Yan Kun’s Lingering Resentment

Yan Kun displayed astonishing willpower.

Despite facing an opponent still significantly stronger than himself, he was repeatedly sent flying, only to relentlessly pick himself back up.

The large man opposite him, whose expression had initially been one of disdain, gradually shifted to admiration, for he knew that if it were him, he would have long since conceded.

It was, by all accounts, a battle he could never win.

“Not bad, not bad. Judging by this young man’s attire and cultivation technique, he must be a cultivator from the mundane world,” Dou Ke mused, stroking his chin as he watched Yan Kun.

Shangguan Jinyang, naturally aware of Yan Kun’s identity, quickly offered an explanation.

“Elder Dou, this person is Yan Yun’s older brother, named Yan Kun. He hails from the mundane world and has never trained within a sect.”

Dou Ke paused again, surprised.

“He’s also related to that Yan Yun? Truly peculiar. It seems everyone connected to her performs remarkably in this Immortal Dao Assembly. Still, I must say, this child has potential. He reminds me of my younger self, possessing an unyielding spirit. I like him,” Dou Ke remarked, gazing at Yan Kun as if recalling his own youth.

He too was a lightning spirit root cultivator, and a low-grade one at that. Theoretically, without the blessing of a special physique, reaching his current level with a low-grade lightning spirit root was an incredibly arduous feat.

Yet, Dou Ke’s ability to become a Great Perfection Divine Venerable undoubtedly meant he had endured countless hardships.

On the Tianchen Continent, one remained an ant until they achieved the Divine Venerable Realm.

Given his lifespan, he was already beyond the hope of ascending to the upper realm. The Divine Venerable Realm was a peculiar stage; one had to cultivate to perfection to open the gate to the upper realm.

However, that path was fraught with mortal peril, a near-certain death, which was why most Great Perfection Divine Venerables would not attempt it lightly.

The so-called trial was, in fact, a challenge set by the great sects of the upper realm to screen for talent, also known as the Path to Heaven.

Currently, only cultivators who had entered the Path to Heaven knew what trials lay within.

Moreover, failure to pass the trials resulted in immediate death and dissipation of one’s Dao, leaving the Path to Heaven an enigma to lower realm cultivators to this day.

But why then could powerful figures from the upper realm descend to besiege Yan Lingyun? The only explanation was that the passage was controlled by the upper realm’s great sects. They could utilize special channels and pay a certain price, allowing cultivators of the Divine Fire Realm at most to descend.

This implied that the sect Yan Lingyun had annihilated all those years ago likely held a legacy from the upper realm.

Time slowly elapsed, and Yan Kun, who had initially recovered, was once again covered in wounds, his skin cracked in many places, and blood seeped out continuously, transforming him into a crimson figure.

“Second Brother, please don’t push yourself any further! Concede the match, I beg you. If you keep enduring this, even if you survive, you’ll likely suffer lasting injuries!” the three Yan sisters cried out in unison.

Yan Kun lay prostrate on the ground, his gaze fixed on the panting large man before him, his face etched with an unyielding spirit.

“Good lad, you’re certainly fighting hard, but you cannot defeat me. Let this next strike send you out of here,” the large man declared, walking up to Yan Kun and raising his arms, poised to deliver a decisive blow.

But just as his attack was about to descend, Yan Kun suddenly lost consciousness and vanished.

When he reappeared, he was inexplicably standing before Dou Ke.

Outside, the spectators were collectively stunned, their bewildered gazes falling upon Dou Ke.

“Elder Dou, what is the meaning of this?” Many found Dou Ke’s actions incomprehensible.

After Yan Kun was teleported out, Dou Ke immediately brought him over.

Dou Ke extended a hand, releasing his power, and a golden current surged into Yan Kun’s body, swiftly mending his injuries.

“Alas! My lifespan is nearing its end, and I was just looking for a suitable successor. This lad reminds me of my younger self. I intend to take him back and properly mentor him; he might just be a promising talent,” Dou Ke said with a smile to the assembled crowd.

His words sent a ripple of astonishment through everyone.

If Dou Ke intended to accept a disciple of exceptional talent, they would not have been surprised. However, they felt that while Yan Kun’s perseverance was commendable, his talent was mediocre, and Dou Ke surely had better options.

“Hahaha, is that so? Then Fellow Daoist Dou, allow me to congratulate you, congratulations on gaining a new disciple!” Fairy Yunxia was the first to offer her felicitations.

Dou Ke was a cultivator from her era, but when she had first met him, he had been an entire major realm lower than her.

Yet, two hundred years later, upon meeting again, Dou Ke had already reached the Divine Venerable Realm.

She had been quite astonished back then, wondering how Dou Ke, without a famous master’s guidance, relying solely on his own struggles and toils on the Tianchen Continent, had managed to cultivate to the Divine Venerable Realm. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Only Dou Ke himself knew how many hardships and trials he had faced throughout his life.

The referee at the arena, seeing Yan Kun leave the stage, immediately announced the result.

Though he had lost, in reality, it could be said he had won. He lost the match but gained the favor of a Great Perfection Divine Venerable.

