Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Breaking Through to Earth Martial Artist
In the cultivation chamber, he calmed his mind and brought his condition to its peak.
Then, he went to the refining room.
He activated the Refining Array. Plumes of Profound Fire swiftly appeared and floated within the grand array. Ye Xuan formed a Hand Skill and channeled it into the Array. In an instant, the flames drew close to one another—thirty-six in total—forming a beautiful, blooming lotus of fire.
With a flick of his finger, Ye Xuan sent two Milk Marrow Stones into the flames.
SIZZLE!
Under the intense heat, the once-hard Milk Marrow Stones quickly softened, resembling lumps of white clay.
Ye Xuan took out the materials he had asked Zhao Jing to prepare: a five-colored Crystal Stone, a crescent-moon-shaped piece of refined iron, and a lump of Mithril. He flicked these several items swiftly into the Array.
His gaze was solemn. A hazy wave of Soul Power suddenly shot out from between his brows. He channeled a series of Hand Skills into the Array. With a series of pops, the materials all shattered under the high temperature, turning into clouds of magnificent dust.
"Converge!"
Ye Xuan let out a low cry. His formless Soul Power swiftly enveloped the clay-like Milk Marrow Stones and the powdered materials, gathering them in the center of the Array.
A blob of molten metal of an indiscernible color constantly changed shape as it was burned by the flames.
As Ye Xuan continuously channeled Hand Skills, the molten metal writhed faster and faster. Reflected in the flames, it gave off a shimmering, kaleidoscopic impression.
SIZZLE!
At the same time, streams of impurities were separated from the molten substance and gradually burned to nothing by the lotus of Profound Fire.
If anyone had witnessed Ye Xuan’s refining process, they would have been dumbfounded.
His methods for melting, combining, and purifying were completely different from those of an ordinary Alchemist, making them fundamentally incomprehensible.
It looked like both Alchemy and Artifact Refining, making it difficult to tell whether Ye Xuan was refining a Pill or a Profound Soldier.
WHOOSH!
The refining process continued, and beads of sweat soon dotted Ye Xuan’s forehead.
His gaze was unwavering. The entire process had reached a critical juncture.
BUZZ!
His pupils suddenly turned from black to cyan. The cyan light shone from his eyes, allowing him to control the refining with even greater precision.
The Divine Spirit Gaze was not only useful in battle; it also provided tremendous support in Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Soul Refining.
The entire process lasted for a full hour. The liquid substance above the Array, originally the size of a fist, had now shrunk to the size of a thumbnail.
He had actually refined away over ninety percent of the materials, leaving only the essence of each substance, which he then fused together.
If people like Yang An were to see this, their eyes would pop out of their heads in shock.
The materials Ye Xuan used were all exceedingly rare, with the lowest being Tier Four treasures. Such treasures were extremely difficult to refine. If it were them, refining away even a third of the material would be considered a heaven-defying feat.
Yet Ye Xuan’s refining efficiency far surpassed theirs. Based on this point alone, his skill was at least at the level of a Sixth Grade Revered Alchemist.
"Solidify!"
Ye Xuan let out a low cry, and a powerful wave of Soul Power suddenly shot out from between his brows.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The refined essence above the Array instantly condensed into eleven tiny, needle-like glints of light. They refracted a dazzling brilliance, translucent and incredibly beautiful.
The eleven shimmering, needle-like glints of light landed gently in Ye Xuan’s hand. Without a second glance, he went directly to the cultivation chamber.
’Now, to set up the Gathering Profound Array!’
He casually took out the ten Middle Grade Profound Stones given to him by Zhao Jing and accurately tossed them onto the ground, arranging them in the shape of a pentagram.
Next, he arranged some Lower Grade Profound Stones around the perimeter. Then, he took out more than ten Soul Crystals and placed them one by one in fixed positions.
Finally, Ye Xuan took out a Spirit Pattern Pen and began to rapidly inscribe array patterns on the ground.
His right hand moved with light, elegant, and captivating motions. Wherever the Spirit Pattern Pen passed, flawless Spirit Patterns swiftly appeared on the ground. These Spirit Patterns connected with one another, completely integrating the Middle Grade Profound Stones, Lower Grade Profound Stones, and all the Soul Crystals.
If Elder Kuchen were here, he would be shocked speechless by Ye Xuan’s technique for inscribing the Array.
Ye Xuan’s technique for inscribing the Array had completely surpassed the level of an ordinary Array Master. Most Array Masters inscribed arrays with extreme caution, terrified of making the slightest mistake.
But Ye Xuan’s work was grand and uninhibited, nimble and free-spirited. He was like a top-tier artist creating a masterpiece, his inspiration bursting forth and his thoughts flowing like a spring. His hand moved like flowing water, full of aesthetic beauty.
Half an hour later, a complex and abstruse Array materialized on the ground.
"Phew!"
Putting away the Spirit Pattern Pen, Ye Xuan let out a long breath and began to pant heavily. "Haha, I finally finished it. With my current strength, inscribing this Five Elements Reversing Gathering Profound Formation was actually a bit draining."
The complex array patterns were not yet activated, but they already gave off a profound and powerful feeling, as if the heavens, the earth, and the stars were all circulating within.
This was definitely a Heaven-defying Level Array.
