Starting Reward – A Three Thousand Assassin Network - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Dragon Essence

Watching the rising curl of blue smoke, Ye Wudao wished he could immediately take a puff, but all he could do was contemplate it in his mind without making any overt moves.

“This is actually a Huazi brand cigarette! Damn, it’s so extravagant. I can’t even bear to take a few puffs, and yet Father is smoking it so casually.”

At this moment, Ye Wudao felt incredibly distressed, continually pounding his chest with his right hand.

Although most of Ye Chen’s system rewards were items for daily life, they were all reinforced by the system and naturally possessed unique effects.

Take this cigarette, for example. The system rewarded different brands of cigarettes, each with different effects. Huazi brand cigarettes could effectively enhance one’s spiritual power.

Once one’s cultivation reached a certain realm, spiritual power became extremely important. However, there were very few heaven-and-earth treasures that could enhance spiritual power, hence Ye Wudao’s distress.

The martial arts realm in this world was divided into stages: Foundation Establishment, Houtian, Xiantian, Profound, Transcendent, Sage, and Land Immortal …

And martial arts grades were divided into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Mortal, ranked in descending order. Above these four grades, there was the Saint grade. According to rumors in the martial world, Saint-grade techniques existed only within the major powers.

In the Eastern Territory, there were ten peerless experts, each reaching the Transcendent realm. Being Transcendent meant breaking the shackles of mortality and possessing incredibly strength. Such individuals, even while facing an army of hundreds of thousands, could easily take the head of a general. Moving mountains with a punch or shattering cities with a slash was a walk in the park for them.

Ye Dingtian was one of them. His breakthrough to the Transcendent realm wasn’t solely due to his thick skin; he had gained many good things from Ye Chen.

The presence that made Ye Dingtian extremely wary was the Great Xia Royal Family, which similarly had such an existence. The current ruler of Great Xia, Xia Wuye, had also reached this realm.

However, if it were just Xia Wuye alone, Ye Dingtian wouldn’t be so troubled. Within the royal family hidden old monster that had lived for centuries, Xia Cangyun.

As the founding father of Great Xia, Xia Cangyun had conquered lands together with the ancestor of the Ye family. It was because of his existence that Ye Dingtian was extremely wary.

No one knew the extent of his strength. And with such a superpower seated, the Great Xia Dynasty had the qualifications to stand alongside the other three major dynasties.

However, even such a powerhouse had fallen to the deep end. Anyone who heard this news found it inconceivable. Hence, Ye Dingtian was extremely worried.

If this information were true, then Xia Cangyun definitely hadn’t broken through to a higher realm. Because once a martial artist reached the Transcendent realm, they could live for three hundred years. Since the establishment of Great Xia until now, it had almost been three hundred years.

If Xia Cangyun was still in the Transcendent realm, his lifespan was about to end. But to stay alive, he had to break through again. However, the higher the realm, the harder it was to break through.

“If Xia Cangyun is planning to go all-in, he might go off the deep end.” Ye Dingtian silently pondered.

“Even if he succumbs, he won’t be comparable to ordinary Transcendent experts. After all, he is a genuine peak-level Transcendent expert. If it were me, and I had only three years left, I’d definitely eradicate potential threats to the Great Xia!”

Thinking about this, Ye Dingtian’s heart skipped a beat, realizing this wasn’t good. His face instantly turned extremely grim!

“Although the current Great Xia Dynasty has just pacified, the existence of the Ye family poses a threat to the royal family.”

Ye Dingtian didn’t fear death, but he feared that someone might target other members of the Ye family once he was gone. Once Ye Dingtian died, Xia Wuye would not fear the Ye family.

Every Transcendent expert held powerful trump cards. If they wanted to escape, no one could ensure they stayed. If the royal family truly intended to eradicate Ye Dingtian, the other members of the Ye family would become his weak spot.

Ye Dingtian took another deep drag on his cigarette, then exhaled slowly, turning to Ye Wudao.

“This information should be true.”

Ye Wudao, somewhat puzzled, asked, “Father, how are you so sure this information is true?”

Ye Dingtian slowly stood up. “You don’t know: once martial cultivation reaches the Transcendent realm, one lives for three hundred years.”

Ye Wudao suddenly realized, “I see. According to our Ye family records, when the ancestor fought alongside the founding leader of Great Xia, the Great Xia Dynasty was established almost three hundred years ago.”

“Yes, his lifespan is about to reach its end. To survive, he can only break through again to reach a higher realm. Unfortunately, the higher the realm, the harder it is to break through.”

“So, he failed to break through!” Ye Wudao clapped his hands excitedly, a look of joy on his face.

Seeing this, Ye Dingtian glanced at his son, frowning with displeasure. “Now that he failed to break through and his life is withering away, aren’t you afraid he might destroy the Ye family along with himself?”

Hearing this, Ye Wudao’s expression froze instantly, a serious look gradually filling his eyes.

“Humph, you’re almost fifty years old and still can’t be steady.” Ye Dingtian snorted.

“The Ye family controls fifty thousand troops in Liangzhou and possesses one of the Great Xia Dynasty’s four strongest military units, the Tiger Soul Army. If it were you, could you sleep soundly? Furthermore, the Ye family, which has achieved great merits in battles, both public and hidden, over the years, claims half of the credit for the Great Xia Dynasty. But why can such an influential Ye family survive until now? It’s because of his existence! He’s confident that as long as he’s alive, the Ye family won’t be able to turn the tide! Now that he’s close to death, guess what he might do? Will he take the Ye family down with him?”

“Ah, this…” Faced with his father’s questions, Ye Wudao’s expression became extremely serious.

He had never thought about this question before. He only knew that if Xia Cangyun died, the Ye family’s constraints would diminish.

Seeing his son’s current state, Ye Dingtian sighed helplessly.

“It seems that over the years, although you’ve won many battles, your brain has been addled. Today, I’ll teach you again: a true commander not only commands the entire army on the battlefield but also determines the situation. Similarly, in peacetime, knowing oneself and the enemy ensures invincibility. Don’t think that a war without battles isn’t a war. Whether in the court or in the martial world, as long as there are people, there is war. And my Ye family, generation after generation, has been producing commanders. How can we allow others to belittle us?”

Facing his father’s lesson, Ye Wudao could only humbly accept it, not daring to argue. After all, his father’s words made sense.

“You may leave now. I need to think this through properly!”

“Yes!” Ye Wudao responded and turned to leave.

Just as Ye Wudao was about to walk out the door, Ye Dingtian spoke again. “Oh, and don’t be busy with meaningless things all day. Go see Chen’er more often.”

“I understand!” Ye Wudao replied again, then walked out, closing the door behind him.

—

On the other side, Ye Chen lay on a soft bed.

“Ding! The host did nothing today and has laid back successfully, gaining a Dragon Essence!”

“Bzzzt! Damn it, I’m exploding with excitement!”

Ye Chen did a somersault and sat up.

Immediately, he took out the Dragon Essence he had just obtained from the system space.