Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Dragon Pattern Sword
At this moment, everyone was secretly astonished, wondering about the origins of this young man named Ye Xuan who could make the Monarch himself come out to welcome him.
’Even Master Hua Luoxuan himself might not receive such treatment if he came in person,’ they thought.
"Come, come, Master Ye Xuan. Please, take the seat of honor."
After leading Ye Xuan into the main hall, Zhao Jing personally escorted him to the head guest seat before ordering the servants to bring tea and water.
It had to be said that Zhao Jing’s actions immediately gave Ye Xuan a favorable impression of him.
’Regardless of whether Zhao Jing is sincere or has some ulterior motive, for a monarch to show such courtesy to a common scholar is quite remarkable.’
After a few moments of pleasantries, Ye Xuan was the first to speak, cupping his hands. "Regarding the events of the other day, many thanks to Your Majesty for your assistance."
"Master Ye Xuan, you’re too kind." Zhao Jing waved his hands hurriedly, a solemn expression on his face. "In this matter, it was my Liuyun Kingdom that wronged you first, causing you to suffer so much. I, too, bear a certain responsibility. Moreover, I am well aware that this incident involves disputes between several of the princes. Rest assured, I have already punished them. However, as they are my sons, I cannot bring myself to be too ruthless. For this, I hope Master Ye Xuan can forgive me."
Ye Xuan was quite surprised that Zhao Jing was being so courteous, even openly stating the true nature of the princes’ conflict.
’If Zhao Jing had tried to hide it, I wouldn’t have said anything, but I would have held it against him,’ Ye Xuan thought. ’Now that he’s being so open about it, there’s not much I can say.’
Moreover, he found himself admiring Zhao Jing’s magnanimity; he had seen few monarchs like him in both his past and present lives.
"To express my apologies, Master Ye Xuan, I have prepared a few humble gifts. I hope you will accept them."
As Zhao Jing finished speaking, he clapped his hands. From the back of the hall, several palace maids dressed in fine silks immediately walked out, each holding a jade platter as they came before Ye Xuan.
"Master Ye Xuan, you suffered so much the other day, and I feel deeply uneasy about it. This first humble gift is ten Middle Grade Profound Stones. Please accept them."
The first palace maid lifted the red silk from the jade platter, and a dense Profound Qi wafted out. It was indeed ten Middle Grade Profound Stones.
"Our Liuyun Kingdom is located in a remote area with scarce Profound Veins. I obtained these ten Middle Grade Profound Stones from the Thirteen Nations Alliance years ago. For such treasures to be with me is an absolute waste. Only with Master Ye Xuan can they truly shine."
Zhao Jing’s tone was sincere.
Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up. These Middle Grade Profound Stones were something he couldn’t easily refuse.
Although Middle Grade and Lower Grade Profound Stones were both Profound Stones, there was a huge difference in their value.
First, one Middle Grade Profound Stone was equivalent to one hundred Lower Grade Profound Stones, which amounted to one million Profound Coins. In terms of price, it wasn’t much different from a Five Elements Crystal, placing it at the level of a Tier Five treasure.
Ten of them were worth ten million Profound Coins.
Second, the Profound Qi contained within a Middle Grade Profound Stone was nearly a hundred times that of a Lower Grade one. The Profound Qi inside was extremely dense, making it countless times more potent than a Lower Grade Profound Stone.
For the current Ye Xuan, this kind of resource was what he needed most.
The Nine Profounds World-Dominating Art he cultivated absorbed Heaven and Earth Profound Qi at a rate more than ten times that of an ordinary Martial Artist, and it also required an extremely high concentration.
Therefore, ordinary Lower Grade Profound Stones were not of much use for Ye Xuan’s cultivation. Middle Grade Profound Stones, however, were different. They were enough to push his cultivation speed to a new peak.
Therefore, these ten Middle Grade Profound Stones would be extremely effective in the future, whether for creating Arrays, for cultivation, for Soul Refining, or for Alchemy.
The Thirteen Nations Alliance where Ye Xuan was located was in a remote backwater of the Celestial Profound Continent, so Middle Grade Profound Stones were presumably very rare. Thus, from any angle, Ye Xuan could not refuse these ten Middle Grade Profound Stones.
SQUEAK SQUEAK!
Before Ye Xuan could even speak, the Little Purple Mink suddenly appeared on his shoulder. Its small, purple gemstone-like eyes were gleaming as it stared at the Middle Grade Profound Stones, almost drooling. It waved its little paws, urging Ye Xuan to hurry up and accept them.
This human-like gesture both surprised Zhao Jing and the others and made them burst into laughter.
"Master Ye Xuan, is this your Spirit Pet? It seems your pet also wants you to accept these Middle Grade Profound Stones," Zhao Jing said with a smile.
"Get back here," Ye Xuan glared at the Little Purple Mink.
The Little Purple Mink immediately put on an aggrieved expression, and with a flash, it disappeared.
Its human-like expression left Yang An and the others utterly shocked.
It was the first time they had ever seen such an intelligent Spirit Pet.
"Since Your Majesty is so sincere, I will accept them." Ye Xuan didn’t feign refusal and directly accepted the ten Middle Grade Profound Stones.
"This second humble gift is a Profound Soldier."
As his voice fell, the second palace maid lifted the silk cloth, and a longsword appeared in Ye Xuan’s sight.
"A Fourth-level Profound Soldier," Ye Xuan said calmly.
Zhao Jing’s eyes lit up. "Master Ye Xuan truly has a discerning eye. This is the Dragon Pattern Sword, a Divine Weapon forged two hundred years ago by Zuoqiu, a great Artifact Refining Master of our Liuyun Kingdom. Although it is only a Fourth-level weapon, once unsealed, it can unleash terrifying power, not much inferior to a Fifth-level Profound Soldier. It’s not impossible to slay a Tier Five Martial Sect expert with it."
