The Sword Sect's number one waste is actually a hidden genius, yet was demoted to menial servant by the sect elders

The Sword Sect, Hanging Mountain, Menial Peak.

As a famous major sect in the Southern Domain, the Sword Sect is backed by the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and faces the Great Qin Empire to the south; its buildings occupy the stretching Hanging Mountain range of over a thousand li. Hanging Mountain has seven main peaks and thirty-six small peaks. Menial Peak is one of these countless small peaks; as the name suggests, Menial Peak is where the menial servant disciples live.

Although Menial Peak is where the menial servant disciples live, its scale can already rival a small city with a population of over three hundred thousand within the Great Qin Empire.

At the break of dawn, just as usual, Yang Ye woke up. After a quick wash, he took the broom from behind the door and walked out of the room.

Looking at the streak of white on the horizon, Yang Ye deeply inhaled the fresh morning air. A moment later, his slightly youthful face was filled with determination, and he said in a low voice, "Keep working hard, never give up!" Having said that, he quickly walked toward Clear Wind Valley.

"Look, isn't that the former outer sect disciple?"

"Oh, it's him. You also know that was in the past. He's just a menial servant disciple now, sweeping the floor like us."

"What a pity, such a handsome young man! He doesn't look more than sixteen or seventeen now. At this age, he originally had boundless prospects, but now he's here doing odd jobs. What a pity!"

"I heard he was taken in as an outer sect disciple by an outer sect elder in Annan City. Who would have thought he couldn't absorb any mystical qi for a whole year, and the outer sect elder in a rage demoted him to a menial servant disciple. They say he's the first in the Sword Sect's history to be demoted from outer sect disciple to menial servant disciple, and he even earned the title of the Sword Sect's number one waste!"

"The Sword Sect's number one waste, tsk tsk, that title is quite resounding!"

Hearing the words of the people around him, Yang Ye paused his steps, his right hand tightening on the broom. After a moment, he took a deep breath, ignored the few people, and quickly walked toward Clear Wind Valley.

Clear Wind Valley is located in the back mountain of Menial Peak, flanked by several small hills standing like a tripod, with a sunken valley floor in the middle. The valley is lush with fragrant grass and green as a carpet, with countless towering trees, umbrella-like canopies blocking the sky and sun. This is where the menial servant disciples usually gather herbs and cut wood, and also where Yang Ye usually cultivates.

On a huge rock, Yang Ye casually tossed the broom aside, then sat cross-legged on the rock and took out an envelope and a small clay figurine from his bosom. This was the family letter he had received last night; because he had been busy for nearly seven or eight hours yesterday, he simply had no time to read it.

Looking at the small clay figurine in his hand, a gentle smile appeared on Yang Ye's somewhat youthful face. The figurine was very small, not what you would call exquisite, but its features were clear. His younger sister had made it in his likeness. Although it was a bit unlike him and rough, to him it was the most precious thing.

After gently stroking it for a while, Yang Ye put the figurine back into his bosom, looked at the envelope in his hand, gently blew the dust off the envelope, then carefully took out the letter inside and began to read.

"Brother, we've received the gold coins you sent back last month. Ever since you were taken in by the Sword Sect as an outer sect disciple, those neighbors who used to look down on our family often come to our house to chat. Hmph, Xiaoyao knows, they're being nice to me and Mother because they know you've made something of yourself. A bunch of snobbish little people."

Yang Ye took a deep breath, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly into a self-mocking smile, "Outer sect disciple..."

After a long while, Yang Ye suppressed the unwillingness and helplessness in his heart, then his gaze fell on the letter.

"Also, those people from the Liu family are so annoying. They actually came to Mother to propose marriage, wanting Xiaoyao to become a concubine for that three-hundred-jin fatso in their family. That fatso can't even walk, and Xiaoyao can't even eat when she looks at him, yet they still want Xiaoyao to be his concubine. Luckily Mother didn't agree! Even if I really were to marry, Xiaoyao would still want to marry... marry Brother... mm, so embarrassing, Brother you're not allowed to laugh at me, and you're not allowed to laugh in your heart either!"

