I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

As Xie Yuan shouted loudly, the masters around him all woke up as if from a dream.

Seeing that the two people in the field had become three, the elders were filled with mixed feelings.

No matter how mature and steady they were, or how deep their hearts were, they couldn't control the expressions on their faces at this moment.

Shocked, surprised, bewildered, weird, and some who want to laugh but can't, like Xie Wen.

Seeing that his old rival was determined to win and even had to do it himself, Xie Wen suddenly had a funny expression on his face.

But he immediately remembered that it was Xie Yuan who won, and he stopped laughing for a moment. His expression gradually became as strange as the other elders.

Xie Yuan, did he really win?
With the realm of the three transformations of qi and blood, can one surpass the master who has opened the bridge between heaven and earth?
Unbelievable.

Even though all the elders were witnesses, they still found it hard to believe.

No one laughed at Xie Yan, his performance was worthy of his status and strength.

Xie Yuan's performance really exceeded everyone's expectations and even their imagination.

Just now they thought that the two of them could fight back and forth for so long. Although Xie Yan finally dominated the situation, Xie Yuan, who had begun to possess the combat power of a grandmaster, was already capable of stepping into the martial arts arena with his head held high.

As a result, the situation took an unexpected turn. His hidden killer move was used, which instantly reversed the situation and won the game with one axe!
Not only would he win, but if Xie Zhi hadn't taken action, Xie Yan would have been in danger of being killed on the spot!
It was neither a sneak attack nor an assassination - even so it was shocking enough. However, Xie Yuan was in the Transformation Realm and fought head-on. Facing a Grandmaster who was in perfect condition and exerted his full strength, he was almost killed!

It would have been fine if the elders didn't think too much about it. The more they thought about it, the more shocked they became. At this point, they even started to make noises like ordinary tribesmen:
"How could this be?"

"Where did his axe skills come from?"

"What a strange secret method! Even if I were to watch from the sidelines, it would be difficult to catch its trace!"

The elders kept asking questions, but they did not expect to get answers from the people around them. Otherwise, it would not be enough to vent the shock in their hearts.

Xie Yan is not a self-taught master, he is also the pride of the Xie family. Even if his skills are a little shallow, he is definitely not comparable to ordinary masters. Yet, he was defeated by Xie Yuan!
Xie Zhi had his hands behind his back, his face solemn.

Has Xie Yuan's strength reached this point?
His axe technique... Xie Zhi pinched his fingers, his heart was far less calm than what he looked on the surface.

He had already opened the Twin Bridges of Heaven and Earth at an early stage and was a master with extremely profound cultivation.

The gap between him and Xie Yan, a master who had just entered the Grandmaster stage, was even greater than the gap between Xie Yan and someone in the Third Transformation Realm.

However, even for a top master of his level, this move was eye-catching.

Xie Yan was still a little dazed and couldn't figure out how he lost.

I clearly have a way to deal with his secret technique, but I keep making wrong judgments even when I have the upper hand.

The final difference in thought can determine whether someone wins or loses, or whether they live or die.

His attacks had grazed Xie Yuan many times. Logically speaking, a person in the Transformation Realm with a strong defense should have lost his combat power long ago. How could he look so normal and full of energy?
He was unable to inflict heavy damage on Xie Yuan, and was defeated by Xie Yuan's secret technique. Xie Yuan's killer move could even threaten his life...

From this perspective, losing doesn’t seem so unreasonable?
If both sides behave like this, it would not be surprising if it were told to others.

Seems reasonable.

But the only thing that didn't make sense was the difference in cultivation between Xie Yuan and him.

This is a battle between a Transformation Realm cultivator and a Grandmaster.

There is back and forth, advantages and disadvantages, and a head-on collision.

The Transformation Realm surpasses the Grandmaster Realm.

It turns out that he really has the confidence and strength...

He did not become a master right away, but he was more terrifying than someone who broke through to become a master.

Even if Xie Yuan had been hiding his strength, he would feel better now that he was already a master.

