The Stubborn Ye Jiancheng

It is rumored that deep within the center of the Black Mountain in the Black Forest, there is a giant black egg that has been dormant for over ten thousand years. This egg is said to have been laid by a female demon queen when the demon royal family invaded the human lands. To protect the life within, she cast a sealing spell, ensuring that the demon's life would endure to this day, unscathed by human forces. As a result, the creatures around the Black Mountain have become incredibly aggressive and fierce.

This area is devoid of spiritual energy, replaced by a suffocating, poisonous miasma that makes it unbearable for cultivators. Those with lower cultivation levels could easily lose their sanity, their minds driven to madness from the oppressive atmosphere.

At the edge of the Black Mountain, beasts roam freely, and trees grow thickly. Despite the danger from the vicious beasts, some cultivators still venture into this treacherous region.

As Ye Qiang walked through the forest, he encountered several beasts that attacked him. However, these were merely wild beasts that had recently evolved, still in the early stages of their growth. Their cultivation levels hadn't reached the Bronze Stage, so they posed no real threat to Ye Qiang.

Ye Qiang had reached the second stage of the Bronze Phase, where cultivators primarily focus on strengthening their physical power and resilience. At the first stage of the Bronze Phase, a cultivator could exert about five tons of force, with their body able to withstand a load of around one ton. Upon reaching the second stage, their strength would increase to over ten tons, and their body could endure more than two tons of pressure.

At the third stage, their power exceeds twenty tons, and their physical endurance surpasses four tons. The fourth stage sees a cultivator wielding over forty tons of strength, and their body could handle more than eight tons. The final, fifth stage of the Bronze Phase grants a cultivator a strength of one hundred tons and a physical endurance of twenty tons.

Comparing these stages, it becomes clear that the physical endurance of a fifth-stage Bronze cultivator is almost on par with the strength of a third-stage cultivator. This means a fifth-stage Bronze cultivator could easily defeat a third-stage cultivator with a single blow. On the other hand, a third-stage cultivator would have no way of dealing with a fifth-stage opponent.

As Ye Qiang continued on his journey, he heard a strange noise coming from nearby. He pushed through the bushes and found a group of outer disciples from the Blood Sword Sect, engaged in combat. The group consisted of six disciples, all wearing blood-red robes and wielding long swords. On the ground lay five or six others, all in the first stage of the Bronze Phase, clearly defeated.

Ye Qiang observed closely and realized that one of the combatants was Li Zhi, the arrogant disciple who had severely injured him not long ago. The other combatant, a boy named Ye Jiancheng, was drenched in sweat, his body covered in multiple sword wounds. Despite his injuries, Ye Jiancheng's aura remained unbroken. His eyes were resolute, and a faint smile played at the corner of his lips, giving him an almost carefree appearance.

"Humph... Ye Jiancheng, do you really think you're impressive now that you've just entered the third stage of the Bronze Phase? You don't even respect me, Li Zhi?" Li Zhi sneered at the boy, his arrogance evident in his tone.

"Heh, you're already dead, and you're still talking so much. If I were in your place, I would have run far away by now. But since you've pissed me off, I'm going to kill every last one of you," Ye Jiancheng responded coldly, his expression showing no sign of concern.

"Ha ha ha..." Li Zhi laughed mockingly. "You're all about to die and you're still trying to scare us."

Ye Qiang, watching from a distance, couldn't shake the feeling that something was strange about Ye Jiancheng. Despite his severe injuries, the boy seemed to have full confidence in defeating Li Zhi and his group. What could be the reason for his apparent assurance? Was he simply dazed by the fight?

Just as Ye Qiang was contemplating whether to intervene, Ye Jiancheng reached into his bag and pulled out a small blue pouch, which was no ordinary pouch—it was a Qiankun bag, a magical item that could store large amounts of objects in an expansive space. Ye Jiancheng reached into it and withdrew a dull red sword, glowing faintly.

If Ye Qiang was not mistaken, this was a mid-grade Earth-level weapon, which carried spiritual energy that could deal both physical and spiritual damage. With such a weapon, Li Zhi and his group were no longer a match for him.

As Ye Jiancheng unsheathed the sword, the expressions on Li Zhi and his companions shifted dramatically. They had clearly realized they could no longer threaten Ye Jiancheng, but they didn't want to back down.

"Humph..." Ye Jiancheng sneered. "I didn't expect you to have an Earth-level weapon!"

"Today, I'll let you go for now."

"But this debt will be settled later," Li Zhi sneered, his voice full of menace. "Let's go, brothers."

With that, Li Zhi and his group quickly retreated.

Not long after Li Zhi and his men left, Ye Jiancheng, heavily injured, collapsed to one knee. Ye Qiang, seeing this, rushed over and stopped a short distance from the wounded boy.

As Ye Qiang looked around at the fallen disciples, some of whom were badly injured, he finally walked up to Ye Jiancheng.

"Stay away from me, or I'll kill you with this sword!" Ye Jiancheng growled in a sharp tone.

However, Ye Qiang didn't step back. Instead, he smiled and walked up to Ye Jiancheng, extending his hand to him. "It's okay, stop forcing yourself," he said softly.

"Look at the injuries you've taken. You're exhausted. If no one helps you, you're in real danger..." Ye Qiang added.

In truth, if Ye Jiancheng had used his mid-grade Earth-level weapon from the beginning, coupled with his strength at the third stage of the Bronze Phase, he could have easily killed Li Zhi and the others. Perhaps he had avoided using his powerful weapon because he didn't want to take advantage of the situation, choosing to fight with a regular sword instead.

What Ye Jiancheng didn't expect was that after less than ten exchanges, he was already on the verge of collapse. Overpowered and nearly out of breath, he had no choice but to pull out his Earth-level weapon to intimidate Li Zhi and his group. Yet, he didn't kill them. From this, it was clear that Ye Jiancheng still had a compassionate side.

Seeing that Ye Jiancheng refused his help, Ye Qiang tried once more. "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. We're not even that familiar, there's no reason for me to harm you, right?"

"I don't like dealing with people I don't know. You should leave. My problems are none of your business." Ye Jiancheng said expressionlessly, his face cold despite his injuries.