"The Liu family!" A cold light flashed in Yang Ye's eyes. This family had considerable influence in Annan City. Previously, the Liu family patriarch wanted to take his mother as a concubine, but his mother refused to agree even at the cost of her life. The Liu family didn't dare cause a death, after all, the Great Qin Empire's laws are strict; if a death occurred, the Liu family would also be in trouble.

But the Liu family didn't give up. They made things difficult for their family everywhere in Annan City, wanting to force his mother to voluntarily join the Liu family. Although life was hard, his mother still never compromised with the Liu family. This situation continued until he was taken in as an outer sect disciple by the Sword Sect's outer sect elder. After he became an outer sect disciple, the Liu family finally became somewhat wary and no longer dared to press too hard.

But he never expected that now the Liu family would actually set their sights on his younger sister!

"Strength, strength! I must become an outer sect disciple." Yang Ye clenched both fists. He knew that if the news of his demotion to menial servant disciple got back to Annan City, the Liu family would definitely become unscrupulous, and then his mother and younger sister's situation would be extremely dangerous.

Thinking of this, Yang Ye put the letter away, walked to the bottom of the huge rock, and pushed aside the branches beneath it. Under the branches were four blackish iron blocks shaped like bracelets.

He put the four blackish iron blocks on his arms and ankles. With the iron blocks on, Yang Ye immediately felt a sense of heaviness. Fortunately, after a year's time, he had now grown accustomed to the weight of these iron blocks.

After putting on the iron blocks, Yang Ye walked to a large tree, kicked off hard with both feet, his body leaped into the air, and his hands steadily grabbed a branch, then using the pulling force of his arms, he moved up and down. During the up-and-down motion, his body assumed a strange posture, and this posture made all the muscles in his body move together.

This was the "Body Refining Art," which he had obtained when he first became an outer sect disciple. It wasn't anything good; every outer sect disciple had a copy. The use of this cultivation method was to strengthen the physical body. When the tendons and bones in the body reached a certain level, a trace of mystical qi would be derived. With mystical qi, one was a true mystical practitioner.

Back then, he had cultivated with this "Body Refining Art" for half a year without cultivating even a trace of mystical qi, and precisely because of this, he was demoted from outer sect disciple to the lowest menial servant disciple of the Sword Sect.

An outer sect disciple being demoted to menial servant disciple was something that had never happened in the Sword Sect's history, so he also earned a very resounding nickname: The Number One Waste in History! Not only that, he also became the negative example used by the Sword Sect's outer sect elders when educating outer sect disciples.

Whenever an outer sect disciple slacked off or wasn't serious, the outer sect elders would say: Do you want to be the second Yang Ye?

Under normal circumstances, most people would leave the Sword Sect and return to the secular world. But Yang Ye didn't. Not only did he not return to the secular world, he was even willing to become a menial servant disciple!

All of this was only because he didn't want to disappoint his mother and younger sister! He was the hope of his younger sister and mother. Because he became an outer sect disciple of the Sword Sect, no one dared bully his younger sister and mother; because he became an outer sect disciple, his younger sister and mother finally got to live a slightly better life!

If he went back, all of this would change!

"Huff... huff..."

A moment later, extremely intense panting suddenly echoed through the silent Clear Wind Valley. Sweat dripped into his eyes, and the stinging, astringent pain made Yang Ye tightly close his eyes, letting the sweat on his forehead fall onto his face like rain.

At this moment Yang Ye felt soreness, numbness, and exhaustion all over his body, especially his arms, which felt as if they were filled with lead, incomparably heavy. Most people would choose to rest at this point, but he didn't. Gritting his teeth, his hands gripped the branch tightly, continuously moving up and down.

