"This necklace was given to me by my master."
"Second Peak Master?"
Jun Xie, "Yes, him. He told me that he first found me lying at the gates of his old cottage. And I had this necklace. I was covered in blood and was heavily injured."
"Luckily, my master is an alchemist, or I wouldn't have been sitting in front of you."
"So he returned this to you when you grew older?" Ye Tian Yun asked.
Jun Xie slightly frowned, "Well, things were a bit complicated."
"It was Sect Leader Su who told my master to give this necklace to me. My master wanted to wait for a few more years and give it to me once I breakthrough the Core Formation Realm."
"Core Formation? What's your cultivation right now?" Ye Tian Yun probed.
"Second Realm Of Qi Stabilization."
"Oh? That's… pretty low."
"Low?" Jun Xie laughed, "You haven't even reached my level yet. Also, did you forget that I am an alchemist?"
"Ah, yes." Ye Tian Yun asked, "What's your alchemy rank?"
Jun Xie put on a proud expression and replied, "Late Second Stage."
Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.
The most powerful alchemist in the Lower Heavens was at the Early Fourth Stage, and Jun Xie had already crossed half of the path. One shouldn't forget that he was only seventeen.
However Ye Tian Yun wasn't impressed.
Because Jun Xie could only be considered an average talent in the Middle Heavens.
But considering the fact that he hadn't received much of the cultivation resources compared to the Young Masters in the Middle Heavens, it was natural that he would fall behind.
"Why did Sect Leader Su ask your Master to give this necklace? Any specific reason?"
Jun Xie shrugged, "Not really, nothing specific. But I do know that Sect Leader has been to the Middle Heavens and even spent a long time there. So I am sure he knows something about my clan."
"He has been to the Middle Heavens?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How come I never knew this? Is this some kind of secret?"
Jun Xie shook his head, "Not really; it's basic knowledge. I am surprised that you don't know something like that. Well, if you had stopped chasing Yuan Shuchun's skirt for a while, maybe you would have known about this."
"Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, ignoring the last bit of jab that Jun Xie gave him.
"What did he do in the Middle Heavens? Was he a part of some power?"
Jun Xie nodded, "He was indeed a part of one of the most powerful clans under the heavens, the Great Ye Clan."
"What?" Ye Tian Yun was genuinely surprised at this.
How come something like that was never mentioned in the reports?
Ye Tian Yun couldn't help but frown, but it didn't take him more than a few moments to get to a valid reason.
In Ye Tian Yun's previous life, after Sect Leader Su was killed by his son, Fang Chen, the sect was then under Fang Chen and Xiao Ming's direct control.
However, they must have known the connection between Sect Leader Su and the Great Ye Clan.
Thus, with the aim to not create future trouble for themselves, they had removed the traces and hints of this connection and might have even barred everyone from ever mentioning this fact.
After all, the Great Ye Clan was not a normal opponent.
This clan ruled everything under the heavens. There was no way the scheming Fang Chen would let them know about killing their man, Sect Leader Su.
'Well, this is a pretty good explanation for what could have happened.' Ye Tian Yun concluded his thoughts.
He turned his head and found Jun Xie frowning.
"What did Sect Leader Su used to do in the Great Ye Clan?" Ye Tian Yun asked.
"Hm? Ah, Sect Leader Su was part of something called the Great Ye Corps. I don't know much about it, but it's most probably a high-ranking group in that clan. Why do you ask?"
"Nah, it's nothing." Ye Tian Yun shook his head.
Contrary to his outer nonchalant attitude, his mind was exploding with this piece of information!
'Great Ye Corps… Sect Leader Su must have been talented…'
'Even though being a part of an average sect, he had Sword Domain… this is enough to prove his talent.'
'And also validates my assumption, because Great Ye Clan would have definitely investigated the situation if they ever found out about his death. After all, my father treats the Great Ye Corps as a part of his family...'
'I guess both Fang Chen and Xiao Ming were very lucky. They were able to live a safe life and grow powerful even after killing someone from the Great Ye Corps. There was definitely some negligence from my clan's side too. After all, such a thing couldn't have remained hidden for long.'
He then looked at Jun Xie once again and asked, "You didn't tell me the reason why you hate Yuan Shuchun. You told me a lot about yourself but never mentioned anything about Yuan Shuchun."
Jun Xie pursed his lips, "It's not that I forgot about it. It's just… I don't know if I should say it or not."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Ye Tian Yun was a bit confused.
"You see, what I know are some big secrets about her. If I tell you and you later snitch on me, she will do whatever to kill both of us."
"If she will kill both of us… why would I be stupid enough to snitch on you?" Ye Tian Yun shook his head.
Jun Xie let out a sigh, "Alright, but first, let me ask you this - who is the most powerful cultivator to ever come out of the Gracious Sword Sect?"
Ye Tian Yun smiled, "The first Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, and the only Sword Saint in the last few generations. He is also one of the very few to make a name of himself even in the middle heavens. Sword Saint Yuan Xuming."
Jun Xie nodded, and after a slight pause, he said two words.
"Yuan Xuming.. Yuan Shuchun."