Chapter 1254: Unparalleled Prodigy

The Heavenly Tomb Empire?

Ye Guan frowned slightly and looked toward the distant horizon. There, two figures—a young man and a middle-aged man—were slowly approaching them.

The young man was walking ahead of the middle-aged man, and he was dressed in an elegant brocade robe. His refined features, arched eyebrows, and phoenix-like eyes gave him a graceful and handsome demeanor.

Behind him, the middle-aged man wore a loose robe. His tall, thin frame exuded an air of authority, and his sharp gaze carried an unmistakable weight of authority.

The townspeople watched the two strangers with curiosity. Outsiders rarely visited this small town. Sometimes, years would pass without a single visitor.

As for Ye Guan, despite being a newcomer, the townspeople had unconsciously assumed he was one of their own. Although the town wasn't very large, it wasn't so small that one new face would draw much attention.

Ye Guan, however, was puzzled. The

Heavenly Tomb Empire? Could it be related to the Heavenly Tomb Civilization? Is this universe region a Tier Nine Civilization?

As he mulled over these thoughts, the young man and the middle-aged man finally entered the town. An elderly man dressed in a gray robe stepped forward. He knelt slowly and said, "My name is Fang Yuan, and I'm the mayor of the Desolate Border Town. I pay my respects to the esteemed lords."

The young man looked at the kneeling elderly man and smiled. "So, you're the mayor of this town?"

Fang Yuan quickly nodded and replied respectfully, "That is correct."

The young man glanced at the gathered townspeople and said, "Have them disperse."

Fang Yuan immediately turned to the crowd and waved his hand. "Go on, everyone! Go back to minding your own business!"

The crowd quickly dispersed.

Once everyone had left, Fang Yuan bowed deeply to the young man. "My lord, how may I be of service?"

The young man said, "We'll be staying here for a while. Arrange some accommodations for us."

Fang Yuan felt a sense of relief and joy. "Understood."

With that, he led the two men toward his own home.

***

Meanwhile, Ye Guan followed Fan Shan back to the stilted house.

By then, the sky had already turned dark.

Fan Shan led Ye Guan to a room and turned to face him with a smile. "This will be your room. Rest well."

With that, she turned around and left.

Ye Guan watched her disappear around the corner before stepping into the room. It wasn't very large and appeared to have been a storage space, as it was cluttered with various items.

However, the bed was neatly made, clearly with fresh bedding.

He walked over to the bed and sprawled out on it, closing his eyes.

How should I proceed?

His thoughts were a mess, and he had no idea what to do. The seal on his cultivation base and his current predicament were different from the last time he had returned to the Guanxuan Universe.

Back then, he felt no anxiety because he knew that if he revealed his identity, he could resolve any issue with ease. This time, he had none of those; no identity and no backing. He could only rely on himself.

He took a deep breath and murmured, "It's fine. Let's treat it as starting from scratch."

***

The next day, at dawn, Fan Shan stepped outside and froze in surprise upon seeing Ye Guan standing under a tree.

"So early?" she muttered. She was about to greet him when she saw Ye Guan suddenly kick a fallen branch into the air. The branch flew straight and embedded itself firmly into the old tree.

A faint smile appeared on Ye Guan's face. He realized that even though he couldn't access his cultivation base, he could start training anew. He was happy about the discovery.

The only downside was the extremely low spiritual energy in this place. It was practically nonexistent, making cultivation an impossible task.

I need to find a way to leave this place!

Ye Guan thought.

"You're up," Fan Shan's voice called out from behind him.

Ye Guan turned to look at her. "Yes."

Fan Shan glanced at the old tree and asked, "You've cultivated before?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

Fan Shan's curiosity deepened. "Can you fly?"

Ye Guan chuckled. "Yes."

"Can you teach me how to fly?" asked Fan Shan with shining eyes.

Ye Guan was about to respond, but Fan Shan quickly shook her head. "No, never mind. We can only practice martial arts; we're not allowed to cultivate."

Ye Guan reassured her, saying, "There might be a chance for you to do so in the future."

Fan Shan's face dimmed. "Who knows? I'll go make breakfast now."

With that, she turned around and walked away.

"Hey, young man!" A voice echoed from behind Ye Guan.

Ye Guan turned and saw that the one calling out to him was none other than the young man in the elegant brocade robe who had arrived at the small town yesterday. The same middle-aged man was standing behind him earlier.

Ye Guan was puzzled. "What is it?"

The young man smiled. "Are you willing to sell the broken sword and damaged pagoda at your waist?"

Ye Guan was instantly wary upon hearing that. The fact that this young man could discern the extraordinary nature of the Qingxuan Sword and the tiny pagoda suggested that this universe likely belonged to a Tier Nine Civilization.

The young man added, "I can offer you a very good price."

He opened his palm, and a large gold ingot appeared.

In this small town, the currency consisted of copper, silver, and gold. A single large gold ingot like this could easily support a family of five for twenty years.

Ye Guan remained silent. Refusing outright would definitely arouse even more suspicion, and the young man could resort to force. In his current state, if they chose to act, he wouldn't stand a chance against them.