After a long while, Yang Ye's face was bright red, sweat pouring down his forehead like rain. His upper garment, the green menial servant robe, was already soaked through. The feeling of reaching his limit made him dizzy and seeing stars. Finally, his hands loosened, and his whole body fell heavily to the ground.

"Huff... huff..."

Lying on the ground, Yang Ye gasped for breath loudly. At this moment he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

A streak of white appeared on the horizon, and the distant scenery gradually became clear. A clear breeze blew past, and Yang Ye inhaled greedily. Suddenly, Yang Ye's body sat up abruptly, his eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief!

He had actually sensed mystical qi!

Yes, he had sensed mystical qi! That trace of mystical qi intermittently flowed along the meridians in his body slowly into the dantian's position. Although this thread of qi was still somewhat discontinuous and weak, he really felt it.

"Hm? What's going on?"

Yang Ye felt that after that trace of mystical qi entered his dantian, it suddenly disappeared. Yes, directly disappeared, as if it had never appeared!

Yang Ye's brows furrowed tightly as he sensed that trace of mystical qi within his body. A moment later, Yang Ye's eyes went wide, his face full of shock.

"I, I, I actually, actually have two dantians..." Yang Ye's throat rolled, his face full of disbelief. He had found that trace of mystical qi. To be precise, it wasn't a trace but a mass. Deep within the depths of his dantian, there was a small vortex, and within this small vortex, mystical qi was packed full!

Yang Ye now understood why he hadn't absorbed mystical qi before. It wasn't that he hadn't absorbed it, but that after absorbing it, it was immediately sucked into that small vortex. The reason he hadn't discovered that small vortex was that it was hidden extremely deep. If he hadn't searched following the feeling of the mystical qi's flow just now, he probably would never have discovered that small vortex in his entire life!

And the reason he could now sense mystical qi was that the small vortex was full. Yes, that small vortex was filled with mystical qi, and this trace of mystical qi was squeezed to the normal dantian's position. But for some unknown reason, that small vortex forcefully sucked that trace of mystical qi back in, not leaving even a trace for the normal dantian.

As far as he knew, a normal person should have only one dantian. He didn't know whether others also had two dantians like him, but he knew one thing: he was not a waste, he could cultivate!

Thinking of this, a faint curve appeared at the corner of Yang Ye's mouth. After a moment, the curve gradually grew larger, and a light laugh came from his throat. After another while, the light laugh finally turned into thorough, loud, wild laughter.

"I, Yang Ye, can become a mystical practitioner! I, Yang Ye, can become a mystical practitioner, haha..."

In this moment, Yang Ye laughed until he cried, crying like a child. For countless days and nights, although he had never given up, an invisible mountain had always pressed upon his shoulders. He wasn't afraid of others mocking him as a waste, nor was he afraid of others looking down on him.

But he was afraid of his younger sister and mother's hopes being shattered!

He was afraid of his younger sister and mother being bullied by the surrounding neighbors like before!

He was afraid of his younger sister and mother living the kind of days from before when they couldn't even afford food!

He was truly afraid, afraid of so, so many things...

But now, he had the ability to prevent these things from happening. As long as he cultivated the "Body Refining Art" to its highest level and reached the sixth rank of a mortal, he could become an outer sect disciple. As long as he became an outer sect disciple, he would have cultivation resources, cultivation methods, and sword techniques. Then he would have the chance to become an inner sect disciple.

As long as he became an inner sect disciple, even the city lord of Annan City would have to treat him with courtesy!

Gentle sunlight pierced through the forest, shining on Yang Ye's face that was still stained with tears, reflecting his face bright red.

"Why didn't I notice before how beautiful the scenery around here is?"

Smiling, suppressing the excitement in his heart, Yang Ye wiped the tears from his face, then removed the iron blocks from his hands and put them back in their previous position. He walked to the huge rock, picked up the broom, and quickly ran toward the valley entrance.