Recalling the conversation in the Xishui meeting room, Xie Yan's expression was extremely complicated.

He looked at Xie Yuan, who had a cheerful and heroic expression, and suddenly realized that he, who had been highly praised by the clan in the past, had a bright future and was considered a rising star, had now become a foil.

Standing opposite Xie Yuan in defeat, I felt as dull and bleak as the opponents I had defeated countless times.

Xie Yuan felt that the end of a great battle was like a gentle breeze after sweating during martial arts practice, with white clouds floating by and bringing cool shade, and his heart felt extremely comfortable.

He used all the means and strength he had so far to fight to his heart's content. No matter what the result was, this was a battle that would make him shout "happy".

Especially, the opponent is a grandmaster;
What’s even more special is that I achieved a complete victory.

It turns out that I can really defeat the grandmaster!
The power surges like huge waves, and the internal energy is endless.

The indestructible golden bell that is strong enough to give the Grandmaster a headache;
The ingenious and unpredictable secret techniques used are varied and superb;

There is also the ability to defeat a great enemy with a single axe.

These are his full strengths. Even when facing Ji Xuan, Xie Yuan did not show them to the fullest because he was worried about the pursuers.

By exerting his strength to the extreme, Xie Yuan is capable of killing the Grandmaster.

But before the fight, Xie Yuan couldn't be sure.

He just felt that with his current strength, he could challenge the Grandmaster.

That's enough, just start fighting.

At the very least, I can at least show my strength and let these old guys who only know how to scheme know that I can't be manipulated at will.

Unexpectedly, Xie Yan was more vulnerable than he thought and needed the elders to rescue him!

What do you mean by a fatal attack? When facing a master at the Transformation Realm, does he still want to hold back?
All the pent-up anger in Xie Yuan's heart was released when he swung his axes with the last two blows. His entire body felt clear and he felt heroic.

Looking at Xie Zhi, who was protecting Xie Yan like a hen protecting her chicks, and Xie Yan, who looked weak standing behind Xie Zhi, Xie Yuan felt even more pleased when he recalled their trouble in the meeting room. He pointed at Xie Zhi and laughed:
"Why, do you want me to let Elder Yan fight with one hand?"

Xie Zhi and Xie Yan both looked unhappy.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they naturally knew that given the difference in strength between the two, Xie Yan was suspected of bullying the weak, and it was naked irony for Xie Yuan to say such things again.

However, Xie Zhi still said in a deep voice:
"When sparring within the clan, it is always taboo to use fatal moves, unless it is agreed upon at the beginning and there are elders to watch over to avoid life or death. You didn't say anything at the beginning, and you acted rashly..."

"Swords have no eyes. If you really encounter an enemy, no one will care whether you are the elder of the Xie family or anyone else. Elder Zhi's words sound as if he has never been far away. Is the view of businessmen really so short-sighted?"

Xie Yuan interrupted Xie Zhi directly and sneered.

The first half of his sentence was modified from Xie Yan's original sentence.

Xie Zhi's expression changed slightly, and he said coldly:

"Xie Yuan, don't go too far."

"Excessive?"

Xie Yuan looked at him, smiled slightly, and then looked at Xie Yan:

"Elder Yan, do you remember what you said before?"

Xie Yan didn't know which sentence Xie Yuan was referring to, and remained silent for a moment.

"Why aren't you talking? Elder Yan was quite talkative before, wasn't he?"

Xie Yuan would not indulge him and laughed.

Xie Yan gritted his teeth and said:

"What does the Patriarch mean? If I impeach you, I still have the same opinion. The current state of the Xie family..."

"Haha, I know you guys are being stubborn, so I'm just asking if you remember what you said."

Xie Yuan said slowly:

"You said what you would do if I were the Grandmaster?"

Xie Yan's fair and handsome face turned red visibly, and he remained silent.

"say!"

