Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

Beside them, Hua Luoxuan and Zhou Huarong stared with wide eyes, their minds completely blanking out. They forgot all the techniques they had just committed to memory, standing stunned in the room as they muttered, "Master Ye Xuan, can Spirit Medicine really heal a Martial Soul? This is too incredible..." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Everything Ye Xuan had just demonstrated completely shattered their understanding. Martial Souls had always been the exclusive domain of Soul Refiners; they had never heard of Spirit Medicine being able to heal one.

Ye Xuan smiled and explained, "Gentlemen, it’s true that Pills cannot directly heal a Martial Soul. However, a Martial Soul’s existence depends on the body’s three great secret repositories, making them extremely important for its stability. The ointment I just created can stabilize Lin Xiong’s already damaged heart aperture. Once the heart aperture is stable, the Martial Soul naturally becomes more stable as well. You could say it’s a way of repairing the Martial Soul from a different angle."

"There’s such a theory? Your words are truly enlightening."

Ye Xuan’s words were like a window opening in their minds, revealing a brand-new world. Both of them were so stirred they could barely contain their excitement.

To be honest, they had never seen an Alchemist treat a Martial Soul—they had never even heard of it being possible. Yet, Ye Xuan had just shown them what it meant to be a true master.

As for Lin Xiong, feeling that his Martial Soul genuinely had a chance of recovery, his eyes welled up with tears.

The collapse of his Martial Soul had felt like a fall from heaven into hell. Now, seeing a glimmer of hope, he cast aside all thoughts of dignity and status. A deep sense of worship and reverence for Ye Xuan bloomed in his heart. As long as he could be restored to his former glory, he would do anything Ye Xuan asked without a moment’s hesitation.

After temporarily halting the collapse of Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul, Ye Xuan accepted Chairman Hua’s insistent invitation and stayed at the Alchemist Association.

There was still half a month until the final exams. For this half a month, the academy wouldn’t interfere with the students’ schedules. The semester would end as soon as the final day of exams was over.

To convince Ye Xuan to stay, Chairman Hua even offered him his own private cultivation chamber.

While the Alchemist Association didn’t have a cultivation center like the one at Xingxuan Academy, the concentration of Profound Qi in Chairman Hua’s private chamber was no less than that of the advanced chambers at the academy.

Over the next few days, Ye Xuan divided his time between cultivating, continuing to stabilize Lin Xiong’s collapsing Martial Soul, and occasionally discussing the subject of Alchemy with Hua Luoxuan.

With Ye Xuan’s guidance, both Hua Luoxuan and Zhou Huarong felt as if they had achieved a breakthrough in their understanding of Alchemy. At their level, the path forward had always been dark, like crossing a river by feeling for stones. But now, a clear, broad highway stretched out before them, filling them with joy and immense gratitude toward Ye Xuan.

On the third day, the Alchemist Association finally finished gathering all the materials required for Lin Xiong’s treatment.

At Ye Xuan’s summons, an excited Lin Xiong arrived at the refining chamber. Hua Luoxuan and Zhou Huarong also scurried over eagerly.

"Young Master Xuan, I’ve felt fantastic these past three days! When I release my Martial Soul, my heart aperture doesn’t hurt at all. In fact, it feels cool and refreshed!" Lin Xiong exclaimed. Thanks to Ye Xuan’s treatment, his condition was steadily improving, even surpassing what it was at his peak.

"Hmph. What’s there to get so worked up about? I only strengthened your heart aperture enough to withstand a Three-Stars Martial Soul. I haven’t even started repairing your saber soul yet."

"What? Strong enough to withstand a Three-Stars Martial Soul?" the three men cried out in unison, their faces a mask of stunned disbelief.

The heart aperture is like a container, and the Martial Soul is the water inside. The stronger the container, the greater the pressure it can withstand. Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul had been damaged because his heart aperture couldn’t handle the impact from the Tiger Roar Beast’s Profound Soul wave. His heart aperture ruptured and his Martial Soul shattered, leading to his current state. If his heart aperture had been this strong back then, he probably would have absorbed the beast’s Profound Soul and advanced his own Martial Soul to the Two-Stars level.

"What’s so surprising? Don’t make a big deal out of nothing." Ye Xuan shot him a look. "Just release your Martial Soul. I’m busy. Let’s get this over with so you can get lost. I don’t have time for this trivial nonsense."

Lin Xiong gulped and immediately released his Martial Soul.

Compared to three days ago, Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul was much more distinct, and the aura it emanated was terrifyingly powerful. If not for the fine cracks covering the blade, it would be impossible to believe that a Martial Soul projecting such an aura was on the verge of collapse.

"Alright, Lin Xiong. Move your Martial Soul over the Refining Array," Ye Xuan said calmly, pointing to the Array in Hua Luoxuan’s refining chamber.

For safety, Hua Luoxuan had lent Ye Xuan his own private refining chamber for the procedure.

Though he didn’t understand Ye Xuan’s intentions, Lin Xiong did as he was told. With a single thought, he moved the hazy, saber-shaped Martial Soul to a position directly above the Refining Array.

