At night, Ye Tianfan lay on his bed, staring somewhat vacantly at the ceiling.

"What's wrong, junior brother? Are you nervous?" You Tianjiao was washing up but, noticing Ye Tianfan's vacant expression, he pulled up a stool and sat beside Ye Tianfan's bed, speaking to him.

Ye Tianfan was originally pondering over the battles he witnessed during the day, but seeing You Tianjiao sitting beside his bed, he quickly sat up, "No, senior brother, I'm not nervous. I was just thinking about the battles today."

You Tianjiao smiled at Ye Tianfan. He believed Ye Tianfan was just saying that to avoid making him worry, given that Ye Tianfan's expression earlier was just like someone anxious about tomorrow's match.

"Junior brother, I've never reached the semi-finals, so I can't offer you any advice on that. But regarding your mindset, I can give you some tips," You Tianjiao said with a smile.

Ye Tianfan thought he'd just chat with senior brother anyway as he wasn't feeling sleepy.

"Now that you're in the semi-finals, you're the first disciple from Taihuo Peak to reach the semi-finals in two hundred years. So, our master is already very satisfied, and you shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself. Tomorrow's battle depends on your draw; if it's three or four, wait to see when one or two finish their match, then it'll be your turn. The semi-finals aren't held simultaneously." You Tianjiao pondered the rules and said, "Just do your best in tomorrow's battle. Don't push yourself too hard, as you've already achieved a lot."

"I understand, senior brother. I just feel that all the senior brothers who made it to the semi-finals are extraordinary," Ye Tianfan said, although he left unsaid that the other Taichu Peak disciple seemed quite simple, with only a single attack method.

"Of course, anyone who reaches the semi-finals of the Nine Veins Martial Arts is an elite and a pillar of their vein. Like Bai Feng, the popular candidate for the next head of Taiqi Peak, and Yun Tian, the senior brother of the next Taichu Peak head. Unless something unexpected happens, he will be the next sect leader of the Taichu Sect," You Tianjiao said. Actually, he felt somewhat jealous of Yun Tian.

It should be noted that You Tianjiao and Yun Tian joined the Taichu Sect only three years apart, and it's been over a hundred years since then. Yun Tian's strength has long surpassed Qian Yuan and has been designated as the next head of Taichu Peak by Tian Chuzhen, not to mention being a strong candidate for the next sect leader of the Taichu Sect.

And himself? His cultivation is merely at the fifth layer of Wanhua and has been stuck there for a long time. Although, barring any surprises, he was supposed to be the next head of Taihuo Peak, considering Ye Tianfan's progress, the next head might be him instead. And now, Ye Tianfan's abilities are mostly revealed, so in another ten or twenty years, he might be one of the popular candidates for the sect leader of the Taichu Sect as well.

And himself? After ten or twenty years, how far could his cultivation reach? The sixth layer of Wanhua? Or remain stuck at the fifth layer?

Thinking this, You Tianjiao, who was trying to comfort Ye Tianfan, ended up confusing himself.

Ye Tianfan watched as You Tianjiao's worried expression shifted to confusion, unsure of what had happened.

What's going on? Wasn't he comforting me? Why did he end up confusing himself? What was senior brother thinking when he was trying to comfort me?

"Senior brother, what's wrong?" Ye Tianfan asked quizzically.

"Ah? Ah! It's nothing, nothing. I mean, don't be nervous tomorrow, just do what you have to do," You Tianjiao said, sighing slightly before standing up and continuing to wash up to clear his mind. He felt like he had developed a Heart Demon and wondered how that could be, given that his will has always been strong. Why, suddenly, did he feel confused?

You Tianjiao couldn't figure out why a Heart Demon suddenly stirred within him, possibly while advising his junior brother?

No, a Heart Demon couldn't have just appeared suddenly. It must be something he had been suppressing, which erupted while advising his junior brother.

Looks like after the Nine Veins Martial Arts finishes, he'll need to retreat and meditate, expelling the Heart Demon before coming out again.

Ye Tianfan watched the back of You Tianjiao as he went out to wash up, a serious expression forming as he realized the feeling earlier wasn't wrong. The aura of the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon, though faint, was still discernible, having experienced it before.

It seems the whispers of the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon had affected senior brother. He'd need to notify the master; otherwise, senior brother alone likely couldn't handle even this slight demonic aura from the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon.

With that thought, Ye Tianfan lay back in bed and, thinking about tomorrow's battle, drifted into sleep. As it happens, he was first up tomorrow because he drew number four, which corresponds to number one, so he'd contend in the first match.

The next day, as the sun rose as usual, the Taihuo Peak members arrived at the Martial Arts Arena, and Ye Tianfan observed that today's stage had shrunk from four to one, leaving only a large stage at the center of the arena.

By then, the entire arena was thronged with people, proving the excitement for this semi-final was considerable, given that the martial arts competition was nearing its end. Everyone wondered to whom the rumored Space Ring would belong.

Ye Tianfan followed Tian Chu Zhenren to the Taihuo Peak stand, and after exchanging words with the Elder sitting there, he began preparing for the upcoming match.

In fact, there wasn't much to prepare, and Ye Tianfan hadn't bothered to check the match list, so he didn't know who his opponent would be. However, third senior brother Liang Tianqi did look at the list.

"Junior brother, junior brother."

Just as Ye Tianfan was stretching and preparing, Liang Tianqi returned after reviewing the list.

"Third senior brother."

"Junior brother, your opponent is Ma Feiyun from Taichu Peak," Liang Tianqi stated.

"Ma Feiyun?" Ye Tianfan hadn't heard the name before, but then he recalled that this should be yesterday's lucky one. If it weren't for that Taiqi Peak senior's mistake, miscalculating the Array Banner timing, Ma Feiyun might have lost.

But Ye Tianfan then breathed a sigh of relief. If it's just Ma Feiyun, good. Luckily, it's not Yun Tian senior brother or Bai Feng, otherwise, an entire day wouldn't suffice for the fight, and even if he won, he'd likely be exhausted and unable to participate in the finals.

Luckily, his opponent was this Ma Feiyun, who, impressive as he was, was like a walking cannon with various Immortal Techniques blasting ferociously yesterday.

Nevertheless, his attacks were overly singular; only powerful, with no other attributes. This, Ye Tianfan thought, would be easy to handle.

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