Xuanwu War Sovereign

"Come... Come..."

A faint, ethereal voice seemed to echo in the depths of Qin Feng’s mind.

"Are you the one calling me?" With his sharp gaze, Qin Feng instantly locked onto the unusually strange Stone Man pinned beneath the Cyan Dragon Claw.

In a flash, Qin Feng appeared before the stone dragon. His eyes flickered as he reached out and placed a hand on the Stone Man’s head.

As Qin Feng’s hand made contact with the Stone Man, a voice emerged with perfect clarity in his mind.

"Someone has finally come to the Refining Spirit Hall!"

The voice was faint, yet it carried an immense majesty. The being behind it had to be a terrifying existence. From its tone, Qin Feng felt a powerful, oppressive sensation, as deep as an abyss and as suffocating as a prison.

The voice wasn’t loud, but in its presence, Qin Feng felt as if he were facing the world itself.

’Trying to act all mysterious!’ Qin Feng rolled his eyes and sneered. He had been through this many times before; it was nothing more than some old geezer who had lived for a very long time waking up by accident.

Or perhaps it was some fearsome entity sealed away here, waiting in solitude.

Or maybe it had already perished, leaving behind only a trace of a Residual Soul to linger in the world.

"Alright, who are you? And why did you call me over?" Qin Feng asked bluntly.

"Insolence! I am the Lingxu Venerable! How dare you, a mere ant..." The voice paused, seemingly stunned by Qin Feng’s disrespect, before erupting in fury. Its voice was like the might of the heavens, booming in Qin Feng’s mind.

"Speak plainly!" Qin Feng cut him off without a hint of politeness. "Keep blabbering and I’m leaving!"

Qin Feng was completely unaffected. In his previous life, he was a Half-step Divine Sealing expert, making him entirely immune to the Spiritual Power pressure unleashed by the Stone Man.

The Stone Man was stunned, as if it couldn’t believe a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven dared to speak to it like that. After a long silence, the Stone Man seemed to be suppressing its rage.

"Brat, do you want to get something out of this or not?"

"That’s more like it. Offer something tangible instead of trying to bluff me from the get-go!" Only then did Qin Feng’s anger subside. The Stone Man was left speechless.

Qin Feng snorted coldly and said with a touch of impatience, "Spit it out. Who are you? What do you want? What’s in it for me? Just say it, and cut the crap!"

The Spirit Refining Platform was damaged and couldn’t be used for Refining Spirit. Qin Feng was fuming.

’Are all Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven Martial Artists this cocky now? Have the times changed that much in the ten thousand years I’ve been asleep?’ The Stone Man couldn’t make sense of the situation. After a moment of deliberation, it spoke.

"My secular name is Le Tian. I was the last Supreme Sect Leader of the Lingxu Sect, and my title is Lingxu Venerable. I am..."

"Get to the point! Why are you being so long-winded?" Qin Feng impatiently cut off the Stone Man’s verbose self-introduction.

"Brat, don’t you go too far!" the Stone Man roared, feeling its majesty had been challenged.

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow. "You think I’m going too far? Fine, I’ll let go right now!" He made a move to pull his hand away.

"Wait! Little brother, please, don’t do anything rash!" The Stone Man’s voice instantly deflated. A Martial Artist had finally arrived after ten thousand years; it was genuinely afraid the boy would let go.

Although it yielded verbally, the Stone Man was seething with rage internally. ’My cultivation, my status... to be repeatedly scolded and manipulated by a mere Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven Martial Artist! If I hadn’t been sealed by the Four Spirit Gods, I would have crushed this ant long ago!’

’Calm down, calm down!’ Suppressing its towering rage, the Stone Man slowed its voice.

"Little brother, you must have entered the Refining Spirit Hall because you wish to undergo Refining Spirit, right? I have a way!"

"You have a way?" Qin Feng’s spirits lifted, but when he glanced at the damaged Spirit Refining Platform, his expression darkened again.

"But the Spirit Refining Platform is already damaged. It’s impossible to perform Refining Spirit!"

The Stone Man chuckled. "You don’t understand this platform. It’s true that the Spirit Refining Platform is damaged, but its foundation is still intact. With a few minor repairs to the Array, it can be used one more time. As long as you do as I say and help me find something outside, I will guide you in repairing the Spirit Refining Profound Array and help you with your Refining Spirit. How about it?"

