Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

A cold smirk touched the corners of his mouth. "A plebeian is a plebeian. They don’t know their place. Recklessly climbing higher and higher... they’re simply courting death."

In Yuan Shan’s eyes, Ye Xuan must not have found a spot below, so he just kept climbing recklessly until he reached this floor.

But did he not know that this ninth floor was no place for someone like him?

Sure enough, upon hearing that Ye Xuan was a new student, the sharp gazes of the other four people on this floor shot toward him.

In an instant, an immense pressure enveloped Ye Xuan.

Everyone on this floor was an advanced-class student, a Martial Artist who had reached the Tier Two Xuanwu Realm. To them, having a new student barge onto their level was an utter disgrace.

"Kid, you should obediently head back down. This isn’t a place for you. If you just wanted to come up and take a look, you’ve seen it."

The gruff voice belonged to a burly young man. He shouted coldly, his gaze as sharp as a falcon’s and his aura stable and profound.

Ye Xuan shot the other man a cold glance but didn’t speak. He simply found a spot before the door of a cultivation room and sat down cross-legged.

"Hmm?" The burly man’s gaze hardened. Ye Xuan had actually dared to ignore his words.

"Shi San, it looks like this kid is ignoring you," a young man suddenly jeered with a cold laugh.

"A mere freshman, daring to ignore us advanced-class students. If it were me, I’d have taught him a lesson by now."

"Shi San, drive him off. Make him learn about respecting his elders and betters."

"That’s right."

The other four young men on the ninth floor chimed in with sneers, their words clearly meant to instigate.

The burly man stared intently at Ye Xuan for a long moment.

Yet, in the face of their derision, Ye Xuan’s expression remained tranquil. He sat there cross-legged, as still and unmovable as a mountain boulder.

An idea struck Shi San, and he suddenly released his Profound Sense to envelop Ye Xuan.

Many students at the Profound Spirit Academy had other specialties. Shi San, for example, was not only a Martial Master First Layer but also a first-grade Alchemist, making him particularly skilled in the use of Profound Sense.

He wanted to probe Ye Xuan’s true strength and see what gave him the courage to remain as steady as a rock before members of the advanced class.

But to his astonishment, the moment his Profound Sense made contact with Ye Xuan, it was like entering a bottomless abyss. It was completely drawn in, and he couldn’t get the slightest feedback.

This discovery left Shi San utterly stunned.

’This kid... he’s not simple.’ A profound light flashed in Shi San’s eyes. He ignored the others’ taunts and sneered, "You all sound so righteous. Yuan Shan, you’re the closest to this kid, aren’t you? If you want to make a move, then go ahead. Why are you trying to make me do your dirty work? This kid is a freshman, yet he dared to come here and remained completely composed under my gaze. That alone earns my admiration. What’s the harm in letting him stay?"

Shi San’s words took the others by surprise.

When had Shi San become such a coward? Saying he admired a new student—pigs must be flying.

Suspicion filled their minds. Their gazes shifted, and they found a new target. "Yuan Shan, Shi San’s right. You’re the closest, why don’t you handle it?"

"It seems you two already know each other. This is the perfect opportunity for you."

"Yuan Shan, don’t tell me you’re afraid to take on a freshman?"

Everyone chimed in. Goaded by their words, and since Yuan Shan had wanted to teach Ye Xuan a lesson from the start, he stood up with a cold smirk.

"Very well, then. Allow me to set an example for everyone."

He walked up to Ye Xuan and, without wasting any words, threw a punch straight at him.

A flash of disgust crossed Ye Xuan’s face.

’This Yuan Shan has provoked me time and time again. Does he really think I can’t handle him?’

"Get back!"

A cold voice suddenly echoed through the ninth-floor hall. A wave of frost seemed to pass over them, and the temperature in the hall instantly dropped by several degrees.

BOOM!

Ye Xuan remained seated, as immovable as a mountain, and threw a counter-punch. A dull thud echoed, and Shi San and the others watched as Yuan Shan—who had attacked with the force of a thunderbolt—was sent flying backward like a bolt of lightning.

STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

His feet scrabbled against the floor as he stumbled backward. With his blood and qi in turmoil, he retreated more than ten meters before finally coming to a halt. His face was flushed, and his right hand trembled slightly.

’This kid... he’s so strong!’

Shi San and the others’ pupils contracted in shock. They never imagined that Ye Xuan could blast Yuan Shan back with a single punch—especially not while sitting down. ’No wonder he didn’t care about our taunts,’ they thought. ’He has this kind of power.’

’Is this person really a freshman?’

Yuan Shan’s eyes were wide with disbelief. His right hand was trembling, the knuckles throbbing with excruciating pain and numbness.

’What terrifying fist power.’

He circulated his Profound Qi to alleviate the pain in his fist, his eyes locked onto Ye Xuan with deadly intensity.

He knew Ye Xuan had defeated Cao He. He knew Wu Mie and the others he’d left behind had failed to stop this kid.

But in Yuan Shan’s mind, Ye Xuan was just a freshman. At best, he could only have the strength of a Third Layer Warrior. Against a Martial Master First Layer expert like himself, he should have been utterly defenseless.

