Chapter 26 Children, Begin Your Training

Ye Jiuyao wore a look of melancholy. Perhaps this is my solitude, he thought, and soon drifted back to sleep, as if only eating and sleeping could ease the oppression in his heart.

Such is the loneliness of genius.

The next morning, at dawn—

A tempestuous figure kicked open Ye Jiuyao’s bedroom door without a word, strode to his bedside, and delivered a solid kick that sent him flying out of bed.

“Ah… Father, can’t you do this a bit less violently in the morning?” he groaned.

“I have only three things to do these days: kick you in the morning, kick you at noon, and kick you in the afternoon,” Ye Hanzhou declared with righteous indignation.

Ye Jiuyao was left speechless. How did he end up with such a father? Other people’s sons are treasured like precious gems.

But him?

He must have been picked up off the street.

Well, he actually was picked up, but wasn’t his talent extraordinary? He’d saved a dynasty, rescued a bunch of useless fools.

How could they treat a meritorious hero like this? Where was the justice?

Ye Jiuyao lamented silently, his face full of grievance, but still followed Ye Hanzhou as they flew toward the martial training grounds.

By now, the training ground was alive with exertion. Everyone was running for their lives, drenched in sweat. Even Bai Yijian had joined the ranks.

Seeing their diligence, Ye Jiuyao thought that taking them out for a romp had achieved something. He strolled into the pavilion and lay down as if it were his own home.

“You little scoundrel, can’t you take the affairs of the Domain Lord and the Netherworld Hall seriously? I’ve heard that the Netherworld Hall has already declared that in the upcoming duel, not a single member of our Great Zhou Dynasty will leave unscathed!” Ye Hanzhou barked.

“Father, can’t you give it a rest? You’ve said this not eighty times, but a hundred…” Ye Jiuyao replied.

“Eighty? A hundred? I’ve only said it once, and you’ve multiplied it so? Looking for a beating?”

Ye Jiuyao immediately fell silent, watching the others being lectured while fiddling with the spatial ring containing ten billion elemental stones. Suddenly, he chuckled.

“Dad, you should go train too, lest you fall behind even them.”

Ye Hanzhou nodded, surprisingly not refuting him, and joined the cultivators. The people of Great Zhou had shed their former laziness.

By noon, Ye Jiuyao emerged from the pavilion with a string of yawns and called everyone to halt. The group, upon seeing him, grew excited.

“Your Majesty, come on, give me a thrashing, I’m itching for it…”

“Your Majesty, me too, me too, I’m itching all over…”

The ministers of Great Zhou, without a shred of dignity, began to clamor. Ye Jiuyao nearly threw out his back at the sudden absurdity—especially at Prince Luo Yuanhuang.

Though he hadn’t been taken out to play, just listening to the others’ stories had ignited his own inner universe. He hoped next time he could join them.

“Ahem… Let’s keep it civilized, there are children present, it’s not a good influence…”

“Master, I’m not a kid anymore. I already have seven wives at home, though I haven’t formally married them yet…” Bai Yijian interjected, meeting Ye Jiuyao’s gaze.

“I…” Ye Jiuyao suddenly realized that even the youngest here, Bai Yijian, surpassed him—a prodigy among prodigies, and at such a tender age, already had seven wives.

“Have you comprehended the elemental techniques I gave you? How is your progress with the Command of Heaven?” Ye Jiuyao shifted the topic, his sleepy eyes now sharp and bright.

“Useless fools,” Ye Jiuyao scolded as he saw their confused expressions.

“Can’t you make things easier for your acting leader? After all, my Qingyu is still cultivating, and I’m only a stand-in. Once our cultivation improves, we’ll go train at that hidden sect, and you…”

Ye Jiuyao sighed, and with that sigh, Ye Hanzhou and the others sensed a looming crisis.

If Ye Jiuyao advanced in cultivation, what then? Would Great Zhou rely solely on him? Should one man carry the entire burden?

“Remember, Great Zhou is your home. We are a family. I am the head now, and I can still bear the weight. But if one day my power grows too great for this place, or if others become so strong that I cannot hold them back…”

“Should I flee alone, or die with you all? Have you considered this? The shade of a towering tree can only block sunlight, never shield you from thunder!”

In that instant, everyone understood why this lazy man always found time to teach them; they now saw what lay in his heart.

“I will explain to you the Nine Nether Heavens Palm. How quickly you master it depends on your aptitude. If you have questions, ask me. I will train you for only one year—after that, you will bear the weight of Great Zhou…”

“My world is the myriad realms, the sea of stars. I hope you all can be the same!”

Their hearts trembled. Perhaps this was his true goal; his laziness was only because of the burden they placed on him.

Were it not for Luo Qingyu and Ye Hanzhou, perhaps he would already have joined that hidden sect, instead of remaining in the mundane world of cultivation.

“All right, listen to me…”

Ye Jiuyao brought their wandering thoughts back to him. Now, their gazes upon him had changed—not as before, but filled with reverence.

He lectured through the entire afternoon.

“That’s enough. Go cultivate on your own.”

“Yijian, Father, come with me.”

Ye Jiuyao dismissed the others, keeping only Bai Yijian and Ye Hanzhou, leading them into the pavilion.

“Yijian, from now on, practice according to this method. How far you go depends on your talent.”

Ye Jiuyao tapped Bai Yijian’s forehead lightly with his right hand, pouring a surge of knowledge into him. When it ended, Bai Yijian thanked him respectfully and promptly withdrew to practice.

“Father…”

“Say no more. When the time comes, bring your mother back. I will guard Great Zhou,” Ye Hanzhou vowed with conviction, leaving Ye Jiuyao with nothing to add.

“Your mother is at Tianyu Sect. When the time comes, bring her back. Your father’s strength may not be enough, but you can do it!”

It was the first time Ye Jiuyao had heard Ye Hanzhou speak of his mother. He’d been too young back then to understand, only remembering that when he was five, an old witch came.

That old witch took his mother away. Despite his many questions, Ye Hanzhou never spoke of it—until today.

“Tianyu Sect, is it? What a coincidence…”

Ye Jiuyao murmured softly. Luo Qingyu’s journey also led to Tianyu Sect, where his mother was. Perhaps this was fate.

“I’ll remember. Our family will be reunited.”

After a brief exchange, Ye Jiuyao finally revised Ye Hanzhou’s cultivation method, imparting the important points.

Such is the tedious and lonely life of a genius.

As night fell, Ye Jiuyao dragged his weary body to the others.

“Children, time to train. Night cultivation is best for calming the mind.”

His words now carried the weight of an imperial decree. Those who had been ready to rest immediately began channeling their energy, their vital force surging forth.