Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Advancing by Leaps and Bounds
A Tier Four Profound Beast represented Fourth Grade Soul Power. For any other Soul Refiner, even this faint wisp of Fourth Grade Soul Power would have been enough to instantly shatter Ye Xuan’s Soul Sea.
He carefully circulated the Formless Soul Skill. His Soul Seal emanated a hazy glow, guarding his Soul Sea, while the gentle aura from the Ten Directions Soul Guarding Array nourished his body.
Ye Xuan quietly guided that wisp of Earth Soul Power toward his heart acupoint—the seat of his Earth Martial Soul.
THUMP!
As the wisp of Soul Power entered him, Ye Xuan’s body shuddered violently. His heart swelled, feeling as if it might burst.
This Soul Power was far too strong, exceeding his limits. Cracks immediately spiderwebbed across the Profound Vein in his heart acupoint.
Ye Xuan’s expression remained unchanged. From within his mind, the Life Martial Soul pulsed with a hazy green light, releasing threads of life force to heal his damaged heart acupoint and Profound Vein.
One force destroyed while the other repaired.
The two forces immediately fell into a cycle.
And amid this cycle, Ye Xuan gritted his teeth and began to slowly refine his Earth Martial Soul.
Time ticked by.
Half an hour later, the fist-sized Tier Four Earth Dragon Soul Crystal in Ye Xuan’s hand crumbled into dust.
A moment later, a potent aura erupted from his body.
VMMMM!
A hazy image of the earth materialized above Ye Xuan’s head. Along with it, two golden star rings appeared, pulsating up and down and radiating a formidable aura.
After the arduous refinement, Ye Xuan’s Earth Martial Soul had finally broken through to Two-Stars.
And it had unprecedented golden star rings, at that.
To Ye Xuan, however, this shocking sight was only to be expected.
’Only a monster like me would even attempt to absorb a Tier Four Profound Beast’s Soul Crystal with a One-Star Martial Soul while still in the Martial Master Realm.’
An ordinary Martial Artist looking to upgrade their Martial Soul to Two-Stars would absorb from a Tier Two Profound Beast at most. Ye Xuan, however, had surpassed them by a full two tiers.
’If even this couldn’t produce golden star rings, that would be truly absurd.’
In truth, if not for the Ten Directions Soul Guarding Array, his breakthrough to Mid-Third Grade Soul Power, the Life Martial Soul, his astonishing physical fortitude, and the condensed Soul Seal, absorbing a Tier Four Soul Crystal at his current level would have been an act of pure recklessness.
Ten of him would have died to that rampaging Soul Power.
Now, with both Martial Souls having broken through to Two-Stars, Ye Xuan felt as if the Soul Power within him had undergone a qualitative change.
What shocked Ye Xuan even more was that, during the process, his Profound Qi had also quietly broken through, advancing him to the Martial Master Third Layer.
Even Ye Xuan himself was a little dumbfounded by this speed.
"This is so powerful."
Ye Xuan murmured, feeling the Soul Power coursing through his body.
Though he was only at the Martial Master Third Layer, the formidable Soul Power gave him an extraordinary sense of might.
In his past life, though he had been a prodigy who stunned the world, he had only been a Second Grade Soul Refiner at the Martial Master Third Layer. He hadn’t even condensed a Soul Seal, and his Martial Soul’s star rings were merely silver.
But in this life, at the Martial Master Third Layer, his Soul Power had reached Mid-Third Grade, his physical strength was heaven-defying, he had condensed a Soul Seal, and of his Three-Life Martial Souls, one had red star rings while the other now had golden ones.
In every conceivable way, the Ye Xuan of this life far surpassed his past self.
’What’s the Nine Heavens Martial Emperor to me? In this life, I am destined to return to the pinnacle and reign supreme over all!’
After taking Mosen’s Storage Ring and tidying up the scene, Ye Xuan quickly left the cave.
A day had already passed since his three-day appointment with Zhao Wei. Ye Xuan needed to get to the exit of the Wind Thunder Cave as quickly as possible.
At the entrance to the Wind Thunder Cave, Zhao Wei and the other two were gathered together.
"Your Highness, a full day has passed since our agreed-upon time, and Ye Xuan still hasn’t shown up. Do you think something happened to him?" Zuo Liu said, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Mosen was chasing Ye Xuan. With Mosen’s power, if he caught up to Ye Xuan... I fear the worst," Qing Ling added grimly.
Zhao Wei’s expression was grim. "Let’s wait a little longer. If Brother Ye doesn’t appear soon, the three of us will have to leave first. I’ll report what happened here to my royal father and have him send a search party."
They had agreed to meet here after three days, but now it was the afternoon of the fourth day. Ye Xuan’s absence made an ominous feeling stir in Zhao Wei’s heart.
Still, they couldn’t wait forever. If the three of them were to run into Mosen again, their odds of survival would be slim.
As they were talking, a streak of light suddenly shot toward them from the distance. The three were startled at first, but their faces broke into expressions of joy when they saw who it was.
"Haha, Brother Ye! I knew you’d be all right!"
Zhao Wei laughed heartily and rushed forward. Zuo Liu and Qing Ling also wore relieved smiles.
