Chapter 98 - 95 Great Hua Country Heavenly Martial Hall

Chapter 98: Chapter 95 Great Hua Country Heavenly Martial HallUntil all the nearby beasts had fled, the woman dressed in white finally came to her senses. Then, with a complex look in her beautiful eyes, she faced Ye Xuan and gave a slight bow of her hands, "Thank you... for saving my life." Although she didn’t know how Ye Xuan had managed to scare away the Green-Eyed Toad, the crisis had been resolved, which all of them had witnessed, albeit bafflingly. No matter what, it was Ye Xuan who had saved them... "No need for that, we had an agreement, I helped you solve a problem, and you’ll guide me out of the Poison Miasma Forest. We are even." Ye Xuan waved his hand. He just wanted to find a guide quickly and leave this dreadful place. Compared to the Green-Eyed Toad, this woman in white and her companions were undoubtedly a better choice. Meanwhile, he could also gather some information about the Great Hua Country from them. As for the favor of saving their lives, he thought it was better to avoid further trouble. "Rest assured, with no interference from the Green-Eyed Toad, it should take us less than half a day to get out of here." The woman in white nodded. Now, she had become somewhat curious about Ye Xuan, who was too mysterious—a lone figure lost in the Poison Miasma Forest, yet appearing in front of them unscathed, as if unfazed by the forest’s poison and ferocious beasts, moving freely and easily. Most importantly, he had somehow frightened off the ruler of the Poison Miasma Forest, the Green-Eyed Toad, enveloping himself in a cloak of mystery. "Why don’t you take a rest? We’ll regroup here and set off. We should be able to get out of this forest and reach Green Sun County by tomorrow," said the woman in white, smiling more warmly towards Ye Xuan now. Hearing this, Ye Xuan also heaved a sigh of relief and nodded in response. Green Sun County, being the closest county to the Panlong Mountain from the Great Hua Country, meant that reaching it was akin to entering the boundaries of the Great Hua Country. Seeing Ye Xuan nod, the woman in white then proceeded to organize her group. The team of more than ten people had all been through beast attacks along the way and were clearly not in good condition. They all needed some time to recuperate. Keeping some distance from the woman in white and her group, Ye Xuan sat down under a large tree to take a brief rest. Since the woman and her group would probably take a while before they could move, he decided to restore his body and spirit first. Given his current physical state, he wasn’t quite ready for a long journey. "Kid, once you’re in the Great Hua Country, what are your plans?" asked the Flood Dragon, slithering over from the bushes, speaking to Ye Xuan through a mind link. "First, I need to heal. Regaining my strength is the priority." Ye Xuan pondered for a moment. Over these days, his strength had recovered by about twenty percent, which means he now had about twenty percent of his strength from his peak period. It was a significant recovery, but with his current strength, he likely couldn’t even defeat a Seventh Grade Martial Master. He needed to restore his strength to one hundred percent as soon as possible. "And after you’ve healed?" The Flood Dragon continued to probe. "After I’ve healed..." Ye Xuan’s gaze firmed slightly. Truthfully, he had no long-term plan. Indeed, what should he do after regaining his strength? The Great Xia Kingdom no longer harbored a place for him, and if he continued to stay in the Great Hua Country, he’d need to think about his next steps. Now that Ye Xuan had the help of the Flood Dragon, he could technically sneak back to the Great Xia Kingdom and annihilate the Jun family. But he hadn’t planned to do that yet. Firstly, he wanted to rely on his own strength to seek revenge and vindication. Secondly, the fact that the Flood Dragon had become his spirit beast had better remain a secret since the Flood Dragon had agreements with the major sects of the Tiannan Region not to leave the Panlong Mountain range. If it appeared in the Great Xia Kingdom and started slaughtering humans, it would surely draw an attack from all the major sects. Though powerful, the Flood Dragon alone could not fight against the myriad of masters within the sects, among whom many could match its strength. "If you don’t have other plans, you might consider joining the Heavenly Martial Hall." While Ye Xuan was somewhat lost, the voice of the Flood Dragon rang again in his mind, startling him slightly. Join the Heavenly Martial Hall? Ye Xuan slightly furrowed his brows. The idea of joining a sect wasn’t new to him, but whether it was Green Leaf Valley or Heavenly Martial Hall, their levels seemed somewhat low for his taste as a Martial God. "Joining a sect is the most beneficial for your kind when it comes to cultivation," the Flood Dragon reminded again. "It’s not just because there are many high-level cultivation techniques and secret manuals there, but also because it provides an excellent environment for cultivation. It’s a place where many young talents gather, and having competition can make your cultivation progress much faster than doing it alone." Hearing this, Ye Xuan finally became somewhat interested. Indeed, he told himself that whether it was a First Grade Sect or a Seventh Grade Sect didn’t make much of a difference to him since he wasn’t lacking in cultivation techniques or martial arts. What he needed was a conducive environment for cultivation and a competitive atmosphere, making joining the Heavenly Martial Hall a seemingly good choice. "Alright, whether or not to join