Chapter Forty-Nine: Tempered a Thousand Times!

At dawn, a large passenger plane landed at Huaxia Airport. The delegation of a hundred from Fusang disembarked. In addition to the one hundred and nineteen cultivators, there were also several dozen administrative staff and journalists. The group emerged from the airport. They had expected a grand welcoming ceremony, but to their surprise, the entrance to the airport was deserted and cold.

Aside from a few Huaxia reporters and some netizens snapping photos with cameras and cell phones, the Huaxia Parliament had sent only a dozen or so civil servants to greet them. Although many members of Parliament had agreed to the so-called "visit" from the Fusang delegation, none of them had the face to appear at the airport.

The Fusang delegation was accommodated at the Xiajing Hotel. That very noon, they held a press conference. The delegation leader, Mitsuaki Nakamura, angrily denounced the rudeness of Huaxia and demanded a clear explanation from Parliament regarding the incident in which Ye Xuncha killed the crew members of the Fusang Maru. They also demanded the immediate arrest of Ye Tianzu, threatening that otherwise, they would take matters into their own hands.

Less than half an hour after the Fusang press conference ended, Tian Zhong, Speaker of the Huaxia Parliament, sent his press secretary to hold a counter-press conference. The spokesperson announced that, in order to protect their Fusang friends and provide a secure environment, Huaxia had assembled thirty late-stage Stellar cultivators, forty-five mid-stage, and eighty-seven early-stage Stellar cultivators to station in Xiajing.

The news left the Fusang delegation speechless.

The team from Fusang represented more than half the cultivation strength of their entire nation. Yet the forces Tian Zhong had gathered were only a small portion of the strength from Huaxia's Northeast Region.

Huaxia was divided into five regions: Northeast, Southwest, Northwest, Central North, and Central South. Altogether, the five regions boasted over a thousand Stellar-realm experts, more than two hundred of whom were late-stage. Fusang had no hope of matching Huaxia in strength.

However, these forces were scattered like loose sand. The majority of Stellar cultivators hailed from powerful families and clans, fighting only for their own interests, placing the welfare of their families above that of the nation. To assemble these experts and intimidate the Fusang delegation, Tian Zhong had made numerous compromises with the families.

Of course, in the world as it now was, Huaxia was not unique—other countries faced the same situation.

...

"Xiao Yezi, did you see the news?" Tian Zhong called Yang Ye’s cell phone, speaking with a laugh.

Xiao Yezi?

Yang Ye couldn’t help but smile wryly. When his name was Yang Ye, many people called him "Xiao Yezi." Even after assuming the identity of Ye Tianzu with the Mu Yirong transformation, he hadn’t expected anyone to use that nickname. If someone his age called him that, it would be an insult—but Tian Zhong was different. Hearing the Speaker use his childhood name made Yang Ye feel genuinely close to him.

"Speaker Tian, of course I saw it. The Fusang delegation is quite arrogant!" Yang Ye replied with a cold laugh.

Tian Zhong responded, "Do you know why, in the end, I compromised and allowed the delegation to come?"

Yang Ye chuckled, "It’s simple. Speaker Tian thinks the same way I do—you want to keep these turtles in Huaxia, don’t you?"

"As long as you understand," Tian Zhong said. "Fusang has been rocked by ever more frequent earthquakes. Compared to a century ago, a third of their land has sunk. They hope to use this as leverage to force Huaxia to lease them territory."

"Hmph!" Yang Ye snorted coldly. "Not a chance! I’ve said it before—no one from Fusang will ever set foot on Huaxia’s soil again!"

Tian Zhong continued, "The people I gathered are enough to intimidate them, but not enough to wipe out their delegation. Xiao Yezi, I’m relying on you."

There was a helplessness in Tian Zhong’s tone.

Yang Ye replied, "Give me one month. I’ll take care of it."

"That’s not a problem. Just wrestling over the details will take more than half a month. By the way, what do you plan to do?"

"That’s a secret," Yang Ye answered.

"Alright then, I won’t press you. I’ll wait for your news," Tian Zhong said with a chuckle.

...

In the Yang family estate on the outskirts of Yang City.

"Master always said, the best way to train is through combat!"

After hanging up the phone, Yang Ye looked at the blazing sun gloves on his hands and smiled.