"Sorry to have kept you all waiting."
Ye Xuan offered a faint smile.
"Brother Ye, Mosen didn’t catch up to you, did he?" Zhao Wei asked with concern. Then, his eyes widened as he sensed the aura coming from Ye Xuan.
"Brother Ye, you... you broke through to the Martial Master Third Layer!" Zhao Wei exclaimed in shock.
Qing Ling and Zuo Liu looked over as well, their eyes wide with astonishment.
They were well aware that Ye Xuan had only joined the Profound Spirit Academy this year. A full academic year hadn’t even passed, yet he had already reached the Martial Master Third Layer. The realization stunned them all.
"Just a lucky break."
Ye Xuan just smiled, not elaborating. Without the substantial gains he had made on Cyan Profound Mountain, breaking through to the Martial Master Third Layer would have taken him at least another six months.
"A lucky break? Brother Ye, if the other students at the academy heard you say that, I guarantee they’d want to kill you."
Zhao Wei gave a wry smile. He distinctly remembered that it took him two years after enrolling to break through to the Martial Master Third Layer, and even that had earned him a reputation as one of the academy’s top geniuses.
But compared to Ye Xuan, he felt like utter trash.
Qing Ling and Zuo Liu also smiled wryly. Their own talents were astonishing, but they paled in comparison to Ye Xuan’s.
"By the way, Brother Ye, about Mosen... he didn’t manage to do anything to you, did he?"
The three of them had regrouped half a day after they all scattered, but they had seen no sign of either Ye Xuan or Mosen.
"Of course not. I managed to escape by a stroke of luck. Afterward, I hid away to cultivate. The breakthrough took some time, which is why I was delayed."
He didn’t mention that he had killed Mosen, nor did he bring up the Earth Dragon Profound Beast in the cave. The truth was simply too outlandish to share.
"That’s a relief. We don’t know where Mosen went, either. We haven’t seen him these past few days. But it does seem like the number of Profound Beasts in this valley has dropped off suddenly."
"Indeed. A pity, Your Highness. You came on this expedition specifically to find a Lightning Mink and upgrade your Martial Soul. Since that didn’t happen, I suppose you’ll have to wait for another chance."
"It can’t be helped. Who could have predicted we’d run into Sixth Brother? The real tragedy is Fu Yuling and Duan Ren... to think they died here. I failed them. When I become strong enough, I will avenge them. I, Zhao Wei, swear that I will not rest until I kill Mosen."
A terrifying killing intent flared in Zhao Wei’s eyes. For the normally gentle Prince to show such an expression spoke volumes about the fury in his heart.
It was understandable. A perfectly good training expedition had been turned into a desperate flight for survival all because of the Sixth Prince. Not only had it prevented Zhao Wei from achieving his objective, but it had also cost Fu Yuling and Duan Ren their lives on Cyan Profound Mountain.
Zhao Wei knew that upon returning to the Profound Spirit Academy, he would certainly face an investigation. His status would protect him from any real consequences, but he had no way to vent the suffocating frustration in his heart.
Ye Xuan shook his head, then took out a Soul Crystal and handed it to Zhao Wei. "Brother Zhao, here’s a Soul Crystal. I believe it will be very effective for upgrading your Martial Soul."
Zhao Wei took the Soul Crystal and examined it. He was instantly stunned. The crystal Ye Xuan had given him was from a Lightning Mink.
Seeing their astonished looks, Ye Xuan explained, "While I was making my escape, I happened to run into a Lightning Mink. I remembered that you needed one, Brother Zhao, so I did what I could to kill it. I’m glad it can be of use."
In reality, this Lightning Mink Soul Crystal was one Ye Xuan had casually picked from among the hundreds inside Mosen’s Storage Ring. The ring contained a vast collection of Soul Crystals from the Profound Beasts Mosen had killed—well over a hundred of them, spanning a wide variety of types and nearly every attribute.
Picking one out was, of course, no trouble at all for Ye Xuan.
Zhao Wei was so moved he was at a loss for words. He had entered the royal forbidden lands specifically for a Lightning Mink Soul Crystal. Just when he thought his goal was unattainable, this sudden turn of events filled him with immense gratitude toward Ye Xuan.
"Brother Ye, some debts are too great for words. From now on, your business is my business."
Zhao Wei thanked him profusely, then eagerly took the Soul Crystal to a secluded spot to begin upgrading his Martial Soul.
Half an hour later, Zhao Wei stood up, his aura significantly stronger.
Above his head, a black, mink-like Martial Soul materialized, crackling with lightning. Encircling the Martial Soul were two shimmering silver rings.
"Hahaha! Silver star rings! Brother Ye, thank you so, so much! With this, I, Zhao Wei, might actually have a shot at first place on the academy’s List of Prodigies!"
Zhao Wei was ecstatic. The silver star rings signified that the Soul Crystal he had absorbed was of the highest possible quality for this upgrade. It was clear the crystal Ye Xuan had given him came from a Tier Two Peak Lightning Mink.
With the boost from a Two-Star Martial Soul added to his own strength, jumping from fourth to first place on the List of Prodigies was now a genuine possibility.
