Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Divine Skill
With that done, Vice Examiner Liang gave Ye Xuan a peculiar glance, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint, cold smile.
"Ye Xuan, the second test will assess a Soul Refiner’s ability to communicate via Soul Power. Before you is a Tier One Profound Beast, a Cyan Dream Wolf. You must try to communicate with it using your Soul Power and calm it. If you can soothe it within a quarter of an hour, you will have passed the second test."
Master Sui, the chief examiner, explained the rules for the second test.
Ye Xuan nodded and walked up to the iron cage.
"ROAR! ROAR!"
The Cyan Dream Wolf inside roared furiously the moment it saw Ye Xuan approach. It paced restlessly within the iron cage, slamming against the bars with a loud CLANG, appearing extremely agitated and violent.
The chief examiner frowned. ’Why does the Cyan Dream Wolf seem particularly aggressive today?’ he wondered.
Meanwhile, a sinister smile quietly flashed in the eyes of the vice examiner at the side.
’Hmph. He dared to embarrass me just now. Let’s see how this kid passes the second test.’
When he had volunteered to bring out the Cyan Dream Wolf, his intentions were anything but good. As he led it out, he had secretly attacked the beast with his Soul Power, whipping it into a state of extreme savagery.
Calming a rampaging Cyan Dream Wolf was many times more difficult than calming a normal one.
Ye Xuan calmly observed the Cyan Dream Wolf. This was the first time in this life that he had seen a Profound Beast.
To the average Martial Artist, Profound Beasts were no different from Demon Beasts—just another type of creature. Aside from the fact that Demon Beasts possessed Demon Cores while Profound Beasts had Soul Crystals, there was no notable distinction between them.
Even the common encyclopedias across the continent categorized Profound Beasts and Demon Beasts together.
But as an Eighth Grade Soul Emperor, Ye Xuan knew that Profound Beasts and Demon Beasts were two entirely different kinds of beings.
He had once read an account in an ancient tome: legend told that the gods of antiquity created three intelligent species in the mortal world—humans, Demon Beasts, and Profound Beasts.
Demon Beasts cultivated their physical forms. Possessing formidable bodies, they dwelled in desolate mountains and wildlands, treating humans as enemies and frequently emerging to hunt them.
Profound Beasts, however, were different. They absorbed the essence of the sun and moon and the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, cultivating Soul Power. The stronger the Profound Beast, the more terrifying its Soul Power—so much so that it could even control Demon Beasts. Thus, a powerful Profound Beast often had many Demon Beasts serving as its guards.
Their Soul Crystals, however, were the best resource for strengthening a Martial Artist’s Martial Soul, which was why humans eagerly hunted Profound Beasts.
To avoid being hunted, Profound Beasts typically dwelled deep within mountains and forests, making them very difficult to find.
It was said that some powerful Profound Beasts could even take human form, walking through the human world with ghostly unpredictability.
Human Soul Refiners were actually similar to Profound Beasts, as they also cultivated Soul Power. However, their Soul Power was not identical to that of Profound Beasts, so while Soul Refiners couldn’t control Demon Beasts, they could attempt to communicate with Profound Beasts using their Soul Power.
With his knowledge and experience, how could Ye Xuan not know that Liang Bo had tampered with the Cyan Dream Wolf?
He didn’t expose him, however. He simply walked to the cage and quietly watched the Cyan Dream Wolf. At the same time, a faint wisp of Soul Power stealthily spread out and made contact with the beast.
At the same time, he slowly extended his hand, reaching right into the iron cage as if to touch the Cyan Dream Wolf’s head.
"ROAR! ROAR!"
Inside the cage, the Cyan Dream Wolf roared in fury. With crimson eyes and jaws agape, it lunged at Ye Xuan.
’What is this kid doing?’ Master Sui Yan and the other vice examiner were stunned, their fists clenched tightly.
But a cold smile crept onto Vice Examiner Liang’s lips. ’This kid thinks he can tame the Cyan Dream Wolf just by getting closer? He’s courting death. I hope that wolf bites his arm clean off.’
Just as Liang Bo was sneering inwardly, Ye Xuan, standing before the cage, suddenly let out a cold shout.
"Vile beast! Kneel before me."
A-WOOO!
To the astonishment of the three examiners, the once tyrannical and savage Cyan Dream Wolf suddenly began to whimper like a puppy at Ye Xuan’s shout. It collapsed to the ground, and Ye Xuan’s right hand came to rest on its head, stroking it gently as the beast lay perfectly still.
The once incomparably savage Tier One Profound Beast, the Cyan Dream Wolf, now lay before Ye Xuan like a docile puppy.
CRASH!
Chief Examiner Sui Yan shot to his feet, a look of utter horror on his face, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just knocked over his chair.
He gaped, staring at the scene in stunned disbelief. ’Is that really a ferocious Tier One Cyan Dream Wolf? Not a golden retriever in wolf’s clothing?’
Vice Examiner Liang’s eyes went wide with incredulity. He was utterly speechless, staring so hard it seemed his eyes might pop out of their sockets.
