She walked slowly towards Elder Long and Ye Cangtian with a faint smile. Her steps were ordinary, yet they exuded a sense of power.
"As expected of Mingyue, with just one Enlightenment Pill, she has forcefully broken through to the Quasi-Heavenly level, seventh layer!"
What! Seventh layer!
Hearing Elder Long's exclamation beside him, Ye Cangtian's eyes widened instantly.
He knew that after taking the Enlightenment Pill, he had only reached the Quasi-Heavenly level, sixth layer. Did this mean Dongfang Mingyue's talent was even more monstrous than his?
"Kid, stop overthinking. You're the truly monstrous one!"
Elder Long, sensing Ye Cangtian's unusual mood, immediately saw through his thoughts and spoke slowly.
Although Dongfang Mingyue's current realm was a level higher than Ye Cangtian's, she had been stuck at the peak of the Earthly level for several years.
Moreover, Dongfang Mingyue's talent was not bad. Coupled with years of accumulation, all of it erupted at once, allowing her to reach the Quasi-Heavenly level, seventh layer.
In contrast, Ye Cangtian.
This kid had no accumulation whatsoever. He had taken the Enlightenment Pill from the late Earthly level and ultimately reached the Quasi-Heavenly level, sixth layer.
Although his realm was one layer lower, Ye Cangtian was, by comparison, the ultimate prodigy among prodigies.
Furthermore, according to Elder Long's observation, Ye Cangtian had already reached the peak of the sixth layer, and it was likely that he would reach the seventh layer soon.
Catching up to Dongfang Mingyue was only a matter of time.
"Brat, my cultivation has surpassed yours. Are you regretting providing me with the Enlightenment Pill?"
"Let me tell you, it's no use regretting it!"
"Besides, if I wanted to deal with you, it has nothing to do with my cultivation. I can deal with you anytime!"
On the other side, seeing Ye Cangtian's bewildered expression, Dongfang Mingyue clenched her small fists and waved them fiercely at him.
"..."
Hearing her words, Ye Cangtian was speechless.
Just a moment ago, she had exuded the pressure of a powerful expert, but the moment she spoke, that aura vanished.
Thinking this, he chuckled and quickly said, "Sister Mingyue, what are you talking about? How dare I think that?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
Dongfang Mingyue snorted lightly, then stepped forward and suddenly gave Ye Cangtian a big hug. She said gently, "I won't say thank you. From now on, I'll look out for you."
Feeling the wave of fragrance, Ye Cangtian was stunned. Just as he was about to say something, she had already pulled away.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian said with a wry smile, "Congratulations, Sister Mingyue."
Dongfang Mingyue smiled slightly and then led the two back into the room.
"How has the situation with the Hidden Group been recently?"
As soon as they entered the room, Dongfang Mingyue asked. She was truly worried.
Although Ye Cangtian had some renown in the Hidden Group, having him take her place might still cause some dissatisfaction among others.
"It's been alright. I've disciplined those who were disobedient, and for now, they're behaving."
Ye Cangtian replied.
Just as Dongfang Mingyue had thought, there were indeed some shortsighted individuals in the Hidden Group.
After all, the news of Dongfang Mingyue's seclusion could not be entirely kept secret.
However, the duration of seclusion was unpredictable. Some emerged quickly, while others remained in seclusion for over a decade.
This led some to harbor ambitions, wishing to use this period to rise to power or rally followers to build their own factions.
However, these were all minor players. Ye Cangtian had given them a slight warning, and they had all quieted down.
As for those with real strength and backing, they knew about the relationship between Dongfang Mingyue and Ye Cangtian, and they also knew that Ye Cangtian was powerful and not to be trifled with.
Therefore, these individuals remained outwardly stable.
"Heh, so there are indeed some who can't see clearly!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's explanation, Dongfang Mingyue chuckled, but her eyes turned extremely cold.
The entrance to the ruins was not yet stable, and the Hidden Group was constantly in a state of crisis. These people, instead of sharing the burden of the Hidden Group, were harboring such wicked thoughts. Truly detestable.
The more Dongfang Mingyue thought about it, the angrier she became. Finally, her gaze fell on Ye Cangtian, and she said, "Brat, tell me who these disloyal people are. Let me see how I'll deal with them."
"Uh, it's not a problem to tell you, but I'm afraid it might be a bit difficult for you to deal with them."
