Nine Astra Skies

Ye Chen expressed no remorse in ransacking the Yun Clan's stash of treasures clean. On the contrary, he took pleasure in doing so. He even thought about how much of a blast it would be when the time came for him to ransack the Donglin County King's treasures too.

After all, once the Yun Clan lost its support from the Donglin County King, they would not be able to pick on the Ye Clan as they pleased. Besides, the king had given his dad a difficult time too so he was dead set on seeing things through. Firstly, it would have to start with the Yun Clan!

Yun Yiyang of the Yun Clan was a mid Ninth Level combatant and Yun Yixuan was a beginner Ninth Level combatant. Meanwhile, there were another six other combatants who were at the Eighth Level. Plus, they had many followers. With Ye Chen's current strength, he was still considered weak.

With the martial tournament taking place tomorrow, Ye Chen remained in his room all day to hone Nine Astra Skies.

Just as Ye Chen was engrossed in his training, the entire Yun Castle descended in chaos.

"Are you sure no one had entered my room?" Yun Yiyang was furious. As daylight drew closer, the medicinal pills and Martial Cultivation manuals that he had stashed away in a dark corner were gone. It was only natural for him to panic.

It was no biggie that he lost the medicinal pills but losing the manuals was a very serious matter. The elders may have a complete copy of the manual with them but the main concern was that if the clan's cultivation systems ever fell into the wrong hands, it would be a huge blow to the Yun Clan.

As for the item that was kept inside the box, it was a possession that had been passed down for generations. Even he dreaded to inform his people that he had lost it!

Then again, there was no way anyone could have unlocked the wooden box unless they were a Tenth Level combatant. Besides, the golden lock attached to the box came with a trap too. There was no way one could open it without a key. If the thief had unknowingly set off the trap, odds were there was still a chance the box could be retrieved.

A bunch of guards trembled with fear as they faced a fuming Yun Yiyang. Neither of them knew what Yun Yiyang had lost to cause him to be so furious.

"My lord, we're certain that not a single soul had entered your room," one of the guards answered carefully.

"Bunch of useless fools!" Yun Yiyang slapped the guard across the face. The impact was so great that it sent the guard hurling across the room. He was furious to the point that he was willing to kill!

The rest of the guards stood unmoving, petrified.

"There are a lot of contenders attending the Grand Martial Tournament of the Eighteen Houses of Lianyun. One of them must've done this." Yun Yixuan who stood by the side weighed in after seeing Yun Yiyang's furious expression.

"What do we do now? It's not like we can conduct a spot check on everyone," Yun Yiyang thundered. Many honored and esteemed guests came forth to partake in the martial tournament. There was no way Yun Yiyang could frisk them one by one, which would surely upset many Ninth Level combatants. Besides, if word got out that the Yun Clan had lost a valuable possession, it would not reflect well on them.

"Then, we'll just have to conduct it secretly. I bet the thief is still on castle grounds." This was the first time Yun Yixuan had ever seen Yun Yiyang so angry.

"Take the men and conduct a spot check. Seal the gates. I want every visitor thoroughly checked!" Yun Yiyang ordered. A thought came to his mind. "Whoever did this in broad daylight without the guards noticing must be a Ninth Level combatant. Keep a lookout for them but don't approach them directly. Only act when the moment is right."

How could one easily waltz into his room in broad daylight to steal his belongings and escape unseen by the guards? Yun Yiyang's guards were Seventh Level combatants. Not even Yun Yiyang himself could have pulled this off. What more when one considered the traps in the room was not set off? Just that alone made the perpetrator truly impressive.

Yun Yiyang could not help but wonder if the opponent was truly skilled. Why would they even seek the Yun Clan's possessions? Unless of course, they were the clan's sworn enemies. Could it be Ye Changxuan? Impossible. Ye Changxuan would never do that.

If they were unable to retrieve the lost possessions, it would certainly cause grave danger to the Yun Clan. Yun Yiyang was so unsettled that when he slammed his fists on the table, it shattered into pieces. No matter what happened, they have got to retrieve what was lost!