The Yan family members watched Yan Kun being taken away by a revered senior, equally perplexed.

However, once they heard Dou Ke intended to take Yan Kun as his disciple, they erupted in exclamations.

Anyone who could sit alongside Fairy Yunxia and the others was undoubtedly a person of great importance.

“This is wonderful, Second Brother! Your own stroke of luck has arrived!” Yan Yun sighed in relief, slowly sitting down.

Yan Kun soon regained consciousness, waking to Dou Ke’s aged and benevolent face.

“Young man, you’re awake?” Dou Ke asked with a smile.

Yan Kun paused, then confusedly sat up. He immediately noticed that all his injuries were healed, and he was now on the high platform reserved for the influential figures of Jiang Country’s cultivation world. This startled him immensely.

“This?” He shot up to his feet in alarm.

“Haha, young man, don’t be afraid. We old fellows aren’t demons or monsters,” Shangguan Jinyang immediately reassured him with a friendly smile.

Fairy Yunxia also spoke to Yan Kun.

“You’re Yan Long’s son, aren’t you? Congratulations! Elder Dou has taken a liking to you and wishes to accept you as his disciple. Why aren’t you paying respects to your master?” Upon hearing Fairy Yunxia’s words, Yan Kun was utterly astonished.

“Senior, you want to accept me as your disciple?” Yan Kun looked at Dou Ke, his eyes filled with disbelief. In his opinion, there were many people with better talent than him among the influential figures seated here if they wished to take a disciple. Furthermore, having suddenly broken through to the Great Perfection of the Cavern Heaven Realm, he might be stuck at this realm for the rest of his life.

“Indeed. What, are you unwilling?” Dou Ke asked with a smile.

Yan Kun still couldn’t believe it, thinking he must be dreaming or suffering from hallucinations after being beaten.

He immediately pinched his arm. Feeling the pain, he finally confirmed he wasn’t dreaming and that everything before him was real.

“Stop doubting yourself, it’s true. Your performance just now reminded this old man of my younger days. Like you, I was a low-grade lightning spirit root, without a famous master’s guidance or a special physique. I cultivated to this point entirely through my own struggles. While I don’t know what made you refuse to concede, your character truly suits this old man’s taste,” Dou Ke explained his reason for taking Yan Kun as a disciple.

Listening to Dou Ke’s sincere words, Yan Kun hesitated for a moment before immediately kneeling before Dou Ke in front of everyone.

“Disciple Yan Kun pays respects to Master.”

Dou Ke smiled. “Good, rise. On that note, let me ask you a question. I’m very curious about what reason made you refuse to concede.”

This question made Yan Kun involuntarily glance towards where the Yan family members were seated, but his gaze quickly settled on Yan Yun.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly lifted his head and loudly delivered his answer.

“It’s actually quite simple. I just wanted to show a certain someone. Ever since we were children, she’s always acted as if she looked down on me, always aloof. I simply refused to lose in front of her. If it were anywhere else, I would have run off long ago.”

Yan Kun’s words were quite amusing, leaving Dou Ke and the others momentarily dumbfounded.

Even more speechless, however, was Yan Yun, seated beside Jiang Yao. Yan Kun’s loud declaration of his reason left her utterly embarrassed.

“So, you wanted to get beaten up because of me?” Yan Yun muttered, her lips twitching.

Jiang Yao, meanwhile, couldn’t help but laugh.

“Did you really look down on Brother Yan Kun when you were little? He seems to hold a deep grudge against you.”

Jiang Yao certainly knew who Yan Kun was referring to.

“He’s crazy, how is that my fault?” Yan Yun retorted, rolling her eyes.

She recalled that her first meeting with Yan Kun had been rather unpleasant.

It must have been when she was three or four, idly wandering around the family compound.

Yan Kun, like a child king, was leading the other children of the family, playing and roughhousing.

Perhaps it was just an unfortunate coincidence, but as he played, he stumbled and fell flat on his face right in front of Yan Yun.

Yan Yun then looked at him speechlessly, and upon seeing her, Yan Kun imperiously ordered her to pull him up.

At the time, Yan Yun merely pursed her lips, tossed out a remark, and walked away.

What did she say? Well, that particular remark had stuck with Yan Kun to this day.

What exactly did Yan Yun say?

It was just six words: “Little brat, so childish.”

From then on, Yan Kun always seemed to enjoy bothering Yan Yun.

But truthfully, Yan Yun possessed an adult soul; watching her older brother’s series of childish antics inevitably left her somewhat speechless.

“What? Alright, so that’s what happened. You, young man, to declare such an embarrassing reason so loudly, you truly are thick-skinned! But this old man likes it, hahaha…” Dou Ke burst into hearty laughter.

This revealed that Yan Kun was a person of genuine character, devoid of excessive cunning.

After exchanging a few words with Dou Ke, Yan Kun bid them farewell, mentioning he would return to his quarters first.

Dou Ke naturally had no objections; he would only return to the Righteous Dao Alliance headquarters after the assembly concluded.