The thought that he had just broken through to the Five Veins a short while ago, and was now about to reach the Six Veins, made Chen Xing grin from ear to ear. ’Once the final exams are over and I get back home, Dad and the elders will probably be shocked to death.’
"Oh, right." Amid his excitement, Chen Xing didn’t forget to warn Ye Xuan. "Xuan, knowing the Wang family’s temperament, they’ll never let this go. Their reach might not extend into the academy, but they’ll very likely cause trouble for your Ye family. If you run into any difficulties, tell your family elders to come find us, the Chen family. I’ll try to put in a good word for you with my clan."
Ye Xuan sneered. "Don’t worry. If the Wang family doesn’t know what’s good for them and pisses me off, I’ll have them completely erased from Blue Moon City."
Chen Xing was stunned. "Holy shit, Xuan, you’re so badass! If you need anything in the future, just say the word. I’d walk on mountains of blades and dive into cauldrons of oil for you. If I, Chen Xing, so much as frown, then I’m not a real man."
"Mm, good. In that case, you can tidy up the dorm today. I have to go out."
Chen Xing’s righteous expression instantly collapsed. He whined, "Xuan, you can’t be serious... Hey, hey, don’t go! It’s a huge mess in here..."
As Ye Xuan left the academy, the atmosphere in the Wang family’s estate was incredibly grim, like an approaching storm.
"Yue, don’t blame your father. You caused a huge disaster this time and brought immense damage to our family’s reputation. It is only right that the council of elders punish you. As your father and the Patriarch of the Wang family, I cannot show favoritism," said Wang Hai, his gaze dark.
Wrapped in bandages like a mummy, Wang Yue lay on the bed. The slightest movement sent waves of pain through his entire body. He whimpered, "Father, you have to avenge me! It was all that Ye Xuan! Father, you must find someone to kill him! I can’t swallow this humiliation, no matter what!"
Wang Hai’s gaze turned icy. "Shut up!" he berated. "How dare you even say that? You couldn’t even deal with a single piece of trash. How did I, Wang Hai, father such a useless thing?"
Wang Yue gritted his teeth. "Father, it’s just that Ye Xuan is too cunning."
"Enough. Say no more," Wang Hai snapped. "Why are you so fixated on a piece of trash? You should be worried about yourself right now. Hmph. I worked so hard grooming you to be my successor, and now look what’s happened. Because of this incident, my years of investment are ruined. It’s possible that as soon as you heal, the council of elders will banish you to some godforsaken backwater."
Wang Yue was startled, his voice trembling. "Father, it can’t be that serious, can it?"
"Not that serious? Hmph!" Wang Hai gave him a look of utter disappointment. "Rest assured, I won’t let the council of elders get their way. They’ve set their sights on my second brother’s son, Wang Fei, and want to groom him to be the next Clan Leader. Hmph, it won’t be that easy." A glint flashed in Wang Hai’s eyes. "It’s actually for the best that you were expelled from Xingxuan Academy. I’ll groom you in secret. One day, I’ll have you make a powerful comeback and show that council of elders that my son, Wang Hai’s son, is the most suitable candidate for Clan Leader."
Wang Yue’s spirit soared, but he still couldn’t help but ask, "Father, what about that Ye Xuan...?"
Wang Hai’s eyes bulged with anger. "You moron! Still obsessed with that piece of trash at a time like this? You’re utterly hopeless. Don’t worry. I won’t let him get away with it."
"Good, good." Wang Yue trembled with excitement, but the slightest movement sent pain through his body as if he were being cut by knives. A venomous light filled his eyes as he ground out through his teeth, "Father, what’s your plan?"
Wang Hai smiled faintly, not forgetting to instruct his son. "Yue, listen carefully. Our Wang family cannot interfere in Xingxuan Academy’s affairs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t deal with the Ye family. The Ye family relies on the medicinal herb trade in Cyan Mountain Town, while our Wang family controls seventy percent of the potions and Pill market in Blue Moon City. All we have to do is say the word, and the Ye family will be left eating our dust. Of course, if we do that, the Zhou family and the Chen family will make a move. They won’t necessarily let the Wang family become the sole dominant power. However, there’s also the Li family in Cyan Mountain Town. Your little girlfriend from the academy happens to be the daughter of the Li family’s Patriarch. In a few days, you’ll marry her. Then we can support the Li family and use them to strike at the Ye family."
"Ah? Father, that girl is a total slut. I was just toying with her."
Wang Hai’s gaze turned icy. "Not anymore. You’ll take her as a concubine; it’s no loss to you. In ten years or so, we’ll let the Li family gradually take over the majority of our family’s medicinal herb business. When that time comes, and you have the Li family’s support to become Patriarch, the council of elders won’t be able to say a word in the face of our family’s interests. It’s called killing two birds with one stone."
"So that’s how it is!" Wang Yue burst out laughing. "Father, you truly are a master of strategy. You’re the idol I worship!"
Wang Hai smiled smugly. "Hmph, you think I need you to tell me that? How else do you think I became Patriarch?" He snorted coldly and shot Wang Yue a sideways glance. "I just don’t understand how a man as brilliant as myself could have fathered such an idiot. If your mother hadn’t died so young, I’d be tempted to ask her if you were really mine to begin with."
