Chapter 1639: The Fallen Genius

"Elder Ye, you're back?" As soon as Ye Yuan entered the inner city, he ran into Lin Dong and a few friends. Lin Dong greeted him with a smile.

Ye Yuan glanced at him, nodded faintly, and walked past without any intention of responding.

Lin Dong's tone was respectful, but there was not a trace of respect on his face.

On the contrary, his face was full of mockery and schadenfreude.

His friends were the same, their faces full of disdain.

Seeing Ye Yuan ignore him, Lin Dong sneered to his companions, "What's he so cocky about? Still thinks he's that genius elder? Can't even break through to the Divine Lord realm, yet dares to call himself a genius. How ridiculous!"

"Heh, if you can't break through to the Divine Lord realm, any genius is just bullshit!"

"I heard there's been talk up top about stripping him of his elder position. If that happens, we'll settle old scores!"

"He still acts like a big shot in the imperial city, putting on airs in front of us!"

"Hahaha..."

...

These people spoke loudly, not bothering to avoid Ye Yuan.

Clearly, they no longer regarded Ye Yuan, an elder, with any respect.

In the blink of an eye, three hundred years had passed since returning from the Demon Summoning Ridge!

During these three hundred years, Ye Yuan had tried countless methods, but still could not find a way to create the fourth layer of the technique.

This door seemed to have completely closed for him.

Ye Yuan visualized the Lesser Tongtian Mountain and tried to break through through alchemy, but found nothing.

When seclusion yielded no results, Ye Yuan often went out alone to train, even refining a Void Spirit-grade Sun Moon Qiankun Pill and consuming it.

But all his efforts seemed to sink into the sea, having no effect at all.

Back then, Ye Yuan had burst onto the scene, shocking the entire Tianying Imperial City, and even the Heavenly God experts above had promoted him exceptionally to become an elder of the Alchemy Tower.

For a time, he was hailed as a celestial being.

No one doubted that Ye Yuan would soon become a Divine Lord realm expert!

However, just as no one had expected Ye Yuan's terrifying strength, they also never expected that Ye Yuan would be unable to break through to the Divine Lord realm for three hundred years.

For a mediocre talent, breaking through to the Divine Lord realm in three hundred years was normal.

But for Ye Yuan, three hundred years was too long, far too long!

With his prolonged inability to break through, some voices of doubt naturally arose in the city.

Especially since Ye Yuan was a tall tree that caught the wind; almost everyone's eyes were on him.

Now, these doubts were intensifying, which was why Lin Dong and his ilk dared to disregard Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan had just returned from training outside when he heard the news that his elder status might be revoked.

He believed this was not without foundation; otherwise, Lin Dong would not be so arrogant.

However, he did not care.

The elder position might be extremely honorable to others, but to him, it held little attachment.

His vision would never stop at a mere elder position.

As for Lin Dong's provocations, Ye Yuan could not be bothered to respond and walked away directly.

But Lin Dong and his friends, seeing Ye Yuan silent, thought he was afraid and became even more brazen.

They even chased after Ye Yuan, continuing their mockery.

"Ooh, our great genius Ye is slinking away in disgrace! Hahaha..."

"We mediocre talents have all broken through to the Divine Lord realm, but Elder Ye, hailed as the number one genius, can't. How laughable!"

"Hey, the imperial city made him an elder because they were sure he could break through to the Divine Lord realm. But now, it seems the higher-ups misjudged!"

...

As they were speaking, an overwhelming aura suddenly descended. An old man appeared abruptly on the street, fixing Lin Dong and the others with an icy glare.

Lin Dong and his group felt as if they had fallen into ice, their words cut short.

"Ancestor!" Lin Dong and the others stammered.

"Get lost!" Leng Yu said coldly.

"Y-yes, Ancestor!"

Lin Dong and his friends, not expecting Leng Yu to appear here, fled in terror, scrambling away.

Leng Yu looked at Ye Yuan, frustrated at his lack of fight, "You're an elder of the Alchemy Tower, how can you let these scoundrels bully you?"

Over these three hundred years, Leng Yu had been on a roll, breaking through all the way to the half-step Heavenly God realm—truly a case of slow but steady accumulation.

Now, Leng Yu's status in the Tianying Imperial City had naturally risen accordingly.

Leng Yu did not care for such mundane affairs, but with Zheng Qi half-dead, he had taken charge of the Martial Tower's matters.

The world was so realistic; despite Leng Yu's seniority, if his cultivation had stagnated and he only relied on his age, no one would pay him any attention.

But now, naturally, no one dared to look down on him.

Ye Yuan looked at Leng Yu and smiled, "Isn't it said that I'll soon lose my elder position?"

Leng Yu was taken aback, then sighed, "Alas! Your inability to break through makes it hard to silence the public! I strongly opposed this, but those two have their difficulties. Don't blame them."

Ye Yuan knew that the 'two' Leng Yu referred to were the two Heavenly God experts of the Tianying Imperial City.

One of them was even more senior than Leng Yu, and the other was of the same generation.

In this Tianying Imperial City, their words carried the most weight.

Ye Yuan smiled upon hearing this, "Brother Leng, what are you saying? Elder or mortal, they're just empty titles. For us cultivators, without strength, everything is empty talk."

Leng Yu was somewhat surprised by Ye Yuan's reaction; he hadn't expected Ye Yuan to be so open-minded.

After all, the resources an elder enjoyed were far beyond what ordinary people could compare to.

What was most important for a martial artist?

Wasn't it cultivation resources!

Leng Yu sighed again, "I really can't understand. With talent like yours, you're definitely the number one unparalleled genius through the ages. I wouldn't be surprised if you break through to the True God realm, or even the Heavenly Sovereign realm! But you just can't break through to the Divine Lord realm. It baffles me!"

Leng Yu knew that the ancient sage who had comprehended two levels of spatial law now possessed unimaginable strength.

Ye Yuan had comprehended two levels of law in just a hundred years, his talent no less than that ancient sage!

But why couldn't he break through to the Divine Lord realm?

Opening a small world might be an impossible task for others, but for Ye Yuan, it should be a piece of cake!

In Leng Yu's view, Ye Yuan should have broken through within fifty years.

Yet now, three hundred years had passed, and Ye Yuan still showed no signs of progress.

So, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand.

Ye Yuan smiled, "The technique I cultivate is somewhat special. Breaking through to the Divine Lord realm requires an opportunity. That opportunity hasn't come, so I remain stuck."

Leng Yu's face darkened, "I wonder what kind of technique is so perverse that even a genius like you can't break through! Anyway, there's an elders' meeting in three days. Some people will likely use you as a topic. Be careful."

Ye Yuan smiled, "Just an elder, no big deal."