Chapter Sixty-Three: Frenzied Cultivation

An hour passed... two hours passed... three full hours went by as Ye Xin relentlessly pounded the punching target. He was drenched in sweat from head to toe, as if he had just crawled out of the sea, and a mist rose around him. The students of the Fifth Battalion glanced at Ye Xin with astonishment in their eyes; none of them could have imagined that a notorious wastrel would possess such determination! Even if they themselves tried, they would not be able to endure such an intense drain on their strength.

Those with keener minds recalled the potion that Xie En had forced Ye Xin to drink—what kind of medicine was it? Its effects were extraordinary!

Noon came, and the students were due for a break. One by one, they bid Xie En farewell and left the Cambrian Hall. Each of them, as they walked out, stole glances at Ye Xin, watching him intently.

Wen Rong and the others felt a pang of sympathy. After all, Ye Xin was Ye Ling’s brother; they wanted to step forward and offer a word of comfort. Yet, seeing Xie En’s face set like an icy mountain, they dared not bring trouble upon themselves.

Wen Rong’s group was the last to leave. Xie En stepped out as well and called from the doorway, “You may leave when you’ve broken the punching target!” With that, he closed the heavy doors of Cambrian Hall behind him.

The sound of fists striking the target echoed through the door—Ye Xin’s answer to Xie En.

After some time, Xie En returned, flanked by Xue Baiqi and Hao Fei. They pushed open the doors and saw Ye Xin still hammering away. The three exchanged smiles; then Xie En closed the doors again, locking them from the inside.

“Boss, aren’t you taking this a bit too seriously?” Xie En said with a grin.

Ye Xin stopped, wiped the sweat from his face, and replied coolly, “We must shock them. That way, when I progress rapidly in the future, they’ll be able to find their own rational explanations. It’s far better than me trying to persuade them myself.”

Xie En hurried over with a towel and set the food box he’d brought on the stone floor.

“Any water?” Ye Xin asked. “Damn it, everything else is fine, but I’m dying of thirst.”

“Right here.” Xie En produced a waterskin and handed it to Ye Xin, thoughtful as ever.

Ye Xin took the waterskin and drained it in one go, then tossed the empty pouch aside. “Hao Fei, something’s off with you. What happened?”

That Ye Xin could notice Hao Fei’s expression even in his disheveled state spoke to his sharp insight, especially since Hao Fei was not one to wear his emotions.

“It’s not here, it’s Fu Shang’s side—there’s a small problem,” Xue Baiqi said.

“A small problem? If it were small, you wouldn’t both come over,” Ye Xin laughed. “Go on, I’m listening.” He sat on the ground, grabbed the food box, and started eating.

“Fu Shang and his men are split into ten squads, all working hard to rescue their comrades’ families,” Xue Baiqi explained.

“Get to the point,” Ye Xin frowned. “I assigned him this task; do you think I don’t know?”

“Fu Shang went to Forgotten Sea City this time, to rescue Cai Anshan’s sister. Unfortunately, she was taken to the Military Town Hall that day. Fu Shang planned to get her out the next day, but Cai Anshan’s sister failed to serve properly, and the official wanted to kill her. Fu Shang had no choice but to kill the official and take her away,” Xue Baiqi said with a bitter smile.

Ye Xin’s eating slowed; he turned to Xue Baiqi. “Were there any casualties?”

“None,” Xue Baiqi replied.

“Good,” Ye Xin said. “Tell Fu Shang not to dwell on such small matters.”

“But…” Xue Baiqi hesitated. “Sir, over the past two years Fu Shang has rescued more than two thousand people. The incidents are scattered, so they’ve gone unnoticed. But killing a Military Town official must be reported to the Grand Magistrate’s Office. If they send people to investigate, they’ll almost certainly discover that batches of prisoners have been disappearing for two years. If they follow the trail… Fu Shang could be in trouble. Even if the Grand Magistrate’s Office does nothing but orders strict supervision of all prisoners, Fu Shang will find it much harder to rescue anyone. He can’t just fight his way through every time.”

“I’ll handle this,” Ye Xin said. “I just need time; if we can stall for a year or so, even if they find out, they’ll have no way to deal with us.”

Xue Baiqi and the others had utmost confidence in Ye Xin. Seeing his certainty, Xue Baiqi said nothing more.

“What about Hao Fei?” Ye Xin asked.

“Fu Shang went to Autumn Sunset City a while ago, but sadly, all of Hao Fei’s sisters were already dead,” Xue Baiqi answered quietly.

Hao Fei’s face was calm as he stood silently; he was good at controlling his emotions. Anyone else would not have noticed anything amiss with Hao Fei, but Ye Xin’s eyes were sharp, and he knew Hao Fei well.

