Chapter 549: Prediction

"Oh? I've heard that no one from the three sects has broken into the fifth floor in nearly a hundred years. Are you so confident?" Ye Yuan asked.

"Heh, although I can't match Junior Brother Ye, I still have some confidence in myself. Before breaking through to the Soul Sea realm, I wouldn't have dared to say that, but now..."

Qin Yan didn't finish his sentence, but it was clear that he had absolute confidence in getting through the fourth floor.

Any talented martial artist has full confidence in themselves; this is a necessary condition for becoming a strong expert.

Qin Yan was indeed a standout among the younger generation of the Boundless Border, so his confidence was not unwarranted.

If he lacked such confidence, he wouldn't have broken through to the Soul Sea realm so quickly after being stimulated by Ye Yuan.

"Hehe, then I must congratulate Senior Brother Qin on being the first in a hundred years!" Ye Yuan said with a smile.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. With Junior Brother Ye here, how could I claim to be the first? Besides, Guo Taoqun and Yin Yanhua will surely not lag behind," Qin Yan quickly replied.

"Hmm?"

"So Junior Brother Ye doesn't know yet? The two of them had already broken through to the Soul Sea realm before coming to the Haotian Secret Realm," Qin Yan said, seeing Ye Yuan's expression and realizing he hadn't received the news.

Ye Yuan was always somewhat slow in picking up such information.

Hearing this, Ye Yuan couldn't help but laugh. "You three are really chasing closely. But that's fine. Walking alone at the front can be a bit lonely."

Qin Yan nodded, agreeing with Ye Yuan.

But he quickly came to his senses—wasn't the person in front of him the one walking alone at the front?

Even now, he wouldn't dare claim to be a sure match for Ye Yuan, let alone after obtaining the Haotian inheritance.

A martial artist at the second level of the Sea Transformation realm could kill a Soul Sea realm expert. Ye Yuan was simply monstrous, inspiring fear.

In fact, after being taken hostage by Ye Yuan, Qin Yan had been quite unconvinced.

It was with a pent-up determination that he had broken through to the Soul Sea realm so quickly.

But when he heard that Ye Yuan had single-handedly killed a Soul Sea realm expert, he no longer entertained any thoughts of revenge against Ye Yuan.

The gap between him and Ye Yuan was too vast, and it would only grow larger.

Even with a whole major realm above Ye Yuan, he seemed to have no advantage at all.

Moreover, given Ye Yuan's potential, his cultivation speed would only be faster!

...

After accompanying Ye Yuan on a tour, Qin Yan brought him back to the gathering place of the great experts.

Seeing Ye Yuan, Guo Taoqun immediately greeted him warmly. "Haha, Junior Brother Ye, you've actually ended up with Qin Yan! I just asked the City Lord and was about to go find you!"

Ye Yuan had a good impression of the naturally friendly Guo Taoqun and smiled. "A few days no see, Senior Brother Guo has improved again. Congratulations!"

"Hey, that's all thanks to you! If you hadn't stimulated Qin Yan, Ice Cloud Fairy and I wouldn't have been stimulated by him either! I only admire you, Ye Yuan. That kid Qin Yan being above me—I won't accept it!" Guo Taoqun laughed.

"Hmph! No matter what, this time I've come out ahead!" Qin Yan snorted coldly.

These two were natural rivals; they couldn't go three sentences without arguing.

"So what? Now we're evenly matched again. If you're not convinced, let's have a match!" Guo Taoqun was unyielding.

"Alright, what's the use of fighting and showing off? Better to spend your energy on the martial artists from the Windstorm Realm!" Yin Yanhua stepped in, interrupting their heated exchange.

As soon as Yin Yanhua spoke, the two wisely shut up and stopped arguing.

Ye Yuan naturally noticed the subtle dynamics among the three but didn't point it out. He cupped his hands to Yin Yanhua. "Congratulations, Ice Cloud Fairy, on breaking through to the Soul Sea realm."

Yin Yanhua was cold and aloof, so Ye Yuan didn't bother with excessive pleasantries, offering only a simple congratulations.

Yin Yanhua performed a curtsy and said coldly, "You flatter me, Junior Brother Ye."

"Hahaha... Little Brother Ye, you're here! I was just betting with Old Ren that you'd definitely make it to the sixth floor!"

Qin Hongtao came over with a big laugh, accompanied by Ning Yixian, Jing Xuan, and Ren Xingchun.

These were all patriarch-level figures from the various sects, who had set aside their important affairs to come to the Haotian Secret Realm for the sake of their younger disciples.

The patriarchs had set the general direction for the alliance, leaving the rest to others.

Besides their own cultivation, their most important task was to nurture the younger generation.

Behind Qin Hongtao followed Zhou Ye, who, upon hearing Qin Hongtao's words, turned purple-faced and kept stealing glances at Ye Yuan.

What was going on?

His own patriarch was calling this kid 'little brother'?

Wasn't that messing up seniority?

Zhou Ye was in turmoil, but one thing was very clear: Qin Yan hadn't been joking with him earlier!

This Ye Yuan was really not someone he could afford to provoke!

Seeing these patriarch-level figures so close to Ye Yuan, calling him 'little brother' repeatedly, Zhou Ye's heart grew colder with each word.

He silently prayed that Ye Yuan wouldn't tattle to his patriarch; otherwise, given his patriarch's temper, he would be in for it.

Zhou Ye began to listen to their conversation with bated breath.

"Hehe, Patriarch Qin flatters me so much. If I don't make it to the sixth floor, I'd be too ashamed to come out of the tower," Ye Yuan replied with a smile.

"Hey, Little Brother Ye, no need to be modest. That brat of mine says he can reach the fifth floor, so you reaching the sixth floor is absolutely no problem!" Qin Hongtao laughed heartily.

Ye Yuan just smiled and turned to Ren Xingchun. "Patriarch Qin guessed I could reach the sixth floor. What did the City Lord say earlier?"

Ren Xingchun also smiled but didn't answer Ye Yuan's question.

Ning Yixian interjected, "This Old Ren is as sly as they come. We pressed him to state his opinion earlier, but he just wouldn't speak. Maybe in his heart, he thinks it's possible for Little Brother Ye to reach the seventh floor!"

Of course, this was just Ning Yixian joking.

In his heart, although Ye Yuan was monstrous, the Haotian Tower inheritance was even more monstrous.

Making it to the sixth floor would already make Ye Yuan the first person in the Boundless Border in a thousand years.

The seventh floor—how could it be so easy to enter?

After all, to this day, only three people had ever entered the seventh floor.

It wasn't that he didn't believe in Ye Yuan; it was that the Haotian Tower was too abnormal!

Zhou Ye had been listening to their conversation with trepidation, but Ye Yuan never once looked at him, as if he were just air.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Ye noticed that Ye Yuan seemed to have truly forgotten about him, and his hanging heart relaxed a little.

Just then, a loud rumble came from the tower, and the pitch-black tower suddenly emitted a brilliant light, blinding everyone!

"Creak..."

The giant door at the very bottom of the Haotian Tower slowly opened...