"Good. Don’t move. Just keep the Martial Soul there," Ye Xuan instructed before turning to Hua Luoxuan. "Chairman Hua, I need your help. Activate the Refining Array and maintain it at the Third Level."

Refining Arrays were graded by their fire intensity. The Third Level was the state required to refine Third Grade Pills, a level of power that Ye Xuan, with his current cultivation, could not yet command.

"Huh? Activate the Array?" Hua Luoxuan’s eyes went wide. "Master Ye Xuan, are you sure? This is an Array for refining Pills! If you turn it on, won’t it just refine Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul into nothing, just like any other ingredient?"

A shiver ran through Lin Xiong. ’Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?’

"Just do as I say. I’m going to refine his Martial Soul. I’ll use the Array to temper and purify it," Ye Xuan said nonchalantly.

’Tempering a Martial Soul with a Pill-refining Array? Isn’t that just nonsense?’ Even the normally unflappable Hua Luoxuan was becoming unsettled. He had never seen an Alchemist treat a Martial Soul like a medicinal ingredient to be refined.

At that moment, Hua Luoxuan even began to doubt whether Ye Xuan knew how to heal a Martial Soul at all. ’Is he just messing around?’ He was absolutely certain of Ye Xuan’s knowledge of Alchemy, but when it came to Soul Refining Skills? He was highly skeptical.

’If Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul gets destroyed, I hope he doesn’t come after me for it.’

However, at Ye Xuan’s insistence, Hua Luoxuan activated the Array and maintained it at the Third Level.

FWOOSH!

A dense flame of Profound Qi surged upward like a lotus blossom, gently cradling Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul. A searing heat traveled from the saber soul into Lin Xiong’s mind. Before everyone’s eyes, the Martial Soul began to tremble violently, as if unable to withstand the intense temperature.

Even though Lin Xiong trusted Ye Xuan, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

While the three men were lost in their own thoughts, Ye Xuan finally made his move.

He took a light step and began to move swiftly around the perimeter of the Array. As he walked, his hands continuously formed one Technique after another, which he sent into the Array in time with his steps. Simultaneously, he tossed various materials from his hand into the Array along with the Techniques.

The hundreds of Profound Stones embedded around the Array suddenly erupted with violent Profound Qi, which all flowed into the Array. The ancient Spirit Patterns inscribed beneath it lit up like neon signs. Flames born from the patterns easily purified the materials Ye Xuan had thrown in, transforming them into streams of pure essence that swirled within the Array.

"Master Ye Xuan, Lin Xiong’s saber soul is about to shatter!"

Hua Luoxuan suddenly cried out. Above the Array, the cracks on Lin Xiong’s saber soul had spread completely. The Martial Soul was trembling and looked as if it would shatter at any moment. The sight made Hua Luoxuan instinctively reduce his output of Profound Qi. If the saber soul really broke, everything would be over.

"You idiot! Who told you to reduce the Profound Qi output? Get it back to the Third Level, now!" Ye Xuan couldn’t stop himself from cursing when he saw what happened.

Hua Luoxuan flinched and quickly increased the Profound Qi output again.

CRACK!

But as he did, Lin Xiong’s saber soul, already covered in cracks, finally shattered completely.

’It’s over. It’s all over. Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul is completely destroyed. I never should have trusted Ye Xuan.’

A jolt went through Hua Luoxuan. He smiled bitterly as his heart sank. ’I put too much faith in Ye Xuan, and this is the result.’ With Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul shattered, he was, at the very least, an accomplice.

Lin Xiong was scared out of his wits. He shuddered, his high hopes plunging into a bottomless abyss. The feeling was worse than death itself.

"You bunch of idiots! What are you doing? Lin Xiong, don’t stop channeling your Martial Soul! Chairman Hua, don’t stop the Profound Qi output! All of you, focus! I’m surrounded by useless teammates," Ye Xuan couldn’t help but curse again.

The words were particularly grating to Lin Xiong’s ears. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’my Martial Soul is completely shattered! What the hell do you want me to keep doing?!’

He was on the verge of cursing out loud, but before he could speak, he froze. He realized that even though his saber soul had shattered, he could still feel its presence. It was as if the Martial Soul was still hovering above the Array, just invisible to his eyes.

’What’s going on? Could it be... my Martial Soul hasn’t actually collapsed?’

Excitement surged through his heart. ’Oh, heavens! Gods above! Anyone! Please, let my Martial Soul still be there!’

Just as he was desperately praying, Ye Xuan suddenly waved a hand. The essence formed from the myriad materials instantly enveloped a patch of empty space above. Then, Ye Xuan produced a black Soul Crystal and gave it a sharp tap with his right hand.

SNAP!

The incredibly hard Soul Crystal instantly shattered. A dense wave of Soul Power transformed into black powder, which was drawn by the Array and swiftly merged with the Martial Soul’s power enveloped by the essence.

As the black powder, the material essence, and the power of the original saber soul fused, they quickly formed a black, teardrop-shaped soul-mass. Under the Array’s refining flames, this droplet of soul-mass constantly changed shape. Its impurities rapidly burned away, and it became increasingly pure and translucent.