While the Wang family was plotting against the Ye family, Ye Xuan had arrived before an incredibly grand and opulent building in Blue Moon City.
This was a seven-story tower that soared high in the most prosperous district of Blue Moon City. It could be considered a city landmark, even a cut above the Alchemist Association in its sheer, imposing grandeur.
’I never expected to find a Soul Master Tower in a city belonging to such a remote little kingdom on the Celestial Profound Continent. This is good. It’ll save me a lot of trouble.’
Ye Xuan smiled faintly and strode toward the massive building.
In truth, it wasn’t always better for a martial soul to awaken earlier. The most ideal stage for awakening was during the Vein Condensation Stage. After all, once a Martial Artist broke through to become a Samurai of the Spirit Martial Realm, they crossed into an entirely new phase of existence. Awakening a martial soul at that point was not only ten, or even a hundred times more difficult, but it could also damage the martial soul itself. Of course, a self-awakened martial soul like Ye Xuan’s vortex was a natural exception.
Upon learning that he possessed two other martial souls, Ye Xuan had already begun to consider when he should awaken them. A martial soul could only unleash its true power after it had been awakened.
There were no guards outside the Soul Master Tower. None were needed. No one dared to cause trouble here. Its security was even greater than that of the City Lord’s Mansion, not less.
As he walked into the main hall, a cacophony of voices assaulted Ye Xuan’s ears. The entire Soul Master Tower was incredibly lively.
"Excuse me, when will Master Mu Ren be free? I’d like to request he perform a baptism for my son."
"My son is thirteen. He’s already had two baptisms but still hasn’t awakened his martial soul. Is there still any hope for him?"
"Make way, make way! I’m from the Mu family of Blue Moon City! Is Master Tie Rou available today?"
"I have an appointment with Master Chen Fan! Let me through!"
"So what if you have an appointment? Don’t you understand the concept of a line?"
The hall was a sea of bobbing heads, with people shoving and scrambling to get to the front. The scene was as chaotic as a crowded market.
Soul Refiners held a noble status, and their time was extremely limited. Thus, the number of baptisms performed each day was strictly controlled. Afraid they would be pushed to the back and lose their chance, many people had crowded around the service desk, anxiously peppering the staff with questions.
"Quiet down! Everyone, quiet down!"
Chen Sisi, the staff member at the service desk, was getting a massive headache from all the noise. She shouted at the top of her lungs, but no one paid her any mind. Furious, she slammed her palm down hard on the service desk, and the thunderous sound instantly silenced the entire hall.
Her sharp gaze swept across the crowd. With her eyebrows raised in anger and hands on her hips, Chen Sisi barked, "All of you, get in a proper line! If anyone dares to push and shove again, you can forget about seeing any of the masters today!"
Chen Sisi’s words had barely faded when a burly man stepped forward, strode to the very front of the service desk, and announced in a booming voice, "I am a captain of the Blue Moon City Guard. I need to see Master Mu Ren."
Chen Sisi’s expression instantly darkened. She opened her mouth and roared a single word: "Out!"
"You... what did you say?" The man’s face darkened. "I am the captain of the City Guard’s Seventh Battalion," he said coldly. "How dare a mere receptionist..."
"Dare my ass! So what if you’re a City Guard captain? Don’t you dare act all high and mighty in front of me! Let me tell you, even if the City Guard Commander himself showed up today, if he pissed me off, he could forget about getting a number! If you’ve got so much pull, then go find a master in your own private time! Dammit! You think I’m some meek little kitten just because I haven’t shown my claws? Now get the hell back in line, or you can forget about getting a number today!"
With her hands on her hips, cursing up a storm with an air that could swallow mountains and rivers, Chen Sisi looked like a grand official holding the power of life and death over the masses. She was the very picture of majestic authority.
The City Guard captain’s face was bright red. He looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he clamped his mouth shut and slunk to the back of the line. Just as the staff member had said, if he truly had the influence, he could have arranged a private meeting with a master instead of lining up here at the crack of dawn.
After this spectacle, seeing that even a City Guard captain had been chewed out so brutally, everyone else lined up as meekly as sheep to get their numbers.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly at the sight. A single staff member at the Soul Master Tower could chew out a City Guard captain as if he were a naughty schoolboy, and the captain didn’t even dare get angry. This alone showed the incredible status Soul Refiners held on the continent.
Whether for upgrading, healing, or awakening a martial soul, any Martial Artist who possessed one would inevitably need to interact with Soul Refiners in their lifetime. No one dared to truly offend a powerful Soul Refiner; otherwise, they would find it nearly impossible to get by in the world.
Ye Xuan didn’t get in line, but instead walked straight toward the service desk.
"Huh, is that kid looking to die? He’s actually cutting the line." Someone noticed, their face full of schadenfreude. "Heh heh, let’s see how she deals with him."
Chen Sisi saw Ye Xuan and frowned before he could even open his mouth. "Kid, you’re here to awaken your martial soul, right? Where are your parents? How come they’re not with you? If you want to awaken a martial soul, go get in line. When it’s your turn, a master will perform the baptism for you."