Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

It wasn’t just the Soul Refining equipment; all the other materials Ye Xuan produced were also somewhat inferior to Rongyang’s.

This was unavoidable. Even if Ye Xuan’s Profound Light Pavilion was flourishing, the materials provided by its backer, the Lin family—one of the major families of Celestial Capital Prefecture—could not compare to those from the Soul Master Tower, which specialized in Soul Refining.

SWISH!

With a final flick of his hand, Ye Xuan presented a cyan Soul Crystal to the crowd.

"What kind of Soul Crystal is that?"

The crowd of Soul Refiners was dumbfounded, as none of them could recognize what kind of Soul Crystal it was.

It was common knowledge that when refining a Martial Soul, all other materials were merely supplementary; the Soul Crystal was the core. The type of Soul Crystal used determined the type of Martial Soul that would be created.

The Soul Crystal Ye Xuan had produced was the size of a fist, and the dense Soul Power fluctuating from it had clearly reached Tier Eight. It was obviously the Soul Crystal of a Tier Eight Profound Beast, but no one could identify which one.

Only Yang Xiu had a dazed look on his face. He murmured, "This Soul Power aura... it’s... it’s a Plant Element Soul Crystal. Xuan Ye actually took out a Plant Element Soul Crystal?"

He wore an expression of stunned disbelief, a look of complete confusion.

Plant Element Martial Souls had always been a special case in the Soul Refining Realm, and many had fiercely debated whether they were fundamentally useless.

Otherwise, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have sparked so much controversy when he refined a Blue Star Grass Martial Soul at the Thirteen Nations Alliance’s Floating Light Assembly.

Of course, in the upper echelons of the Soul Refining Realm, Plant Element Martial Souls weren’t considered so useless. Many powerful Soul Refiners knew that in certain aspects, Plant Element Martial Souls held significant advantages over typical Profound Beast Martial Souls.

In practice, however, few Martial Artists were willing to accept a Plant Element Martial Soul. In terms of offensive power, they were, after all, much weaker than standard beast-type Martial Souls.

Thus, unless there were special circumstances, even high-level Soul Refiners were reluctant to refine Plant Element Martial Souls.

Therefore, upon seeing Ye Xuan produce a Plant Element Soul Crystal, Yang Xiu was left speechless.

’This boy is still too young,’ Yang Xiu thought. ’Rongyang is refining the legendary Immortal Phoenix Martial Soul, which is incredibly powerful. The kid barely had a chance to begin with. And yet he insists on preparing to refine a Plant Element Martial Soul. The Immortal Phoenix is a Fire Element Martial Soul. Among the five elements, wood feeds fire. Even a Martial Soul refined from a Tier Nine Plant Element Soul Crystal would be no match for the Immortal Phoenix, let alone one from a Tier Eight Soul Crystal. *Sigh*...’

Yang Xiu shook his head, having completely lost faith in Ye Xuan’s chances.

Though he hadn’t intended for his words to be spread, many of those nearby overheard him, and the news traveled quickly.

"I thought this Xuan Ye might have some tricks up his sleeve, but it turns out he’s just courting death."

"A Peak of Sixth Grade Soul Refiner this young... if he were allowed to keep developing, his future accomplishments would be astounding. But now... *sigh*, what a waste..."

"It looks like the Profound Light Pavilion will inevitably fall into Master Rongyang’s hands now."

The onlookers lamented among themselves.

Ye Xuan ignored the crowd’s chatter, stepped forward, and swiftly tapped his finger on the Soul Crystal before him.

BANG!

The Soul Crystal instantly shattered. A dense Wood Element Soul Power surged forth, swiftly condensing into a vine-like Martial Soul. The vine was ink-black, its surface gleaming with a faint luster.

Only then did the crowd realize that the Soul Crystal Ye Xuan had used was from a Tier Eight plant: the Black Shining Vine.

"It’s a Black Shining Vine Soul Crystal."

The Black Shining Vine was one of the most powerful Tier Eight Plant Element lifeforms, and one that countless Martial Artists dreaded encountering. It possessed immense offensive power, capable of binding its targets with lightning speed. It could also drain the Profound from a Martial Artist’s body—and it could do the same to Demon Beasts and Profound Beasts—making it an incredibly difficult opponent to deal with.

In the wild, most Martial Artists would rather face a Tier Eight Demon Emperor than a plant-type Profound Beast like the Black Shining Vine.

"I didn’t expect it to be a Black Shining Vine," Yang Xiu sighed. "Against an ordinary Tier Eight Profound Beast, the Black Shining Vine’s draining ability would offer a genuine hope of victory. Unfortunately, Rongyang is refining an Immortal Phoenix Martial Soul. The Immortal Phoenix can regenerate and fears a battle of attrition the least."

"Hmph. This kid is full of ideas. And that technique he just used... was that also the Phantom Crystal Split Hand?"

Rongyang couldn’t help but sneer at Ye Xuan’s actions. He recognized the technique as being extremely similar to the Phantom Crystal Split Hand; it had also instantly drawn out the core Soul Power structure from within the Soul Crystal.

’Too bad,’ he thought. ’The outcome was decided the moment we chose our respective Soul Crystals.’

