Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

Ninety-nine percent of the teenagers like Ye Xuan who came to the Soul Master Tower were there to request an awakening.

Ye Xuan said calmly, "I’m not here to have someone perform an awakening. Get me a Soul Awakening Room."

A Soul Awakening Room?

Chen Sisi’s gaze sharpened as she looked at Ye Xuan. ’A Soul Awakening Room? That’s a room Soul Refiners use for performing awakenings. The equipment inside can only be operated by a Soul Refiner. This boy doesn’t look very old. Could he be a Soul Refiner’s apprentice? Or... does he want to perform the awakening on himself?’

’It wasn’t unheard of for someone to try and perform their own awakening. Many apprentices who didn’t have a deep understanding of Soul Refining would learn a few things and arrogantly attempt it themselves. The results were often tragic.’

With this in mind, she cautioned him, "Young man, let me give you some advice. If you want to undergo the awakening and awaken your martial soul, it’s best to have the masters from our Soul Master Tower perform it. Otherwise, any mistake in the procedure will have an irreversible impact on your future."

After a pause, Chen Sisi added, "If you’d like, I can do my best to introduce you to a more skilled Soul Refiner."

Ye Xuan merely gave a faint smile at her kind offer. ’As I recall, the strongest Soul Refiner in the Blue Moon City Soul Master Tower is only a Second Grade Soul Refiner, right? Him? Is he even worthy of awakening my Three Life Martial Souls?’

’Back when I couldn’t cultivate Profound Qi, the Ye family spent a fortune to hire several Soul Refiners from the Soul Master Tower, but not a single one could solve my problem. One of them even declared my martial soul dead and my Profound Veins useless. No way in hell would I let such short-sighted trash perform my awakening.’

’Besides, my Three Life Martial Souls are too special—a rarity on the entire continent. I can’t tell anyone, not even the people I’m closest to.’

’A man may be innocent, but his treasure is his crime.’

’Until I have the power to protect myself, I know how crucial it is to stay hidden. I’m certain that if word of my Three Life Martial Souls ever got out, it would shake the entire continent’s Soul Refiner community. Powerful Soul Refiners would come swarming, and it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to slice me up for research.’

’As a former Eighth Grade Soul Emperor, I know all too well that these so-called Soul Refiners are nothing but a bunch of research fanatics.’

Thinking this, Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "That won’t be necessary. Just get me a Soul Awakening Room. You don’t need to concern yourself with the rest."

Chen Sisi gave him a long, searching look. Most people who came to the Soul Master Tower were there to ask for a favor, so they were typically extremely respectful. Even those of high status would betray a certain tension or awkwardness. But from the moment Ye Xuan had walked in, his conversation and his conduct had been nothing but casual and unhurried. That, combined with his request, led her to mentally label him as a Soul Refiner’s apprentice.

’He must be some master’s disciple, wanting to study the awakening process on his own,’ Chen Sisi thought. With that, she stopped trying to persuade him and took out a registration book. "Renting a Soul Awakening Room costs two hundred Profound Coins for one hour. You can just sign here."

"Here are two hundred Profound Coins." Ye Xuan took the coins out of his Storage Ring and placed them on the counter, shaking his head inwardly. ’The rental price for a Soul Awakening Room is really steep. It’s a full four times more expensive than a basic crafting room at the Alchemist Association.’

When Chen Sisi saw Ye Xuan produce two hundred Profound Coins out of thin air, her eyes lit up. ’Looks like this kid really is a Soul Refiner’s apprentice. A Storage Ring is an extremely precious item, something only a powerful expert at the Martial Artist level of the Xuanwu Realm would typically own. For a teenager to have a Storage Ring, his background must be anything but simple.’

Chen Sisi had originally planned to have another staff member take him, but she immediately changed her mind. After a glance at the information Ye Xuan had registered, she smiled and said, "Young Master Xuan, is it? The Soul Awakening Rooms are this way. Please, follow me."

"What’s going on? She just said we had to wait in line. How can someone just cut in? What kind of system is this?"

"Yeah, what’s the point of us waiting in line then? This is ridiculous."

Seeing Ye Xuan walk straight to the counter, exchange a few words, and then be led away, the crowd immediately grew restless.

Chen Sisi shot the crowd a cold glare. "Hmph, he’s a Soul Refiner’s apprentice, not here for an awakening. If you’ve got what it takes, go become a Soul Refiner yourself! Besides, so what if I let someone cut the line? If you want to wait, then wait. If not, then get the hell out of my sight!"

A Soul Refiner’s apprentice? That boy!

The entire hall fell silent. Everyone stared, their eyes wide as saucers, almost biting their own tongues in shock. Their own children were still trying to find someone to perform their awakening, yet someone else’s child was already a Soul Refiner’s apprentice. The comparison was enough to drive a person mad with envy.

"Ahem, so he’s an esteemed apprentice Soul Refiner. Of course, of course, he should go first."

"Please, watch your step, honored apprentice."

"I have a daughter, she’s thirteen this year and quite a beauty. I wonder if the young master would be interested in paying our family a visit?"

The crowd immediately began to suck up to him without a shred of integrity. Though Ye Xuan was only a boy, his status as a Soul Refiner’s apprentice was something they couldn’t possibly afford to ignore.

