Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Black Seal Profound Treasure
SQUEAK SQUEAK!
The Little Purple Mink waved its paws and pouted, as if throwing a tantrum.
Seeing Ye Xuan hesitate, its eyes darted around before it actually swallowed the small bead.
Ye Xuan rolled his eyes. This Little Purple Mink was unusually stubborn.
"Fine. If you like it that much, you can have it."
The mink’s origins were a mystery, and it seemed to have an innate, extraordinary discernment. An item it fixated on was probably anything but ordinary.
Still, Ye Xuan was puzzled. No matter how he looked at the small bead, he couldn’t see anything special about it besides its unusual material.
With two treasures chosen, only one remained.
The vast array of materials made it difficult for Ye Xuan to decide.
He needed many of them, yet none were so indispensable that he could choose without hesitation.
SQUEAK SQUEAK!
Suddenly, the Little Purple Mink cried out again. It gave Ye Xuan, who was still picking through materials, a look of disdain, then pointed to a dark lump in the corner of the treasury, gesticulating wildly with its little paws.
Its meaning was clear: that thing was far more precious than anything Ye Xuan was considering, and he had terrible taste.
After making its point, the Little Purple Mink dove straight into the Storage Ring and vanished.
’This dark lump...’
Ye Xuan glanced over, speechless. He swept his Soul Sense over it, and his expression suddenly froze.
He quickly moved to the dark lump and wiped away the dust, revealing a cone-shaped iron seal. It was engraved with complex, esoteric profound patterns.
Ye Xuan’s heart pounded with excitement. With his discerning eye, he could naturally tell this was a Profound Treasure.
So-called Profound Treasures were more special than Profound Soldiers. Any Martial Artist could use a typical Profound Soldier by unsealing it with Profound Qi, and even soul-type weapons could be activated with soul force.
But Profound Treasures were different. Activating one required a powerful Soul Sense, meaning that typically, only a Soul Refiner could wield one.
The Profound-Annihilating Flying Daggers he had forged from Soul Profound Steel were somewhat similar, but they couldn’t be called true Profound Treasures—only prototypes.
This black cone, however, was undoubtedly a Profound Treasure, and judging by the profound patterns, it was a high-grade one at that.
Ye Xuan reached out to lift the Profound Treasure for a closer look, but he found it didn’t budge an inch.
Left with no choice, Ye Xuan channeled his Profound Qi to grab the black iron seal. To his astonishment, even using his full strength, he still couldn’t lift the fist-sized object.
’What in the world is this? How can an iron seal this size be so heavy?’
Ye Xuan was shocked.
Although he was only a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist, when it came to raw strength, not even a Third Heaven Celestial Martial Artist would dare claim to be stronger than him with his Nine Transformations Saintly Body. Yet he couldn’t lift this fist-sized lump of iron.
Zhao Jing couldn’t help but laugh. "Master Ye Xuan, your pet certainly has a keen eye. This treasure is called the Zhenyuan Stone. It’s incredibly heavy. Forget you—even King Chu and I can’t lift it. It’s said that the founding ancestor of our Liuyun Kingdom placed it here nearly a thousand years ago. According to Master Dongfang Yanyu, the president of the Soul Master Tower, the Zhenyuan Stone is a Profound Treasure that only Soul Refiners can use. He once tried to refine it himself, but after three days and nights, he failed and had to give up. This thing has probably been sitting here for several hundred years. It could be called the treasure that anchors the vault, but since it can’t be moved, I haven’t even bothered to look after it. If you can move it, it’s yours."
Zhao Jing added teasingly.
Ye Xuan had heard of Dongfang Yanyu. He was the president of the kingdom’s Soul Master Tower and a Fourth Grade Soul Refiner. If that was the case, then this Profound Treasure had to be at least Fifth Grade or higher; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been impossible to refine.
A Fifth Grade Profound Treasure didn’t faze Ye Xuan much. In his past life, he had also possessed a Profound Treasure—the Celestial Cloud Star-Shattering Shuttle, ranked in the top ten on the Profound Domain’s Profound Treasure List. It could traverse heavens and earth, breaking through anything, and was renowned throughout the Celestial Profound Continent.
What intrigued Ye Xuan was the material of this Profound Treasure. For something so small that even a Tier Five Third Layer Martial Sect like Chu Yunfei couldn’t lift it... such things were truly rare on the continent.
"Let me give it a try."
Ye Xuan sat down cross-legged. Soul Power at the Peak of Third Grade emanated from him as he began to refine the black iron stone.
The Profound Treasure was so heavy it was impossible to move. The only way was to refine it. Even refining a tiny fraction would allow him to move it into his Storage Ring. After that, everything would be simple.
Ye Xuan had thought refining a mere fraction wouldn’t be too difficult. He hadn’t expected the Restrictions inside to be so exceptionally complex and bizarre, defying all normal methods. A typical Soul Refiner probably couldn’t even figure out where to start.
No wonder Dongfang Yanyu had refined it for three days and three nights to no avail.
But Ye Xuan was vastly experienced. While such complex Restrictions gave him a headache, he wasn’t completely clueless.
After a full hour, Ye Xuan finally succeeded in refining a small part of the black iron stone.
With a thought, the black iron stone suddenly vanished, taken by Ye Xuan into his Space Ring.
"Master Ye Xuan, trying to refine this Zhenyuan Stone is indeed too difficult, but it’s alright..."
Seeing Ye Xuan stand up, Zhao Jing couldn’t help but start consoling him. As he spoke, his gaze drifted to where the Zhenyuan Stone had been. His voice abruptly cut off, and his eyes went wide.