Beside them, Yang An and Chu Yunfei’s eyes widened. They clearly hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to guess the Profound Soldier’s level with just a single glance.
SHING!
Ye Xuan picked up the Dragon Pattern Sword and drew it from its scabbard. The sound of a dragon’s cry instantly echoed through the hall. The blade shimmered, emanating a bone-chilling aura.
The body of the sword was engraved with dense and complex profound patterns, making it clear at a glance that it was no Mortal Grade item.
"Could Zuoqiu, the creator of this Dragon Pattern Sword, be an ancestor of Zuo Liu from Profound Spirit Academy?" Ye Xuan suddenly asked.
"If you’re referring to the Zuo Liu on the academy’s honor roll, then yes, that’s him. The Zuo family, to which Zuo Liu belongs, is the foremost Artifact Refining family in our Liuyun Kingdom."
"No wonder."
Ye Xuan nodded. As an Artifact Refining Master himself, his insight was naturally superb. He could immediately see that the craftsmanship of this Dragon Pattern Sword was indeed superior to that of an ordinary Artifact Refining Master. Moreover, the craftsmanship bore a great resemblance to the Clear Stream Sword in Zuo Liu’s possession.
Back on Cyan Profound Mountain, Zuo Liu had relied on his Clear Stream Sword to block a full-power attack from Mosen, a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist. That alone was enough to show the power of the Profound Soldiers crafted by the Zuo family.
What’s more, the Clear Stream Sword Zuo Liu had wielded back then was merely a Third-level Profound Soldier, completely incomparable to the Dragon Pattern Sword now in Ye Xuan’s hands.
"I wonder what Master Ye Xuan thinks of this Dragon Pattern Sword?"
Zhao Jing watched Ye Xuan with a smile.
Ye Xuan picked up the longsword, examined it for a moment, and praised, "Not bad. Although it has many flaws, and there were quite a few errors during the refining process, the sword itself surpasses the craftsmanship of a normal Artifact Refiner. For Zuoqiu to be able to refine a Profound Soldier of this quality is truly commendable."
Zhao Jing, Yang An, and the others were speechless. They had thought Ye Xuan would heap praise upon it, but they never expected him to say something like this.
"I wonder what flaws Master Ye Xuan thinks it has?"
Yang An, who had been silent all this time, finally couldn’t help but speak up. As a Fifth Grade Pharmacist and the president of the court’s Alchemist Association, he also had considerable knowledge of Artifact Refining.
Yang An had always held great respect for Zuoqiu, the former Artifact Refining Master of the Liuyun Kingdom. The Profound Soldiers Zuoqiu forged were completely superior to those of any other Artifact Refiner in the Liuyun Kingdom, making him a master craftsman of his generation.
Therefore, hearing Ye Xuan’s evaluation, he naturally couldn’t hold back.
Ye Xuan glanced at the unconvinced Yang An and chuckled. "The main material of this Dragon Pattern Sword should be fourth-level Dragon Profound Crystal Iron. During the refining process, the Scale Armor and powdered Demon Core of a Tier Five Demon Beast, the Earth Core Armored Dragon, were added, which is why it emits this faint draconic aura."
"It’s just that the characteristic of Dragon Profound Crystal Iron is its high malleability and a strong Profound-breaking effect. The characteristic of the Earth Core Armored Dragon’s Scale Armor, however, is rigidity. Therefore, combining the two not only failed to bring out the best of the Dragon Profound Crystal Iron but actually undermined its inherent properties. It merely imbued the weapon with a stronger suppressive aura. However, this aura is completely incomparable to the effect of the Dragon Profound Crystal Iron itself. Although the power might be slightly stronger, the requirements for the Martial Artist are higher, and the weapon is also more easily damaged."
His words left Yang An stunned and lost in thought. Most Artifact Refiners always wanted to add various rare materials to a weapon to increase its power, but they never considered whether the fusion of those materials was appropriate.
"Then should the Scale Armor and Demon Core of the Earth Core Armored Dragon not be added during the refining process, using only the Dragon Profound Crystal Iron itself? But if Dragon Profound Crystal Iron is highly malleable, that also means its material is relatively soft. If made into a weapon, wouldn’t its power be even lower?" Yang An couldn’t help but ask after some thought.
"I never said to make the longsword using only Dragon Profound Crystal Iron," Ye Xuan said with a faint smile. "Zuoqiu’s idea was good, but he chose the wrong materials."
"If it were me, I would replace the Scale Armor and Demon Core of the Tier Five Earth Core Armored Dragon with the iron spines and Demon Core of a Tier Four Iron-Spined Thunder Dragon. The iron spines of an Iron-Spined Thunder Dragon have good conductivity and strong solidifying properties. This would eliminate the softness of the Dragon Profound Crystal Iron and also enhance its Profound-breaking effect."
"Furthermore, the lightning attribute within the Iron-Spined Thunder Dragon’s Demon Core would also give the resulting Profound Soldier a paralyzing effect."
"And there’s another reason I would consider replacing the Earth Core Armored Dragon with an Iron-Spined Thunder Dragon. The Earth Core Armored Dragon is a Tier Five Demon Beast, so its materials are a level higher than the fourth-level Dragon Profound Crystal Iron. Fusing two materials of different levels like this is inherently unstable. In contrast, using a Tier Four Iron-Spined Thunder Dragon would produce better results."
As Ye Xuan spoke, a smile played on his lips, and the aura of a grandmaster gradually emanated from him. He had the air of one who could command the world, his words filled with passion and authority.
