On the villa balcony, Ye Ming leisurely sipped his tea, his legs crossed, watching the afterglow of the setting sun in the distance, his mind becoming clear.
Now, he needed to properly sort through all his gains from today.
The battle with Gu Taiyi had severely damaged the authority of the Ancient Martial Artists Association. If nothing unexpected happened, after tonight's live broadcast, the authority lost by the Ancient Martial Artists Association would transfer to him.
Secondly, there were the Wu brothers and Old Man Kumu.
These were considered Ye Ming's unexpected gains.
Now, with them as hidden pawns, he would be able to know every move of those behind-the-scenes immortal cultivators like the back of his hand. Only then could he better control the overall situation.
Finally, and most importantly.
From Old Man Kumu, he had already learned some of the reasons behind the division within China's military and political factions.
What's more, this reason was even related to him.
This was something Ye Ming had never expected.
In fact, the moment Ye Ming first began to impart immortal cultivation techniques to the public, he had already been noticed by the Chinese government.
The reason Ye Ming was not immediately sanctioned by the authorities was not because they didn't want to, but because someone had intervened.
And the one who stopped the authorities was none other than one of the three peak Martial God powerhouses currently in the open, and simultaneously, the First Marshal of the Chinese military – Situ Kong.
It was precisely because of his intervention that the Chinese authorities did not sanction Ye Ming.
However, as events unfolded, the immortal cultivation techniques imparted by Ye Ming had gradually taken root in people's hearts. If this continued, no one could predict the outcome.
Therefore, the Presidential Palace took action.
And the Ancient Martial Artists Association, following their orders, made a move against Ye Ming.
Hence, the initial move by Feng Yi, followed by the Seven Star Inspector Xie Wuling, and finally, even Gu Taiyi stepped in.
However, something unexpected happened during this process.
That was the Ancient Martial Artists Association, using official platforms, making a high-profile appearance before the world.
According to the Presidential Palace's original plan, after the Ancient Martial Artists Association suppressed Ye Ming, they would then slowly eradicate the leaked cultivation techniques.
Even if some techniques remained in circulation, without subsequent methods to supplement them, they would ultimately amount to nothing.
Therefore, once time passed, people would gradually forget.
But with the high-profile emergence of the Ancient Martial Artists Association, and their grand pronouncements about the existence of ancient martial artists, the Presidential Palace realized something was amiss.
While the Ancient Martial Artists Association appeared to be sanctioning Ye Ming according to the Presidential Palace's wishes, in reality, it seemed they intended to take his place after dealing with him.
At that point, even if Ye Ming were eliminated, the Ancient Martial Artists Association would do the same thing he did.
Upon realizing this, it was already too late when the Presidential Palace prepared to intervene again.
Because the military had positioned itself against them.
And this was also the beginning of the schism.
It turned out that all along, the Presidential Palace had miscalculated one thing: while the Ancient Martial Artists Association was nominally a political organization, the military was actually the mastermind behind the scenes.
...
"Did my appearance become an opportunity for the military?" Thoughts leaped through his mind, Ye Ming's brow furrowed and relaxed alternately.
Ye Ming now realized that everything he had done so far had been exploited by those with ulterior motives.
Initially, he began imparting cultivation techniques, gaining fame.
Next, the number of viewers in his live stream increased dramatically, and the name Teacher Ye spread far and wide. Simultaneously, ancient martial artists began to enter the public consciousness.
Then, through the auction, ancient martial artists were introduced into the mortal world, infiltrating people's lives.
Finally, the Ancient Martial Artists Association made their move, intending to eliminate him and replace him.
All of this, before the decisive battle with Gu Taiyi, seemed to have minor ripples but was proceeding smoothly.
"What a pity! You made a miscalculation in the final step!" Ye Ming narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself.
That's right!
If it had been according to their plan, Ye Ming would have ultimately fallen to Gu Taiyi. Following that, the Ancient Martial Artists Association would have taken his place.
But the final outcome was Gu Taiyi's defeat.
Here, do not assume that those behind the scenes were blindly arrogant, leading to the failure of their ultimate plan.
In fact, they had already given Ye Ming sufficient attention.
From the initial Absolute Source Immortal Array, to the Wu brothers. Finally, they even deployed Old Man Kumu, who possessed the strength of the Source Soul Realm.
This lineup was already terrifying enough.
Therefore, it was not that they did not pay enough attention, but that Ye Ming's strength far exceeded their expectations.
Who could have imagined that such a young man had already entered the "Three Realms of Immortal Pursuits"?
Even in their realm, in nearly a thousand years, only one such peerless prodigy had appeared.
Therefore, their defeat this time was not unwarranted.
"When Old Man Kumu returns to the Heartless Sect, he will tell them that my strength is at the late stage of the Source Soul Realm, and this way..."
With this thought, Ye Ming revealed his characteristic devilish smile.
But gradually, his smile disappeared, replaced by a hint of solemnity: "What a pity! I still don't know what the military's purpose is!"
Ye Ming had not obtained relevant information from Old Man Kumu.
However, Old Man Kumu had told him that before the military took those actions, most of the immortal cultivator sects in their domain had participated in a secret meeting.
And the attendees were the sect leaders of each major sect.
Elders like Old Man Kumu were not qualified to participate. Therefore, to uncover the truth, he needed to work on those sect leaders.
However, based on this information, Ye Ming had made some of his own conjectures. Whether they were as he thought, only time would tell.
"Since the military allows my actions, and their only goal is to find a more obedient spokesperson!"
Ye Ming tapped the table, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, and said to himself, "If I cooperate with them, would it..."
As he analyzed the situation, the mist in front of Ye Ming seemed to clear considerably.
"It seems I need to have a good... talk with the military!"
Since both sides had the same objective, the problem became much simpler.
And the first person Ye Ming thought of was naturally the First Marshal of China... Situ Kong.
Perhaps by meeting him, he could learn more.
After clarifying these matters, Ye Ming felt a sense of relief, and his taut nerves relaxed. A cool breeze blew, bringing immense comfort.
Sipping tea!
Humming a tune!
This was truly enjoying life!
At some unknown time, Du Yuemian arrived beside Ye Ming. Seeing the smile on his lips, she asked with some confusion, "Young Master! What has made you so happy!"
Ye Ming turned his head, his eyes brightening.
How could such a comfortable life be without a beautiful woman by his side?
So, before Du Yuemian could react, she was pulled into his embrace by someone.
"Young Master! You... mmm!"