After leading Ye Xuan into a Soul Awakening Room, Chen Sisi smiled and asked, "Is there anything else you require, Young Master Xuan?"

Ye Xuan gave the room a casual inspection, then began pointing at the equipment and giving blunt orders. "Hmm, this Soul Awakening Stone only has a third of its energy left. Replace it with one that’s fully charged. This Soul Power Liquid must have been sitting here for three days; its active properties have degraded. Get me a fresh bottle. And this Soul Power Amplitude Plate... the formation patterns on it are severely worn. There are even tiny cracks between some of the Spirit Patterns. Have it replaced with a new one as well..."

Ye Xuan pointed out five or six things that needed replacing, then clapped his hands together. "That should be all. The rest is mediocre, but it’ll have to do."

’When awakening a martial soul, the most important factors are the Soul Refiner’s own Soul Power cultivation and their mastery of Soul Refining. Some Soul Refiners don’t even need instruments to perform an awakening. But I’m only in the Vein Condensation Stage right now, with less than one ten-thousandth of the Soul Power I had in my past life. If I want to perform this awakening on myself, I have no choice but to rely on this equipment.’

By the time Ye Xuan finished rattling off his demands, Chen Sisi was standing by the side, completely stunned.

Although she wasn’t a Soul Refiner herself, she knew the equipment in the Soul Awakening Room inside and out. The five or six problems Ye Xuan had identified were all related to the most critical components—details that even some genuine Soul Refiners might overlook. Take the Soul Power Liquid, for instance. She had indeed replaced it three days ago. For Ye Xuan to know its exact age after a single glance... the mastery of Soul Refining he demonstrated left her utterly aghast.

’Is this boy really just an apprentice? Judging by his expertise, he seems more knowledgeable than the First Grade Soul Refiners in the tower.’

A storm of shock raged within Chen Sisi.

"Well? Aren’t you going?" Seeing Chen Sisi frozen in place, Ye Xuan frowned. Then, as if a thought occurred to him, he added nonchalantly, "Oh, right. If there are any extra charges for replacing the equipment, just put it on my tab. I’ll settle it later. You don’t need to worry about the cost."

Chen Sisi immediately snapped out of her shock. "Young Master Xuan, this is all part of the Soul Master Tower’s service," she said hurriedly. "I’ll have everything replaced for you at once. Please, wait just a moment."

In that moment, Chen Sisi had already elevated Ye Xuan’s status in her mind to that of a First Grade Soul Refiner, and she resolved to serve him with her utmost effort.

Before long, all the items Ye Xuan had requested were replaced.

"Very good. You may leave."

"Yes. If you need anything else, Young Master Xuan, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be waiting right outside." Chen Sisi retreated respectfully. She had already decided to serve this young man to the best of her ability. Trusting her own judgment, she was certain that Ye Xuan’s talent was heaven-defying and that he would one day hold a prominent position within the Soul Master Tower.

Paying no mind to Chen Sisi’s thoughts, Ye Xuan locked the door and sat cross-legged before the awakening apparatus.

Performing a Soul Awakening on oneself was like a doctor operating on himself. It was incredibly difficult and considered taboo in the world of Soul Refiners. But for Ye Xuan, it was hardly an impossible feat.

He closed his eyes, and a faint thread of Soul Power seeped into the Soul Power Amplitude Plate before him.

Instantly, the dark Spirit Patterns all lit up. Ye Xuan’s wisp of Soul Power was amplified by the Soul Power Amplitude Plate, its strength increasing tenfold in an instant. This powerful Soul Power was then filtered through the Soul Power Liquid before finally permeating the Soul Awakening Stone.

HUM!

A hazy radiance, like pristine moonlight, cascaded down and completely enveloped Ye Xuan.

Bathed in the light, Ye Xuan could clearly sense the black vortex martial soul that had already awakened within him. Beyond that, however, there was no sign of activity from the two martial souls located at his heart and celestial gate.

’No wonder those other Soul Refiners were so blind. Even after amplification, my Soul Power has reached the level of a Peak First Grade Soul Refiner, and I still can’t detect these two martial souls. They really are hidden deep.’

Ye Xuan thought to himself. Although he couldn’t see the two martial souls, he could still rely on the experience from his past life to faintly sense a subtle anomaly at his heart and celestial gate.

’It’s clear now. The Soul Refiners who tried to perform my awakening in the past were just too weak and inexperienced to notice anything unusual here.’

"Soul Eye, open!"

Ye Xuan let out a low cry. A unique aura of Soul Power bloomed from the spot between his eyebrows, as if a mystical eye of the soul had just opened there.

In that instant, every minute detail of Ye Xuan’s body was presented in his mind’s eye: the flowing Profound Qi, the opened Profound Veins, the awakened martial soul. At his heart and celestial gate, faint, hazy glimmers of yellow and green light began to radiate. The two martial souls were slowly revealing themselves.

"The Way of the Soul, born of heaven and earth, master of all creation. The Profound Gate is the first, the Celestial Gate is the second, the Life Gate is the third, the Death Gate is the last. With the un-born Tushita as the core, reverse the soul of the nine heavens..."

As Ye Xuan silently recited the Soul Awakening Heart Skill, the two clusters of light on his body grew increasingly brilliant. Gradually, the centers of the two radiant glows became more and more distinct.