Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Natal Soul Seal
"The Guest Minister token and a standard membership emblem are for entirely different kinds of people. Any Alchemist who obtains an Alchemist badge is a member of our Alchemist Association. But a Guest Minister token is given only to top-tier Alchemists who have either made outstanding contributions to the Association or possess such heaven-defying talent that the Association cannot hope to restrain them."
"I know Chairman Hua’s character very well. He is not one to play favorites, nor does he abuse his authority. Furthermore, his standards for judging people are extremely high. He wouldn’t give a second glance to anyone whose talent didn’t defy the heavens and surpass his own."
"Ye Xuan is so young—what kind of outstanding contribution could he have possibly made to the Alchemist Association? I heard he has a Second Grade Alchemist badge. And in our Blue Moon City Alchemist Association, the only person qualified to issue a Second Grade Alchemist badge is Chairman Hua himself."
"From this, we can see that regardless of whether he is truly a Second Grade Alchemist, in Chairman Hua’s eyes, Ye Xuan must possess a talent for Alchemy that surpasses his own."
"So what if I offend the Wang family for a genius like that? So what if the Alchemist Association gets drawn into this mess? Once he matures in the future, it will all have been worth it."
"Besides, do you really think Chairman Hua is afraid of the Wang family’s provocations?!"
With every word Master Liang spoke, the expression on Steward He’s face grew more solemn. He had only considered the surface-level issues, not thinking as deeply or as far ahead as Master Liang.
"Master Liang, you truly live up to your title. I have learned my lesson."
Steward He bowed, completely convinced. Master Liang may have spoken crudely and acted rashly in the square today, but that was just a facade. In reality, he was meticulous, with an incredibly sharp judgment and extraordinary foresight.
Master Liang smiled faintly. "Alright, I’ve already sent a report on today’s events back to Blue Moon City. Regardless of how headquarters replies, our job right now is to build a good relationship with the Ye family and treat their crisis as our own."
"I understand."
In the following days, Cyan Mountain Town seemed to gradually return to a state of calm, but the undercurrents beneath the surface were growing more turbulent.
Wang Tian reported everything that had happened back to Blue Moon City, immediately causing a stir within the Wang family.
They had originally imagined that with the Wang family’s power, annihilating the insignificant Ye family would be a simple matter.
They never expected that after more than half a month of suppression, just as the Ye family had lost many of its businesses and was on the brink of collapse, the Alchemist Association would suddenly get involved.
When word of what Liang Fang had said in the square reached the Wang family, it sent them into a furious rage.
Alchemists were indeed noble, that much was true, but the Wang family specialized in the business of potions and Pills, and they had more than one or two First Grade Alchemists under their command.
For a mere First Grade Alchemist like Liang Fang to show such blatant disregard for their entire family was a vicious slap in the face to the Wang family, especially if outsiders heard of it.
Thus, upon receiving the news, the Wang family Patriarch immediately dispatched men with the agreement signed by Steward Xuu. They stormed into the Alchemist Association, preparing to demand an explanation from Chairman Hua Luoxuan.
Unexpectedly, when Chairman Hua Luoxuan saw the agreement, he didn’t say a word. He just tore it up, down, left, and right a dozen times until the pile of agreements became a floor full of shredded paper. Then, he had the Wang family’s men thrown out of the Alchemist Association.
After kicking them out, he even declared, "The affairs of the Alchemist Association are none of the Wang family’s business. Stop meddling like a dog trying to catch mice and looking for trouble where there is none."
The Wang family Patriarch was so furious he smashed a cup at home, threatening to go to the City Lord’s Mansion and sue the Alchemist Association for breach of contract.
Chairman Hua Luoxuan opportunely sent out another message: "Sue? Go right ahead! The Wang family can sue all they want. I, Hua Luoxuan, wouldn’t be afraid even if you took this to the Royal City, let alone the City Lord’s Mansion. You’re just a minor family. What’s there to be so cocky about?"
These words made Wang Hai so angry he almost couldn’t breathe.
The Wang family had originally wanted to drag the Zhou family into the dispute, but the Zhou family naturally wasn’t going to blindly get involved in a confrontation with the Alchemist Association and get themselves dragged into it as well.
After several rounds of discussion, the Wang family could only swallow their pride and accept the silent loss.
It made sense when they thought about it. What kind of organization was the Alchemist Association? So what if the Wang family made a huge fuss? Could they really get the City Lord’s Mansion to punish the Alchemist Association? That was impossible just thinking about it.
However, while their grudge with the Alchemist Association was set aside for the time being, the Wang family vented all the anger from their public humiliation onto the Ye family.
’Since the Ye family won’t hand over their manors, fine. If they won’t sell, then I’ll just take them by force. And if I can’t take them, I can still destroy them.’
Of course, the Wang family and the Zhou family couldn’t make a move directly. If word got out, it would be terrible for their reputations. However, secretly hiring some villains to do the job was not out of the question.
After all, even if people knew it was the Wang and Zhou families behind it, there was nothing anyone could do without evidence.
They immediately put their thoughts into action. Soon, the Wang and Zhou families began to make some moves in secret.
Ye Xuan was, of course, unaware of the Wang and Zhou families’ schemes. For the past several days, he had been cultivating in his own residence.
SSSHHH!