Xie Yuan suddenly raised his eyebrows and shouted:

"The elder of the Chenjun Xie family doesn't even dare to admit what he said!"

His sudden voice shook the entire martial arts arena, causing the elders who were talking in low voices on the sidelines to shudder and subconsciously stop talking.

Xie Yan was shocked, his face flushed, and he gritted his teeth and said:

"I did say that if you were a master, I would have no objection to you becoming the head of the family, but you are not a master..."

As he spoke, his voice became smaller and smaller, and he knew that his words were unconvincing.

Yes, Xie Yuan is not a master yet.

However, it is precisely this point that makes people dare not think about it carefully.

He is not even a master yet and yet his strength is like this, what if... he is?

Seeing the strength Xie Yuan displayed today, no one would think that the “mere” Grandmaster threshold would be difficult for him, and no one even thought how long they would have to wait.

Xie Yuan's serious expression suddenly relaxed, he smiled, and his voice became gentle:

"Then Elder Yan, please remember this. From now on, when I speak, you will only be qualified to agree."

Xie Yan's face, which was already full of emotion, instantly turned red, almost bleeding.

However, he had just been defeated by Xie Yuan, who even needed his elders to help him. Moreover, he had said so before, so he had no room for rebuttal.

The youngest elder of the Xie family had never suffered such humiliation, but as Xie Yuan said, he had no right to refuse.

Xie Zhi's face looked very ugly, but Xie Yuan never looked at him again. He just picked up his spear and the giant axe and walked to the sidelines.

When passing by the masters and elders who were watching the game on the sidelines, Xie Yuan walked on his own, allowing more than a dozen eyes to silently watch and follow his figure.

Suddenly, a master said in a deep voice:

"Master, if you want to gather the elders to guard Tianyun Garden, I am willing to fight."

Xie Yuan turned his head and saw that the man had thick eyebrows, a broad face, broad shoulders and a strong waist, and was very heroic. It was Xie Ting, the master elder who was ranked among the top in strength in the family, and also a neutral elder who had never clearly stated his position.

Currently, the only high-level masters in the clan who can act are Xie Wen, Xie Zhi and Xie Ting.

Xie Yuan looked at Xie Ting and smiled:

"Okay, once the plan is in place, I'll ask you to help."

The several neutral masters behind Xie Ting nodded slightly. Although the neutral faction was not a group, Xie Ting was the strongest among them, and his opinions and attitudes would naturally have a great impact on others.

Not to mention that Xie Yuan's own battle had left an indelible impression on the elders, greatly affecting their judgment and attitude.

Xie Yuan glanced at Xie Wen who was standing quietly beside him, and seeing that the pot-bellied elder of the pharmacy had a calm expression and deep eyes, he turned around and left.

The elders stared at Xie Yuan's back. Although they saw that he was still alone, they no longer felt that he was alone and powerless.

At least his strength, though perhaps thin, was not weak at all.

Since Xie Yi was able to take the position of patriarch by virtue of having just become a Grandmaster, Xie Yuan should also be treated as a Grandmaster now, and no one can use this excuse to oppose him.

"He's not even a Grandmaster yet."

An elder sighed softly.

Someone else shook his head:

"He's not even twenty."

Everyone knew that Xie Yuan came of age after a year.

The elders looked at each other, even those from Xie Zhi and Xie Wen's lineage remained silent.

Even Xie Wen looked thoughtful.

"You, really beat Xie Yan?"

"No, you defeated Xie Yan?"

The master's mansion - or rather, Xie Yi's house.

Cui Pingjun and Xie Lingyun widened their eyes and asked at the same time.

Xie Yuan could now see clearly that the two were indeed mother and daughter, with exactly the same expressions.

He nodded:
"It's impossible to deceive people with this."

"But, Xie Yan is a master?"

Xie Lingyun still stared with her big round eyes, looking shocked.

"I'm not far from being a master."

Xie Yuan waved his hand calmly.

He came mainly to report to Cui Pingjun on the progress of the Grand Master Elder. In his opinion, the most important thing was the matter of Tianyunpu.

