777: Chapter 773: Ancient Martial Power Levels 777: Chapter 773: Ancient Martial Power Levels Clan Leader Ye Zhihuan of the Ye family treated Ye Tian with great hospitality and hastily said, “Ye Tian, since you are willing to invest, to our Ye family, you are an incredibly esteemed guest!
Therefore, today, we must properly entertain you!”
Since the Clan Leader had given the order, the others didn’t hesitate and immediately prepared a meal for Ye Tian.
However, the so-called “proper entertainment” was not quite as expected.
After everything was prepared, Ye Tian realized that the Ye family’s idea of hospitality was merely four dishes and a soup…
Ye Tian was quite a foodie.
He had tasted exquisite foods both domestically and abroad, so his standards for food were exceedingly high!
The dining spread prepared by the Ye family wasn’t to Ye Tian’s liking at all, not even comparable to what he and Yun Xinyan ate daily, let alone the feasts found in star-ranked hotels!
After investing three hundred million, Ye Tian didn’t even feel like complaining about being treated with such coarse meals by these folks.
He just quietly observed everyone at the dining table.
He took the seat of honor with Clan Leader Ye Zhihuan at his side and Ye Zhirong sitting on his other side, while his two other brothers sat across from him.
In the entire Ye family, only the four brothers were qualified to sit at the table to eat…
Inside the Ye family, Ye Tian hadn’t seen any servants.
Even when someone went to the kitchen to handle the food, it was Ye Zhiran who did it…
The large garden housed only a few people, which was slightly surprising to Ye Tian.
“Ye Tian, pardon the offense earlier!
I’ll drink this cup first as a token of respect!”
Before the meal even began, Ye Zhicang cheerfully lifted his cup and downed the liquor in one gulp.
Ye Tian also drank a cup along with him.
The wine served by the Ye family during this banquet was cheap liquor.
Drinking it, Ye Tian felt indescribably uncomfortable.
The alcohol was almost on par with the taste of fake liquor, a disagreeable flavor that Ye Tian had rarely endured in his life…
Therefore, after drinking only a few cups, Ye Tian excused himself for his low alcohol tolerance and declined all the toasts.
As for the meal of four dishes and a soup, which also wasn’t to his liking, he ate a few bites and then claimed to be full before leaving the table.
Ye Tian went to the front yard to rest in the pavilion.
He gazed at the pavilions, towers, artificial hills, and pools in the garden, which alone were probably worth a fair sum of money.
Yet, the Ye family couldn’t afford a single servant, and even for meals, the elders had to cook themselves, eating the most inconspicuous and plain food…
Moreover, considering how Clan Leader Ye Zhihuan had been willing to kneel down to ask for money, Ye Tian couldn’t help but feel touched.
Could it be that the Ye family was really that poor?
However, when Ye Tian recalled how he had initially lured Ye Zhirong to Jiang City with just a few hundred yuan as bait, he could tell that, in fact, the Ye family’s financial situation was indeed quite tight.
The grand family, practically the emperor of their small town with such a large estate, was somehow short of money, which was rather baffling…
Where did all the Ye family’s money go?
As Ye Tian pondered with confusion, Ye Zhirong quietly came to his side and said, “Kid, I saw that you hardly ate anything just now.
Are you feeling unwell?”
“It’s not that I’m feeling unwell…
Mr.
Ye, thank you for your concern!”
Ye Tian replied offhandedly, as he couldn’t say that it was the unappetizing meal that made him excuse himself.
Ye Zhirong, licking his lips, continued, “Kid, you don’t know, after you left, everyone swept the table clean of food.
It’s no wonder because we old men haven’t eaten such a lavish meal in a long time!”
“…”
Ye Zhirong’s words left Ye Tian momentarily speechless.
The simple four dishes and a soup, along with the inferior liquor, had been devoured by the Ye family members as if a storm had swept through.
Just how dire was the Ye family’s financial situation?
If it were any other member of the Ye family present, Ye Tian would probably have been reluctant to speak, but he was already well-acquainted with Ye Zhirong, so he felt he could ask some questions that might otherwise be inappropriate.
“Mr.
Ye, is the Ye family really in need of money?”
This question was straight to the point, and Ye Zhirong looked at Ye Tian in astonishment, his eyes betraying a hint of embarrassment.
“Kid, do you really want to know?”
“Yes.
After all, I’m an investor, and I hope you can be truthful with me, because I don’t want my investment of hundreds of millions to sink without a trace!”
Ye Tian nodded as he spoke.
Ye Zhirong sighed and said, “Kid, as you’ve seen, our big house is empty, lacking even decent furniture.
