Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

Within the crowd, many of the more discerning Soul Refiners stared in utter shock, letting out a series of stunned cries.

In the area designated for the Profound Light Pavilion, Elder Dong’s hands clenched tightly, his eyes betraying his concern.

’Is this the true skill of the Vice Tower Master of the Celestial Capital Prefecture’s Soul Master Tower?’

Originally, Elder Dong had been full of confidence in Ye Xuan, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but hesitate.

Compared to Rongyang, this Soul Refiner from a remote place like the Dream Realm Plain wasn’t just leagues behind in terms of Soul Power; the two were worlds apart in their understanding and techniques of Soul Refining.

’And Young Master Ye... though his talent is astounding and his skill in Soul Refining is beyond belief, his opponent is the illustrious Vice Tower Master of the Celestial Capital Prefecture’s Soul Master Tower. Can Young Master Ye really compete?’

Elder Dong’s heart was filled with unease.

By now, everyone’s attention had been captivated by Rongyang’s actions. With a point of his finger, he shattered four Soul Crystals, and a scorching, fiery aura immediately surged from them.

Above the three weaker Soul Crystals, the faint forms of three massive, fiery lions appeared. The bodies of these lions were not covered in fur like ordinary lions, but were instead coated in layers of fine, crimson Flame Scale Armor that gleamed brilliantly under the sun.

On the head of each fiery lion was a single, translucent red horn. Streams of scorching Fire Element Soul Power gathered and swirled at the tip of each horn, coalescing into what looked like a fire cloud and emitting a suffocating, fiery aura.

"A Tier Eight Fire Qilin Horned Lion!"

The eyes of the crowd instantly widened, and a wave of shocked gasps swept through them.

The Fire Qilin Horned Lion was an exceptionally powerful type of Tier Eight Profound Beast. Their bodies were covered in Flame Scale Armor, granting them astonishing defensive capabilities. The single horn on their heads could draw upon the fire elements in the void to unleash devastating attacks.

"Could it be that Master Rongyang intends to refine a Fire Qilin Horned Lion martial soul? But why did he take out three Fire Qilin Horned Lion Soul Crystals?"

While shocked, some of the Soul Refiners were also puzzled.

Normally, refining a martial soul required only a single Soul Crystal, which was perfectly sufficient to form a Fire Qilin Horned Lion martial soul.

Using three Fire Qilin Horned Lion Soul Crystals at once was a complete waste; using multiple Soul Crystals of the same type wouldn’t strengthen the resulting martial soul in the slightest.

But when everyone’s gaze shifted to the space above the largest Soul Crystal, their expressions went slack.

After the largest Soul Crystal burst, a cloud of fire had been gathering above it, constantly twisting and contorting. Only now did it finally coalesce into a definite shape.

It was a firebird, its body wreathed in flames. Its tail split into three plumes that flowed like silken ribbons, and atop its head, a single seven-colored feather drifted with the wind like a phoenix’s crest, radiating a brilliant and sacred aura.

The moment the spectral image of the giant firebird, formed from Soul Power, appeared, the three Fire Qilin Horned Lion phantoms reacted as if they had met their natural predator. Their bodies began to tremble, and the martial soul power that formed them grew extremely unstable, as if it would collapse at any moment.

"The Immortal Firebird! That’s a Soul Crystal from an Immortal Firebird."

"My heavens, is Master Rongyang preparing to refine an Immortal Firebird martial soul?"

"Compared to a Fire Qilin Horned Lion, a martial soul from an Immortal Firebird is several times more powerful!"

The crowd erupted. The Soul Refiners who recognized the giant firebird grew particularly agitated, their faces flushed and their emotions running wild.

The Immortal Firebird, a top-tier Tier Eight Profound Beast.

Legend had it that it was a distant descendant of the supreme Fire Element Profound Beast, the Fire God Phoenix, possessing a trace of its Bloodline Power.

The martial souls refined from it were also incredibly powerful, considered among the most elite.

This was entirely because the Immortal Firebird possessed a portion of a phoenix’s ability to be reborn from flames, making it nearly impossible to kill.

While the crowd cried out in astonishment, Rongyang’s gaze remained tranquil as he swiftly processed each material before him. He was completely absorbed in the refining process, untroubled by the commotion around him.

He swiftly guided the four spectral martial souls into the Soul Refining instrument. The Immortal Firebird’s soul was in the center, surrounded by the three Fire Qilin Horned Lion souls. Under his control, the martial soul power of the three Fire Qilin Horned Lions began to flow like a gentle stream into the Immortal Firebird’s soul.

The spectral form of the Immortal Firebird’s martial soul immediately began to solidify.

The eyes of a Soul Refining master flashed. In a low, focused voice, he said, "Because of its unique properties, the Immortal Firebird’s martial soul is extremely difficult to coalesce. A single Soul Crystal is simply not enough for it to take form. Master Rongyang is planning to use the martial soul power of the Fire Qilin Horned Lions to provide energy to the Immortal Firebird’s soul so that it can form successfully. What a masterful technique! Truly masterful! The Vice Tower Master of the Soul Master Tower is truly worthy of his reputation."

This man was none other than another top-tier Soul Refiner from the Celestial Capital Prefecture, Master Yang Xiu.

This Yang Xiu’s Soul Power cultivation had also reached the Initial Layer of Seventh Grade, making him no weaker than Rongyang. He held a great reputation in the Celestial Capital Prefecture.