Inside Ye Xuan’s room, strange streams of Soul Power condensed in the void, like an invisible pencil rapidly sketching out bizarre patterns.
These patterns were incredibly complex. Once constructed from Soul Power, they seemed to resonate with the heavens and the earth, plunging the entire room into a wonderfully profound state, as if it no longer existed in this world.
If a high-level Soul Refiner were to witness this scene, they would be absolutely astonished.
Although a Soul Refiner’s Soul Power far exceeds that of an ordinary Martial Artist, controlling it with such ease is an extremely difficult feat.
An ordinary First Grade Soul Refiner could, at most, extend and expand their Soul Power, or perform simple condensation, investigation, or healing.
But to use Soul Power to construct Soul Arrays and Soul Seals like Ye Xuan was doing? Without the cultivation of a Third or Fourth Grade Soul Refiner, it was unthinkable. Yet, Ye Xuan, who was only a Spirit Martial Realm Samurai, had done it. This simply shattered the limits of a Soul Refiner.
The sky-full of Soul Power patterns flickered continuously, seeming to resonate with one another. Finally, these Soul Power array seals abruptly contracted and disappeared into the space between Ye Xuan’s eyebrows.
"Hooo!" Ye Xuan opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
’After more than half a month of cultivation, my Natal Soul Seal is finally condensed,’ Ye Xuan muttered, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. ’Unfortunately, this Natal Soul Seal is a bit too simple. It can only double my Soul Power. Oh well, I’ll just make do with it for now.’
Inside his mind, a complex Soul Seal manifested, emitting a hazy halo of light.
If any other Soul Refiner heard what he just said, they would probably get angry enough to cough up three liters of blood, beat him senseless, and then cough up another three liters of blood.
The Natal Soul Seal is an essential mark for any powerful Soul Refiner. It is equivalent to engraving a Soul Refining Array in the Soul Refiner’s mind. Through this array, the Soul Refiner can maximize the potential of their own Soul Power.
In the world of Soul Refiners, any method for condensing a Natal Soul Seal is considered a priceless treasure, something that money can’t buy.
The most basic Natal Soul Seal can only increase a Soul Refiner’s Soul Power by ten percent. Better ones might manage thirty to fifty percent, or even sixty to seventy percent. A Natal Soul Seal like Ye Xuan’s, which could double one’s Soul Power, was already considered the absolute pinnacle among them.
Most importantly, the process of condensing a Natal Soul Seal is extremely difficult. Typically, one would need to be at least a Second Grade Soul Refiner to even attempt to construct the simplest one.
For a mere Spirit Martial Realm Samurai like Ye Xuan to have condensed a Natal Soul Seal that doubled his Soul Power—and still complain that it was too simple—was the kind of thing that would invite heavenly lightning and attract boundless jealousy if word got out.
’Now that the Natal Soul Seal is condensed and I’ve opened the eighth and ninth Profound Veins, I can finally try to locate the legendary tenth Profound Vein.’
After a short rest, Ye Xuan took a deep breath and his mind once again sank into a state of meditative emptiness.
Ordinary Martial Artists, after opening the seven Profound Veins and breaking through to become a Spirit Martial Realm Samurai, would then practice Cultivation Techniques and martial skills, striving to advance to the Second Layer of Warrior.
But as a Tier Eight Martial Emperor in his past life, he knew that the human body didn’t just have seven Profound Veins. The Seven Veins were merely the most basic ones.
Beyond these seven basic Profound Veins, there was also the eighth, the Heart Vein, and the ninth, the Life Vein.
These two Profound Veins were hidden away in the body’s secret repositories, making them incredibly difficult for ordinary Martial Artists to locate, let alone open. As a result, over ninety percent of the Martial Artists in this world cultivated only the Seven Veins.
However, some great families and sects knew of the Heart Vein and Life Vein’s existence. Therefore, on the Celestial Profound Continent, when the genius disciples of truly top-tier clans and sects broke through to the Spirit Martial Realm, their elders would not let them rush to the next stage. Instead, they would use special Cultivation Techniques to locate the Heart and Life Veins and attempt to open them.
According to the theory of Profound Veins, for every additional Profound Vein opened beyond the base Seven Veins, the amount of Profound Qi a Martial Artist could hold would double.
Thus, among the continent’s most elite families and sects, only those who could open the Heart Vein and Life Vein were considered true geniuses.
In his past life, Ye Xuan had only opened the seven Profound Veins before continuing to break through. By the time he learned of the existence of the eighth and ninth veins, his foundation was already set, and it was too late to turn back.
In this life, he would naturally not make the same mistake. Over the past half-month, he had expended great effort to open both the Heart Vein and the Life Vein in succession.
Logically, Ye Xuan should now be able to continue cultivating and break through to the next level, but he didn’t.
Because according to the records of the Nine Profound World-Defying Art, beyond the Heart Vein and Life Vein, there was actually a tenth vein in the human body.
This was a record that Ye Xuan found almost impossible to believe.
Whether in the Profound Vein theories of his past life or in the records of the body’s secret repositories, nine was always the ultimate limit.
In many imperial and mystical traditions, the number nine represented the absolute pinnacle, the supreme state. There was no ten.
Nine is the limit; one is the heavens.
This "one" represents the heavens, represents defying the heavens, and could also represent the void—meaning it doesn’t exist at all.