The entire Yun Castle was on full alert. Many guards were mobilized to search for the missing items. A number of Ninth Level combatants became the prime suspects for interrogation purposes yet Ye Changxuan and Ye Chen were sidelined firsthand. All because neither of them were seen leaving their room throughout the entire afternoon. Mo Feng who lived next door could vouch for them too. They truly did not see the duo leave their rooms.

Ye Chen, who remained in his room all day long, was not made aware of the commotion happening outside.

He sat down and channeled his Celestial Chi. The nine Chi Vortex within his chakra began swirling in an odd formation that it was guaranteed to leave one feeling captivated and mystified. With every passing week that it swirled, Ye Chen could feel his Celestial Chi increase in power.

Ye Chen was in awe of the progress of his training. He could see himself reaching the peak Seventh Level, where the final obstacle lied.

So long as he got to the Eighth Level, even if he came face to face with Yun Yixuan, he was sure he would be well prepared.

After all, danger lurked in every corner of the Yun Castle. Someone could be plotting Ye Chen's death at any point so he needed to hone his strength!

Tomorrow was the martial tournament. The Grand Martial Tournament of the Eighteen Houses of Lianyun was held once every couple of years. This year, they even had an apothecary who was looking to recruit a disciple. There might be other surprises in store for the event. Granduncle had warned him to not be overly cocky but Ye Chen swore that he would give Yun Yifei a taste of his own medicine. There was no backing out!

He would play by ear for tomorrow. For now, Ye Chen continued to train diligently.

Come nightfall, the Yun Castle held a gathering. The lords from the other Eighteen Houses of Lianyun were invited to the function, save for Ye Changxuan and Ye Chen. Ye Changxuan too remained in his room to train, knowing well that this was Yun Yiyang's deliberate attempt to alienate them. He intended to free the Ye Clan from its ordeal. That meant he had to get stronger instead of relying on anyone else for help!

The first day went by just like that. On the second day, the crowd was early to rise and shine. It was barely daybreak but the Yun Castle was already in a state of hustle and bustle.

After taking their meals, Ye Chen and his granduncle headed for the arena located at the center of the Yun Castle.

The performance stage at the Yun Castle was far bigger compared to the one in the Ye Castle. There were five elevated arenas in the middle with an audience of thousands surrounding the sides yet the place did not feel the slightest packed. Multiple seats were placed in front of the arenas. Many could see that Yun Yiyang and the rest of the Ninth Level combatants were seated together yet Ye Changxuan was placed at the far end of the row.

Seeing how the Yun Clan was constantly giving the Ye Clan a difficult time drove Ye Chen furious.

Meanwhile, Yun Yiyang who was sitting at the top among the seated crowd was anxious and nervous. The fact that he had lost the Yun Clan's treasures kept him thinking about the thief all night long. He started to suspect that it was his own kin who had committed the crime and had all his men frisked.

Catching Ye Changxuan and Ye Chen in his sights, Yun Yiyang let out a twisted smile. Right here in the Yun Castle, the Ye Clan were all by themselves. Ye Changxuan may be a Ninth Level combatant but now that he was here, he could think twice about making it out alive. In time, they would attack Ye Castle too. Knowing that a major obstacle would soon be removed, Yun Yiyang felt a little better.

A moment later, a man dressed in an ashen robe strode up to the bleachers. His expression spoke of a certain regality. It was Li Xu.

Sensing Li Xu's presence, the crowd greeted him.

"Master Li."

"Good day, Master Li."

Li Xu smiled and fell into his seat.

Ye Chen cast his gaze on Li Xu. Li Xu was such an eyesore. Rumor had it that he was forty-two years old yet he looked to be thirty instead with a pleasant smile. Ye Chen's Astral Body showed his power level was at least mid Ninth Level, higher than that of granduncle and Yun Yiyang.

It was said that an Advanced Apothecary possessed an unimaginably large social network. He may be all alone but he was a powerful force who could easily wipe out the Eighteen Houses of Lianyu with the wave of a hand! It was not surprising that those Ninth Level combatants treated Li Xu with the utmost respect.