Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

As its influence expanded, the Profound Light Pavilion's weakness—a shortage of manpower—immediately became apparent.

The very next day, the Profound Light Pavilion posted an announcement: they needed to recruit a batch of experts and staff within Celestial Capital Prefecture.

This was a plan Ye Xuan had been preparing for a long time, but it was only now being made public.

"The up-and-coming Profound Light Pavilion is hiring."

In just two hours, the news swept through Celestial Capital Prefecture like the wind, immediately causing a massive stir.

The Profound Light Pavilion had been making too many waves recently. If you asked anyone on the streets of Celestial Capital Prefecture which faction was the most famous lately, at least ninety out of a hundred would say the Profound Light Pavilion.

So, when the news broke that the Profound Light Pavilion was recruiting, countless Loose Cultivators flocked over, all expressing their desire to join.

Hardly any of the Loose Cultivator Martial Artists who had become powerful and managed to survive in Celestial Capital Prefecture were idiots. On the contrary, they were exceedingly shrewd. They knew exactly what kind of faction would be most beneficial for them to join.

For a Loose Cultivator looking to join a faction, there was undoubtedly only one key consideration: resources.

This was because Loose Cultivators had access to far too few resources. Even if they managed to obtain some treasures, it was difficult to convert them into assets that could enhance their own strength.

Therefore, if they wanted to achieve better breakthroughs and advancements, joining a major faction was often a necessary choice.

However, some resources couldn't be obtained just by joining a major faction. Scarce resources were rare even within large organizations, so choosing the *right* faction became a matter they had to carefully consider.

In principle, there were two points.

First, the faction had to be as large as possible. This was indisputable. The stronger the faction, the greater its ability to acquire resources, and the higher the probability that its members would receive them.

Second, the faction had to be as fair as possible.

But the six most powerful factions in Celestial Capital Prefecture were all family clans, which made many Loose Cultivators hesitant.

If they joined one of these family factions, no matter how strong their cultivation or how high their status, they would always be considered outsiders. Unless they truly integrated into the family through methods like marriage or changing their surname, if they were merely a Guest Minister or retainer, the truly scarce resources would never fall into their hands.

This was perfectly normal. Just think about it: if a family had only one rare treasure, they would definitely give it to a child of their direct bloodline, not to an outsider. That was a no-brainer.

Compared to family clans, factions like the Soul Master Tower, the Alchemist Association, and merchant guilds were the most suitable for Loose Cultivators to join.

However, in Celestial Capital Prefecture, factions like the Soul Master Tower and the Alchemist Association had no ambitions to expand. Many of their guards were assigned from above and didn't need to be recruited locally. As a result, most Loose Cultivators in the prefecture had no opportunities to join them.

But now, the appearance of the Profound Light Pavilion immediately filled this void.

In terms of power, the Profound Light Pavilion was now a top-tier faction, second only to the five great families, and it also had an extremely close relationship with the Soul Master Tower.

In terms of ability, the Profound Light Pavilion was exceptionally heaven-defying in Alchemy, Soul Refining, Artifact Refining, and Arrays. Anyone who joined could receive immense help, with no need to worry about resource constraints.

And in terms of fairness, the Profound Light Pavilion was a commercial organization, and one that had just been established. Its foundational staff was small, unlike a family clan with thousands of descendants, where many resources would never reach newcomers.

All these factors combined immediately made the Profound Light Pavilion a hot commodity in the eyes of countless Loose Cultivators.

In no time, the line in front of the Profound Light Pavilion snaked down the street, bustling with a lively, jostling crowd.

They were all afraid the Profound Light Pavilion would stop recruiting once they had enough people and that they would miss this opportunity, so everyone was pushing forward.

Inside, Su Xiuyi and the others waiting to start the recruitment were a bit stunned by the lively scene. They knew the Profound Light Pavilion wouldn't have trouble finding people, but wasn't this crowd a little *too* enthusiastic?

Seeing the growing crowd packing the entrance, all eager to join the Profound Light Pavilion, Ye Xuan quickly flew up to a high vantage point and said, "Everyone, please don't crowd together! Be patient. The Profound Light Pavilion's recruitment isn't limited to just today. It will be open at all times."

"In other words, anyone with ability can join the Profound Light Pavilion at any time. So please, form an orderly line and do your best to fill out the application forms we're handing out. The more completely you fill them out, the greater your chance of joining."

"I should also clarify beforehand that the Profound Light Pavilion has very strict requirements for its members. We will inform you of the specific details in due course."

After Ye Xuan's speech, the queue outside calmed down a bit, but the crowd did not disperse.

They all knew that although the Profound Light Pavilion said capable people could join at any time, right now was when the pavilion needed people the most. Applying in the next few days undoubtedly offered the best chance of success.

After saying his piece, Ye Xuan didn't concern himself with it any further. He left the matter of recruitment to Su Xiuyi and his team.

Furthermore, Ye Xuan's requirements were clear: anyone who wanted to join the Profound Light Pavilion had to clearly state their background. The Profound Light Pavilion would absolutely not accept those who caused trouble or had poor character.

