C18 The Heavenly Martial Turtle.

Ye Xiangyang was heartbroken. The small black cauldron had forcefully chosen a worthless pearl. Had he picked the Profound Crystal Rock instead, it might have boosted his Profound Strength by three or four realms.

The enigmatic cauldron had swallowed the bead, leaving him empty-handed.

"My treasures have been consumed by this diminutive cauldron."

In his palm, the cauldron shimmered with black and yellow light, reminiscent of stars in the deep night sky.

Then, without warning, the small black cauldron vanished.

"Where did it go?"

He left the treasure room in a sullen mood, having acquired not a single treasure.

The Grand Elder greeted him with a beaming smile and asked warmly, "Which treasure did you pick?"

Ye Xiangyang couldn't admit he'd come away with nothing.

Nor could he reveal that the pearl had been devoured by the small black cauldron.

Especially since the cauldron itself had disappeared.

"I chose the earthy yellow bead from the ice jade box."

The Grand Elder roared with laughter, giving a thumbs-up. "You've claimed the Ye Family's finest weapon, the most advanced cultivation technique, and now the greatest treasure too!"

Ye Xiangyang squirmed under the Grand Elder's commendation. He hadn't secured the best treasure; his cauldron had consumed it.

His spirits sank.

What was the Ye Family's most precious treasure truly worth?

The thought intensified Ye Xiangyang's heartache.

In Ye Xingyue's home, the three of them sat in somber assembly.

Ye Xingyue's face was etched with gravity, his gaze fierce.

"Father has actually positioned Ye Xiangyang as the Ye Family's core disciple. He's allotted the same resources as us each month. And being a core disciple is tantamount to being the heir apparent to the patriarch."

"After father's passing, the Fifth Grand Elder and the four Captains of the Profound Warrior Regiment will surely endorse Ye Xiangyang as the next patriarch. The patriarch's days are numbered. The Thousand Sun Poison has coursed through his veins for over seven hundred days; he has less than three hundred left."

"I've exhausted every strategy for the seat of the patriarch. Ye Xiangyang has obstructed my path to the leadership!"

Ye Xiangti observed his father, sensing the unrest in his heart. His father's sole ambition was to ascend as the family patriarch. Now, with Ye Xiangyang as the core disciple, the moment his grandfather passed, Ye Xiangyang would instantly ascend as the patriarch of the Ye Family.

"Dad, there's no need for concern. A dead genius is nothing more than a rotting corpse. As long as no one discovers our involvement in his demise, everything remains in your hands."

Ye Xingyue's face twisted malevolently as he clenched his fists. "If that's the case, then he must vanish."

"Ye Xiangyang, this is your own doing. You have no one else to blame!"

Under the night sky, the stars twinkled on.

Seated in the lotus position within his courtyard, Ye Xiangyang commenced his cultivation.

Profound Qi coursed through his palms, streaming into his body.

It was then that Ye Xiangyang sensed a profound sigh echoing from the recesses of his mind, ancient and otherworldly.

An azure tortoise materialized in his thoughts.

"At last, I have awakened once more."

The words of the Divine Tortoise halted Ye Xiangyang mid-cultivation, leaving him dumbfounded. A turtle that had lived for a hundred thousand years? Surely not. Even with their lengthy lifespans, turtles couldn't possibly endure for that long.

"Who did you just call a turtle? I am the Heavenly Martial Turtle, part of the Divine Beast Xuanwu!"

Ye Xiangyang's astonishment grew. But wasn't the Heavenly Martial Turtle still a turtle?

"Insolent boy, you dare to mistake me for a mere turtle? I'll teach you a lesson."

The Heavenly Martial Turtle seemed genuinely offended. With a swift extension of its claw, Ye Xiangyang was suddenly wracked with excruciating pain throughout his body.

He felt as if every inch of him was being ripped apart. Overwhelmed, Ye Xiangyang pleaded, "Elder, I beg your forgiveness. I won't call you a turtle again."

With a disdainful snort, the Heavenly Martial Turtle retorted, "You should know, I have lived through ten cycles of reincarnation. Each cycle spans a hundred thousand years, meaning I have lived for a million years. You ought to treat me with the respect I deserve."

Ye Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat.

A million years was beyond his wildest comprehension. He wondered if anyone had ever lived that long on this continent.

"Elder, does that mean you are immortal?" Ye Xiangyang inquired, a hint of hope in his voice.

The Heavenly Martial Turtle paused, then nodded with a smug look. "Correct, I will not die."

Ye Xiangyang pondered, could this truly be the secret to eternal life?

Ye Xiangyang was immediately wracked with a pain that tore through his body, causing him to cry out involuntarily.

"You impudent boy, you dare to insult me? Utterly disrespectful!" the Heavenly Martial Turtle exclaimed in a fury.

Once more, Ye Xiangyang pleaded, "Elder, I beg of you, have mercy. What should I address you as?"

"You may call me Tianwu."

"Tianwu, what exactly are you doing inside my head? Is this the doing of that little cauldron?" inquired Ye Xiangyang.

With a disdainful look, Tianwu replied, "Naive child. That cauldron is a Divine Artifact, known as the Black Tortoise Nine Horn Cauldron."

"I get it, you're powerful. But why don't you take that grimy little black cauldron and bother someone else? I finally found a bead, only for the cauldron to gobble it up. I want my bead back."

The Heavenly Martial Turtle huffed in exasperation, "That is a top-tier Celestial Rank Treasure. The Black Tortoise Nine Horn Cauldron has chosen you, and as its Weapon Spirit, I'm bound to it—I can't just leave."

"So you're stuck? The Black Tortoise Nine Horn Cauldron has accepted me as its master? Does that mean I'm your master too?" Ye Xiangyang seemed to grasp the crucial point. "Here's the deal: return my bead to me, and in exchange, I'll allow you to accompany me. Does that sound fair?"