Chapter 2: The Power of Fire God

  Entering a plaza paved with bluestones, it was already crowded with people. A high altar stood in the center, and the seats on both sides were filled with crowds.

  Ye Yang's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

  Ye Nan Tian lowered his voice and said, "The Ye family is one of the eight surnames belonging to the Huo Shen clan. The eight branches are Ji, Ye, Peng, Tu, Mei, Cao, Zhen, and Mi. Every year, the Huo Shen Grand Canon selects outstanding young talents from each family to cultivate in the Qing Yun mountain range. Of course, this is all based on one condition: your Huo Shen power must be higher than first rank!"

  "What's this 'Fire God Power'?" Ye Yang was even more astonished.

  Ye Nan Tian said: "That's right, the ancient fire god left behind eight surnames that make up the fire god clan. Our bodies are flowing with the blood of the fire god, but the purity is not enough. Some young people have a natural talent and can develop their fire god powers early on, becoming a strong generation, while others may never be able to explore the mysteries of the fire god's power in their lifetime."

  Ye Yang nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions. He knew in his heart that he was from another time and space, so how could he possibly possess the Fire God's power?

  At this time, a loud and clear voice rose, its sound was like captivating the soul, making everyone present look up with wonder.

  "Please invite the clan elder!"

  A gray shadow flashed across the high sky, and the air seemed to solidify. Ye Yang felt that he was already unable to move, until an old man in a gray robe landed steadily on the high platform, and then let out a breath.

  Ye Nan's face was as cold and stern as the south sky, and he let out a breath of air, saying: "What a strong oppressive force! Peng Feng, the tribe leader, has probably already advanced to the ninth level of the Grand Earth Realm!"

  "Nine levels of the Grand Earth?" Ye Yang asked again.

  Ye Nan Tian nodded, saying in a low voice: "The mainland's martial arts are flourishing, and the classification of warriors is divided into one to nine levels. The clan leader Peng Feng you saw is our Huo Shen family's number one expert, with the strength of the ninth level of the earth. He has already reached the point of being able to use the power of fire gods with ease!"

  Ye Yang took a deep breath. Indeed, that grey-robed old man's aura was too overwhelming, as if it could suffocate people.

  ……

  On the high platform, Peng Feng nodded to indicate that it was time to begin. A muscular middle-aged man stepped forward and announced: "The annual Fire God Convention has begun! Please prepare for the trial of the Fire God's power, young people who have just reached adulthood!"

  He said loudly: "Peng family, Peng Yue'er, accept the trial!"

  Before the words had fallen, a fiery red figure flashed onto the high platform, leaping and bounding along the edge of the stage like a dragonfly touching water. Suddenly, it was a woman with a slender and beautiful figure, her lovely face as delicate as a flower petal. She gently swayed her skirt, revealing a pair of snowy white legs that seemed to be made of jade.

  Ye Yang's mind went "buzz" for a moment, this woman is really beautiful!

  By Ye Yang's side, Ye Feng said in a low voice: "Brother, this woman is Peng Yue'er, the treasured daughter of Clan Leader Peng Feng. It's said that Peng Yue'er has already reached the third level of Earthly Realm and is an outstanding expert among the young generation of the Fire God clan. It seems that she will definitely pass today's trial of the Fire God's power!"

  "Oh..."

  Ye Yang responded with a nod, his entire demeanor as calm and unruffled as an ancient well, as if Peng Yue'er had nothing to do with him at all.

  Ye Shuang was somewhat surprised and said: "Brother, don't you have any feelings at all?"

  "Oh, why have feelings?"

  "This... a year ago, Peng Yue'er was your childhood sweetheart, have you forgotten?"

  Ye Yang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "Really? So what happened afterwards? Did you break up?"

  "Hmm. Your Flame God's power has not made any progress, and can't even see half of the Flame God's power...". Ye Shuang's anger rose as she snorted: "The Peng family is so selfish, they deliberately kept their distance from you, and even that Peng Yue'er left you and got together with the new generation of Peng family experts, Peng Cheng. This pair of dogs!"

  "Hehe..."

  Ye Yang continued to smile calmly, this ancient well without ripples made Ye Shuang think that Ye Yang had really reached a certain realm. In fact, why was Ye Yang so calm? It was simply because who Peng Yue'er was with had nothing to do with him at all.

  On the high platform, Peng Yue'er walked to the center of the altar with lotus steps. There was a thick and heavy-looking bluestone slab there.

  "Pyropex, one of the heirlooms of the Fire God clan, can detect the concentration and intensity of the Fire God's true energy. The stronger the Fire God's power, the stronger Pyropex's reaction will be!" Ye Shuang explained.

  Ye Yang continued to nod, his sword-like eyebrows rising as he looked towards Peng Yue'er on stage.

  The middle-aged man's eyes were filled with doting love as he said, "Mei'er, put your hand on the flint and use all your might to activate your Fire God powers. I'll accurately determine your Fire God level!"

  Peng Yue'er revealed a confident smile, placing one small hand on the stone, and suddenly let out a loud shout. A strong gust of wind rose, her skirt flew up, and her slender legs became even more prominent. Between her palms, flames erupted, leaving scorch marks on the firestone. The stone "roared" to life, bursting into three-meter-high flames!