“Autumn Sunset City…” Ye Xin murmured. “Who’s the Military Town official there?”

“Song Zidan,” Xue Baiqi replied. “He’s also the one who framed Hao Fei’s whole family.”

“Hao Fei, do you want revenge?” Ye Xin asked.

“With just a few of us around you, how could I leave Nine Cauldrons City?” Hao Fei said slowly. “If I let our cause suffer, what face would I have to see my brothers again?”

“Good! I really do need you here,” Ye Xin nodded firmly. “Baiqi, send Fu Shang a flying message. Suspend his current mission and have him go to Autumn Sunset City. Bring Song Zidan to me, and deliver him to Nine Cauldrons City for Hao Fei to deal with as he wishes.”

The three were stunned—especially Hao Fei, whose eyes grew moist and lips trembled.

“Hao Fei, I’m not singling you out… but…” Xue Baiqi hesitated. “Sir, shouldn’t we focus on the greater cause? Isn’t this just a matter of pride…”

“Baiqi, you’ve followed me for years—don’t you understand me yet?” Ye Xin laughed. “What I fight for is precisely this pride! Think about it: if I tell Hao Fei to put the cause first, while I am here obsessed with avenging my father, then what would that make me?”

Hao Fei suddenly dropped to one knee. “Sir…”

“Get up!” Ye Xin’s face showed displeasure. “How many times have I said it? A man’s knee is forged in gold. Besides, my command style is different from others. My orders must be obeyed without question, but in private I hope you’ll treat me as a friend, as a comrade!”

“Yes, sir…” Hao Fei stood slowly, his eyes growing wetter. A true warrior would rather bleed than shed tears, but at this moment Hao Fei could not control himself.

“I understand,” Xue Baiqi sighed. “Sir, I have one more matter.”

“Speak.”

“Are we really going to spend eight hundred elemental stones to hire that person?” Xue Baiqi paused. “Most of our resources are buried within the Great Summoning Kingdom’s borders and can’t be retrieved quickly. I don’t have many left; eight hundred stones is no small sum.”

“Knew you’d be stingy about it,” Ye Xin shook his head. “Once we accomplish our great undertaking, we’ll get a hundred or even a thousand times the return. Is eight hundred really so much?”

“I just feel… it’s not worth it,” Xue Baiqi said.

“I know you’re all uncertain, unsure of what I intend,” Ye Xin mused for a moment. “Well, you’ll all have to stand on your own someday. While we have time, I’ll teach you a little trick.”

“What trick?” The three grew curious.

“When you find yourselves in trouble, you should write down every enemy, every advantage, everything you face, clearly,” Ye Xin said, walking up to the blackboard on the platform. “You might think, ‘What’s the point? Anyone can do that!’ Actually, most people rely purely on instinct in problem-solving, lacking a systematic process that lets their minds work at full capacity. What I’m teaching you is just the first step. I hope you’ll make a habit of it.”

The three listened intently.

“Intellect is a mysterious thing,” Ye Xin continued. “Often, you’re just one step away from finding the perfect solution. And just as often, that single step leaves you with regrets. After a long time, you might suddenly realize, ‘If only I’d done that back then.’ But time cannot be reversed; a mistake is a mistake.”

“Listing every factor that can affect the outcome will make your thinking much clearer.” With that, Ye Xin turned and wrote a string of names on the blackboard.

Ironheart Sage, Guan Han Yu, Han Samai, Wang Fang, Deng Zhiguo, Wen Yuan Ren, Wei Juan, Shen Wang Ji, Zong Bieli.

“The only ones in Nine Cauldrons City with top-tier martial prowess are these few,” Ye Xin said. “Guan Han Yu is Ironheart Sage’s confidant, always serving as chief steward of the royal city. Those two are our enemies.”

As he spoke, Ye Xin wrote ‘Enemy’ on the board, then listed Ironheart Sage and Guan Han Yu beneath it.

“Wen Yuan Ren is a cunning old fox, but the Wen family’s lineage has been broken. Wen Hong Ren, the most talented, is gravely injured, his vital channels severed, and can no longer train,” Ye Xin said. “Wen Yuan Ren and Han Samai have the oldest credentials, but they face the same predicament. Their only hope rests with the third generation.”

“At the critical moment, Wen Yuan Ren won’t rush to decide,” Ye Xin continued. “If he helps Ironheart Sage, and wins, what then? He’ll gain some benefits at most. Among the Wen family’s third generation, aside from Wen Rong, the rest are mediocre. Wen Rong is still young, just a junior innate martial artist, and Ironheart Sage won’t invest resources in the Wen family.”