"You have to trust me. I am the Lingxu Venerable, the Sect Leader of the Lingxu Sect from ten thousand years ago. This entire Land of Spirit Refining is under my control. You just have to do one thing for me, and I can guide you in repairing the Spirit Refining Profound Array and help you with your Refining Spirit!"

"Really?" Qin Feng chuckled, his tone skeptical.

"Of course it’s true!" the Stone Man declared unequivocally.

"And this thing you want me to do... is it dangerous?" Qin Feng asked, his eyes glinting.

"Dangerous? Naturally, there’s a certain degree of risk. But don’t worry, with me guiding you from the shadows, you will surely turn misfortune into fortune and disaster into blessing! As long as you do as I say, you will be in absolutely no danger!" The Stone Man’s tone was persuasive and filled with temptation.

"Once you accomplish this, not only will you be able to undergo Refining Spirit and obtain an Innate Divine Ability, but I will also graciously pass down the Lingxu True Inheritance to you and accept you as my Direct Disciple! The Lingxu Sect is a first-rate sect on the Spirit Sea Continent, possessing several Supreme Great Divine Abilities that lead directly to the Supreme God Demon Path. Just think about it! What an incredible opportunity! What a Creation!"

Watching coldly as the Stone Man rattled on, dangling one tempting offer after another, Qin Feng spoke with a deadpan expression.

"Are you done?"

"I am done!" The Stone Man sensed that something was amiss. "Little brother, what are you planning to do...?"

Turning around to face the Spirit Refining Platform with fiery eyes, Qin Feng said coldly, "I’m going to repair the Spirit Refining Profound Array and begin my Refining Spirit, of course. What else? Stand here and listen to your pack of lies?"

"Repair the Spirit Refining Platform?" The Stone Man was dumbfounded. "Brat, are you an idiot? That Spirit Refining Profound Array is an Ancient Eighth-level Profound Array! Even I might not be able to repair it! Have you lost your mind?"

"An Ancient Eighth-level Profound Array? Is that supposed to be impressive?" Qin Feng sneered, instantly pulling his hand back and blocking out the furious voice.

A trace of Evil Qi instantly emanated from the Stone Man under the Cyan Dragon Claw. Its petrified face twisted into a ferocious snarl as it stared at Qin Feng, looking as if it wanted to devour him whole.

As a former Ninth Rank Demi-God Xuan Master, what kind of Ancient Profound Array hadn’t Qin Feng seen? He had even cracked and repaired some Divine Level Arrays. A mere Ancient Eighth-level Profound Array truly wasn’t enough to trouble him.

However, if the Stone Man hadn’t mentioned it, Qin Feng really wouldn’t have noticed that there was an Eighth-level Ancient Profound Array around the Spirit Refining Platform.

Having started his Cultivation anew, Qin Feng’s perception had diminished significantly. If this were back when he was at his peak, he could have seen through the illusions and realities of this place in a matter of minutes.

Qin Feng appeared near the Spirit Refining Platform and began to repair the Ancient Profound Array, which had been abandoned for ten thousand years. The array had been derelict for far too long, and many parts were damaged, making the repairs unusually difficult even for Qin Feng.

It took Qin Feng a full two days to barely manage to restore the abandoned Ancient Spirit Refining Array.

"Done!" Two days later, a dust-covered Qin Feng emerged from a corner, clapping his hands together. At that moment, wisps of Spiritual Light ignited on the Spirit Refining Platform.

Threads of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi gathered, and the entire Spirit Refining Platform began to radiate a jade-green glow like a Flame.

The Stone Man had watched Qin Feng’s every move as he repaired the Ancient Spirit Refining Array from start to finish. Now, its eyes were practically popping out of its head.

The Stone Man almost thought it had gone insane, that its Divine Thought was malfunctioning. Ten thousand years had passed... had the world changed this quickly? A Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven had actually repaired an Eighth-level Ancient Profound Array in just two days!

Lingxu Venerable asked himself, even if he were revived and reborn, it would take him at least half a month!

’Have the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven Martial Artists outside really become this monstrous?’

Just then, Qin Feng flashed and reappeared on the Spirit Refining Platform. The platform was now repaired, and Qin Feng was about to begin his Refining Spirit...

(This is the second Chapter of the day. It’s Monday and I’ve been swamped with things, so I’m exhausted. For now, it’s just two Chapters. Starting Thursday, I’ll release five Chapters a day for a week. Thanks for all your votes, brothers!)