Seeing that he was calm and composed, Xie Lingyun felt that she was ignorant and could not help but grit her teeth. What a proud person!
But, isn't it because I don't have any experience? That person is really a master!! How can he win if he is not a master?
Xie Lingyun had a cute, dazed look on her face, her two ponytails swaying left and right subconsciously, and she was muttering to herself.

After all, Cui Pingjun had seen storms before, so she restrained her expression more quickly.

But this does not mean that she is calm. On the contrary, beneath the calm and dignified expression of an elder, her heart is still in turmoil.

Defeating a Grandmaster by leaps and bounds? Even Xie Yi couldn't do it back then!

This child...my husband's vision is indeed correct.

Cui Pingjun was very pleased, and then quickly focused her attention on specific matters.

"Since Xie Ting has spoken, it means that Yuan'er, you have won the recognition of quite a few elders."

Cui Pingjun nodded slightly.

The most important thing is that Xie Ting, the senior elder and high-level master who had remained silent, openly expressed his support. Now Xie Yuan no longer has only Cui Pingjun and Xie Jun to help him.

The main reason was that Xie Yuan could already be considered a Grandmaster, so the biggest doubt about him had actually been eliminated. The biggest doubt about him before was that his strength was too low.

The dignified head of the Xie family is not even a grandmaster. This is unprecedented in history and it is really unjustifiable.

Now that he has reached the Grandmaster level, this point naturally disappears. Perhaps Xie Yuan's current combat power is nothing in the eyes of the real high-level officials, but with a decent reputation, many elders who are not so ambitious have begun to make plans.

Furthermore, Xie Yuan has such strength before he reaches the Grandmaster level, and his infinite potential has almost overflowed.

Compared to the Grandmaster, or the Grandmaster-level combat power and the title of being qualified to be the head of the family, his talent and potential make people more willing to bet on him.

The impact of this battle was even more far-reaching than Xie Yuan had expected.

"But just him alone is not enough, we need at least two top masters."

After all, the open enemies are Yao Yuyi, the owner of Qiufeng Tower, and Yuan Zhen, the palace priest, and it is not known whether there is any secret support.

Xie Yuan continued:
"I'm going to ask Xie Wen."

"Thank you, Wen?"

Cui Pingjun frowned, thought for a moment and said:
"He's a smart guy, but he doesn't change his mind so easily."

Xie Yuan nodded slowly:

"But there is no other way. Xie Zhi is definitely not someone we can count on. The only option is Xie Wen. If Xie Wen is unwilling to help, then we can only try to get Xie Lei out."

Cui Pingjun thought for a while and nodded:

"That's it."

She no longer had many opinions on many of Xie Yuan's decisions. For example, today's elders' meeting was held and decided by Xie Yuan alone, and he later informed Cui Pingjun to discuss it. However, she did not find any faults, and was pleasantly surprised.

Under Cui Pingjun's instruction and the pressure of the actual situation, Xie Yuan learned quickly how to be the head of the family.

For smart people, things are just what they are. It just depends on what cards you have and how you play them.

Xie Yuan is obviously a smart man who can practice and is already on the road.

Cui Pingjun let him be the head of the family and only played a supporting role.

She thought about it and smiled:
"But now that you are so powerful, it will be no problem for you to be the clan leader. Let me help you boost your reputation."

Xie Yuan was a little confused, but he would soon find out.

Xie Lingyun looked at Xie Yuan from time to time, and was still muttering to herself. Even after the two of them finished their discussion, she still did not equate Xie Yuan with the Grandmaster.

The noise from the battle at the martial arts arena was so huge.

Although the elders had ordered other tribesmen not to get close, the battle fluctuations at the grandmaster level still spread out from the formation of the martial arts arena, attracting the silent attention of many tribesmen.

There were only a dozen or so participants, all of whom were senior elders, and they would not gossip.

But they all have their own friends, relatives, family members and children, so the rumors gradually spread everywhere.