"No wonder you’re always getting into trouble, husband," Long Xiaoqing said, enlightenment dawning on her face.

"Getting clever, are you?" Yang Ye ruffled her hair.

Then, focusing his mind, he recited a mantra that Housekeeper Mu had taught him.

The blazing sun gloves emitted a pale blue light.

Hissing between clenched teeth, Yang Ye took a deep breath and unlocked the second restriction on the gloves. An even greater surge of power enveloped his body, and at the same time, the gloves began to rapidly drain his stellar energy.

Gritting his teeth, Yang Ye forced himself to take a step forward, hearing his bones creak from the effort. The power of the blazing sun gloves affected only his bones, muscles, and skin—his internal organs were unaffected. Training under this pressure was far more effective than working out in the deep sea.

"Xiaoqing, let’s go!"

Yang Ye clenched his fists.

With a thud, Long Xiaoqing kicked him in the chest. Yang Ye staggered back several steps.

"Eh?" Long Xiaoqing was surprised. She had expected to send Yang Ye flying with half her strength, but he only took a few steps back. Unlocking the second restriction had more than doubled Yang Ye's defensive power.

"Careful, husband! I’m going all out now," Long Xiaoqing warned.

"Alright," Yang Ye nodded firmly.

Long Xiaoqing spun and delivered a side kick to his chest. With a resounding impact, Yang Ye was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground dozens of meters away.

"Husband, are you alright?" Long Xiaoqing stuck out her tongue and hurried over to help him up.

Rubbing his chest with a wry smile, Yang Ye gave her a thumbs up. When he finally caught his breath, he said, "Xiaoqing, eighty percent strength is enough. Any more and even with these gloves, you’ll kick me to death."

"Okay, okay! I won’t hit so hard," Long Xiaoqing promised.

After that...

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Just like on the deck of the Tianxun, Yang Ye was repeatedly sent flying, crashing to the ground, only to climb up again and again. In order to dodge her attacks, he pushed himself to the limit. To his delight, he found he was progressing faster than ever before, though the drain on his stellar energy was several times greater than before.

Under Long Xiaoqing’s assault, Yang Ye lasted less than a quarter of an hour before he removed the gloves and swallowed a beast core to recover.

...

"Again!"

After absorbing the beast core’s energy, Yang Ye donned the gloves once more and beckoned to Long Xiaoqing.

With a thud, Yang Ye was sent flying again—but this time, he did not immediately get up. He had suddenly sensed a subtle change within his body. The process was brief, and he discovered it quite by accident: when struck by Long Xiaoqing, the power of the blazing sun gloves seemed to seep into his body.

Rather than merging with his stellar energy, this force acted directly on his cells. It was as if—Yang Ye pondered—it was like forging iron. Long Xiaoqing’s attacks were the hammer, and his body was an impure block of iron. A thousand strikes to refine the steel.

Realizing this, Yang Ye’s eyes lit up. "Xiaoqing, for your next attack, use the technique you used to kill Zhao Fei."

"Alright, I’ll do as you ask!" Long Xiaoqing agreed cheerfully.

With a shout, Long Xiaoqing launched Yang Ye into the air with a kick, her figure flickering around him as he hung suspended.

A rapid barrage of blows struck Yang Ye in the blink of an eye. Finally, with a whip kick to his chest, Long Xiaoqing slammed him into the ground, leaving a crater in the estate’s earth.

Yang Ye coughed up a mouthful of blood—but his entire body felt wonderfully relaxed. Within his star sea, stellar energy surged forth, repairing his battered body.

Long Xiaoqing knew such injuries were nothing to Yang Ye. Folding her arms, she watched him in the pit with a smile.

"Xiaoqing!" Yang Ye called.

"Hmm?" She looked at him, puzzled by the unfamiliar expression on his face.

Yang Ye smiled, "I just realized, Xiaoqing, you’ve grown up a lot."

"Really, husband?" Long Xiaoqing said shyly.

"Yes," Yang Ye laughed. "I mean your emotional maturity. You’re about as grown up as a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl now."

"Is that so..." Long Xiaoqing blushed.

Yang Ye grinned mischievously, "Xiaoqing, call me husband a few more times—let me hear it."

"Husband..."

"Xiaoqing!"

"Husband..."

...