  "Haha, Peng Yue'er, Fire God Force Level 3!" The middle-aged man announced with a smile.

  Peng Yue'er clapped her hands and floated down from the stage with a fluttering motion.

  The middle-aged man continued loudly: "Peng Jia, Peng Su, come on stage!"

  As one young generation after another tested their Huǒ Shén Lì, the expressions of the tribe members were also unpredictable, some were delighted, while others were disappointed. When a girl like Péng Yuè ér with third-level Huǒ Shén Lì appeared in the family, it was naturally a grand celebration for the whole clan, but some families did not have so much joy.

  Middle-aged people reported one after another the level of Huǒ Shén Lì (Fire God Power) ——

  "Peng Jia, Peng Su, Huo Shen Li Level One!"

  "Peng Jia, Peng Ying, Huo Shen Li Yi Ji!"

  "Cao Family, Cao Ren, Fire God Strength Second Level!"

  "Cao Family, Cao Hong, Fire God Strength First Rank!"

  "Katsuragi family, Katsuragi style, Fire God's power, first level!"

  "Kaja, Karyuu, Fire God's Power Level 2!"

  ……

  Finally, it was Ye Yang and Ye Shuang's turn.

  "Brother, I'll go first!"

  Ye Shuang was called out by name, and after exchanging a greeting with Ye Yang, he leaped onto the high platform, jumping to a height of 3 meters. Ye Yang stared in amazement: "What a strong younger brother!"

  "Ye Family, Ye Shuang, Fire God Force First Level!"

  As the middle-aged man's voice fell, Ye Shuang's ranking came out. He walked down from the stage with a calm and collected expression. The first rank was relatively mediocre, basically anyone with the bloodline of the Fire God clan would have at least one rank of fire god power.

  "Yè jiā, Yè bà tiān, shàng tái!"

  Translation: "The Ye family, Ye Batian, on stage!"

  The middle-aged man on the stage loudly announced at the same time, with a proud and disdainful gaze looking down at Ye Yang, it was clear that he had some hostility towards Ye Yang.

  Ye Yang unknowingly, didn't say much, and stepped onto the high platform step by step. Suddenly, he was met with a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd, among whom someone laughed wildly: "The Fire God Clan is the family of the strongest Fire God Warrior, I didn't expect that after coming of age, there would still be such a waste, hahaha!"

  Ye Yang felt a bit dazed, after going on stage, he placed his hand on the flint.

  The middle-aged man couldn't help but burst out laughing, his expression scornful as he said: "Go ahead and use your strength, Young Master Ye! I'd love to see just how much of a big deal this philanderer can make!"

  Ye Yang exerted his strength, but saw that the Fire Stone still didn't have the slightest movement. In fact, Ye Yang also couldn't feel any power surging within his body, let alone the Fire God's power.

  With a resolute turn, Ye Yang calmly walked down the steps of the stage one by one.

  "Ye Family, Ye Batian, doesn't have even a bit of Huo Shen's power!"

  ……

  "Hahaha!"

  "Haha!"

  "Hmm..."

  The moment the middle-aged man's ranking was announced, everyone in the venue burst out laughing.

  Ye Yang looked up at those laughing people and asked: "They are all Level 0 Flame Gods, isn't that strange?"

  Ye Frost gazed at Ye Yang with a strange expression, saying: "Brother, in this world, having fire god power of level 9 is not rare, what's rare is that there has never been a member of the Fire God clan who doesn't have even a bit of fire god power... you... are you not using your powers?"

  "It's all out now, even the strength of drinking milk has been used up!" Ye Yang said very seriously.

  Looking back, Ye Nantian's face was gloomy, and he turned around silently and left the grand ceremony venue. This time, his son's zero-level Fire God power had completely disappointed Ye Nantian's heart to the bottom. He knew that from now on, the Ye family would become a laughing stock of the Fire God clan, and his own son was destined to be a waste.

  ……

  Ye Family Ancestral Hall

  *sigh*...

  With a sigh of despair, Ye Nantian seemed to have aged a lot, his stout body slightly hunched over, standing in front of the temple's deity statue, looking at Ye Yang and saying: "Ba Tian, I really didn't expect that you must have been indulging in wine and lust for too long, to the point where you've dissipated the only thread of Fire God power left on your body..."

  He pulled out a roll of fiery red cloth from his bosom, on which were written dense and tiny characters, seemingly in the form of a book.

  "This Huo Shen Jue, I originally planned to pass it on to you today, but I didn't expect that you wouldn't even be able to condense a single thread of Huo Shen energy..."

  Ye Nan Tian looked at Ye Yang helplessly, unable to bear blaming him anymore, after all this wasn't something Ye Yang could decide.

  Who would have thought, Ye Yang stepped forward and stretched out his hand: "Huǒ Shén Jué, let me take a look..."

  "You don't have the power of the fire god, what's the point of watching again?"

  Although he said so, Ye Nantian still gave Huo Shen Jue to Ye Yang.