Ye Xuan had no time to rest. He sat cross-legged in the center of the pentagram Array and gently circulated his Profound Qi.
BUZZ!
The entire Five Elements Reversing Gathering Profound Formation suddenly emitted a hazy white glow, and a vast aura was released from within.
The powerful aura even permeated out of the cultivation chamber, spreading for several miles around the royal palace.
The Profound Qi within several miles of the royal palace suddenly went berserk, surging madly toward Ye Xuan’s location. A massive vortex of Profound Qi clearly formed outside Yang An’s cultivation chamber.
"What’s going on?"
"What’s happening?"
"Why has the Profound Qi between heaven and earth suddenly gone wild? Could some expert be breaking through to become a Tier Five Martial Sect?"
"It seems to be coming from Master Yang An’s refining room. Let’s go check it out!"
In an instant, many people in the royal palace were alarmed and rushed toward Yang An’s refining room, wanting to find out what exactly was happening.
However, before they could arrive, they were stopped by the Imperial Guard led by Chu Yunfei.
A moment later, Zhao Jing issued an order: no one was to approach Yang An’s refining room, including any Prince or imperial concubine. Violators would be killed without mercy.
In the cultivation chamber, Ye Xuan was completely unaware of the situation outside. He was frantically absorbing the surrounding Profound Qi, filling his Profound Sea.
However, no matter how much he absorbed, the Profound Qi in his tenth Profound Vein, the Celestial Vein, showed no signs of increasing.
’I knew this would happen!’
He took out the divine needles he had just refined. POP! POP! POP! He jabbed them like lightning into ten key acupoints on his body.
He inserted the last divine needle into the Baihui acupoint on the crown of his head.
BUZZ!
The Profound Qi between heaven and earth, as if it had found an inlet, swiftly coiled around the eleven divine needles. A brilliant light flowed over the needles as dense, almost tangible Profound Qi surged through them and into Ye Xuan’s acupoints.
As soon as this Profound Qi entered his acupoints, it immediately circulated through each of Ye Xuan’s Profound Veins. It then followed the Profound Veins into his limbs and bones. To Ye Xuan’s delight, the Profound Qi in his tenth Profound Vein, the Celestial Vein, finally began to slowly increase.
’It’s working.’
A hint of joy appeared on Ye Xuan’s face.
’No need to rush. This much Profound Qi is enough to push my Profound Veins and physical body to a new realm. Once my body is consolidated and the Celestial Vein is saturated with Profound Qi, I’ll make the push to become an Earth Martial Artist.’
Ye Xuan did not rush to fill his Celestial Vein. Instead, he used the massive amount of Profound Qi to remold his physical body, increasing its strength and the resilience of his Profound Veins.
SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
As he was cultivating, the Little Purple Mink appeared on his shoulder. Its small eyes were narrowed to slits, clearly feeling very comfortable in this place filled with abundant Profound Qi.
It rested its head against Ye Xuan’s neck, its body lying on his shoulder with its legs crossed, looking utterly content.
If Ye Xuan had opened his eyes at that moment, he would have seen the dense, tangible Profound Qi making the Little Purple Mink’s purple fur shine with an even greater crystalline luster. It faintly emitted a hazy glow as it, too, absorbed a large amount of Profound Qi.
But there was so much Profound Qi that Ye Xuan couldn’t possibly absorb it all himself. The remainder was absorbed by the Little Purple Mink without a single drop going to waste, creating a perfect balance.
「Time passed.」
Five days later, Ye Xuan’s physical body had finally reached its peak. The Profound Qi in his Profound Sea was refined to its absolute limit, impossible to improve even a fraction more, and his tenth Profound Vein, the Celestial Vein, was finally filled to the brim with Profound Qi.
"Nine Profound World-Defying Art—Acupoint Rush!"
Ye Xuan formed a seal with his hands and let out a low cry. He contorted his body into a very strange posture, with the five centers facing the sky, and a massive amount of Profound Qi instantly surged toward the Profound Sea in his Dantian.
CREAK! GROAN!
His Profound Sea seemed unable to bear the force, twisting and expanding nonstop.
Finally—
BOOM!
A soft explosion echoed as Ye Xuan’s originally fist-sized Profound Sea rapidly expanded, growing a size larger. A much more potent Profound Qi was born from within it, swiftly pouring into his limbs and bones.
"A Tier Three Earth Martial Artist! I’ve finally broken through!"
Ye Xuan was overjoyed, but he didn’t get up. Instead, he formed several more hand seals and continued to guide the Profound Qi through his ten Profound Veins to consolidate his cultivation.
Time continued to pass, and another five days went by.
After ten long days of cultivation, the Profound Qi within the ten Middle Grade Profound Stones on the ground was finally depleted.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK...
A series of pops rang out as, at almost the same instant, all ten Middle Grade Profound Stones shattered into dust.
Immediately after, the Lower Grade Profound Stones on the outer ring also shattered.
Finally, the dozen or so Soul Crystals also cracked without exception. The Soul Power within them vanished, completely absorbed.
The cultivation chamber quickly returned to calm, and the phenomenon above it completely disappeared.
PUFF! PUFF! PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!
The eleven divine needles on his body instantly transformed into a wisp of essence and dissipated into the void.
