Chapter 490: Chapter 479: The Sword Cultivator Father
"You speak the truth? You really made Ye Sheng switch to cultivating artifacts? You must know that refining artifacts requires learning many things and takes a lot of time; he might not have much time left to practice swordsmanship." Even now, Perfected Ming Shi could hardly believe it, considering how dedicated Ye Qiu used to be to his sword practice.
They, as his martial uncles, could hardly bear to watch the young Ye Sheng practice his sword tirelessly on the peak every day, but they couldn’t say that Ye Qiu was wrong; inheriting Ye Qiu’s Metal Spirit Root, Ye Sheng could perhaps become another Lonely Swallow Sword Lord. They’ve seen with Ye Qiu, who became what he is now only through relentless cultivation.
"I’ve been reflecting on whether I made a mistake. I was able to endure the hardships because I love the Sword Dao, but not Sheng’er; what he loves most is artifact refining. Moreover, you said he has a talent for it," Ye Qiu replied truthfully.
Perfected Ming Shi was stunned; the obstinate Lonely Swallow Sword Lord not only had dropped his stubbornness but also explained so much to him? Had the sun really not risen from the west? What a wonder!
"What is that look? Are you looking down on my Sheng’er?" Seeing Perfected Ming Shi with an expression as if he had seen a ghost, Ye Qiu’s expression darkened.
Stared at fiercely by Ye Qiu, Perfected Ming Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Good, good, his senior brother had not been possessed by a ghost; he was still the same brother with a perpetually stern face. That was what he called normal, why change to become so understanding all of a sudden?
Seeing his reaction, Ye Qiu grew even more displeased. What, was he really that bad?
"Since you’ve accepted the Roc Wing Bone, let’s settle it at that. After the sect takes in disciples, I’ll send Sheng’er to you. If you don’t teach him well, beware that I, Ye Qiu, might tear down your Artifact Refining Peak," Ye Qiu threatened coldly.
Perfected Ming Shi was pissed off, blowing his beard and staring wide-eyed, but he was confident in his own abilities and also in Sheng’er’s talent. Thus, he flared his nostrils at Ye Qiu and said, "Rest assured, Sheng’er will surely learn better with me than with you. Just wait and see."
Ye Qiu merely glanced at him and said nothing. Although Perfected Ming Shi was somewhat childish, his skills in artifact refining were renowned throughout the Xuanyuan Realm. Otherwise, Ye Qiu wouldn’t have bothered to come to him. Hopefully, Sheng’er could let go of the pressure Ye Qiu had put on him for sword practice after switching to cultivating artifacts!
After coming to an agreement with Perfected Ming Shi, Ye Qiu went to the Main Peak and communicated with the Sect Leader junior brother. Just like Perfected Ming Shi, Sect Leader Master Qin Guan also seemed as if he had seen a ghost, unable to believe why Ye Qiu had suddenly changed his temperament.
"Have you truly decided?" Sect Leader Zhengzhong asked solemnly. Ye Qiu was not only a pillar of the Tianyan Sect but also his direct senior brother, and Ye Sheng was his direct disciple nephew; naturally, he hoped for the best for them.
"Yes, I have decided. I want to respect Ye Sheng’s choice; he has talent and also loves artifact refining. It should be better than me forcing him."
The Sect Leader sighed with relief: "It’s best if you’ve thought it through. With you as his father, considering for him, he is very fortunate."
However, Ye Qiu felt ashamed and bowed his head; in his previous life, it was due to his stubbornness that he harmed Sheng’er. He hoped that this life, when he encountered Lin Shen, would not generate any Heart Demons.
Thinking of Lin Shen, Ye Qiu furrowed his brow. Lin Shen was very peculiar; even though he had Five Spirit Roots, his cultivation speed matched those with Single Spirit Roots, which was acceptable, as every hundred years, the Cultivation World would see a few extremely fortunate individuals. But, his vengeful nature was truly too intense; the slightest obstacle would result in his ruthless retribution against those who hindered him.