He remembered that today his task was to clean the Sword Sect's martial arts training ground!

On Menial Peak there was a martial arts training ground. The training ground was extremely large, several hundred zhang in both length and width, paved entirely with grayish-white huge rocks, simple and grand. In the very center of the plaza, a giant stone sword stood towering.

This huge martial arts training ground in front of him was where the outer sect disciples usually cultivated, and also where Yang Ye had to clean today. Such a large area, of course, couldn't be cleaned by him alone; this was the workload of three people for one day.

If it were yesterday, Yang Ye might have grumbled a few words, because this large area would require at least four people working hard for a whole day to clean, which meant he would have no cultivation time at all today. But now, his heart was full of hope, and everything looked pleasing to him!

"Yo, isn't this our number one waste in history? Oh, no, that's wrong, it's our great outer sect disciple Yang, our outer sect disciple sure got up early, have you already cleaned the training ground? Haha..."

Just then, a laugh carrying a mocking tone came from the side.

Hearing these mocking words, Yang Ye turned to look at the three people on the right. These three in front of him were his work partners today. Looking at the three people's jeering expressions, Yang Ye's face was expressionless, showing no joy or anger.

He knew the man in the lead, named Du Xiu, also a menial servant disciple. However, this person had a very bad reputation. Although he was a menial servant disciple, he never worked, always making others do his work. The reason Du Xiu was so arrogant was that he had an uncle and an older cousin. His uncle was Steward Xu of the Menial Servant Court. The Sword Sect's over two thousand menial servants all fell under Steward Xu's management! And his older cousin was an outer sect disciple!

With these two backers, Du Xiu could be said to be completely unrestrained on Menial Peak, not putting anyone in his eyes.

As for the two people beside Du Xiu, the one on the left was named Gao Qiu, and the one on the right was named Li Ge. Both were also menial servant disciples, but the two also had a nickname: Lackeys.

Collecting his thoughts, Yang Ye said, "Since everyone's here, let's divide the work! Four people, each responsible for one side, that's fair!"

"Haha..." Li Ge, on Du Xiu's left, burst out laughing, pointing at Yang Ye, saying, "Brother Du, did you hear that? He actually assigned work to you, Brother Du. I'm dying of laughter. I thought this kid was sensible, but it turns out he's a blockhead!"

"That's not right!" Gao Qiu looked at Li Ge, pretending to be serious, saying, "He is, after all, a high and mighty outer sect disciple. Although it was in the past, he was still someone who was an outer sect disciple. How can we let someone who was an outer sect disciple do such lowly work? Brother Du, don't you agree?"

"Haha..." Li Ge burst out laughing, looking at Gao Qiu, saying, "Gao Qiu, you're amazing, insulting people without any sting. I, Li Ge, am ashamed of being inferior. No wonder Brother Du values you!"

"Not at all, not at all!" Gao Qiu said modestly, "I can only move my lips. Li Ge, you can charge and fight. Every time we encounter those senseless people, it's you who deals with them. You're the one who is Brother Du's right-hand man!"

“.......”

For a moment, the two became bosom friends.

Yang Ye watched coldly, letting the two praise each other.

Du Xiu walked up to Yang Ye, reached out and patted Yang Ye's shoulder, saying with a smile, "Kid, the three of us have upset stomachs today. You clean the training ground by yourself, how about it?"

"Not how about it!" Yang Ye slapped Du Xiu's hand away, walked up to Li Ge and Gao Qiu, and said, "I know, you're jealous that I was an outer sect disciple, you feel unbalanced, after all, you used to be more lowly than dogs in front of outer sect disciples. Now that I've gone from outer sect disciple to menial servant disciple, when you see me, you want to find the dignity you once lost from me. I can understand you!" Having said that, Yang Ye turned, picked up the broom, and walked toward the middle of the training ground.

