The clear and cold voice pierced through the layers of the Ye family estate. It carried the distinct True Essence fluctuation of an Innate Master, audible to everyone present.
Ye Qingyun's face was pale, his heart sinking with dread. He knew Shan Hu was a reincarnated Immortal Emperor, overbearing and absolute, while Ye Qingcheng was the Capital's acknowledged "Heavenly Prodigy," proud and unwilling to yield. A meeting between these two was destined to be a sharp confrontation.
He was about to mediate, but Shan Hu was faster.
Shan Hu let out a cold snort. The True Essence pressure that enveloped the Ye family inner court instantly solidified, pressing down like a mountain of pure force toward the source of the voice in the deep courtyard.
"Insolent junior who knows nothing of the world. The opportunity for the Great Dao is before you, yet you dare refuse?" Shan Hu's voice was no longer calm; it carried the absolute majesty of an ancient Immortal Emperor. Where the sound wave passed, the rock gardens and flora within the inner court of the Ye ancestral home collapsed and shattered, emitting a grating sound.
This was not physical destruction, but pure intimidation through sheer spiritual pressure.
Ye Qingyun was horrified. Just the residual pressure caused his internal organs to tremble and his blood to churn, nearly making him lose his footing.
"Master is mighty!" Qin Wan'er, standing nearby, felt Shan Hu's displeasure and a flash of worship in her eyes, though she was equally stunned by the overwhelming power.
"Hmph!"
The owner of the voice in the inner court clearly felt the torrential pressure. Immediately, an equally powerful surge of True Essence, carrying an extreme icy chill, rushed upwards, attempting to counter Shan Hu's force.
The moment this icy True Essence appeared, the surrounding air temperature plummeted, and a thin layer of frost even formed on the ground.
"A fine Innate True Essence of the Ice attribute!" A hint of appreciation flickered in Shan Hu's eyes, but his response was driven more by the challenge of arrogance.
He did not use the power of the Immortal Emperor, merely releasing the True Essence of his perfected Qi Condensation stage, condensing an even heavier aura than before.
Rumble!
The two forces violently collided over the Ye family's inner court.
The icy True Essence lasted less than a second before it instantly shattered like an egg hitting a rock, accompanied by the distinct cracking sound of breaking ice.
"Pfft!"
With a muffled groan, a graceful figure was sent flying backward from the depths of the courtyard, crashing through a moon gate before finally stopping abruptly in the open space before Shan Hu, looking utterly disheveled.
Her face was pale, a trace of blood visible at the corner of her lips. She had clearly suffered a minor internal injury, but her gaze was even colder and more defiant than her True Essence had been.
She was Ye Qingcheng.
Ye Qingcheng was about twenty years old, dressed in a plain white martial arts uniform that accentuated her beautiful physique. Her jet-black hair was simply secured with a single jade hairpin. Her features were delicately sculpted, and her aura was as cold as a snow lotus—the kind of peerless beauty whose extraordinary origin and talent were obvious at a glance.
She held a thin, cold-gleaming sword. Even in defeat, she stared intently at Shan Hu, her eyes blazing with fury and indomitable will.
"Who... who are you? How dare you trespass on my Ye family's land and injure my kin!" Ye Qingcheng demanded icily, her voice slightly hoarse from the internal injury.
Ye Qingyun quickly stepped forward, urgently trying to mediate: "Qingcheng! Do not be rude! This is Mister Shan, the Master of the Qin family's eldest daughter!"
Hearing this, Ye Qingcheng's gaze finally shifted from Shan Hu to Qin Wan'er standing beside him.
Qin Wan'er, dressed in simple cloth, had a clear face, but her aura was far from the powerful and sharp presence of Ye Qingcheng.
This only enraged Ye Qingcheng further.
"The Qin family? Qin Wan'er?" Ye Qingcheng scoffed with a mocking tone. "So it's you. You were rejected by my Ye family back then, and now you've found a backer to come flaunt your power?"
Holding her sword, she arrogantly swept her eyes over Shan Hu, then back to Qin Wan'er. "Your backer's power is indeed considerable, but to think of using force to coerce Ye Qingcheng into being a cultivation vessel? Delusional!"
Ye Qingcheng pointed her slender sword at Shan Hu, declaring proudly: "I, Ye Qingcheng, possess the Ice Profound Spirit Body—a talent beyond compare! My path is to pursue the pinnacle of martial arts, to break free from mortal constraints! A mere unnamed martial artist, even if stronger than me, shall not dictate my future!"
Her words were utterly arrogant, treating Shan Hu entirely as a powerful martial artist, not a true cultivator.
Shan Hu watched her silently, his eyes devoid of anger, holding only the tranquility of someone who saw through everything. He knew this woman's talent was genuinely astounding; her Spirit Body was highly suitable for cultivation, promising limitless future achievements. However, her arrogance was her greatest obstacle.
"The Ice Profound Spirit Body—your talent is indeed good." Shan Hu spoke plainly, his voice low, but it caused Ye Qingcheng's pupils to contract suddenly.
"How do you know about my Spirit Body?" She was deeply alarmed; this secret was known only to the Ye family's Patriarch.
"Talent is good, but your character is lacking, and your vision is too narrow," Shan Hu shook his head, extending his right hand to make a grasping motion in the air.
Under an invisible force, the cold-gleaming sword in Ye Qingcheng's hand instantly flew out, zipping with a "vwoomp" sound into Shan Hu's grasp.
Shan Hu casually weighed the high-grade spiritual weapon, a smirk playing on his lips. "Do you really believe your current Innate Realm cultivation was achieved through your own effort?"
He turned his gaze toward Ye Qingyun. "There are residual spiritual power fluctuations from a Foundation Establishment Pill in her body. Ye Qingyun, you used the family's reserve of Foundation Establishment Pills to forcibly enhance her root bones and realm, draining her potential. She once had a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage before she turned thirty, but now, without external aid, she will make no further progress for fifty years."
Every word from Shan Hu was like a thunderclap, causing Ye Qingyun and Ye Qingcheng's faces to turn ashen.
Especially Ye Qingyun, who trembled and immediately dropped to his knees: "Mister Shan possesses divine insight! Please forgive my recklessness, but Qingcheng is the Ye family's only hope!"
Ye Qingcheng looked utterly devastated, staring at Ye Qingyun in disbelief, then back at Shan Hu.
"Impossible! I never took any so-called Foundation Establishment Pill! My cultivation is my own..."
"Silence!" Shan Hu expelled a burst of True Essence, shattering the fine sword into a cloud of iron dust.
"Arrogance is poison. Your so-called Great Dao opportunity is merely the narrow fantasy of a frog in a well." Shan Hu looked down at her, his eyes as deep as the starry sky. "I once made the vow of an Immortal Emperor to reshape the Great Dao. And you, Ye Qingcheng, are one part of that promise."
He pointed at Qin Wan'er beside him, his tone commanding and undeniable:
"She is the Dao Companion I have chosen. And you are the guide for her Dual Cultivation technique—the vessel that will provide her with the Dual Cultivation True Essence. This is an opportunity you cannot refuse."