With that in mind, Ye Guan replied, "I don't want money."

The young man was surprised. "Then what do you want?"

Ye Guan replied, "If you restore my arms, I'll give these two items to you for free, but let me make something clear. These two artifacts are heirlooms passed down from my ancestors.

"My ancestors once said that divine items have their own spirits and will choose their masters. If these two refuse to follow you after the deal, it won't be my fault."

Hearing his articulate response, the young man was taken aback. "Restoring your arms isn't difficult, but you're quite a sly one. Those two divine items are heirlooms, and if I help you regain your arms, they'll undoubtedly choose you over me in the future. Wouldn't I end up at a loss?"

Oh no, the people in this universe aren't easy to fool!

Ye Guan was a little surprised. On the outside, however, he simply laughed. "You clearly aren't an ordinary person. Do you lack the confidence to subdue two divine artifacts?"

The young man laughed heartily. "You're quite amusing. Even though you're trying to provoke me, you're absolutely right. If I can't even tame two divine artifacts, wouldn't that be a complete failure on my part?"

With that, he stepped in front of Ye Guan and placed his right hand on Ye Guan's shoulder. A stream of golden energy surged into Ye Guan. His body trembled slightly, and he felt movement in his shoulders. To his astonishment, his arms began to regrow, forming anew right before his eyes!

The young man withdrew his hand and smiled. "All done."

Ye Guan moved his newly formed arms around to get a feel of them. They didn't feel as natural or responsive as before, as he hadn't restored them himself, but he was still immensely grateful.

True to his word, Ye Guan handed the tiny pagoda and Qingxuan Sword to the young man. "Here."

The young man accepted the items with a smile and said, "You're an interesting person. By the way, when I helped you regrow your arms, I noticed a mysterious seal within your body. Has your cultivation base been sealed?"

Ye Guan was surprised once again. He hadn't expected this man to sense the sealing power left behind by Fan Zhaodi.

The young man added, "Would you like me to help you remove the seal?"

Ye Guan paused, then shook his head. "No need."

That seal was left behind by Fan Zhaodi.

If the young man dared to tamper with it, he would undoubtedly die. Since they had no animosity towards each other and the young man hadn't shown any ill intent, Ye Guan would not allow the young man to risk his life.

The young man glanced at Ye Guan and smiled. "You're not only interesting but also kind. Farewell."

With that, he left with the middle-aged man.

Ye Guan looked at the both of them as they departed and muttered, "Master Pagoda, Little Soul, I've created an opportunity for you both, make sure to seize it..."

Given his current strength, it was nearly impossible to wake Master Pagoda and Little Soul up. They required an enormous amount of spiritual energy, and he had nothing to his name at the moment.

In addition, that young man was clearly no ordinary person...

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and turned back to look at the stilted house. At that moment, Fan Shan and her grandfather were watching him. He walked over, waving his newly restored arms.

"I've got my arms again," Ye Guan said with a smile.

Fan Shan was delighted and exclaimed, "Congratulations!"

She glanced in the direction where the young man and his companion had left and said softly, "So powerful. If only I could cultivate..."

Ye Guan replied, "I can teach you!"

"No!" the old man interjected sternly. "Young Lord Ye, as a criminal, it is forbidden for her to cultivate. If you teach her, it'll only bring harm to her."

Ye Guan nodded, deciding not to press the matter.

Fan Shan, however, said mischievously, "We could always practice in secret. Grandfather won't say anything, and I won't either. Who would know?"

Ye Guan chuckled, amused by her boldness, while her grandfather glared at her.

Fan Shan stuck out her tongue playfully. "I'll go make dinner!"

With that, she dashed into the kitchen.

The old man turned to Ye Guan and said, "Young Lord Ye, may I have a word with you?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Alright."

The old man turned and walked away, while Ye Guan followed closely behind him.

Elsewhere, the young man in the elegant brocade robe and the middle-aged man walked toward their residence. Along the way, the young man curiously examined the broken sword and the damaged pagoda in his hands.

When he first saw these two items, he sensed something extraordinary about them. That was why he approached Ye Guan to buy them. Unfortunately, he couldn't fully discern their true nature.

The middle-aged man behind him remarked, "Ninth Highness, that young man is not simple. He was neither servile nor arrogant and had a quick wit. He's probably not from this town."

The young man nodded. "That guy is indeed interesting. He agreed to exchange these two divine items with me because he feared I'd just take them by force."

Looking at the broken sword and the damaged pagoda, he smiled. "Though I can't fully gauge how powerful these items are, they are definitely extraordinary."

The middle-aged man said gravely, "He mentioned that these two divine items have their own spirits and will choose their master. That young man must have another way to get these items back."

The young man laughed. "I have confidence in myself. The spirits of these items are dormant, but I can definitely awaken them and make them acknowledge me as their master...

"After all, I'm an unparalleled prodigy, and I'm born with dragon energy. I refuse to believe that they won't choose me! That boy thinks he can trick me, Tian Chen? Not a chance!"