He let out a heavy snort and ignored Ye Xuan, instead accelerating the process of forming the Martial Soul in his hands.

Ye Xuan also quickened his pace. The two of them began executing various refining techniques, leaving the onlookers feeling dazzled.

Although both of their techniques were marvelous, the results they produced were completely different.

Rongyang’s movements seemed far more flashy and profound. Every motion was a pleasure to watch, like a spectacular performance. Each action was perfectly executed, leaving the audience astonished and increasingly mesmerized.

Ye Xuan, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. His movements, while forceful, were extremely rigid, giving off an impression of being unpracticed and artless.

Some Soul Refiners had initially been shocked that someone so young could be a Peak of Sixth Grade Soul Refiner. But now, seeing his technique, they couldn’t help but chuckle. They felt his skills were inferior even to their own.

Rongyang glanced over occasionally as he worked, feeling an urge to laugh. As time went on, however, a strange feeling began to surface. He felt that something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

"Huh?"

He let out a small cry of confusion, trying to pinpoint what felt wrong. But that brief lapse in concentration nearly caused a mishap in his own refining. No longer daring to be careless, he threw himself back into his work with complete focus.

The others in the crowd, however, felt no such thing. They only saw Ye Xuan’s refining movements as utterly crude and without any aesthetic appeal. They soon lost interest and turned their full attention back to Rongyang, analyzing his every move.

Although Su Xiuyi and his companions weren’t Soul Refiners, they could still distinguish between skillful and clumsy techniques. Seeing Ye Xuan’s movements, they were all stunned and utterly bewildered. In their minds, Young Master Ye’s Soul Refining abilities shouldn’t be as terrible as what he was currently demonstrating.

Only Elder Dong hadn’t spared Rongyang a single glance since Ye Xuan began. He was staring intently at Ye Xuan, and slowly, a light began to dawn in his eyes.

His intense focus, combined with his status as a Peak of Sixth Grade Soul Refiner, allowed him to see things that others had missed.

Although Ye Xuan’s movements were stiff and clumsy, utterly devoid of beauty, a closer look revealed that his refining process was flawless. Every detail was handled with the utmost precision, as if it were second nature.

But that wasn’t the most important part. What was most important was that Ye Xuan’s refinement of each material had reached a state of perfection, without the slightest bit of waste. In terms of speed, purity, and retention, he had subtly surpassed Rongyang.

This was what Rongyang had sensed was off but had been unable to identify.

’Is this what a true Soul Refining Master is?’

Elder Dong’s eyes gleamed with excitement, completely immersed in Ye Xuan’s refining process.

In terms of movement, Ye Xuan was clumsy. In terms of Soul Power intensity, he was weaker than Rongyang, not stronger. In terms of materials, there was a whole tier of difference between them.

And yet, when it came to the results—his refinement of the materials and his control over the Martial Soul—Ye Xuan surpassed Rongyang.

Although this advantage was so subtle that most people would never perceive it, the revelation left Elder Dong profoundly shaken.

’What is the true essence of Soul Refining?’

In that moment, it was as if a great door had been thrown open in Elder Dong’s mind. He realized that many of his long-held beliefs had been instantly overturned, rendered insignificant.

Aside from Ye Xuan himself, there was only one other person in the crowd who noticed this: Yang Xiu.

As a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner, he had also noticed something was off about Ye Xuan’s performance. But unlike Rongyang, he wasn’t a competitor, so he was able to devote his full attention to observing. After making several comparisons, he quickly discovered what the other Soul Refiners had missed.

’How is this possible?’

Yang Xiu found this impossible to accept.

In terms of movements and technique, Rongyang was far more exquisite and dazzling than Ye Xuan. In terms of Soul Power intensity, Rongyang also had a slight edge. In terms of materials, Rongyang’s were clearly superior to Ye Xuan’s.

Yet in the final result, Ye Xuan’s processing of the materials and his control over his Soul Power were actually a fraction better than Rongyang’s. To be precise, they were better by a few tenths of a percent.

Because the margin was so small, and because it didn’t seem critical, most people failed to notice.

But just because they didn’t notice it didn’t mean it wasn’t there. To a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner like Yang Xiu, it was simply incomprehensible.

HUMMM...

Just then, an intense wave of Soul Power rippled through the air. The crowd whipped their heads around to see the three Fire Qilin Horned Lions in front of Rongyang violently shatter. A dense stream of Fire Element Soul Power flowed out, converging into the body of the Immortal Phoenix at the center.

SKREEE!

As the massive amount of Soul Power converged, the Immortal Phoenix erupted in brilliant flames, like a fire god emerging from its chrysalis. It let out a long, piercing cry, its gaze imperious as it unleashed a terrifying pressure upon the world.

"He did it."

"The Immortal Phoenix Martial Soul is complete!"

A huge roar erupted from the crowd.

At that exact moment, Ye Xuan’s hand movements suddenly accelerated. With a quick wave, his hands became a blur. Seizing the instant everyone’s attention was fixed on Rongyang, he swiftly placed his right hand upon the Black Shining Vine Martial Soul.

No one knew what he did, but the Black Shining Vine Martial Soul flashed faintly. A dim, crimson light glowed from within it for a moment before quickly retracting, returning everything to normal.