Yang Ye's blunt mockery made Li Ge and Gao Qiu's faces turn red and white, as if they had been poisoned. Beside them, Du Xiu narrowed his eyes slightly, his face turning gloomy. Among the Menial Servant Court's three thousand menial servant disciples, no one had ever dared not give him face.

As lackeys, reading expressions was necessary. Seeing Du Xiu's face, Li Ge understood, rushed in front of Yang Ye, pointed at Yang Ye, and said, "Yang Ye, do you still think you're an outer sect disciple? You're nothing but a waste who couldn't even reach the first rank of a mortal in a year, and the number one waste in history! Brother Du letting you clean for him is him thinking highly of you. Don't be shameless!"

"I'm a waste!" Yang Ye stopped his steps and said, "But I'm still better than some dog slaves, who only know how to be a dog in front of others all day long. When the master is happy, they fawn; when the master is unhappy, they come out and bark at people!"

"Beat him, beat him to death, if you kill him it's on me!" Du Xiu said with a gloomy face. No one in the Menial Servant Court had ever dared provoke his authority. Not before, not now, and even less in the future. He would never let anyone become an exception!

Hearing Du Xiu's words, Li the Dog standing in front of Yang Ye immediately grinned viciously and threw a punch at Yang Ye's face. He had long wanted to make a move, but Du Xiu hadn't spoken, so he didn't dare. If he killed someone by making a move, he couldn't bear the consequences. But now that Du Xiu had spoken, he had no more scruples.

Seeing Li Ge make a move, Yang Ye's face darkened. His body quickly retreated two steps back, dodging Li Ge's fist, and at the same time he raised the broom in his hand and fiercely swung it at the man in front of him.

"Smack!"

Li Ge's fist missed, and his head was squarely hit by Yang Ye's broom. With a scream, his face burning, he retreated several steps, then painfully crouched on the ground, both hands continuously rubbing his eyes. There was a lot of dust on the broom, and Yang Ye's swing had caused countless dust particles to fall into the man's eyes. Eyes cannot tolerate sand, and Li Ge's tears came out.

"Bastard!"

Seeing that Yang Ye still dared to fight back, Du Xiu's face turned ferocious. With an angry curse, he dashed forward and threw a punch at the back of Yang Ye's head. This number one waste in history actually dared provoke his authority; this was something Du Xiu could not tolerate. On Menial Peak, besides his uncle, he was the boss. Everyone on Menial Peak had to listen to him!

Sensing Du Xiu making a move behind him, Yang Ye's anger also flared. He was not a person who liked to cause trouble, but that didn't mean he was afraid of trouble. The three people in front of him first verbally insulted him, then made him clean alone the workload of three people for a day, and now they directly resorted to violence. He was truly furious!

Turning around, Yang Ye threw a fierce punch at Du Xiu's right fist.

"Bang!"

The two fists collided. With a "crack," Du Xiu's eyes went wide, his face showing an expression of pain. His hand was broken.

Du Xiu was just about to withdraw his hand, but at this moment Yang Ye instead reached out with his backhand, grabbed his limp fist, pulled hard, and fiercely kicked his right foot at Du Xiu's lower abdomen.

"Bang!"

Du Xiu immediately flew out, flying one meter before landing heavily on the ground.

Although Yang Ye and the three were all menial servant disciples, he had not spent his days like the three of them, eating, drinking, and playing around to pass the time except for work. Every day, apart from his normal work, he spent all his time training his physical body. Whether it was wind or rain, from the moment he arrived at the Sword Sect, he had never stopped!

Therefore, even though he had not yet become a mystical practitioner, his physical body's strength was not something these two people in front of him could match.

Having dealt with Li Ge, Yang Ye turned to look at Gao Qiu beside him. Seeing Yang Ye looking at him, Gao Qiu instinctively retreated two steps, both hands clenched tightly, forcing himself to stay calm, saying, "Du, Du Xiu is Steward Xu's nephew, his older cousin is an outer sect disciple. If you touch him, Steward Xu and his older cousin won't let you off!"