Despite this, people still came to register in an endless stream.

In just three days, the Profound Light Pavilion recruited dozens of experts.

Among them were three Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperors, nearly ten Tier Eight First Layer Martial Emperors, and the rest were all Tier Seven Martial King experts.

This huge influx of power caused the Profound Light Pavilion to expand at an extremely rapid pace.

And with that, the Profound Light Pavilion's large-scale recruitment drive came to an end.

After all, the Profound Light Pavilion was not yet strong enough to match the level of the two great families, and was still a bit weaker than the likes of the Xu family, the Lin family, and the Zhou family. Recruiting too many people would just mean paying for idlers.

Ye Xuan had also been completely swamped for the past couple of days and was finally getting some time to relax.

But just as Ye Xuan was about to take a break, Su Xiuyi suddenly came looking for him.

"Young Master Ye, Master Yang Xiu of Celestial Capital Prefecture is here to see you."

"Yang Xiu?"

Ye Xuan paused for a moment before it clicked. Yang Xiu was another of Celestial Capital Prefecture's Seventh Grade Soul Refiners.

There were fewer than five Seventh Grade Soul Refiners in the entire Celestial Capital Prefecture, and Yang Xiu was one of them, holding a rather noble status.

When Ye Xuan had his Soul Refining duel with Rongyang, this man had been one of the witnesses.

'What is he doing here at the Profound Light Pavilion?' Ye Xuan wondered, but since the man had come to visit, he couldn't very well refuse him. "Let him in," he said.

A short while later, Su Xiuyi entered with an old man.

"Master Xuan Ye, please forgive my presumptuous visit."

The moment Yang Xiu entered, he hurried forward and bowed to Ye Xuan, his expression reverent and his posture extremely humble.

"Master Yang Xiu, you're too kind." Ye Xuan quickly helped him up, though he was inwardly puzzled. 'Yang Xiu is a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner, after all. For him to act so humbly is a little too strange.'

Ye Xuan couldn't guess the man's intentions, but not wanting to be impolite, he led him to the reception hall and prepared to pour him a cup of tea.

"Master Xuan Ye, don't move! I'll do it, let me."

Yang Xiu rushed forward, took the teapot, and instead poured a cup for Ye Xuan, handing it over with utmost respect.

His humility was so pronounced that even Ye Xuan found it a bit hard to accept. 'The man is a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner, a respected figure wherever he goes. Is there really a need for such an attitude?'

"Master Yang Xiu, there's no need to be so formal. May I ask what brings you here today? If there's anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask. As long as it's within my power, I won't refuse."

Ye Xuan couldn't be bothered to guess his visitor's purpose and decided to get straight to the point.

"Well..." Hearing Ye Xuan's words, Yang Xiu's expression actually became a little sheepish.

"Master Yang Xiu, is there something you're finding difficult to say?" Ye Xuan asked suspiciously.

Yang Xiu hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth as if he had just made the most difficult decision of his life, and blurted out, "Master Xuan Ye, I want to become your disciple!"

With that, he immediately performed a deep, respectful bow, his expression sincere.

But Ye Xuan couldn't help but freeze, almost thinking he had misheard.

'Become his disciple?'

'A Seventh Grade Soul Refiner, renowned and famous throughout Celestial Capital Prefecture, wants to take a young man like me as his master?'

'Isn't that a little ridiculous?'

Forget everything else, just considering age… Yang Xiu didn't look ancient, but Ye Xuan was certain he had to be over sixty. He himself was only in his early twenties. The age gap was massive.

But looking at Yang Xiu's expression, it didn't seem like he was joking.

The man's expression was devout, his eyes filled with both anticipation and apprehension. He was clearly very serious.

But no matter how Ye Xuan looked at it, the whole situation felt abnormal.

Seeing Ye Xuan remain silent, Yang Xiu grew anxious. He quickly said, "Master Xuan Ye, you don't need to worry about my sincerity. As they say, mastery, not age, makes a teacher. I, Yang Xiu, come from a humble background. My aptitude is dull, and I've never studied under any top masters. Because of this, my journey on the path of Soul Refining has been incredibly difficult. I saw your battle with Rongyang clearly, and it moved me deeply. I feel that the path of Soul Refining is vast and endless, and one needs a guide to lead the way. I hope that you, Master, can accept me."

Yang Xiu genuinely wanted to take Ye Xuan as his master.

Although he was a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner, he came from a humble background and had never received any systematic instruction. He had reached the threshold of Seventh Grade only after a long and arduous journey.

It could be said that he was a prime example of a self-made man. As a Loose Cultivator, even though he was a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner, his status was vastly different from the other Seventh Grade Soul Refiners in Celestial Capital Prefecture. In terms of true Soul Refining skill, he couldn't compare to someone like Rongyang, the Vice Tower Master of the Soul Master Tower.

Over the years, although he had broken through to Seventh Grade, he had found that his path in Soul Refining was becoming narrower and narrower. The road ahead was long, but he couldn't see any foothold for his next step.

Until, that is, he saw the competition between Ye Xuan and Rongyang the other day.