His explanation immediately brought clarity to the other Soul Refiners who had been confused. They sighed in admiration, their gazes all converging on Rongyang’s refining process.

"Dragon Soars, Phoenix Dances!"

"Double Profound Power Decomposition Method!"

"Vortex Soul Transfer Skill!"

"..."

One profound technique after another was executed with practiced ease by Rongyang’s hands, swiftly decomposing and processing the large pile of materials before him. His movements were a pleasing sight to behold, drawing continuous gasps of amazement from the Soul Refiners below.

These were all Secret Techniques from the art of Soul Refining that every Soul Refiner on the continent dreamed of learning. It was incredibly rare to witness even one, yet Rongyang was now displaying several of them.

’So this is the true power of the Vice Tower Master of the Celestial Capital Prefecture’s Soul Master Tower?’

Many Soul Refiners were deeply impressed. As the Vice Tower Master of the Soul Master Tower, Rongyang was nothing like a common, self-taught Soul Refiner.

Rongyang came from a long line of Soul Refiners. From a young age, he had undergone his family’s systematic training, witnessed numerous powerful Soul Refining techniques, and mastered many Secret Techniques that ordinary people could never hope to encounter. Combined with his astonishing talent, he was undoubtedly one of the most preeminent figures in the Soul Refining Realm around the Celestial Capital Prefecture.

All the Soul Refiners present were absolutely enthralled. Their eyes were bloodshot, and their bodies trembled with excitement.

Nearly every Soul Refiner on the street stared with wide, unblinking eyes at Rongyang’s process. For them, being able to witness a master like Rongyang at work was an incredibly rare learning opportunity.

Across from Rongyang, witnessing his formidable mastery of Soul Refining, Ye Xuan felt his own blood begin to boil.

His eyes suddenly lit up, shining as brightly as stars in the night sky!

’An Immortal Firebird martial soul, hmm?’

An idea flashed through Ye Xuan’s mind.

Some time had passed since the competition began. Ye Xuan hesitated no longer and walked straight to his refining station.

Unlike Rongyang, he didn’t immediately pull out a host of materials. Instead, he first took out several Pills and tossed them into his mouth.

WHOOSH!

A dense wave of Soul Power immediately burst from Ye Xuan’s body. At first, this Soul Power was merely at the Sixth Grade level, but it quickly began to climb.

"Is that... a Seventh Grade Soul Ascension Pill? And a Soul Condensing Pill..."

Rongyang’s refining process had reached a relatively relaxed stage, giving him a moment to observe his surroundings. Seeing what Ye Xuan was doing, he was momentarily stunned—not by the increase in Ye Xuan’s Soul Power, but by the potency of the Pills he possessed.

He was secretly shocked. ’Soul Ascension Pills, Soul Condensing Pills... those are all very obscure, niche Pills. Your average pill pavilion could never produce them. This Profound Light Pavilion is truly something else to have Pills like these. Once I win this competition, won’t all the Pills in the Profound Light Pavilion be mine? That would be a massive windfall!’

He couldn’t help but grow excited, continuing his refining while keeping an eye on Ye Xuan’s condition.

’Initial Layer of Seventh Grade Soul Power. It stopped there?’

Seeing Ye Xuan’s Soul Power settle at the Initial Layer of Seventh Grade, Rongyang couldn’t help but sneer. ’So the kid is just a Peak of Sixth Grade Soul Refiner with a Soul Ascension Pill that can boost him by one grade. No wonder he was so confident and arrogant earlier.’

’A twenty-year-old at the Peak of Sixth Grade certainly has the right to be arrogant. A pity he doesn’t seem to realize who his opponent is. Daring to challenge me is just asking to be put in his place. He’s courting death.’

Meanwhile, the people from the Profound Light Pavilion were puzzled. Jiuchen couldn’t help but ask in bewilderment, "Isn’t Young Master Ye already a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner? Why would he need to take a Pill to raise his Soul Power from Sixth Grade to Seventh Grade?"

Su Xiuyi said in a low voice, "Young Master Ye must be doing this on purpose. Revealing Seventh Grade Soul Power directly would be too shocking. This way, it won’t cause as much of a stir."

Elder Dong and the others had a moment of realization and fell silent.

Su Xiuyi had guessed correctly. This was indeed Ye Xuan’s plan. A twenty-year-old Seventh Grade Soul Refiner was simply too shocking. It would be hard to find such an unbelievable prodigy even in the Divine Capital or the Profound Domain, let alone the Celestial Capital Prefecture.

If people believed he had used a Pill to reach that level, it would save him a lot of trouble.

People would at most consider him a genius, a prodigy, but not an unnatural anomaly.

After feigning his breakthrough to Seventh Grade, Ye Xuan quickly began taking out all sorts of materials.

The materials he produced were by no means trash—in fact, they were quite rare—but compared to what Rongyang had presented earlier, they immediately seemed inferior, drawing sighs from many in the crowd.

For one thing, his Soul Refining instrument was a clear tier below. Ye Xuan took out an instrument crafted from top-grade amethyst. While top-grade amethyst was considered a decent material in the Soul Refining Realm, with a set being worth several thousand mid-grade Profound Stones...

...it was on a completely different level from the five-colored essence crystal ore, which was worth nearly one hundred thousand.