Ignoring Gao Qiu who was borrowing others' authority to intimidate, Yang Ye walked to Du Xiu's side as he lay on the ground, squatted down, patted Du Xiu who was full of fear, and said, "Now, four people, the entire training ground, you three clean it all, any problem?"

His throat rolled. Du Xiu was still hesitating when he saw Yang Ye's fist clench, and he hurriedly said, "No problem, no problem, we'll clean right away!" A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him; this principle was taught to him by his uncle, and now he was using it.

Casting a faint glance at Du Xiu, Yang Ye got up, shouldered the broom, and quickly walked toward Clear Wind Valley. He knew this matter was not over. The people in front of him would still come looking for trouble with him. Du Xiu wouldn't dare, but he would definitely go find his uncle, or that outer sect disciple cousin, to come trouble him.

Right now he only had slightly stronger physical strength, but he was not yet a mystical practitioner. At this time he was absolutely no match for an outer sect disciple. In order to have the ability to protect himself, he had to train hard and become a mystical practitioner as soon as possible. Otherwise, when that outer sect disciple came looking for him, he wouldn't even have the ability to resist!

Therefore, he had to intensify his cultivation and strive to become a mystical practitioner as soon as possible.

"Brother Du, what do we do?" Li Ge helped Du Xiu up and said in a low voice. Now he understood that he was no match for that person called Yang Ye at all. If he went looking for trouble with the other again, he would just be asking for a beating.

Beside them, Gao Qiu said nothing. Yang Ye's ruthlessness and decisiveness made him somewhat afraid.

"When my older cousin comes back from visiting relatives in the secular world, I'll make him wish he were dead!" Looking at Yang Ye's back, Du Xiu's eyes flickered with a venomous light. Five years, he had been a menial servant disciple for five years, and no one had ever dared treat him like this, actually daring to lay hands on him. Thinking of this, the venomous look in his eyes grew even stronger.

.....

"Did you see that? That number one waste in history, oh no, that's wrong, it's Yang Ye, gave those three bastards Du Xiu and the others a real beating!"

"What? Really? That bastard Du Xiu really got beaten?"

"You're not lying, are you? Du Xiu's uncle is Steward Xu, and his older cousin is an outer sect disciple. Would that outer sect disciple called Yang Ye dare hit him?"

"Why would I lie to you? I saw it with my own eyes. Du Xiu and his two lackeys today, just like usual, the three weren't going to work and made that Yang Ye clean the training ground alone. Yang Ye didn't agree, then Du Xiu and the other two started to make a move. Unexpectedly, the three got beaten up by Yang Ye instead, and even cleaned Yang Ye's area!"

"Haha, awesome! That bastard Du Xiu, usually relying on having an uncle and an older cousin, bullies us menial servant disciples on Menial Peak everywhere. This time he finally kicked an iron plate. Come on, let's tell others about this, let them enjoy it too..."

Before long, the matter of Yang Ye angrily beating Du Xiu spread throughout the entire Menial Peak.

And Yang Ye had already arrived at Clear Wind Valley.

Beside a water pool somewhere in Clear Wind Valley, Yang Ye sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes slightly closed, sinking his mind into his body.

After the earlier excitement, Yang Ye felt something was off. Two dantians, no matter how he thought about it, something was wrong, so he decided to figure out that small vortex dantian deep within his dantian.

This time he saw that small vortex dantian clearly. The small vortex dantian was only the size of a palm, continuously emitting suction. It was precisely because of this suction that every time after training, the mystical qi he absorbed was sucked into this small vortex in an instant.

This small vortex absorbed all the mysterious energy in his dantian, making it impossible for him to become a mysterious practitioner. No, rather, he should have become one long ago. Because whether one can become a mysterious practitioner depends on one's aptitude. If one can absorb mysterious energy through physical training, then that person is a mysterious practitioner.

