Chapter 480 489: Seeing Ye Shixue Again

For a full seven days, Ye Tian hadn't stepped out of Yang Wuji's small courtyard. Similarly, Yang Wuji had also been inside the courtyard the entire time, constantly refining the Soul-Locking Pill until he was utterly exhausted.

During that time, Yang Wuji had spent a brief three days teaching Ye Tian the theory of siege warfare and cavalry tactics. To his shock, Ye Tian's claim of needing ten days was a massive overestimation. In reality, it only took Ye Tian two days to more or less master the material!

In other words, the time Ye Tian and Yang Wuji actually spent on the Soul-Locking Pill was double the time spent learning about siege warfare and cavalry tactics!

Over the seven days, Zhang Xinlan had visited Ye Tian once, on the fifth day. Ye Tian briefly explained the matter of the Celestial Dragon Garden to her, and in response, Zhang Xinlan declared that she could master the study of Arrays within ten days.

Upon learning this, Yang Wuji could only laugh bitterly to himself. 'It's one thing for Ye Tian to be a monster, but how is the woman at his side also this monstrously talented? Plus, I can't even discern Zhang Xinlan's true Cultivation. What does that mean?'

'Either her techniques are simply too profound, or her Cultivation far surpasses my own. For some reason, I have a strong feeling it's the latter!'

Zhang Xinlan was delighted after Ye Tian told her about the Celestial Dragon Garden, so they agreed to meet on the ninth day to prepare for the instructor assessment on the tenth.

The opportunity to enter the Celestial Dragon Garden would come shortly after the instructor assessment, so time was tight. It wasn't until the seventh day, when Ye Tian felt he had made enough progress, that he finally had time to properly explore the Imperial City Academy.

Accompanied by Yang Wuji, Ye Tian toured the academy's Pill Pavilion and Weapon Shop, then paid a visit to the Combat Skill Pavilion.

Ye Tian had often mulled over a problem. While he had many powerful trump cards, all his Combat Skills were of too high a level. Using any of them would leave him in a weakened state. As a result, his lack of suitable Combat Skills to practice for his current level had always been a major issue.

Even now, he was still resorting to the Thunderbolt Fist in battle. It was clear that after reaching the Five Veins realm, he was starting to feel like he was running out of options.

After selecting a few Combat Skills with decent offensive power from the Combat Skill Pavilion, Ye Tian prepared to head back to his residence and discuss the next steps of their plan with Zhang Xinlan.

Since they were only meant as a stopgap, he wasn't particularly concerned with the level of the Combat Skills. In any case, any Combat Skill from the Imperial City Academy was bound to be far better than the Thunderbolt Fist.

But just as he and Yang Wuji were about to head back, a slender, beautiful figure appeared before him.

A ripple disturbed the calm in Ye Tian's eyes, but it vanished just as quickly as it came.

As Ye Tian's gaze fell upon her, she seemed to sense it and turned to look at him.

"I didn't expect to run into you here."

Ye Shixue looked at Ye Tian, her expression unreadable, revealing neither joy nor sorrow. Her gaze was even more detached than his.

Actually, 'detached' wasn't quite right; 'cold' would have been a more fitting word.

Ever since he began cultivating Soul Slash, which allowed his soul to merge with the Soul Refining Pearl, Ye Tian's Soul Perception Power had grown daily. This was the real reason he had been able to master so much information about siege warfare and cavalry tactics in such a short time.

Likewise, the Power of Soul Origin could also be used for comprehending Combat Skills and probing the Cultivation of others. Most techniques for concealing one's aura and Cultivation were completely ineffective against his perception.

And yet, even using his full strength, Ye Tian could only detect fluctuations from Ye Shixue at the Peak of Four Veins Nine Layers. Moreover, the signal was unstable, sometimes strong and sometimes weak. This indicated that her Cultivation was at least at this level, and possibly much, much higher!

"I didn't expect it either."

Ye Tian said with a slight lift of his lips, a simple reply to Ye Shixue.

Meeting again like this, the atmosphere was incredibly awkward. Ye Tian found that he no longer felt much hatred for Ye Shixue. It was more a sense of pity. After all, when your first love, the first person you give your heart to, betrays you, it's something you can never truly forget.

However, on the path of cultivation, one's Mental Realm was crucial, so Ye Tian forced himself to keep his emotions in check, not allowing the incident to affect him.

"It seems you've been doing well. Your Cultivation has progressed so quickly, and I still haven't caught up. But don't get too proud. I'll soon leave you far behind. When that happens... that will be the time to end things once and for all."

A cold glint suddenly flashed in Ye Shixue's eyes. Ye Tian didn't know what could have caused such a sudden shift, but he felt a suffocating pressure in his chest. He'd had a premonition that seeing Ye Shixue here at the Imperial City Academy was by no means a good thing.

Ever since his Soul Perception Power had grown stronger, Ye Tian had come to hate this ability at times. When it warned him of an approaching crisis, the feeling itself was deeply unsettling.

"I'll be waiting. I'll be ready whenever you decide to come."

'What I really mean,' he thought, 'is that if you ever want to kill me, I'll be waiting.'

Under the influence of the grudge between the War Dragon and the Demon Dragon, Ye Tian and Ye Shixue were mortal enemies who could not exist under the same sky. Only one of them could live. It was fated.

"Shixue, what are you doing here?"

Just as Ye Tian and Ye Shixue finished exchanging a few words, a sharp, cold voice cut in.

Ye Tian looked behind Ye Shixue to see a handsome young man in a white robe, carrying himself with a dashing air. What surprised Ye Tian even more was that the man's Cultivation fluctuations were even stronger than Yang Wuji's—he was a true Six Veins master!

"It's nothing, Brother Ouyang. I just ran into an old acquaintance. Let's go."

Ye Shixue gave the man a sweet smile, her gaze sweeping past Ye Tian as if he wasn't even there.

"An acquaintance? Heh, I had no idea you were acquainted with him. What a coincidence! I was planning on getting rid of this eyesore after dealing with the Celestial Dragon Garden, but since we've run into him now, it must be fate. I don't mind warming up a little. Shixue, you wouldn't blame me for being unfriendly to your friend, would you?"

This young man was none other than the First Young Master of the Ouyang Clan, Ouyang Yeyu!

Ye Tian had guessed his identity immediately, but he hadn't expected him to be so close to Ye Shixue. The way they stood together, their intimate demeanor, spoke volumes.

"Friend? Hehe, Brother Ouyang, you must be joking. That was in the past. As for now… well, if you could get rid of him for me, that would be for the best!"

Ye Shixue let out a giggle, her expression utterly bewitching. Even Ye Tian couldn't help but stare for a moment longer before he snapped back to his senses and carefully sized up Ouyang Yeyu.

Standing beside Ye Tian, Yang Wuji was utterly speechless. 'Was this kid a walking disaster in a past life? On his very first day at the academy, he stirred up so much trouble. The next morning, he ended up fighting Li Longji in the Life and Death Arena. And now, not long after coming out of a seven-day seclusion, he runs into a major menace like Ouyang Yeyu!'