the Heavenly Martial Hall is up to you. Just activate the Beast Soul Token, I’m going to sleep now. Don’t wake me unless it’s something urgent. If it hadn’t been for that Heavenly Grade sword of yours startling me, I wouldn’t have woken up so soon." The Flood Dragon yawned and then disappeared into Ye Xuan’s Beast Soul Token. This token, capable of storing not only the beast soul but also creating a space within it to harbor living beings, was even more precious than the Qiankun Ring, which could only store inanimate objects without linking the space inside to the outside world. "By the way, how long did you sleep last time?" Ye Xuan couldn’t help asking. "Probably about two years," the Flood Dragon casually answered. Ye Xuan’s lips couldn’t help but twitch at that response; this guy could really sleep—a two-year-long nap. Should’ve named him the Dozing Dragon instead. "What else could I do in the Great Hua Country, which is human territory? What if some old human discovered me? You might have had to flee once again," the Flood Dragon said, a mocking smile playing on its lips. "Alright, alright, go back to sleep; you’re not needed right now. But don’t pretend to be dead when I call you next time." Ye Xuan’s face twitched as he flicked his finger, sending a stream of True Qi into the Beast Soul Token. A beam of light then burst forth from it, and the Flood Dragon rapidly transformed into a streak of blue light that disappeared into the token, vanishing completely. "Unreliable creature," Ye Xuan muttered under his breath as he stored away the Beast Soul Token. He was just griping casually; he had never planned on relying heavily on the Flood Dragon—just an extra ace in the hole to avoid getting into dire situations like the last time. Shortly after Ye Xuan tucked away the Beast Soul Token, the woman in white and the others set off, and naturally, Ye Xuan followed the group on their journey back to the Great Hua Country. ... The remainder of the journey was much calmer without the interference of the Green-eyed Toads. Ye Xuan could tell that the troop must have found some herb that even the toads coveted, prompting their pursuit, but he wasn’t about to start causing trouble. Sitting in the carriage, Ye Xuan and the woman in white eyed each other, an awkward atmosphere between them. With no spare horses and considering Ye Xuan a distinguished guest, he couldn’t be expected to walk, so the woman in white had no choice but to host him in her carriage. They chatted idly, and Ye Xuan learned from the woman that her name was Tang Xiaoyan, coming from the Tang family in Green Sun County—a prominent family there. Tang Xiaoyan had entered the Poison Miasma Forest to find Blood Bone Vine for her father’s healing, which incited the Green-eyed Toad’s pursuit. Regarding Ye Xuan’s identity, he only divulged his name and stated he wasn’t from the Great Hua Country, glossing over any further details. This, however, only piqued Tang Xiaoyan’s curiosity even more; she could tell that Ye Xuan was far from the simple, obscure figure he claimed to be. Separated by the Panlong Mountain, the Great Xia Kingdom and Great Hua Country were distinct nations. While the news of Ye Xuan’s killing spree during the Hundred Families Trial was widespread in the Great Xia Kingdom, it was likely less known in the Great Hua Country, especially in the more remote Green Sun County. Yet, since Ye Xuan didn’t elaborate further, Tang Xiaoyan didn’t push; she sensed his detached and enigmatic demeanor, realizing her charms were ineffective against him and decided to let it go. Before long, as the caravan progressed, the Miasma Fog started thinning—a sign they were about to leave the Poison Miasma Forest—easing the burden on everyone’s shoulders. "Brother Ye Xuan, we should reach the Green Sun County’s borders in about two more hours," Tang Xiaoyan said with relief, smiling at Ye Xuan. She didn’t truly know Ye Xuan’s age, but she felt he was much more mature than her, hence the respectful address. As for Ye Xuan, being called ’big brother’ by a beautiful woman was quite agreeable; he had no objections. Hearing her words, Ye Xuan also relaxed and muttered about his eagerness to leave the dreadful place. "Brother Ye Xuan, you must be here for the triennial entrance examination of the Heavenly Martial Hall, aren’t you?" Tang Xiaoyan suddenly asked, recalling something. "Is that happening now?" Ye Xuan responded with surprise. "Uh?" Surprised by his response, Tang Xiaoyan seemed taken aback; she hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to be unaware of such a significant event. Considering him a foreigner might explain his ignorance. "Is the only way to join the Heavenly Martial Hall through this entrance examination?" Ye Xuan inquired, curious now despite being initially uninformed. "Of course," Tang Xiaoyan replied with a solemn expression, "Heavenly Martial Hall is the most powerful sect in the Tiannan Region, attracting young talents from all six Tiannan countries. They’re known for recruiting only the top talents. The entrance is solely through these rigorous exams, and they recruit very selectively every three years, making the competition fierce." "Oh?" Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow, realizing that Heavenly Martial Hall wasn’t a place one could simply stroll into. Unlike Green Leaf Valley, where Xia Tianyou could easily grant entry, it seemed that only passing the entrance examination would allow admission into Heavenly Martial Hall. In other words, while Ye Xuan was wondering whether to join and debating their standards, it turned out, being accepted into Heavenly Martial Hall wasn’t guaranteed either.