Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Check Out My Iron Python
The draw started, and everyone was curious about their opponent.
The Ye Family’s rules for the family competition were quite simple. Twenty-two people participated, number one would battle number two, number three would battle number four, and so on.
The second round continued with adjacent numbers facing off. Naturally, the winners between numbers twenty-one and twenty-two would skip a round.
As a result, many cultivators hoped to draw these two numbers.
The draw quickly reached Ye Jingcheng, and Ye Xinghe also placed the box filled with bamboo sticks in front of him.
He wasn’t the first to draw; at this moment, about half of the sticks remained.
"Do your best!" Ye Xinghe said an extra sentence, seemingly hinting at something.
"Thank you, Uncle!" Ye Jingcheng also expressed gratitude, then used both hands to draw a stick, before bowing and stepping back into the crowd.
At this moment, a lot of discussions arose among the cultivators in the crowd, mostly sighs and complaints.
"I didn’t get it, and my opponent is still Second Brother!"
"I didn’t get it either, and my opponent is at Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer!"
There were rewards for the top ten, though not much, but winning one round was enough for most. As for the top three, many who hadn’t reached Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer aimed to win one round and enter the top ten.
"Jingcheng, what number did you draw? I got eighteen, just missed it by a bit!" Beside him, Ye Jingli leaned in, speaking dejectedly.
If it were numbers nine or ten, it would be fine, but unfortunately, it was eighteen, just two numbers off.
This made him look displeased.
"I’m number twenty-two!" Ye Jingcheng also looked at his stick, then touched his nose and spoke.
Honestly, he didn’t expect his luck to be this good.
This scene further crushed Ye Jingli, meaning he would face Ye Jingcheng in the third round, dashing his hopes of getting into the top three!
Soon, all the bamboo sticks for the competition were drawn.
Second Brother Ye Jingyong drew number two, matching his generation rank, Sixth Brother Ye Jingli was number eighteen, Seventh Sister Ye Jingyu was number fifteen, while Old Jiu Ye Jingyun was number eight.
The matches quickly began, with Ye Jingyong being the first to summon his Flying Cloud Leopard. His opponent wasn’t weak either; Ye Xingyu was also at Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer and part of the Xing Generation, with rich combat experience.
Ye Xingyu’s spirit beast was a Striped Tiger, whose growth also promised strong combat power.
The magical combat between the two was instantly ignited, with Ye Jingyong wielding a Tier One Middle Grade Broadsword and a Tier One High-Grade Dharma Seal.
Ye Xingyu had a Copper Ring Spiritual Artifact and three Long Spear Artifacts.
"Jingyong, watch out!" As an elder, Ye Xingyu also warned.
Of course, despite the warning, Ye Xingyu wouldn’t show any mercy.
The Striped Tiger leaped first, its bloody mouth wide open, lunging at the Flying Cloud Leopard.
The first Long Spear had already sliced through the air towards Ye Jingyong.
The Long Spear Artifact emphasized speed and was extremely powerful, often more ferocious than a Flying Sword Spiritual Artifact!
Ye Jingyong didn’t dare take it lightly, unleashing a giant sword aura with his broadsword, instantly deflecting the Long Spear Artifact!
Yet, two more Long Spears came whistling through the air.
The gap between them was tiny, but they came from two directions, yet Ye Jingyong’s broadsword technique was equally undaunted.
The two clashed back and forth in magical combat.
However, it was Ye Xingyu pressing Ye Jingyong, while in spirit beasts, the situation was entirely reversed. The Flying Cloud Leopard was evidently much faster than the Striped Tiger, worthy of being a Tier Two Spirit Beast.
It left the Striped Tiger covered in numerous bloody scratches, battered and bruised.
The situation was completely reversed!
In the end, Ye Jingyong narrowly claimed victory, his spiritual power evidently closer to Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, with more profound spiritual strength, and the advantage of the spirit beast, stood until the end.
"Uncle Xingyu, you let me win!" Ye Jingyong also spoke up.
"Good lad, really not bad!" Ye Xingyu wasn’t discouraged or resentful, being much older and having cultivated for a long time.
Falling short of Ye Jingyong, he naturally should not be among the top ten!
The Ye Family always adhered to the philosophy that true fairness was the greatest unfairness.
In the Ye Family, the contests were at least at the middle stage of Qi Cultivation, while in the Cultivation Realm, even Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and Purple Mansion Cultivators might make a move.
Ye Jingyong and Ye Xingyu left the stage, followed by numbers three and four.
This time, it was Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer against Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, an absolute mismatch.
The Xing Generation cultivator at Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer won.
Then it was numbers five and six, the magical combat was extremely swift as well.
...
Among them, Ye Jingyun, an Alchemy Master, was eliminated in the first round, while Ye Jingyu at Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, with a Jade Ring Rat as her spirit beast, advanced to the next round.
Soon, it was Ye Jingli’s turn; feeling excited despite not being in the top three, he confidently took the stage.
"Fifth Brother, let me show you my Rough Python!" Ye Jingli called out loudly.
His opponent also belonged to the Jing Generation, ranked fifth, Ye Jingfeng, who joined the Demon Hunting Team at a young age, possessing rich demon hunting experience.
With Ye Jingli’s bragging, Ye Jingfeng, already angry due to family matters, looked even more sullen.
Of course, this attracted the other family members’ attention.
At the next moment, even Ye Jingcheng seemed a bit surprised.
For his Cyan-Scaled Python wasn’t just excellently raised, but was clad in a set of cyan snake armor!
This snake armor was covered in sharp spikes, different from ordinary armor.
Even Ye Xinghe’s eyes lit up at this sight.
Customizing an artifact for a spirit beast was extremely luxurious, but it was undeniably a way to enhance combat power.
Even Ye Jingcheng’s eyes were gleaming at this moment.
His Sixth Brother, though unreliable at times, had commendable creativity in artifact refining.
Ye Jingcheng pondered over when to use Spirit Pills, and exchange with Ye Jingli for a set of spirit beast artifacts.
Perhaps the Ruby Flame Fox didn’t need it, but the Golden Scale Beast could definitely use it, especially building claw gloves for it!
Or Feathered Wings Spiritual Artifact to enhance its speed!
Ye Jingfeng appeared much more cautious, presenting two standard magical artifacts, one being a Tier One High-Grade Qiankun Ring Spiritual Artifact, the other a Tier One Middle Grade Flying Sword Spiritual Artifact.
And in terms of artifacts, Ye Jingli, an Artifact Refiner, was not inferior, wielding a Tier One High-Grade Black Tower Spiritual Artifact, a Tier One Middle Grade Silver Ring Spiritual Artifact, and a Nine-Ring Copper Saber Spiritual Artifact.
Both at Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, they engaged in a magical combat with equal exchanges!
The Black Tower Spiritual Artifact was both offensive and defensive, Ye Jingfeng’s Qiankun Ring Spiritual Artifact was similar, but the gap was filled by the Cyan-Scaled Python, eventually leading to Ye Jingli’s victory.
Ye Jingcheng watched intently from the side, having witnessed few magical combats since childhood, so he watched carefully, even in mid-stage Qi Cultivation contests, while recording observations on a Jade Talisman.
Especially the Ye Family’s Demon Hunting Teams, whose cultivation levels might not be the best, but their clever attacks at times greatly inspired Ye Jingcheng.
Very soon, it came to the final platform match.
Ye Jingcheng also stepped onto the platform, facing off against a middle-aged cultivator in cyan robes.
"Jingcheng, although I am your elder, I am a Talisman Refiner, so it should be reasonable for me to use Spirit Talismans, right?"