Some say Xie Yuan was beaten up by the elder of the opposition, some said Xie Yuan was blocked by the master who was short of medicine, or some said Xie Yuan beat up a certain elder.

It was obviously the truth at the end, but people didn't believe it, so the fake news spread even faster.

But soon, the truth spread throughout the clan - Xie Yuan and Xie Yan had a fair duel, and Xie Yuan won.

This news could not be suppressed. It obviously seemed very untrue, but with the help of some people with ulterior motives, it quickly overwhelmed all the rumors.

Including the rudeness of Xie Zhi's lineage in the Xishui Hall, the aggressiveness in impeaching the head of the family, and then being defeated by Xie Yuan with his own strength. Without further ado, this series of news spread throughout the family like a messenger on the scene.

Many people did not believe it at first, but no master denied it and they all accepted it. Gradually, the authenticity of the news became self-evident.

As a result, countless people were shocked by the victory of the Transformation Realm over the Grandmaster. They spread the news everywhere and sought confirmation everywhere. The news spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Soon, the news literally spread to everyone in the Xie clan.

The clan was almost in an uproar, and the news was deliberately portrayed as a classic drama in which the young head of the family was not afraid of power, and had difficulty governing the family. He was repeatedly obstructed by villains, but finally fought back and became famous in one battle.

Although this was indeed the case, Cui Pingjun's exaggeration made the ordinary members of the tribe indignant.

Even many clan members who originally resented Xie Yuan for not managing the family well and causing them to have no resources available, turned their anger towards Xie Wen and Xie Zhi, and began to sympathize with Xie Yuan.

He was so innocent, so young, and so handsome, how could he be wrong?

The power of public opinion is strong, especially when the original targeted information is further processed, Xie Yuan's prestige and reputation have indeed reached another extreme. It is impossible to remove him from this position in a short time.

Cui Pingjun's control over internal affairs is beyond the reach of other elders.

But these things are both important and unimportant.

The most important thing is Xie Yuan's own strength. He has indeed reached the Grandmaster level, reaching the minimum threshold for being the head of a large family. His position has been consolidated a lot because of his righteousness. His age and potential have made many clansmen look forward to it, and they think that this is what the head of the Xie family should be like.

The other is the effect of managing the family.

The most pressing issue facing the Xie family now is the resource problem. Whether or not Xie Yuan can seize Tianyun Garden, which is the foundation of the Xie family, is a big test for him.

If he loses Tianyunpu in the end, Xie Yuan's current prestige will vanish in an instant, and Xie Wen and Xie Zhi will definitely fight back again, and even turn his current reputation into a backlash.

Xie Yuan ignored all this and just asked someone to ask Xie Wen if he was willing to fight.

The answer I got was to consider it for one day.

The situation is tense, but one day can wait. Perhaps Xie Wen needs to consider many things.

However, Xie Yuan would not wait for him alone. He sent someone else to the place where Xie Lei was in seclusion to see if he could send a message.

Above Xie’s arsenal.

Xie Fu looked at Xie Yuan, a gleam in his old eyes.

"When can I truly break through to Grandmaster?"

He didn't say much, but his hopeful eyes and joyful expression naturally reflected his mood.

He witnessed that battle on top of the armory and was amazed at the sight.

If it weren't for my job, I would probably want to drink a few jars of fine wine.

Xie Yuan shook his head:

"It's hard to explain. I still have a lot of skills to learn and need to accumulate more."

His Indestructible Golden Bell Cover has not yet reached perfection and is only short of the most basic requirements to reach the Grandmaster level.

Although the Grandmaster has only reached the third level of the Indestructible Golden Bell Cover, the progress of this technique is naturally not something that can be said to be rapid.

Moreover, the perfection of the technique was only the first requirement, the key was whether one could comprehend it. For this special threshold, Xie Yuan did not know whether he could achieve it in one go.

And there is also a practical problem, which is internal strength.