Yet their brief exchange proved that this person was not as easy to deal with as he’d thought. He also possessed the strength of a Martial Master First Layer.

"You’ve provoked me again and again. I ignored you not because I was afraid, but because you weren’t worth my time." Ye Xuan slowly rose to his feet, his gaze cold as he looked at Yuan Shan. "But now, you’ve successfully angered me. I’ll give you one last chance. Crawl out of here, and I can forget this ever happened. Otherwise, you will regret provoking me."

Ye Xuan’s tone was glacial, his voice devoid of emotion, yet his words were unbelievably domineering.

To be honest, he had only come to the Profound Spirit Academy for its abundant resources; he had no interest in using his strength to bully others.

After all, in Ye Xuan’s eyes, the students of the Profound Spirit Academy were nothing more than children.

But people like Yuan Shan, so arrogant they couldn’t see past their own noses, insisted on bothering him. They were like flies, constantly buzzing in his ear. Though Ye Xuan wasn’t concerned, it was still incredibly annoying.

And now, he was finally ready to swat that fly.

"Do you have any idea what you’re saying?" Yuan Shan’s expression grew cold as he slowly advanced. Ye Xuan was strong, yes, but not strong enough to make him crawl out of here.

And what was this about giving him a chance? Ridiculous. This wasn’t a chance; it was a demand for public humiliation.

If he actually did it, how could he, Yuan Shan, ever hold his head high in the Profound Spirit Academy again?

"A little bit of strength and you think you’re invincible. A plebeian will always be a plebeian. The students of the Profound Spirit Academy are not as simple as you think."

With a thought, a golden radiance erupted from Yuan Shan’s body. A piercingly sharp aura shot out from within the light, one that could shake the very soul.

"This is my Martial Soul, the Iron-Gold Martial Soul! It is exceptionally sharp and can pierce through anything!"

Yuan Shan declared with cold arrogance. A faint golden light flickered in his eyes, which felt like two sharp blades stabbing into Ye Xuan.

"The Iron-Gold Martial Soul!"

Ye Xuan’s eyes were cold. He sneered, "And that’s supposed to be impressive?!"

On the Celestial Profound Continent, Martial Souls came in many varieties: Beast Martial Souls, Weapon Martial Souls, Elemental Martial Souls, and more. The Elemental Martial Souls were further divided into categories like the Five Elements, Yin-Yang, and many others.

This Iron-Gold Martial Soul was likely a Metal Element Martial Soul, one of the Five Elements. It specialized in sharpness and hardness, and among Metal Element souls, it was considered quite good. But that was only by the standards of the Liuyun Kingdom. On the scale of the entire Celestial Profound Continent, it was merely average.

"Absolutely ridiculous. You don’t even recognize the Iron-Gold Martial Soul. Plebeians will be plebeians. Why don’t you show me what kind of Martial Soul a plebeian like you possesses?" Yuan Shan taunted. In his mind, Ye Xuan was simply too ignorant to recognize the power of his Martial Soul.

"Why would I need to use my Martial Soul to deal with you?" Ye Xuan retorted with a sneer.

The moment the words left his lips, his body blurred into motion. He formed a sword-finger and shot toward Yuan Shan’s chest like a sharp glint of light.

"Arrogant! My attack is indestructible!"

Yuan Shan bellowed, and the Iron-Gold Martial Soul above his head instantly enveloped his entire body. His right hand shone with a brilliant golden light, and a razor-sharp aura billowed out, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek as it shot toward Ye Xuan’s hand.

As the wild, sharp Profound Qi raged, at the exact moment of contact with Yuan Shan’s right hand, Ye Xuan’s fingers moved.

Like a musician plucking a lute, they gently tapped against Yuan Shan’s arm.

An incomparably sharp surge of energy, like a rapier, instantly pierced into Yuan Shan’s right arm. A horrific pain shot straight to his brain, making his very soul tremble.

"How is this possible?! How did your Profound Qi break through my defense?! AAGH—"

Yuan Shan’s mind reeled. The pain from his arm shattered the last of his confidence. With a sickening sound, dozens of bloody jets erupted from his right arm. He let out an agonized howl and scrambled backward.

"Scram!"

Ye Xuan spoke a single, cold word and slammed his palm into Yuan Shan’s chest.

Blood sprayed from his mouth. Like a kite with its string cut, Yuan Shan’s feet left the floor. He flew backward and slammed—BANG!—against the door of a cultivation room before slowly sliding to the ground.

"You think strength like yours is worthy of me using my Martial Soul?!"

Ye Xuan spoke calmly. It was a statement he’d made before, in the same place and in front of the same people, but now, the impact was worlds apart.

For a moment, everyone was frozen, their faces etched with utter astonishment.

From the moment the fight began, they had imagined all sorts of outcomes, but never this one.

The great Yuan Shan—an advanced-class student, a Martial Master First Layer—had activated his powerful Iron-Gold Martial Soul and was still defeated in a single exchange. The sight left everyone speechless with shock.

Yuan Shan’s face was contorted in agony as he clutched his chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He stared at his right arm in disbelief. It was riddled with horrifying, bloody holes, from which blood was still pouring freely.