elder.
"Ye Chen, among these fifteen individuals in front of us, nine are Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses of our Taixuan Sect, and the other six are Rotating Pill Realm experts from other sects who have come to observe the selection of True Disciples,"
"The white-haired elder beside my master is known as 'Daoist Wine Sword.' His mastery in the way of the sword is incredibly formidable, and his cultivation in the Realm of True Qi has even reached the later stages of the Rotating Pill Realm! He is a roaming cultivator from the northern region of the Heavenly Wind Kingdom and is even more powerful than my master!"
"You've met my master before, and the person standing on the other side of her is the Sect Leader of our Taixuan Sect. Next to the Sect Leader is the Peak Master of 'Jinyang Peak,' one of the Eight Great Inner Peaks of the Taixuan Sect..."
Jiang Yao quietly introduced the identities of the fifteen Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses at the mountain gate plaza's elevated area to Ye Chen, who stood by her side.
As the most cherished disciple of Fairy Jia Luo, the number one power of the Taixuan Sect, Jiang Yao naturally knew the identities of these visiting Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses.
As Ye Chen listened to Jiang Yao's introduction, he turned his gaze towards the Rotating Pill Realm experts.
As he looked towards Fairy Jia Luo, she also turned her gaze directly towards Ye Chen. He saw Fairy Jia Luo smile and nod at him.
After recognizing each of the fifteen Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses, Ye Chen then turned his attention to the figures standing behind these prominent individuals, where numerous people were gathered.
Among these individuals were the exceptionally gifted disciples of the Spirit Sea Realm from within the Taixuan Sect, along with some disciples who had been brought by those six Rotating Pill Realm experts from other sects.
Ye Chen noticed that many of the Spirit Sea Realm disciples on the high platform looked at him unfavorably, especially at his hand which was holding Jiang Yao's delicate hand.
Immediately, Ye Chen just smiled.
He understood very well why these people were looking at him with displeasure.
Jiang Yao, who had stepped into the Spirit Sea Realm at sixteen, was the number one prodigy of the thirty-six sects of the eastern domain and the most beloved disciple of Fairy Jia Luo; it was only natural that countless Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses would harbor affection for her.
Now, Jiang Yao was standing by Ye Chen's side, so intimately close to him; one did not need to think hard to realize why these people were feeling displeased.
Even Ye Chen felt that if this were not the mountain gate plaza, the center of attention, with fifteen Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses standing in the front, some of the Spirit Sea Realm disciples would not be able to hold back from challenging him!
Who could blame them? Jiang Yao's charm was immense, after all.
As for those looking at him with ill will, Ye Chen did not take much notice. His gaze merely swept across their faces before falling back on Fairy Jia Luo who stood in the front.
At that moment, Fairy Jia Luo stepped out from the crowd and took her place at the very front of the mountain gate plaza.
As Fairy Jia Luo's gaze swept over the crowd at the mountain gate plaza, the entire arena, already filled with tens of thousands of people, fell into silence in an instant!
Everyone knew that Fairy Jia Luo was likely about to announce the rules for the True Disciple selection tournament!
Indeed, after stepping forward, Fairy Jia Luo glanced over the crowd at the mountain gate plaza and said aloud, "Today is the official start of the Taixuan Sect's 'True Disciple Selection Tournament,' which takes place once every three years!"
"For this tournament, the Taixuan Sect has issued a total of nine hundred and sixty-eight Selection Tokens. Nine hundred and sixty-seven of these tokens have been obtained by our most outstanding outer sect disciples, and one has been bestowed upon an exceptional youth from outside our sect!"
"Moreover, I have told this youth that as long as he can secure one of the top three places in the selection, he will be able to join our Taixuan Sect and become a True Disciple!"
With that said, Fairy Jia Luo turned her gaze to Ye Chen, "Ye Chen, enter the True Disciple selection area and prepare to participate in the tournament!"
Fairy Jia Luo's words caused everyone to look towards Ye Chen.
Whether they were disciples of the Taixuan Sect or those from other sects who had come to watch the tournament, they had never heard of an outsider being allowed to participate in the Taixuan Sect's True Disciple Selection Tournament.
They had never heard of the Taixuan Sect directely admitting an outsider as a True Disciple!
But Fairy Jia Luo was a powerful figure of the Rotating Pill Realm, the number one powerhouse in the entire eastern region of the Heavenly Wind Kingdom. Who wouldn't recognize her? And who would dare question her?
For a time, everyone's attention focused on Ye Chen!
Everyone wanted to know why Ye Chen was receiving such special treatment from Fairy Jia Luo.
Even at the elevated front area of the mountain gate plaza, the other Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses were incredibly curious about Ye Chen.
"What makes this young man so special to be so highly regarded by Fairy Jia Luo?"
The white-haired elder carrying the sword and the wine gourd, "Daoist Wine Sword," couldn't help but take a serious look at Ye Chen.
With one glance, a flash of sharpness appeared in Daoist Wine Sword's eyes: "Sword Intents, on him, how do I sense Sword Intents that have reached the second level!"
"How old is he, that he could cultivate to the second level of Sword Intents while still in the Realm of True Qi?!"
"Heavens, no wonder he's so highly regarded by Fairy Jia Luo!"
"Could it be that this trip to the Taixuan Sect will indeed bring me an unexpected reward?!"
Daoist Wine Sword was extremely shocked in his heart.
Ye Chen was unaware of Daoist Wine Sword's astonishment. Being watched by tens of thousands of people, he could only helplessly smile inwardly. Fairy Jia Luo had really put him on the spot, immediately making him the center of attention!