Xie Fu also asked:
"Do you have a solution to the problem of internal and external inconsistency?"

Xie Yuan pondered for a moment:
"There will be a way to try it then."

Seeing that he had his own ideas, Xie Fu nodded slightly and stopped asking questions.

"You are quite capable now, but you still have a long way to go. Don't be too arrogant."

Elder Zhenwu instructed seriously.

Xie Yuan nodded to show that he understood.

The old master was afraid that he would become too proud. After all, anyone with his strength and achievements would inevitably become proud.

However, although Xie Yuan also felt proud and satisfied, he knew how heavy his burden was and how difficult the challenges ahead would be.

The difficulties that the Xie family will always face, as well as the mysterious murderer who destroyed the Mu family... are all things that Xie Yuan is far from able to solve with his limited strength.

The road ahead is long, but he will forge ahead.

"Elder Fu, I would like to refer to the original version of the Burning Heaven and Exterminating Dao Spear. My spear skills are still not good enough."

Xie Yuan said.

Seeing that he was able to face up to his shortcomings and wanted to strengthen them so quickly, Xie Fu realized that his worries were unnecessary.

He nodded with satisfaction, and with a wave of his hand, a red light flew out from the bookshelf and fell into Xie Yuan's hands.

Xie Yuan looked at the large and flamboyantly written characters of "The Burning Heaven and Destroying Dao Spear", gently stroked the cover, and then opened the secret book, feeling the unique charm of the spear technique contained in it.

Xie Fu looked at Xie Yuan who was quickly immersed in it, and a look of relief appeared in his old eyes.

Then he took out a feather duster from somewhere and began to leisurely dust the bookshelf.

Not two days.

Xie Wen sent a message that he was going to go into seclusion.

Xie Yuan was not surprised.

The attitude of retreating at this time is very clear.

But both his considerations and the excuse of seclusion were somewhat subtle.

Xie Yuan pondered for a long time without taking any further action, just waiting for Xie Lei's reply.

Then came some bad news.

Xie Lei seemed to have entered a state of seclusion. The place of retreat was completely sealed off, and no news was allowed to come in or out.

If we were to wake him up at this time, there might be bad consequences or great losses.

Xie Lei is so capable, yet he is still in seclusion like this, which shows that he has gained a lot.

Normally, this would be good news for the family.

But the timing was quite unfortunate.

If a crisis really comes, it is necessary to awaken powerful combat forces, regardless of the losses.

Although the matter of Tianyunpu is urgent, it is very difficult to decide whether to make such a decision.

Obviously there are still top masters who can go into battle, so the family is not completely without anyone available.

But Xie Yuan had no one available.

Although Xie Lei supported Xie Yuan, he was still very upset after suffering a huge loss and seeing this scene.

Even though he was certainly extremely annoyed with people like Xie Wen and Xie Zhi, it was hard for him not to feel resentment towards Xie Yuan regardless of his ability or other qualities.

Moreover, even if Xie Lei and Xie Ting were added, they would just be two top-level masters.

There are two people on the opposite side, and it is still unclear whether we can drive the enemy away in one fell swoop.

The Wang family joined forces with the imperial court to launch an attack, and the Xie family should have had to use the strength of the entire family to resist.

But the civil unrest at this time was really chaotic.

The longer Tianyunpu is delayed, the more difficult it will be to deal with.

Should we call Xie Lei back?
What to do after recalling?
This is a great test of Xie Yuan's decision-making.

This is the dilemma facing the leaders of major forces.

One decision may affect the future of the entire family, or even life and death.

A heavy burden can make a person gray-haired.

Many people were silently waiting for Xie Yuan's decision, and many masters' rooms even kept lights on all night.

Xie Yuan sat alone in the courtyard, gazing at the blue moon, thinking until midnight.

Until the moon was at its zenith.

He exhaled slowly and made a decision.

So Xie Yuan returned to his study, ground ink, picked up his pen, and wrote a long letter. (End of this chapter)