You can see for yourself what the Ye family’s financial situation is like, can’t you?”
Just as Ye Zhirong had said, from the moment Ye Tian entered this residence, everything he saw was unbearably impoverished.
Although there was a Suzhou-style garden in the front courtyard, it was untended, with weeds overgrowing the rockeries and pavilions and towers all dilapidated, without even a semblance of sweeping, as if it had been abandoned for a long while.
Inside the house, the furniture and decorations were very simple, even the outfits of the four Ye brothers were quite plain, with patches subtly visible on their clothing…
All these signs indicated that the Ye family was poor, really poor, to the point of clinking poverty!
This was in stark contrast to the wealth of the Sima Family, considering that in the Sima family’s main residence, Ye Tian had found many treasures of inestimable value.
Both were ancient martial families, so why was there such a big difference between the Ye family and the Sima family?
This was something Ye Tian simply could not fathom…
“Elder Ye, why is the Ye family so poor?
Could it really be, as the Clan Leader said, because the tourist resources of Lianghe Town haven’t been developed?”
Ye Tian asked insistently, but Ye Zhirong just shook his head.
“Kid, I can’t tell you that.
After all, it’s a domestic affair of the Ye family.
Even if your Night King Hall is allied with the Ye family, I still can’t reveal the reasons for our family’s poverty to you!”
From Ye Zhirong’s expression, Ye Tian could tell that he didn’t want to share too much…
At this, Ye Tian did not pursue the matter further.
In Ye Tian’s mind, a different matter suddenly arose, namely the strange event that had occurred the night before.
“Elder Ye, do you know what the ‘Innate Realm’ is?”
The four words “Innate Realm” were what Ye Tian had learned the previous night from the red-clothed man who had come to spy on him, and he really wanted to know what these words meant.
“Oh, are you interested in these four words?”
Ye Zhirong smiled, and from his smile, Ye Tian could clearly tell that he knew very well what the “Innate Realm” was.
“Of course I’m interested!”
Ye Tian nodded emphatically, while Ye Zhirong began to explain, “The so-called ‘Innate Realm’ is something that is seldom mentioned now because it’s a power classification in ancient martial arts!”
“A power classification in ancient martial arts?”
Ye Tian was slightly taken aback, having never heard such terms as ancient martial arts and power classification before.
“Yes!
It’s ancient martial arts!” Ye Zhirong also said with a sigh, “Since the Ye family is an ancient martial family, I’m clear about what the Innate Realm is.
The so-called Innate Realm refers to the state before a person is born!
In the theory of ancient martial arts, once a person is born, they will be ravaged by all things in the world, causing their True Yuan to be worn down, and ultimately, through constant depletion, slowly inching toward death!
However, the Innate Realm is different.
One must continuously train as a martial artist to break through human limits, to regain the state of True Yuan that one had before birth.
Only by doing so can one step into a higher plane of martial arts.
Thus, in the training of a martial artist, the Innate Realm is a very important stage!”
“…”
Ye Tian listened quietly to Ye Zhirong’s explanation, hearing about the Innate Realm for the first time.
However, since Ye Zhirong said this was a power classification in ancient martial arts, it must still be valid today; it was just that martial artists were unaware of it…
“Elder Ye, what exactly is the power classification in ancient martial arts?”
Ye Tian asked eagerly again, and Ye Zhirong did not hold back as he said directly, “Although it’s ancient martial arts, it’s somewhat similar to modern martial arts.
Most importantly, the power classification of ancient martial arts still fits today’s martial artists!
First, there are the ‘unranked’ martial artists.
Such martial artists only focus on training their physical strength, only relying on brute force in battle, with limited attack power.
When it comes to killing enemies, their strength is not worth mentioning at all!”
“Unranked?
Hehehe~~~~”
Ye Tian couldn’t help but chuckle, realizing that in the power classification of ancient martial arts, those who didn’t understand the use of Inner Strength were completely excluded from consideration.
Ye Zhirong continued, “As long as a martial artist practices orthodox internal cultivation methods and accumulates Inner Strength within their body, they truly step into the threshold of martial arts.
Martial artists who have just gathered Inner Strength are usually referred to as ‘third-rate’.
Such martial artists can fight, but their combat power is still weak, and with limited Inner Strength, they are fodder in the face of adversaries!
Then there are the ‘second-rate’ martial artists.
These martial artists have begun to amass Inner Strength within their bodies, able to shatter boulders weighing a thousand pounds, and if they use their Qinggong, they can leap over high walls.
Such martial artists’ combat power is considerable; even the strongest enemies would have to fear them if they combine forces!”
“Hmm hmm…”
Ye Zhirong spoke, and Ye Tian listened silently.