The others were surprised, but Fang Yuxin was even more astonished. She keenly sensed that something about Bai Ye had changed, like he had suddenly broken free of some kind of shackles, giving the impression of a complete transformation. First, she was taken aback, then she quickly realized that Bai Ye was probably about to undergo Foundation Establishment.
Originally, Yuxin had planned to let Ye try his luck in the trial land for the opportunity of Foundation Establishment once they reached their destination. Little did she know that these two would suddenly appear, with such an arrogant demeanor. What’s more critical is that the two were very strong. When Ye clashed with them, he unexpectedly touched upon the door to Foundation Establishment, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.
The two were equally shocked. They were sparring with Ye and felt the change more clearly and directly than the others. Initially, when Ye’s weapon was damaged, they felt a sense of joy, but to their surprise, even without his weapon, Ye managed to block their swords!
The two couldn’t help but harbor the same doubt as everyone else—what kind of weapon was Bai Ye using?
Then, the girl suddenly exclaimed, "You can actually form Sword Qi? Who are you?" While she spoke, the young man quickly retreated, and with an agile backflip, the girl lightly landed on his shoulder. Although both were warily watching Bai Ye, they didn’t seem to want to continue the fight.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Ye formed a new Longsword in his hand and asked, "Why don’t you keep fighting?"
The young man frowned without speaking, while the girl replied, "We’re no match for you, what’s the point of continuing?" She sounded somewhat dissatisfied, even tinged with subtle defiance and jealousy. Ancient Martial arts had declined greatly by her generation, and although she had considerable talent, years of Cultivation had only allowed her to produce Sword Qi with the aid of her sword, and she couldn’t release Sword Qi with just a flick of her fingers like Bai Ye could.
Yet it was obvious that Ye was different from her; his sword had broken, yet he could still release Sword Qi, easily blocking her and Su Ting’s deadly moves, his strength clearly surpassing both of theirs! She couldn’t help but wonder—Ye’s legacy seemed more powerful than hers, but how could someone with such an impressive legacy not have even one decent weapon? Moreover, his swordsmanship was very unfamiliar, unlike any style she knew.
Seeing that the two had stopped, Ye decided not to continue the fight either and simply gestured with an inviting "please" and said, "Since you’ve lost, please leave."
The young man’s face instantly tensed as he looked up at the girl worriedly. She then tucked the Soft Sword and White Umbrella back into her embrace, and as her body fell, the young man caught her securely. She looked at Bai Ye, her eyes reflecting a hint of calculation: "You’re about to advance, right? Seeing as we’ve helped, it wouldn’t hurt to give us some food, would it?"
As soon as she said this, those who were already displeased couldn’t hold back their retorts: "Ha! You nearly killed Captain Bai just now and have the audacity to say you helped, would you like me to ’help’ you too?"
Before he could finish, the young man suddenly turned his cold gaze toward him, challenging, "You come!"
Provoked, the man instinctively wanted to agree, but was gently held back by the shoulder by someone beside him. He turned with confusion, then his mouth fell open in surprise—the person beside him was Bai Zhengli!
Zhengli shook his head at him and whispered, "That man is a Third-level Superpower User; you’re no match for him. Don’t fall for his provocation."
The man’s heart shuddered, and his look towards the young man filled with caution and hostility. It was clear—the young man had no good intentions! If he actually fought with the young man, he might well lose his life!
Bai Ye’s expression darkened at the girl and young man’s audacity: "If you want to continue, I’m with you to the end! What valor is there in bullying my subordinates?"
The girl’s expression changed, and she said to the young man, "Xiao Tingzi, let’s go."
But the young man frowned in disagreement: "But you’re hungry, and we’re out of food."
The girl stood firm, "I said, let’s go!"
Seeing her apparently upset, the young man hesitated, glancing at the steaming food not far off before finally nodding. Holding her, they left. As they departed, the girl suddenly looked at Bai Ye and said, "Believe it or not, we didn’t intend to kill you just now."
She really had no malice towards Bai Ye; the young man, as stoic as he was, even less so. They both could tell that Ye was very strong, so they didn’t hold back during the fight, not expecting Ye’s sword to suddenly break. However, they should have stopped when the sword broke, but she wanted to test Ye’s true strength, so she didn’t stop. Su Ting always listened to her commands, so naturally, he didn’t stop either.