All Arts that used True Elements and Rare Energies could be categorized as the first, all that used the Soul as a medium fell into the second, and every type of mystic art that required a powerful mind belonged to the third.

Among them, Mental Arts were ranked the last in power, but the first in deceitfulness and strategy.

Even though Cultivators lived for much longer than a common person, their greediness and arrogance could turn them into prime targets for an astute Mental Power user.

l.u.s.tful young masters with a wavering Dao Heart could be tempted.

Ancient Cultivators that lived for thousands of years could be afraid of death.

The sight of a treasure could turn all into frenzied thieves, willing to go too far for achieving one step closer to true immortality.

An overprotective father with a good moral compa.s.s could ignore everything for the sake of his daughter.

Mental Energy preyed on their weaknesses, and therefore all cultivators either despised them or feared their shrewdness.

However, this power was a double-edged blade. It could cut the enemy but also the user himself. The stronger the target mind was, the highest the chance the tables could turn and the technique could either fail or take unexpected turns. Entering someone's mind meant your own mind was also wide open.

Yun Lin Xue used the [Mind Breaking Purple Cloud Art], a middle-grade human tier technique. Both the user and the victim were carried over to a Mental Illusory Plane where the weaker mind would face all kinds of scenarios until his mind broke down.

Although unsuitable to fast battles since it needed several hand-seals and also had a high consumption of energy, it was perfect for torture and interrogation. If the target had a strong mind he would've been able to resist the attempt, but in general, someone at the 4th layer and without a lot of experience would never resist a talent in Mental Techniques like Yun Lin Xue.

But of course, Ming Ren never thought about resisting in the first place.

"You… are you crazy? Don't you fell pain?" Even though there was no physical pain, it was still real.

"Hahahaha... it's just so funny… I thought I wouldn't have any chance to escape," Ming Ren had a b.l.o.o.d.y smile with it also dropping from his eyes.

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?!" Yun Lin Xue prepared to continue his a.s.sault. This time he would make a thousand spirit bugs craw inside Ming Ren's skin until he begged for mercy.

He raised his hand, but suddenly he felt something digging through his own skin. He scratched it quickly and then realized something was very wrong, "No… this...it can't be…?"

Out of nowhere, a thousand spirit bugs started digging inside his flesh, but no matter how much he scratched the itch never went away. He could only scream in pain.

"BREAK!" He tried to end his own illusion but it was too late.

Ming Ren appeared in front of his eyes in a white majestic robe, the same as in the dream he had earlier. He had his hand across the chest and floated like an immortal. With a flick of his hand, the bugs went away.

"You...you... how?" There was no mistake. This trash in front of him was in control of the Mind Breaking Purple Cloud Art, which meant he had the stronger mind.

A trash at the 4th layer of the Body Tempering Realm!

"You will tell me everything I want to know or… well, you know this technique better than anyone," Ming Ren calmy smiled.

"Snort, you think I'm afraid?! It doesn't matter if you're in control, all I need is to break the Art. You don't even have any mental energy or know the technique!" Yun Lin Xue roared.

"You're right, I can't use the Mind Breaking Purple Cloud Art. But you already activated it for me, why would I need to do it again?"

Yun Lin Xue trembled, "But… you can't possibly control it… unless..."

His eyes opened wide and he started at grin in Ming Ren's face.

Yun Lin Xue instantly felt despair, 'Sister, you have wronged me!'

No wonder his father was h.e.l.lbent on killing this boy. His sister was so deep in love with him that she even divulged the arts of the clan to an outsider.

Ming Ren knew what he was thinking, but he didn't care enough to correct his misinterpretation. Yes, Shufen showed him several of Cloud Clan's arts, but it was a mutual exchange between them, including Bai Xun. They swore an oath of secrecy and their friends.h.i.+p was also beyond questioning.

In reality, Ming Ren could not use the Mind Breaking Purple Cloud Art. It required either Mental Energy or the Cloud Clan's bloodline. Shufen could use it without entering the Spirit Realm because she had an innate connection to Mental Energy due to her bloodline being exceptionally rich and powerful.

Even before entering the Bright Sculpture he already had the means to counter this attack. After his time there, he experienced innumerable Mind Arts and mysteries, enough that the Mind Breaking Purple Cloud Art, a middle-tier human grade Art, was child's play for him to understand.

In fact, Yun Jie should have been made aware that Shufen divulged secrets to Ming Ren and Bai Xun since she was always being followed in the shadows, but those protectors dared not tell the Patriarch this important piece of news as they were afraid of being punished or silenced completely. Anything related to the young mistress was always a minefield.

"Tell me what happened since I was asleep, everything you know," Ming Ren demanded.

Yun Lin Xue's face twisted in disgust and he spat again, "Over my dead body, tras.h.!.+"

"Dead body? Death would be too much of a kindness to you," the art once more attacked Lin Xue. Ming Ren already experienced indescribable suffering inside the Bright Scripture. The Bright Senior left him with a huge gift… but also torment and pain.

Suddenly, the scene of a thousand needles piercing the eyes of both Ming Ren and Yun Lin Xue repeated itself over and over. It only took a few minutes of suffering for Yun Lin Xue to fear him deep in his bones. He couldn't even endure one percent of Ming Ren's suffering.

That crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d tortured not only him but also himself!

Yun Lin Xue regretted crossing this demon's path and blamed his own father for this predicament.

Ming Ren wasn't crazy. He wanted to stimulate his own bloodline through the pain. Even though he couldn't cultivate the True Divine Bright Eyes, the Bright Clan had an eye technique with a similar origin to it, although it was only capable of sharply enhancing one's sight for a short period of time.

It was only a matter of time and effort until Ming Ren's managed to replicate the technique.

All things had a common origin, and Cultivation Laws were not different. In the end, the Heavenly Dao was the beginning and the end in itself.

Lin Xue felt down on his knees and begged for mercy, and then told Ming Ren everything he knew.

**

The years that followed his sleep were a storm for the Bright Clan. Although Ming Qiu, Ming Lan, and Ming Bo progress grew at an unbelievable pace, the pressure of the Silver Clan only grew stronger. Maybe they felt the talented younger generation of the Bright Clan was a threat since only the Silver Clan didn't have an exceptional prodigy at their ranks.

At fifteen years old, Ming Qiu reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm and even sensed the True Element Of Light. The geniuses of the White and Cloud clans were even more overbearing: they both broke through to the Spirit Realm before the age of fifteen and felt multiple True Elements. Hailed as absolute geniuses, they received praise and commendation from the Royal Family and several other big sects of not only the Soaring Country but from the neighboring countries as well.

In the short year that followed Ming Ren's slumber, all those connected to him had amazing achievements. They all had their goals. Bai Xun and Yun Shufen left for their respective choices. Lin Xue didn't know Bai Xun's destiny, but Yun Shufen chose the Royal Academy of the Soaring Country, even though their father urged for another sect.

Ming Qiu entered closed-door cultivation, determined to reach the Spirit Realm in one go. Ming Bo and Ming Lan won several Martial Arts tournament, showing the Bright Clan splendor to the entirety of Bluecloud City.

That was also when everything went sideways for the Clan.

During his cultivation to breakthrough, Ming Qiu met with an a.s.sa.s.sination attempt by a traitor of the Bright Clan itself. Although he didn't die, it harmed his cultivation and caused his meridians some damage, permanently lowering his chances of ever breaking through to the Spirit Realm in this lifetime.

The greatest hope of the Bright Clan shattered into despair.

Ming Ren felt the pain of his cousin as if it was his own. The ever bright and friendly Ming Qiu, undeserving of such treachery.

It was easy for the Bright Clan to follow the traitor's trail to the Silver Clan as they didn't even attempt to hide. Without Yun Shufen and Bai Xun, the Cloud and White Clan's distanced themselves from the Bright Clan. The Cloud Clan was never too close but the White Clan forgot the past. Their statuses rose sharply and the Bright Clan was hanging from a thread to the fourth-ranked influence position.

Several members of the clan rushed in fury to the Silver Clan's door, and casualties were inevitable in the battle that followed. The other clans mediated the conflict but punished only the Bright Clan with sanctions.

The clan tried to appeal to the Brave Clan for a fair judgment, but the overlords of the Cloud Province chose to ignore everything. Behind the Silver Clan stood the Sunflower Pavilion hidden power, and its influence inside the Royal Family grew with each pa.s.sing day.

A bit later, the Overlord's command demoted the Bright Clan to a third-ranked influence, quoting their decline and lack of morals, and stripped the Clan of several of its rights and industries. Their spirit garden was to be transferred to the Silver Clan for a paltry amount of compensation, and several other industries and territories would be divided by the White and Cloud Clans.

All that was left was a much smaller piece of land and a few small industries, not enough to maintain the clan for much longer. A while later, it was said that the Bright Clan rebelled against the Overlord's Decree and thus the Royal Family, and was therefore expelled from the Soaring Country, but Yun Lin Xue knew the truth of the matter.

Although suffering from injustice, the Bright Clan knew they had no way to resist and decided to relocate. The Patriarch forbade anyone from seeking revenge or death. The clan united in their resolve to start again somewhere else.

But their troubles were not over.

The three other clans somehow learned about the Bright Sculpture and wanted to acquire it. Even if it was seeming useless, a Secret World was nothing short of a legendary existence. If they could present it to the Royal Family their prestige would soar.

A while before that, some of the Elders of the Bright Clan wanted to use the Bright Sculpture as a gift to the Overlord to try and change their decree, but the Patriarch opposed. Doing so would be going against the wishes of their ancestors.

Evidently, some of the Elders became disgruntled, but one of them took it further, spreading the news to the other clans in exchange for benefits. And that wasn't the end of it.

An incident would become the final spark that ignited the downfall of the Bright Clan. That traitorous Elder lured the talented twins of the clan to an ambush, and Ming Lan almost had her liberties taken away. Ming Bo died protecting his sister together with their bodyguards, and the Patriarch soon came to their help with many Elders.

It was all part of the plan.

Another ambush came…

...and the Patriarch of the Bright Clan, a Spirit Gate Realm cultivator, died.