In his past life, Ye Sheng’s continuous challenges were indeed troublesome, but Sheng’er always challenged him at the Martial Arts Arena and never privately; why then, upon entering a secret realm, did he suddenly make a deadly move against Sheng’er?
Could it be that there was a secret he had not known? After all, the time Sheng’er died and his Dao was extinguished was in a secret realm, and he had no way of knowing the details.
Lin Shen...
Ye Qiu silently repeated that name over and over in his heart, yet unfortunately, he couldn’t and was incapable of killing Lin Shen, the Child of Destiny, for he reckoned that Lin Shen must already be a disciple of Master Wu’an by now!
Master Wu’an is also a figure of Great Power within their Tianyan Sect, with a cultivation even higher than Ye Qiu’s, who is currently at the Peak of Nascent Soul Late Stage, just one step away from the Divinity Transformation that leads to Ascension to the Upper Realm.
In his previous life, Lin Shen was the one Ye Qiu brought from the outside world to break through emotional barriers. He cultivated the Heartless Dao, had once slain his wife following the Righteous Sect, his actions causing many fellow sect members of Tianyan Sect to scorn him; yet he seldom interacted with others, and occasionally he would exert himself for the sect, and others would just turn a blind eye.
Influenced by Lin Shen’s traumatic childhood experiences and by Master Wu’an, the young man’s temperament was incredibly resilient, and though not as ruthlessly Heartless as Master Wu’an, he had always followed a policy of eliminating anyone who stood in his way.
Before Ye Qiu’s death, Lin Shen had carelessly mentioned that opportunities must be seized, and those with the ability will obtain them.
Therefore, he suspected that Lin Shen coveted the opportunity obtained by Sheng’er within the secret realm and resorted to murder in secret.
But if Lin Shen was destined to be one of the tribulations on Sheng’er’s path of cultivation, this tribulation could only be surmounted by himself – intervening with Lin Shen now might just result in second and third successors; it would be better to leave him be, at least he could take precautions.
Upon returning to Hidden Sword Peak and not seeing Ye Sheng’s figure, Ye Qiu was just about to ascend to the peak top to calm down when he saw that frail boy exerting himself to swing the long sword in his hand. Despite being exhausted to the limit, despite being nearly blown over by the fierce wind, he never let go.
"Sheng’er." Ye Qiu flashed over and snatched the sword from his hand, with a deep frown on his forehead.
"Father." As Ye Sheng saw his father’s unhappy expression, panic took hold of him, "Father, why are you here? Is it because I’m not practicing well enough? Sheng’er will work harder, I’ve already swung the sword one thousand five hundred times today, I can keep going."
"No need, you don’t have to practice sword from now on." Ye Qiu took away his sword.
"Father!" Ye Sheng looked utterly stricken and was quickly on the verge of tears, "Father, don’t give up on me, I will definitely work harder from now on, if a thousand swings aren’t enough, then two thousand, if two thousand aren’t enough, then three thousand, I will never be lazy in the future."
Ye Qiu listened to Ye Sheng’s words with a look of bewilderment. What had he done to cause such terror in Sheng’er?
"Don’t panic." Ye Qiu stiffly placed his hand on Ye Sheng’s head and then gently rubbed it.
"Father..." Ye Sheng was stunned, his body froze just like Ye Qiu’s, because his father had never been this close to him before.
"Father is not blaming you, I’ve had a realization. Since you love sword practice, then stop doing it from now on."
"Have you given up on me, Father?" Ye Sheng hung his head in self-reproach, indeed it was his uselessness that had disappointed his father.
"Sheng’er." Seeing that Ye Sheng was distressed, Ye Qiu forced him to look up at himself and then said seriously, "Sheng’er, Father will never give up on you. Father just wants to respect your choices. Since you prefer artifact refining, from now on, pursue what you enjoy. I’ve already informed your uncle Perfected Ming Shi, after the sect’s disciple acceptance ceremony, he will take you as his Direct Disciple."