Ye Cangtian was stunned for a moment and then explained with a smile, "They didn't understand how to prepare for danger in times of peace. I took the liberty of sending them to the entrance of the ruins."
What Ye Cangtian said was true. Without considering anyone's opinion, he had directly sent these people to the entrance of the ruins.
Simply put, it was to let these people understand that the peace they enjoyed today was hard-won, exchanged with the lives of all the martyrs.
"Good! Very good!"
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Mingyue directly gave Ye Cangtian a thumbs-up. This was much better than what she had in mind.
At the same time, she also breathed a sigh of relief. She had initially worried that Ye Cangtian's methods were not firm enough, but it seemed she had worried too much.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and changed the subject, "Sister Mingyue, most people are unaware of your breakthrough. Therefore, I think it's best not to spread the word for now."
Dongfang Mingyue's eyes twinkled, and she quickly understood Ye Cangtian's intention.
She smirked wickedly and teased, "Brat, have you gotten addicted to being an official? Fine, you can have the Hidden Group from now on. I'll work for you and enjoy a leisurely life."
Pfft!
At her words, Ye Cangtian almost spat out blood. He was already swamped with work.
If this continued, he wouldn't have time for anything else!
Thinking this, he quickly said, "Sister Mingyue, you can't do this. This is a special situation, to create a false impression for our opponents. Once this period passes, I'll immediately hand over power!"
While saying this, Ye Cangtian was also muttering to himself, thinking that handing this over to him was out of the question!
Besides, he still had the Imperial Dragon Villa to offload.
"No, no, no, you just sit there. I should enjoy some carefree time!"
Dongfang Mingyue wouldn't give Ye Cangtian any chance.
From the moment she took charge of the Hidden Group, she had been bogged down by its myriad affairs, which were like chains, rendering her immobile and extremely uncomfortable.
Now that she had such an opportunity, and Ye Cangtian was not only trustworthy but also highly capable, he was simply a successor tailor-made for her.
"Hmph!"
Just as Dongfang Mingyue finished speaking, Elder Long let out a cold snort.
He glared fiercely at the two and said grimly, "What do you think the Hidden Group is? Shoving responsibilities back and forth, how improper! You were put in these positions to gain experience! Don't be ungrateful!"
Their conversation had instantly angered Elder Long.
After all, how many people wished they could occupy those positions, yet Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue found them troublesome.
In his eyes, this was shirking responsibility, which truly infuriated him.
With his words, both Dongfang Mingyue and Ye Cangtian immediately became subdued. Facing the wrath of a Heavenly-level expert, they didn't want to court trouble.
"Elder Long, there are still matters within the Hidden Group. I'll be leaving now. You and Sister Mingyue can chat slowly and guide him properly."
The next moment, Ye Cangtian uttered these words and, seeing that the situation was unfavorable, chose to make a swift exit.
Hmph!
This brat!
Watching Ye Cangtian's retreating figure, Elder Long snorted and mused to himself.
Actually, in his opinion, compared to Dongfang Mingyue, Ye Cangtian was more suited to manage the Dragon Group.
It wasn't that Dongfang Mingyue lacked ability, nor that Ye Cangtian's ability was superior.
It was purely a matter of their management philosophies. Ye Cangtian was the type to possess immense drive, like an founding emperor.
Whereas Dongfang Mingyue leaned towards being a ruler of later generations, more suited to defending an established empire.
However, given the current situation of the Hidden Group, facing both internal and external threats, Dongfang Mingyue should have been more suitable.
But the Hidden Group was also on the cusp of a rise, a time for expansion and development. Therefore, if Elder Long had to choose, he would prefer Ye Cangtian to take over the Hidden Group.
Yet, he had also seen just now that Ye Cangtian had no attachment to power, and even seemed to be evading responsibility, which truly gave him a headache.
...
On the other side, Ye Cangtian scurried back to the side courtyard.
As soon as he entered, Yao Bao'er excitedly rushed up to him. Seeing her excitement, Ye Cangtian seemed to understand something.
"It's successful?"
Yao Bao'er had blown up the alchemy laboratory in the Hidden Group.
Initially, Dongfang Mingyue had found another alchemy room for Yao Bao'er, but due to Ye Cangtian's return, Yao Bao'er had not gone there.
Instead, she had set up a secret room in the villa to serve as an alchemy room.
Ye Cangtian naturally wouldn't object to this.
Now, seeing Yao Bao'er's excited demeanor, it was evident that she had made a breakthrough in alchemy.