However, the moment his mysterious energy entered his body, it was absorbed by the small vortex, causing him to mistakenly believe for a year that he was not a mysterious practitioner. By the standard of becoming a mysterious practitioner, he had been one all along.

Yang Ye tried to control this small vortex. In his thinking, since this small vortex was inside his body, it should be his and under his control. However, he was disappointed. Every time he tried to pull mysterious energy out of the small vortex, the small vortex seemed to be stimulated by something and spun faster, so that he could not pull out even a trace of mysterious energy.

"That mysterious energy is mine!"

After much effort, seeing that the small vortex still refused to release the mysterious energy, Yang Ye became somewhat angry and cursed inwardly. If he could not control this small vortex, then would he not spend his whole life working for this small vortex?

Most importantly, without mysterious energy, how could he increase his training? After all, his current training amount had already reached his limit. Without cultivation resources, if there was no mysterious energy to support and repair his body, then increasing it further would likely cause irreversible damage to his body.

"Give me a little, just give me a little. You should know that without me, you cannot absorb mysterious energy. Give me a little, and I can absorb more mysterious energy. Is not all the mysterious energy I absorb still yours? How about it? Cooperation benefits both; separation harms both!"

When force did not work, Yang Ye decided to try softness. Although it was somewhat frustrating, since that mysterious energy was what he had painstakingly refined. But there was no way. Mysterious energy concerned whether he could become a true mysterious practitioner and whether he could become an outer sect disciple, so he had to bow his head.

After a while, the small vortex did not respond. Just as Yang Ye was about to curse in anger, suddenly, a trace of pale golden mysterious energy flowed out from the small vortex. Seeing this, Yang Ye was so excited that he almost jumped up. After another moment, another trace flowed out, and gradually, traces of pale golden mysterious energy continued to flow out. After about twenty traces of pale golden mysterious energy flowed out, the small vortex finally stopped.

The pale golden mysterious energy flowed into his normal dantian. Yang Ye was just about to shout a few times when, at that moment, the pale golden mysterious energy suddenly flowed toward the meridians throughout his body. Immediately afterward, traces of pale golden mysterious energy slowly invaded his muscles. In that moment, Yang Ye seemed able to hear the cheers of countless cells within his muscles. That soreness and fatigue quietly disappeared, replaced by an increasingly abundant vitality.

Just as Yang Ye was puzzled, he suddenly felt as if something on his body was squirming. He quickly took off his clothes and looked down. Yang Ye's eyes suddenly widened. He saw that the skin on his body was peeling off at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Skin replacement!

Skin replacement was the phenomenon of the "Body Refining Art" reaching the fourth layer! If the Body Refining Art had reached the fourth layer, then that meant he was now a fourth-rank mysterious practitioner!

"Haha..."

Thinking of this, Yang Ye jumped down from the ground and burst out laughing. After laughing for a while, he seemed to feel it was inappropriate and quickly stopped laughing, lowering his head to look at his body.

Seeing that his body was still continuously shedding skin, Yang Ye quickly took off all his clothes and then jumped into the water pool. After the skin had completely shed, he rolled around in the water pool, then jumped up onto the bank. His palm slowly stroked his chest. Wherever his palm passed, it was like touching smooth stone, and a peculiar feeling of hardness spread into his palm.

"Pa pa pa!"

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Yang Ye picked up a branch nearby and immediately performed a set of basic swordsmanship. After one set of swordsmanship, there were bursts of wind sounds, and it even stirred up some dust from the ground. That kind of momentum was simply not comparable to what he had before.

After finishing the sword practice, Yang Ye quickly sank his mind into his body again. A moment later, wild joy appeared on his face. That was right, he had truly reached fourth-rank mortal!

From not even being a mysterious practitioner to suddenly becoming fourth-rank mortal, Yang Ye felt a dreamlike sense of unreality, but he quickly understood. From the moment he arrived at the Sword Sect, he had begun painstakingly practicing the Body Refining Art. Among the outer sect disciples at that time, although he could not be called the most hardworking one, he could absolutely rank in the top three.