’Impossible. How could this be possible?’
’I deliberately enraged that Cyan Dream Wolf! How did this kid pacify it in an instant? Even I might not have been able to do that within a quarter of an hour!’
’What kind of Demon Technique did this kid use?’
He was utterly astounded.
"Examiners, have I passed the second test?"
Ye Xuan withdrew his arm and asked calmly, ignoring their astonishment.
"Passed. Of course you’ve passed." Sui Yan nodded, his gaze fixed solemnly on Ye Xuan, as if he were seeing him for the very first time.
"Since you’ve passed the first and second tests, let’s begin the third. The third test will assess a Soul Refiner’s practical ability to control a Martial Soul. It is also the most difficult part of the Soul Refiner examination."
"And do you know why the Soul Refiner examination places so much importance on this particular skill?"
Sui Yan stared intently at Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan answered calmly, "It’s because being a Soul Refiner on the Celestial Profound Continent is an extremely important and sacred profession. Soul Refiners are qualified to perform the Awakening Soul ritual for Martial Artists. If an impostor were to make a mistake during this process, they could easily ruin a Martial Artist’s entire life."
"Therefore, control over a Martial Soul is the most critical aspect of a Soul Refiner’s examination."
Sui Yan nodded in satisfaction, though his eyes also held a hint of astonishment.
Most aspiring Soul Refiners would rarely grasp this point before they were certified. Ye Xuan’s answer had satisfied him completely.
"Good, since you understand. Let’s begin the third test."
"Master Sui, allow me to administer the third test as well," Vice Examiner Liang Bo said, eagerly stepping forward.
Having failed to trip up Ye Xuan in the second test, he was deeply annoyed and wanted to sabotage him during the third.
"Liang Bo, step aside. I will conduct this test personally," Sui Yan said, giving Liang Bo a cold glare.
As a Second Grade Soul Refiner, how could he not have noticed something was off with the Cyan Dream Wolf? Although he had no proof that Liang Bo was responsible, he understood the situation perfectly.
Liang Bo started to speak, but he shrank back under Master Sui Yan’s severe gaze and retreated, his look toward Ye Xuan growing even colder.
"This third test is very simple. You must use your Soul Power to shape the Martial Soul power I release into any pattern. If you succeed, you pass."
After speaking, Sui Yan released a powerful stream of Martial Soul power. A black, illusory figure slowly materialized before him, like an ethereal, flickering shadow.
Although they hadn’t known each other long, Ye Xuan could tell from their interactions that Sui Yan was an honorable man.
He smiled faintly and said, "Then you’d better watch closely."
As his voice fell, a sharp glint flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
HUMMM!
A powerful Soul Sense shot out from Ye Xuan’s mind. This Soul Sense seemed to possess a mysterious power of its own. The moment it touched the black Martial Soul power Sui Yan had released, the ethereal, twisting energy immediately began to transform.
It shifted from a triangle to a square, then to a five-pointed star, and finally, it transformed into a slowly blooming flower, breathtakingly beautiful and exquisitely detailed.
This display left the other vice examiner utterly dumbfounded.
"Divine skill. Truly, divine skill."
Sui Yan murmured, his voice filled with incredulity.
As the Second Grade Soul Refiner who had released the Martial Soul power, he understood better than anyone what Ye Xuan had just accomplished.
Throughout the entire process, Ye Xuan had kept his Soul Sense output strictly at the level of a First Grade Soul Refiner, never once increasing its power. Yet his control over that Soul Sense had reached a level of absolute perfection.
To be perfectly honest, Sui Yan didn’t think he could have performed any better than Ye Xuan, even if they had switched places.
"A heaven-sent prodigy! A true prodigy!"
At that moment, it was the only thought in his mind.
Withdrawing his Soul Sense, Ye Xuan asked calmly, "Examiners, have I passed the test?"
"You passed! Of course, you passed!" Sui Yan said quickly, a wry smile on his face. "If a performance like that couldn’t pass, then no one in this world could possibly pass the First Grade Soul Refiner examination."
There was a hint of resignation in Sui Yan’s voice, but his words came from the heart. In all his time as the chief examiner for the First Grade Soul Refiner test at the Royal City’s Soul Master Tower, he had never seen anyone complete the examination as perfectly as Ye Xuan.
Even Liang Bo, who was desperately trying to find fault, couldn’t think of a single thing to criticize.
From entering the examination room to leaving it, Ye Xuan had spent less than a quarter of an hour in total.
The beautiful female attendant waiting at the door was surprised to see Ye Xuan emerge so quickly. After a moment of shock, she came to a sudden realization: ’He must have failed the exam.’
"Sir, please don’t be discouraged," she said, trying to console him. "The Soul Refiner examination is incredibly strict. Barely one in ten passes on their first try. Most have to take it two or three times before they finally succeed. The fact that you could even take the exam at your age is already remarkable. I’m sure you’ll become a true Soul Refiner before long."