"You... Master Ye Xuan... you refined the Zhenyuan Stone?"
Zhao Jing’s jaw dropped, wide enough to fit a watermelon.
As Chu Yunfei and the others realized what had happened, their jaws hit the floor as well.
What had His Majesty said earlier? Master Dongfang Yanyu of the Soul Master Tower tried to refine it for three days and three nights without success, and, uh, Master Ye Xuan succeeded in just one hour?
Could it be that the fifteen-year-old Master Ye Xuan’s attainments in Soul Refining were even greater than the Fourth Grade Master Dongfang Yanyu’s?
"Ahem, it was a fluke, just a fluke..."
’A fluke...’ Zhao Jing and the others nearly fainted.
’A fluke... why is it always a fluke! Why can’t we get lucky like that for once...’
As they left the treasury, Zhao Jing and the others were still in a daze.
Zhao Jing’s illness was cured, and the treasures were chosen. Having been away for many days, Ye Xuan immediately took his leave.
"Master Ye Xuan, please wait."
He hadn’t gone far when a resonant voice called out. Chu Yunfei strode quickly to Ye Xuan’s side.
"Is there something I can help you with, Lord King Chu?"
"Ahem, Master Ye Xuan, you’re too polite. I wanted to ask, was this painting done by you, Master?"
Chu Yunfei took out a painting. It was the one Ye Xuan had created during the third stage of Chu Yunfei’s assessment at the Profound Spirit Academy.
Ye Xuan smiled and nodded. "It was."
Chu Yunfei was overcome with excitement. He cupped his fists, stopping just short of kowtowing and begging, "I implore you, Master, please enlighten me."
"Enlighten you? About what?"
"The Flowing Water Sword Intent!"
Chu Yunfei said excitedly, "The Flowing Water Sword Intent in your painting is so profound! It’s like a great river flowing east, unstoppable. It even carries the heroic spirit of great figures throughout history, their ambitions soaring to the clouds. Compared to the Flowing Water Sword Intent I have comprehended, the difference is like the bright moon to a firefly. I beg for your guidance, Master."
When Chu Yunfei first saw the Flowing Water Sword Intent Ye Xuan had painted, he had been uncontrollably shocked. After learning that the examinee was Ye Xuan, he had been itching with curiosity.
But because Ye Xuan was so elusive, he had never gotten the chance to ask. Now that he finally had an opportunity, he naturally wouldn’t let it slip by.
"I don’t know anything about any Flowing Water Sword Intent." Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile. "I was just drawing according to the requirements of your assessment, Lord King Chu. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way."
"What?"
Chu Yunfei’s eyes widened. "That’s impossible!"
He quickly moved to block Ye Xuan’s path. "The Flowing Water Sword Intent in this painting is clearly profound. How could you not know of it, Master?"
Ye Xuan stopped and said lightly, "Lord King Chu, I’ve heard you are the number one expert in the Liuyun Kingdom, a Third Layer Martial Sect powerhouse. This Flowing Water Sword Intent isn’t some profound concept. Why are you so obsessed with it?"
"Obsessed? How can I not be!" Chu Yunfei calmed himself and said in a solemn voice, "We Martial Artists cultivate against the heavens, cutting through all obstacles on our path. To reach a higher realm, we can only seek to constantly advance. Is that not so? I have watched flowing water and traveled across all the mountains and rivers of the kingdom, yet I cannot grasp its true meaning. Heaven and earth can bear witness to my devoted pursuit."
Ye Xuan was slightly moved. He smiled and said, "You are the commander of the Imperial Guard, the number one expert of the Liuyun Kingdom, rumored to hold the title of the Ao Tian Martial Sect, already reigning supreme in the kingdom. But do you know that a person’s life is but a drop in the ocean? Throughout the ages, how many great figures have ended up as but a pile of dust? Like this flowing water, they vanish into nothingness, swept away by the current. Is such a pursuit not tragic?"
"Flowing Water Sword Intent, Flowing Water Sword Intent... haha! Is the Sword Intent like water, or is the water like Sword Intent...?"
Ye Xuan laughed loudly and turned to leave, leaving a stunned King Chu Yunfei standing there, dumbstruck and motionless as a tree stump.
Before he could leave the royal palace, Ye Xuan was stopped once again.
"Master Ye Xuan..."
A gentle, refined voice called out. From a nearby corner emerged a handsome, jade-like youth dressed in fine clothes, exuding a noble air.
"Ah, it is Your Highness, the Fourth Prince." Ye Xuan nodded.
The Fourth Prince, Zhao Tian, wore a smile. "Master Ye Xuan, when we met on Cyan Profound Mountain, I missed the opportunity to befriend you. I have waited here especially for you today, hoping you might honor my residence with a visit."
Zhao Tian’s tone was sincere, and the look of superiority he’d had in his eyes that day was completely gone. He seemed to be acting with great sincerity.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t trouble the Fourth Prince." Ye Xuan shook his head. This Zhao Tian appeared warm and his attitude was sincere, but there was a faint, sinister aura about him that Ye Xuan disliked.
Besides, he was only being invited because of the high regard Zhao Jing had for him. It was a deliberate attempt to curry favor.
"Brother Ye Xuan."
Just then, the Eighth Prince, Zhao Wei, walked out from within the palace. His face lit up with joy upon seeing Ye Xuan.
"Brother Zhao Wei," Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.
Of all the princes, only the Eighth Prince was to his liking.
"I heard you came out of seclusion. I’ve been looking for you the past couple of days but couldn’t find you. I didn’t expect you to be at the royal palace too. Where are you headed? I’ll see you off."
"Let’s go."
The two of them left the royal palace together.