From that moment to now, he had practiced this Body Refining Art for nearly two years. His physical body had already reached an extremely hard degree. Now that mysterious energy entered his body, it was like him holding a ten-million gold note and suddenly having the password. With the password, he could naturally withdraw the gold coins from the gold note.

To put it simply, it was accumulating deeply and releasing powerfully!

Yang Ye's brows suddenly furrowed. He suddenly thought of a problem, which was that his mysterious energy was pale golden! Pale golden mysterious energy? Was it unique to him, or was the mysterious energy in other people's bodies also pale golden? Yang Ye felt somewhat confused.

"Never mind. After I enter the outer sect disciples later, when I come into contact with more people, I will definitely be able to know whether I am the same as others!" Yang Ye was not a person who liked to get stuck on trivial matters. After thinking for a while, he put this matter aside for the time being.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, his mind once again sank into his body. At this time, in his normal dantian, the previous golden mysterious energy had already disappeared completely, leaving it empty.

"Brother, I think you also understand what I am saying. How about this: from now on, the mysterious energy I absorb, we split fifty-fifty. I will give you all the mysterious energy I absorb, but you must give me that pale golden mysterious energy. I am not taking advantage of you. You should also know that only when I become stronger will I absorb more mysterious energy. Conversely, if I do not become stronger, the mysterious energy I absorb will definitely be very little. So now, I must be the priority. Only after I become stronger can you obtain more mysterious energy. How about it?"

Yang Ye had an absurd feeling, which was that he believed that small vortex could understand his words. There was no particular reason; he just had that feeling. So he decided to discuss it with this small vortex. Otherwise, if this small vortex monopolized the mysterious energy in the future, then he would truly be left with tears but no place to cry.

After a while, just as Yang Ye was becoming somewhat impatient, the small vortex suddenly began to spin. After spinning for a while, it stopped.

Sensing the movement of the small vortex, Yang Ye smiled. Intuition told him that this small vortex had agreed. Clearly, this small vortex was also dissatisfied with his current speed of absorbing mysterious energy, so it decided to let him become stronger first. This was called investment!

After putting on his clothes, Yang Ye walked to the place where he hid the mysterious iron block and put the mysterious iron block on his body. At this time, Yang Ye could not feel the slightest weight.

He currently had no cultivation method, so he could only use physical training to absorb mysterious energy. The harder he trained, the more mysterious energy he would naturally absorb. The more mysterious energy he absorbed, the more pale golden mysterious energy he would obtain. With more pale golden mysterious energy, he could use it to strengthen his body and raise his realm.

"Ah... help, do not chase Bao'er, grandpa help..."

Just as Yang Ye was preparing for extreme training, a scream suddenly came from the distant forest. The voice was somewhat childish, clearly that of a little girl.

Hearing the sound, Yang Ye stopped his steps and looked toward the distant forest. Suddenly, a little girl wearing a white dress with floral patterns ran out from the forest in panic. The little girl was only about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a long braid behind her head. Her face was pale, her small mouth was tightly bitten, and she was desperately running using both hands and feet.

The little girl ran out. When she saw Yang Ye, her originally somewhat pale little face immediately became even paler. While running, she shouted: "You little chore boy, run quickly, the little snake has gone mad..."

"Rumble rumble!"

Just as Yang Ye was dazed, suddenly, the ground trembled, and a huge creature charged out violently from the trees behind the little girl.

Giant Python King!

Seeing this huge creature, Yang Ye immediately became as pale as the little girl. This was a little snake? This was the Giant Python King!

The Giant Python King, a fifth-rank mysterious beast, was about the size of three adults, three zhang long, with eyes like fists. Most importantly, that body of scales, that defense, even sword techniques might not necessarily be able to split it open!

......