Yang Wushuang was walking down the road when he suddenly stopped upon hearing a voice behind him. He turned his gaze toward the sound.
Seeing that it was Ye Xi approaching, Yang Wushuang slightly bowed and saluted her.
"Greetings, Second Miss."
"May I ask if the Second Miss has any instructions for me?" Yang Wushuang said, looking at Ye Xi with some curiosity.
After all, Yang Wushuang belonged not to the Offering Hall but to the Pope's Hall faction, so he was a bit puzzled as to why the Second Miss of the Offering Hall would call out to him for no apparent reason.
"It's nothing important. I just heard that you're from the Po Clan, one of the Four Single-Attribute Clans, so I wanted to ask you some questions about the Four Single-Attribute Clans," Ye Xi said as she waved him over to follow her.
Ye Xi led Yang Wushuang to a nearby pavilion where they sat down.
"Second Miss, ever since I joined the Spirit Hall, I haven't returned to the Po Clan, so I don't know much about the current situation of the Four Single-Attribute Clans," Yang Wushuang said, occasionally glancing at Ye Xi.
"That's okay. Just tell me what you know," Ye Xi replied casually, crossing her legs and settling in, looking ready to listen carefully.
After thinking for a moment, Yang Wushuang began, "The Four Single-Attribute Clans are the Po Clan, the Strength Clan, the Defense Clan, and the Agility Clan."
"Each clan has its specialty: the Po Clan excels in alchemy, the Strength Clan in forging, the Defense Clan in construction, and the Agility Clan in reconnaissance."
"After the retreat of the Haotian Sect, the Four Single-Attribute Clans suffered unprecedented setbacks and also severed ties with the Haotian Sect," he continued with some regret in his voice.
"And then?" Ye Xi nodded gently, encouraging him to continue.
"After leaving the Haotian Sect, the Strength Clan relocated to Tiandou City and has been developing quite well there. The Defense Clan moved to Longxing City in the northern Xingluo Empire, and they are said to be doing well too."
"The Po Clan and the Agility Clan have a good relationship. After moving to the Xingluo Empire, the Po Clan traded their alchemical products with people from the two major empires and accumulated quite a fortune."
"The most unfortunate is the Agility Clan. They lack means to make a living and are unwilling to join other sects, so they often rely on support from the other three clans."
Yang Wushuang finished and quietly looked at Ye Xi, who tapped her fingers lightly on the table, deep in thought.
"Yang Wushuang, do you think it's possible for the Four Single-Attribute Clans to join other factions?" Ye Xi asked, her bright blue eyes full of inquiry.
"Second Miss, the Strength Clan and Agility Clan will absolutely never join other factions," Yang Wushuang said firmly.
"The Strength Clan's leader, Titan, is loyal to Tang Hao, and the whole clan is devoted to him. The Agility Clan has familial ties with the Haotian Sect, so these two clans would never join other factions."
"The Po Clan and Defense Clan might consider joining other factions, but definitely not the Spirit Hall," he added.
"My elder brother, Yang Wudi, died fighting the Spirit Hall. The Defense Clan's situation is similar — although they hate the Haotian Sect and Tang Hao, they also resent the Spirit Hall," Yang Wushuang said, his tone filled with helplessness. If the Po Clan could join the Spirit Hall, he would have returned long ago.
The reason he has delayed returning is that he knows his elder brother would never join the Spirit Hall.
"I never said joining the Spirit Hall," Ye Xi smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "I was just asking casually."
But in her eyes was a trace of deep thought, as if she was contemplating something important.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now," Yang Wushuang stood up and bowed respectfully to Ye Xi.
"Yes, I have nothing more to say," Ye Xi nodded, signaling that he could leave.
After receiving her gesture, Yang Wushuang headed toward the Pope's Hall.
"The Po Clan and Defense Clan might have some room for maneuver... but not now," Ye Xi murmured to herself as she walked back to her room.
Back in her room, Ye Xi lay down on the soft, comfortable bed, ready to rest for the day and face tomorrow's training in her best condition.
She soon drifted into sleep.
The next morning, Ye Xi woke early and went to where Jin'e (Golden Crocodile) stayed.
When she arrived, besides Jin'e, there was a girl about eight or nine years old following him.
"Xiao Xi, you're here," Jin'e said with a smile on his somewhat aged face.
"Let me introduce you — this is my granddaughter Tianyao. She's two years older than you, with a native spirit power of level eight, and currently a level seventeen Great Spirit Master," Jin'e said, pointing at Tianyao.
"Hello, I'm Ye Xi," she said with a smile, looking at Tianyao's cute face.
"Second Miss, I know of you," Tianyao replied with a gentle smile. "I often hear my grandfather talk about you, saying you're a gifted genius."
"That's just Grandpa Jin'e's praise," Ye Xi said, sizing Tianyao up. The girl was taller and wore loose-fitting golden clothes.
"All right, all right," Jin'e interrupted. "There's still some time before breakfast. Let's go for a run to warm up."
Jin'e took out two iron rings, handed one to Ye Xi and one to Tianyao, and said, "These rings weigh the same. Strap them to your legs, and I'll lead you in warming up."
Ye Xi weighed the small iron ring in her hand — it was about fifteen jin (around 7.5 kilograms).
With the iron rings strapped to their legs, Ye Xi and Tianyao looked to Jin'e.
"During the warm-up, you can't use your spirit or spirit power," Jin'e instructed. "Start now. Follow me closely, and don't fall behind."
Jin'e started walking steadily ahead. Although he seemed slow, Ye Xi and Tianyao had to run just to keep up.
(End of chapter)
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