Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 191: Chapter 191 Mystery Jade Stone

Ye Qingchen understood that if he could fuse with this Spirit Fire Seed, both his strength and his alchemy would advance once again. Furthermore, this advancement would have no negative side effects. It would not harm his foundation; on the contrary, it would make it even more solid.

The Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra did contain information on the Spirit Fire Seed, but this jade stone had been discovered on an ancient battlefield. As for why the seed was sealed here, or by what method, Ye Qingchen had no idea.

After puzzling over it to no avail, he finally decided, ”Whatever. I’ll just give it a try.”

The first method he thought of was to establish a blood bond. In many legends, Martial Artists claimed heaven-sent treasures by dripping their own Essence Blood onto them. The treasures would then recognize them as their masters and unleash earth-shattering power.

And so, Ye Qingchen decided to try this method. Placing the jade stone on the table, he circulated his Spiritual Energy and forced a drop of Essence Blood from his fingertip. However, when the blood dripped onto the jade, it was not absorbed. Instead, it slid right off the smooth surface, rolled across the table, and fell to the floor, where it smashed a bowl-sized pit into the ground!

The blood bond is useless? That can’t be right... Ugh, what a waste of a drop of Essence Blood, Ye Qingchen lamented, shaking his head.

However, he was not disheartened. He pressed his palm against the jade stone and tried to channel his Spiritual Energy into it. If my Spiritual Energy can get inside, I should be able to refine the jade and naturally extract the Spirit Fire Seed.

To his disappointment, though the jade stone appeared unremarkable, it autonomously repelled his Spiritual Energy every time he tried. No matter how hard he pushed, he could not refine even a speck of it.

If Spiritual Energy can’t get in, could there be a Formation inscribed inside that’s blocking it? Ye Qingchen shook his head and stopped channeling his energy. Instead, he extended his Divine Sense, attempting to probe the jade’s interior. But this jade stone blocked not only Spiritual Energy but his Divine Sense as well.

Ye Qingchen furrowed his brow. If it were a Formation, he should have been able to sense some trace of it. Though his Divine Sense had been repelled, he had not detected any sign of a Formation at all. Although he was only in the Martial Master Realm, his Divine Sense was exceptionally strong because he was an Alchemist. Thus, he ruled out the possibility that a Formation was the cause.

”If it’s not a Formation, then could it be a property of the jade itself?” Ye Qingchen muttered to himself as he picked up the stone to inspect it again.

Yet, no matter how he examined it, it just looked like an ordinary piece of jade. But he knew his Double Pupils could not be wrong; there was definitely a Spirit Fire Seed inside.

If subtlety won’t work, then I’ll try brute force! With renewed determination, Ye Qingchen placed the jade back on the table, drew his Qingfeng Sword, and struck down fiercely.

With his current strength, wielding the Qingfeng Sword—a superior-grade Spiritual Artifact—he could slice through steel doors and iron plates, let alone a mere piece of jade. Yet, such a powerful strike did not leave so much as a scratch. Unwilling to give up, he continued to swing the Qingfeng Sword at the jade stone.

BOOM!

Although Ye Qingchen had not deliberately infused his strikes with Spiritual Energy, the power of the Qingfeng Sword was still formidable. The furniture in the room could not possibly withstand his Sword Qi, and under the assault, the table was instantly reduced to splinters.

Ye Qingchen ceased his attack and reluctantly picked up the jade stone from the floor. Not a single mark... This jade is truly bizarre!

He sighed. Although he had not used his full power, judging by the results, it seemed that even his ’Sword Dusting the Wind’ would be unable to break this stone. Helplessly, Ye Qingchen sheathed his Qingfeng Sword and continued to stare at the jade, deep in thought.

Just then, an urgent knock sounded at the door, followed by Vice-Pavilion Master Liu’s anxious voice. ”Qingchen, are you alright in there? I heard what sounded like fighting!”

Ye Qingchen shook his head with a resigned sigh. Glancing at the wreckage of his room, he walked over to open the door while trying to come up with an explanation.

Vice-Pavilion Master Liu sighed in relief upon seeing that Ye Qingchen was unharmed. Ye Qingchen gave him a cupped-fist salute and asked, ”Vice-Pavilion Master Liu, is there something I can help you with?”

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Vice-Pavilion Master Liu said, ”What was all that commotion? I thought you were being attacked! I’m just glad to see you’re safe.”

A warm feeling spread through Ye Qingchen at the man’s genuine concern. He was about to explain when he was interrupted by Vice-Pavilion Master Liu’s surprised voice.

”Qingchen, you broke through to the Martial Master Realm? That’s wonderful! Does that mean you succeeded in concocting the third-grade Breakthrough Pill? Your alchemy has improved tremendously!”

Vice-Pavilion Master Liu patted Ye Qingchen’s shoulder with a gratified expression. Then, with a look of sudden understanding, he continued, ”Ah, I see now. You must have just broken through. You haven’t yet mastered control over a Martial Master’s power, so your aura leaked out and wrecked the room. Am I right?”

Ye Qingchen had been wondering how to explain the situation with the jade stone, but to his surprise, Vice-Pavilion Master Liu did not even need an explanation. He had already filled in the blanks himself.

Ye Qingchen could only smile and nod. ”It was just a lucky breakthrough. Thank you for your concern, Vice-Pavilion Master Liu.”

Vice-Pavilion Master Liu waved his hand dismissively. He had always held high hopes for Ye Qingchen and was genuinely happy to see him progress.

Ye Qingchen smiled and asked, ”Vice-Pavilion Master Liu, you came to find me. Did you have some instructions for me?”

The Vice-Pavilion Master slapped his forehead. ”I was so delighted by your breakthrough that I almost forgot the real reason I’m here! Registration for the Alchemy Dao Competition has begun. Pavilion Master Zhang sent me to get you so we can go register together.”

Ye Qingchen nodded. His entire reason for coming to the capital was for the Alchemy Dao Competition, and now it was finally starting.

Vice-Pavilion Master Liu grabbed Ye Qingchen’s hand and led him toward the door. On their way out, he tossed a Low-grade Spirit Stone on the counter and instructed the innkeeper to have Ye Qingchen’s room cleaned up.

As they walked, Vice-Pavilion Master Liu said, ”Pavilion Master Zhang and the others have already gone ahead. Let’s hurry and meet up with them.”

Ye Qingchen asked in confusion, ”Is Pavilion Master Zhang also participating in the Alchemy Dao Competition?”

Vice-Pavilion Master Liu smiled. ”Of course. Not only will Pavilion Master Zhang be participating, but I will as well!”