"The Great Ancestor, these five techniques are simply useless! Is this really all you have learned? No wonder your cultivation was so poor in life, barely reaching the legendary level. Let me teach you some powerful techniques! I guarantee you will advance even further!" Nie Li patted his chest confidently.
"I have over three thousand six hundred super techniques, and even the worst among them is better than these five. They're so disgraceful I wouldn't even want to teach them to you!"
"Alright, enough!" Ye Yan exclaimed, his anger evident.
Nie Li was making him lose face.
Did he not realize that he was the ancestor of Glory City? "Kid, I don't know where you got so many techniques from, maybe you stumbled upon some treasure. Even if you have powerful techniques, as a legendary demon spirit master, I still have much to teach you! My knowledge is vast, something you can't even imagine!"
"Oh… hmm, Great Ancestor with vast knowledge, may I ask why demon spirits can merge with the Soul Sea?" Nie Li turned to Ye Yan, a sly smile on his face.
Was Ye Yan trying to compare knowledge with him?
"Such a simple question. Didn't your instructor teach you this? Demon spirits exist in the form of souls, and the Soul Sea is a container for souls. Of course they can merge!" Ye Yan replied with a subtle smile.
"Although your talent is decent, your foundation is too weak; young people shouldn’t be so ambitious!"
"Since the Soul Sea is a container and demon spirits are like souls, just like a cup and water, why is it that some people fail to merge with demon spirits after advancing to the silver level?" Nie Li asked, a grin on his face.
"Isn't it the case that any cup can hold water?"
"Well… the probability of failure is very low, almost negligible. So there’s no need to dwell on it!" Ye Yan paused, a hint of irritation in his voice.
Nie Li’s question was too obscure; he couldn't come up with an answer.
"Exceptions often hold the key to unlocking secrets, yet a legendary demon spirit master doesn't even understand this! I can't imagine what your teacher taught you! If I had a disciple like that, I'd surely slap him against the wall!" Nie Li shook his head, a look of sorrow on his face.
"Then what do you think is the reason?" Ye Yan’s voice trembled with frustration.
As a legendary demon spirit master, he had never been challenged like this before!
"The Soul Sea has fixed attributes, just as demon spirits do. If their attributes differ too greatly, it will surely lead to failure, just like water and fire cannot coexist!"
"Attribute differences?" Ye Yan mumbled, lost in thought.
He had never considered this before, but Nie Li's words seemed to open a window in his mind.
"In addition to attribute differences, there are many profound secrets deep within the human Soul Sea that you, at your level, wouldn’t understand. If you were willing to take me as your teacher, perhaps I could teach you. Your soul hasn’t dissipated yet; even reshaping your physical body isn’t entirely impossible."
Nie Li sat cross-legged, a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.
Take Nie Li as his teacher? Ye Yan nearly exploded with rage.
He was the founder of Glory City! How could he be looked down upon in such a way? However, the last statement left him utterly speechless.
"Reshaping my body, can that really be done?" Ye Yan was momentarily stunned.
This was beyond his imagination.
Who was this young man? How did he know so much? As the ancestor of Glory City, if he wanted to accept a child as a disciple, they would surely grovel before him, yet here was Nie Li, seemingly teaching him a lesson instead?
Though anger nearly made him spit blood, everything Nie Li said was like a magnet, deeply attracting his attention.
"You really want me to take you as my teacher?"
"Me? I think about it... No, I'd rather not! I have no interest in teaching such a talentless disciple!" Nie Li snorted dismissively.
"If my disciple is still at the legendary level at a hundred years old and strutting about, I wouldn't hesitate to beat him dead!"
Ye Yan, now trembling with rage, pointed at Nie Li.
"You unworthy descendant!" His beard quivered in anger.
Even came back to life now, Nie Li would surely have him fuming again!
"I'm not a descendant of the Ye family! I am of the Heavenly Mark Family, which has a far richer legacy than your Ye family! If not for the fact that you are the ancestor of Ziyun, I wouldn't even bother to talk to you!" Nie Qi scoffed, disdain clear on his face.
Ye Yan was furious, but as a soul, he had no way to deal with Nie Li!
"Heavenly Mark Family, I remember now. When I established Glory City, the Heavenly Mark Family was nothing but a minor clan. I admit your ancestor was indeed powerful, so it seems you have gained some inheritance! But to think that with just a little inheritance, you would be so arrogant!" Ye Yan admitted that Nie Li appeared to know more than he did, but he still refused to concede defeat.
How could he lose to a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child? Where would that leave his reputation as a legendary demon spirit master?
“Hmph!” Ye Yan felt too stifled to say anything more.
Since that old man didn't bother him anymore, Nie Li naturally wouldn't speak to Ye Yan.
He started to cultivate diligently, waves of overwhelming soul force continuously swirling around him.
As he began to run the Heavenly Dao Divine Technique, the two demon spirits in his Soul Sea absorbed the soul force like sponges, growing stronger all the while.
Ye Yan's soul floated around Nie Li, and although he was furious, he couldn't help but watch when Nie Li began his cultivation practice.
The sheer surge of soul force was extraordinary; it was more reminiscent of a legendary demon spirit master’s cultivation rather than that of a silver-level spirit master.
Ye Yan glanced over at Xiao Ning'er and pondered, "Whether it's this kid or that girl, their cultivation techniques are astonishing. At such a young age, they’re absolute prodigies. Has the world changed while I've been away for so many years?"
Compared to Nie Li's Heavenly Dao Divine Technique, the five techniques Ye Yan had shown earlier were indeed pathetic.
Although the Heavenly Dao Divine Technique was relatively slow compared to techniques like Wind-Thunder Wyvern Technique or Nine Transformations Ice Phoenix Art, it still progressed dozens of times faster than those five techniques Ye Yan just presented.
They were simply on completely different levels.
With a thought, Ye Yan shifted his attention back to Xiao Ning'er.
"Little girl, I can see you have keen talents. How about I take you as my disciple?"
Xiao Ning'er was slightly startled by Ye Yan’s voice but quickly asked, "May I ask who you are?"
"I am Ye Yan, the ancestor of Glory City and the founder of the Snow Wind Family!" Ye Yan proclaimed with pride.
"Oh! It’s the Great Ancestor! Xiao Ning'er of the Wyvern Family pays her respects!" Xiao Ning'er quickly showed her respect; she naturally admired such powerful figures in the history of Glory City.
Ye Yan stroked his beard and smiled.
"Very good, very good! A promising young one!" At least she acted like a normal family's daughter, unlike Nie Li, who was just too abnormal.
"I've been in this Heavenly Illusion Sacred Realm for a thousand years, and I’ve lost track of the outside world. How is it now?"
"Great Ancestor, Glory City is still well off."
"How many legendary demon spirit masters are currently in Glory City?"
"Reporting to the Great Ancestor, there is now only one legendary demon spirit master in Glory City, Lord Ye Mo," Xiao Ning'er replied respectfully.
"How can this be?" Ye Yan frowned.
This seemed odd to him because both Xiao Ning'er and Nie Li practiced such powerful techniques that were shocking.
Logically, powerful techniques like those couldn't possibly produce just one legendary demon spirit master.
"Is there a problem?" Xiao Ning'er asked, looking puzzled.
"Nothing much. Little girl, let me see the techniques you are practicing. Perhaps I can offer you some pointers!" Ye Yan said, his old face reddening after speaking those words.
"Um..."
Xiao Ning'er fell into hesitation.
(End of Chapter)