  As he unfolded the scroll, he suddenly felt a warm and powerful energy surge into his palm, and his whole body was invigorated. He couldn't help but feel secretly shocked: this scroll was indeed extraordinary!

  Ye Nan Tian said, "The Fire God's Decision is an ultimate technique that has never been passed down outside of the Fire God clan. As early as a thousand years ago, our Fire God clan had produced a strong talent who successfully cultivated the Fire God's Decision. The first fierce general under the command of Emperor Da Yu was our ancestor. I taught you the Fire God's Decision when you were 15 years old, but unfortunately, you were weak and sickly, fond of women, and have not been able to cultivate it until now."

  Ye Yang took a deep breath and said: "From now on, I'm going to change my name!"

  "Oh? What's changed?"

  "Ye Yang, courtesy name Zi Yu."

  "Good!"

  Ye Nan Tian seemed somewhat excited, with both hands grasping his son's shoulders, saying: "We've been waiting for this day for a long time, my son, you're finally going to awaken from your downfall!"

  Ye Yang smiled faintly and didn't say anything, but instead gazed at the Huo Shen Jue's operation method, sat cross-legged under the temple's statue, and focused on experiencing that thread of flame.

  Ye Nantian looked at his son carefully, as if he was seeing him for the first time. The robust and sturdy muscles, the firm and bright eyes, this newborn Ye Yang made Ye Nantian extremely happy.

  Cultivate the Fire God's Decision, step one: cultivate the foundation of martial arts, produce the true energy of the Fire God.

  Ye Yang sat cross-legged inside the ancestral hall, and as soon as he sat down, it was already half a day. He faintly felt that his body had produced a thread of warm air. Indeed, the true energy of the Fire God had begun to reveal itself!

  ……

  Ye Nantian came to visit at night, Ye Yang clenched his fists, and the heat was transmitted instantly. Ye Nantian was overjoyed and laughed loudly: "Great! Son, you can finally cultivate the Fire God's Decision!"

  Ye Yang smiled and nodded, finding this old man as excited as a three-year-old child, which was quite amusing.

  "Zi Yu, come, it's time for me to show you something!" Ye Nan Tian said with a flushed face.

  "What's that?"

  "It's all just for show!"

  Ye Nan Tian turned the carved statue on the wall, and an entrance suddenly appeared on the ground, which was actually a hidden passage.

  Entering the underground cave, a burst of fierce flames filled the air, almost making Ye Yang unable to withstand it. However, Ye Nantian was extremely calm, with the Fire God's true energy floating on his body surface, defending against the fierce flames.

  In the grand hall of the underground cellar, a stone-carved platform prominently displayed a divine weapon. It was a fiery red battle axe with ancient oracle bone script floating on its handle, as if flames were swirling around it. The blade was even more intimidating, and anyone could see how sharp it was.

  Ye Yang, although new to this world, could also tell that this axe was no ordinary item!

  Ye Nan Tian held the war axe with both hands, struggling to lift it up. He smiled and said: "War Axe - Yao Yang, the treasure of the Huo Shen clan, passed down every 10 years through surnames, and this time it's in our Ye family's possession. Yao Yang contains the power of heavenly fire, which can help you quickly enhance your Huo Shen power. Son, from today on, for half a year, this Yao Yang belongs to you. With Yao Yang by your side, your Huo Shen power will make rapid progress!"

  "Oh, really?" Ye Yang was somewhat perplexed.

  Ye Nan Tian put down the radiant sun, patted his chest and said: "My strength was originally only at the third level of the earth, but after possessing the radiant sun, I was able to raise two levels in just five years to reach the fifth level of the earth. This radiant war axe is simply the treasure of the Fire God clan!"

  "Hmm!"

  Ye Yang nodded heavily: "I'll start practicing with Yao Yang after dinner!"

  "Good!"

  The two left the secret room, but saw from a distance, the housekeeper running over.

  "Master, someone has come from the Peng family!"

  "Oh?"

  Ye Nan Tian raised an eyebrow and said: "Son, come with me and take a look!"

  "Uh-huh."

  Ye Yang stood up and followed Ye Nantian out, but found his footsteps more solid and steady, as if the Fire God's Decision really had some mysterious effects!

  In the living room, Peng Feng with white hair and a calm demeanor sat there, behind him was a beautiful young girl, her eyebrows filled with arrogance, it was the talented third-level Fire God Realm genius, Peng Yue'er.

  "Ye Nantian, shouldn't you hand over the divine artifact Yao Yang by now?" Peng Feng drank a mouthful of tea and got straight to the point.

  Ye Nantian coldly snorted: "Elder brother Peng Feng, the Ye family's turn at the helm of Yao Yang has only just passed 9 and a half years, what right do you have to take it from us?"

  Peng Feng furrowed his brow, saying nothing. Instead, Peng Yue'er stepped forward from behind him, gazing at Ye Yang and said: "The War Axe of Radiant Sun can greatly increase the cultivation speed of the Fire God's Decree. Leaving it in the Ye family would be a waste. Hmph! A good-for-nothing like you isn't worthy of possessing a divine artifact, let alone becoming a Fire God Warrior!"