"Father, what should we do?" Ye Hai asked, frowning deeply.
"If a family that's stood for hundreds of years is destroyed, it's hard to keep the people from scattering. Once we fall, the others will only hit us while we're down," Ye Zhengqing sighed heavily, gazing into the void. "The world is vast, yet can it not spare a place for our Ye family?"
"The land at Beishan Bay is our ancestral home. Our forebears are buried there. Even if we're beaten down, we cannot give it up!"
Ye Wei stood quietly behind a wall, listening to the conversation. A heavy weight settled in his heart. He hadn't understood the gravity of their family's situation until now. The Ye family, which had sheltered and supported him, was on the brink of ruin.
"If we have no other choice, we must accept Du family's challenge," Ye Zhengqing said, pulling out a red challenge scroll. "Yesterday, the Du family sent this battle post. In three days, both families will have their young elites fight. If we win, Du will stop suppressing our businesses. If we lose, our ancestral land in Beishan Bay will be ceded to them."
"This can't happen!" Ye Hai exclaimed in alarm. "Our strongest, Ye Zhong, is just a four-star warrior. The Du family's best are five-star or even six-star warriors. Their top talent, Du Yuehan, is already a six-star! We'll lose for sure!"
Ye Han frowned, his voice tense. "He's right. We're facing almost certain defeat."
"I'll train the child personally over the next few days," Ye Zhengqing said resolutely. "He is part of the Ye family. It's time he shouldered the burden. Even if we lose, we must go down fighting!"
Ye Hai and Ye Han were silent, the pain clear in their eyes.
"Still, we must prepare for the worst. If we are defeated, others will seize the chance to destroy us. We'll need to send the younger generation to seek shelter with the Yang family in Ningcheng," Ye Zhengqing said, his face filled with sorrow.
"Father…" Ye Han clenched his fists.
After a long silence, Ye Hai finally said, "If it comes to that, then so be it. But I worry most about the child of our third brother—Ye Wei. The others are talented enough to find roles in other families, at least to survive. But Ye Wei has only a red-grade sea of consciousness. He'll be treated as an outcast. Here, at least, we can protect him. Outside, he may be crushed by the world."
Behind the wall, Ye Wei trembled as his uncle's words reached him. Tears slipped silently down his cheeks.
He had always thought Ye Hai was cold, the strictest of his uncles, and had never liked him. But now, he realized—Ye Hai truly cared for him. His harshness was born of concern!
"I was wrong," Ye Wei thought, wiping away tears. "Grandfather was right. I'm no longer a child. It's time I stepped up for the family! As long as I draw breath, I will protect the Ye family. I won't let my uncles flee or my cousins be scattered!"
Ye Wei clenched his fists and turned to leave, his silhouette vanishing into the night.
Later, at the family banquet, Ye Zhengqing officially announced the life-or-death duel with the Du family.
The hall fell into stunned silence. The younger generation of the Ye family looked grim. Ye Zhong was their strongest, known even in all of Qingyue City. But how could he defeat the Du family's prodigies? Their top talent was a six-star warrior. Ye Zhong was only a four-star—two full levels below!
"We have no other option…" Ye Zhengqing said, his voice weary. The burden of leadership aged him more by the moment.
"This is too much!" Aunt Ye Jingjing slapped the table and stood. "We'll fight them with everything we've got!" Her cheeks were flushed with anger—or perhaps too much wine—but her spirit was indomitable.
"Father, can't we do anything else?" Ye Hao asked. "Can we appeal to Master Yi? If children are fighting, we'll lose for sure. And Beishan Bay is our ancestral ground—our family tombs lie there!"
Master Yi was one of the three great spiritual masters in Qingyue City, and by far the most respected. If he interceded, even the Du family would not dare to defy him.
But Ye Zhengqing shook his head. "Master Yi's status is too high. Even the heads of Qingyue's top families rarely get an audience. How could we?"
At that moment, Ye Zhong, silent until now, stood up. "When is the duel?"
His expression was calm but resolute. He was ready to put his life on the line to protect Beishan Bay.
"Three days," replied Ye Zhengqing, eyeing Ye Zhong with concern. "Do your best. If you lose, no one will blame you. Just… don't do anything reckless. You're the hope of our younger generation. I want you to live, to grow stronger than even I once was."
"I understand. Grandfather, father, uncles, aunt... I'll take my leave," Ye Zhong said, and walked out heavily.
"Father…" Ye Wei murmured, watching Ye Zhong's retreating figure. He knew the weight of the family now rested on his cousin's shoulders.
From childhood, Ye Zhong had protected him. When he had failed his cultivation test, Ye Zhong was the one who comforted him.
Now his cousin was about to risk everything. And what would he do? Hide and watch?
No. He had to do something.
"I won't let anyone destroy our family. I won't let anyone hurt Brother Ye Zhong!" Ye Wei whispered, determination burning in his chest.
He remembered the success he'd had perfecting his own divine technique—the Three Waves Art—raising it from low-level to mid-level through his insights. Perhaps… perhaps he could do the same for Ye Zhong's "White Tiger Killing" technique. That might help Ye Zhong grow stronger—strong enough to win!
He clenched his fist. "I must try!"
That night, Ye Wei returned home with his parents after the banquet.
"You must be tired after the long journey from Nanxing Academy," his father, Ye Hao, said softly, touching Ye Wei's head. "Get some rest."
Ye Wei nodded. "You too, father, mother. Goodnight."
As the night deepened, and the Ye residence fell into silence, Ye Wei stepped into the moonlight and quietly made his way to Ye Zhong's courtyard.
As expected, Ye Zhong was there, training tirelessly.
"How long has he been practicing like this?" Ye Wei wondered, watching from a distance.
A faint white mist swirled around Ye Zhong's body—his sweat evaporating from the sheer heat of exertion. Again and again, Ye Zhong unleashed the White Tiger Killing technique, exhausting his spirit and energy.
It was the Ye family's strongest high-tier divine art—a first-grade high-tier ability among spirit-level techniques. Yet even among such techniques, there were different levels: basic, elite, peak, and forbidden. "White Tiger Killing" was considered elite, just under peak-tier.
From afar, Ye Wei could feel the pressure from the white tiger's phantom forming above Ye Zhong. Even several meters away, it made him sweat. Still, he stood his ground, calm and focused.
In his mind, the Mountain Shadow of his consciousness stirred, and golden light began to flicker in his eyes.
"There are 136 key nodes in White Tiger Killing. Brother Ye Zhong's flow slows noticeably at two of them—those are flaws in the technique!"
His eyes gleamed in the darkness like twin stars.
"If I can fix those flaws, even a little, I can help him grow stronger—strong enough to win!"