Chapter 45: So Many Children!

Ye Jiuyao halted his staff, and with a mere thought, stored it away in the Cosmos Ring. He then turned his gaze toward the direction from which the voice had come.

There stood a figure, and as Ye Jiuyao looked closer, he immediately recognized the man—it was the barkeep from the Xuantian Tavern.

“Brother, over here,” Ye Jiuyao called out. The barkeep hurried over, taking a handful of spirit stones from his pocket.

“Young man, from your face I can tell you’re a good person. Perhaps your family has fallen on hard times, and that’s why you’re stranded here. Take these spirit stones and leave Xuantian Town quickly, otherwise…”

Though the barkeep didn’t finish his sentence, Ye Jiuyao understood what he meant. Nevertheless, he did not accept the spirit stones.

“Brother, go back. I can handle my own affairs.”

“But…”

“Aren’t you skilled at reading faces? Do I look like someone fated for a short life? If I didn’t have the ability to kill that Ye Qi, wouldn’t I be like a long-lived old man hanging himself out of boredom?”

“And think about it—how could a young man like me have the power to slay an inner disciple of the Falling Leaf Sect unless someone…”

Ye Jiuyao paused deliberately, giving the barkeep a meaningful look. The realization dawned on the barkeep at once.

“Young man, I was just worried for you. Still, you should take these spirit stones and cultivate well. I have no hope of advancing further, but you still can.”

Ye Jiuyao wanted to refuse, but the barkeep pressed the spirit stones into his hand without further discussion, then hurried away.

Watching the barkeep’s retreating figure, Ye Jiuyao couldn’t help but smile wryly. He had barely arrived in the Thousand Sovereigns Realm, and already owed a great favor.

As usual, Ye Jiuyao practiced his staff techniques, drawing upon the intent of the myriad stars and heavens, swinging the staff again and again, relentlessly honing his mastery.

In the early hours before dawn, he entered the Canglang Diagram to consult Sun Qigang about the staff technique.

“Little Sun, tell me—does this Stellar Staff Style have more to it? Did you leave something out?”

Sun Qigang’s pupils shrank, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. Feigning calm, he said, “I taught you hand-in-hand. If you can’t learn it, how is that my fault?”

Ye Jiuyao had only suspected it before, but now he was sure—Sun Qigang was indeed holding back.

“I’ll give you one more chance. In the Canglang Diagram, I’m second to none—no one dares claim the first spot. Believe it or not, I’ll beat you until you can’t take care of yourself.”

Ye Jiuyao’s threatening expression and clenched fists made his intentions clear. Sun Qigang was instantly cowed.

“There is one final strike in the Stellar Staff Style I didn’t teach you, afraid you wouldn’t master it. This strike is truly incredible—back in my day…” Sun Qigang rambled on, trying desperately to cover his tracks, but Ye Jiuyao lost patience and punched him.

“You brat, you set me up… Fine, I’ll tell you!” Sun Qigang hadn’t even finished before Ye Jiuyao, brimming with menace, loomed over him. His face made it clear: if he didn’t beat him half to death, it would be his own loss. Sun Qigang had no choice but to yield.

“Listen closely—Heaven, Earth, Sun, Moon, and Stars, eternal and unchanging…”

Sun Qigang began to recite the technique as if chanting scripture, and Ye Jiuyao listened intently, trying it out as he went. But halfway through, his brow furrowed and he punched Sun Qigang again.

“That’s for being cheeky!”

“Ow, ow, I’ll say it, I’ll say it…”

Sun Qigang had deliberately recited the last part of the technique incorrectly, but with Ye Jiuyao’s talent, he noticed instantly and responded with a punch.

Yet Sun Qigang was slippery—by the end, he tried to recite in monkey gibberish, pushing Ye Jiuyao’s temper to the limit. What followed was a merciless beating, leaving Sun Qigang looking at him with grievance.

“If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll think you can do whatever you want.”

Sun Qigang, thoroughly aggrieved, finally recited the complete technique, after which Ye Jiuyao, satisfied, exited the Canglang Diagram and resumed cultivating.

Above the wasteland, Ye Jiuyao swung his staff with fierce momentum. Each strike carried world-shattering power, the heavens and earth trembling, even the void itself fracturing.

Waves of terrifying force shook Ye Jiuyao’s heart. He hadn’t expected the Stellar Staff Style to wield such incredible might.

“Stellar Staff!”

After executing the full routine, only the final strike remained. With a roar, Ye Jiuyao’s staff exploded with sonic booms, descending in an instant as the void shattered with a thunderous roar.

It seemed like only one strike, but countless staff shadows filled the sky, as if the entire cosmos echoed with his staff technique. Each blow bore the power to destroy stars, as if stars themselves were falling.

With a long exhale, Ye Jiuyao retracted his staff, his entire being relaxed, as if he had just received a soothing massage.

“This technique isn’t hard at all. Did Sun Qigang trick me again, or am I truly a genius? No, I have to ask.”

With a thought, Ye Jiuyao re-entered the Canglang Diagram, pestering Sun Qigang with endless questions. At first, Sun Qigang thought his inquiries were genuine, but soon realized his real purpose.

“Get lost—get as far away as you can! Is this any way to show off? You’re talented, you’re amazing, but can you not keep saying it in front of me…” After half an hour of Ye Jiuyao’s ceaseless bragging, Sun Qigang was nearly driven insane, his cries echoing throughout the Canglang Diagram.

“Hey, grandson, do you really think I’m that incredible? How come I never noticed before? That final strike was so simple—just merge the whole technique and unleash it in one swift motion. Yet it took you half a year to learn…”

“Tsk tsk, not to mock you, but you’re really… so bad at this!”

Ye Jiuyao grew more excited as he spoke, circling Sun Qigang and shouting in his ear to make sure he heard every word.

Many others in the Canglang Diagram watched with helpless expressions. They sympathized with Sun Qigang, but knowing Ye Jiuyao, they understood—nothing would end until he finished “playing it low-key.”

Only when the second day dawned outside did Ye Jiuyao finally stop and exit the Canglang Diagram.

At that moment, Sun Qigang sat with disheveled hair, clutching his head and muttering to himself, as if he’d gone mad. The others in the Canglang Diagram looked at him with pity.

“What a fine young man—driven mad like this.”

“Yes, but he just didn’t understand how terrifying Jiuyao can be…”

The bystanders discussed him with sympathetic looks, while outside, Ye Jiuyao had already regained his calm and proceeded deeper into the wasteland.

Meanwhile, people kept arriving in Xuantian Town, all dressed in identical blue robes, the characters “Falling Leaf” embroidered on their chests.

At the head of the group was a man bearing a strong resemblance to Ye Qi—his father, Ye Chaofeng. His face twisted with rage as he glared toward the wasteland, as if that place was his mortal enemy.

“Search! Avenge my son!”