Chapter 727: Letting You Take Advantage

Chapter 727: Chapter 728: Letting You Take Advantage

You could say a top-grade Profound Stone was equivalent to a single Eighth Grade Profound Qi Pill.

A treasure of this caliber would be no cheaper than a Tier Nine wonder of heaven and earth. If one were to appear, even a Tier Nine Martial Emperor would covet it.

What a pity!

At the same time, everyone secretly felt it was a shame.

There were far too few top-grade Profound Stones in Mu Jin’s Restriction Array—just a single one. If dozens or even hundreds had appeared at once, it would have been enough to help Mu Jin break through to the Tier Eight Third Layer, perhaps even reaching the Tier Eight Triple Peak and advancing toward the level of a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor.

Of course, top-grade Profound Stones were inherently rare. For even one to appear was already an unexpected event.

Moreover, this one top-grade Profound Stone was equivalent to an Eighth Grade Pill—one that could rapidly replenish the Profound in one’s body. If Mu Jin ever encountered danger and excessively depleted his Profound, he would only need to take out this top-grade Profound Stone to restore a sufficient amount in a very short time.

Under the jealous gazes of the crowd, Mu Jin excitedly stored the top-grade Profound Stone away.

With this gain, his trip to the ruins had already been worthwhile.

BOOM!

Not long after Zhan Shang and Mu Jin broke open their respective Restriction Arrays, Diao Minghuang and the others also succeeded in breaking through the ones before them.

To everyone’s surprise, almost none of the treasures inside the Restriction Arrays were the same.

Diao Minghuang obtained a Spirit Medicine that was entirely dark green and resembled a stalk of bamboo. It swayed gently, emitting a rich medicinal aura, and was clearly a Tier Nine, Emperor Level Spirit Medicine at a glance.

“Inky Water Bamboo.”

Ye Xuan’s eyebrow twitched as he watched.

‘Inky Water Bamboo is an extremely precious Spirit Medicine on the Celestial Profound Continent,’ Ye Xuan thought. ‘It can be used to refine the Purifying Bamboo Pill. The Purifying Bamboo Pill is a type of pill that can purify one’s Profound Sea, making it clearer and deeper.’

‘It’s easy to imagine that once a Profound Sea is cleansed by a Purifying Bamboo Pill, the speed and volume at which it absorbs Heaven and Earth Profound Qi would improve dramatically. It could indirectly boost a Martial Artist’s combat power by thirty percent—a truly insane enhancement.’

‘Unfortunately, on the Celestial Profound Continent today, Emperor Level Alchemists capable of refining the Purifying Bamboo Pill are extremely rare. This isn’t just because Inky Water Bamboo is scarce, but also because the pill itself is incredibly difficult to refine.’

‘By my estimation, even at the headquarters of the continent’s Alchemist Association, there were no more than three Emperor Level Alchemists who could refine the Purifying Bamboo Pill in my past life. And I was one of them.’

‘Of course, since I cultivate the Nine Profound Prideful World Art, my Profound Sea is already incomparably deep, far surpassing that of ordinary Martial Artists. Therefore, I don’t have a pressing need for the Purifying Bamboo Pill.’

Seeing the Spirit Medicine, Diao Minghuang felt nothing but frustration.

Although he knew this Spirit Medicine, which he didn’t recognize, must be incredibly precious, it was completely useless to a Third Layer Martial Emperor like him.

The Restriction Arrays before Jiang Chonghuang, Xu Guanglin, You Yuanming, and Xu Zhen were also opened one after another.

Jiang Chonghuang also received a Spirit Medicine, one that resembled a verdant Ganoderma mushroom.

Ye Xuan recognized it at a glance. ‘That’s a Tier Nine Jade Sea Orchid. The Jade Sea Orchid is the main ingredient for refining the Water Ginseng Pill, a powerful pill that gives a Tier Eight Third Layer Water Element Martial Emperor a thirty percent chance of breaking through to the level of a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor.’

‘Unfortunately, the Water Ginseng Pill is only effective for Martial Emperors who cultivate Water Element Cultivation Techniques. Moreover, its refining difficulty is no lower than that of the Purifying Bamboo Pill.’

The item Xu Guanglin obtained was an emerald-green Soul Crystal. Although it was only Tier Eight, it emitted an incredibly rich life aura the moment it appeared. Just holding it gave one the sensation that it could heal any physical injury.

However, Xu Guanglin knew this was merely an illusion. Soul Crystals were cores condensed from Profound Beasts and only contained the unique Soul Power of the beast. They could be used to condense or heal a Martial Soul, but they absolutely could not treat physical injuries.

Furthermore, whether it was used to condense or heal a Martial Soul, the Soul Crystal required the aid of a powerful Soul Refiner. For Xu Guanglin, this meant that while it was a treasure, it was not one he could use directly.

Inside the Restriction Array before You Yuanming was a Demon Core. A single glance was enough to tell its grade was not low; it was clearly at the Tier Eight level.

But the most envied of all was Xu Zhen. Inside the Restriction Array he opened, there was actually a martial skill manual—and a Low-rank King Grade one at that!

On the Celestial Profound Continent, martial skills and Cultivation Techniques were divided into five levels: Mortal, Earth, Heaven, Profound, and King. Given the strength of the Xu family, a High-rank Profound Grade skill was the best they possessed. A King Grade skill was something only the absolute top-tier factions could hope to own.

Xu Guanglin, obviously aware of the manual’s value, immediately put it away.

By now, seven of the eight Restriction Arrays had been opened. Only Ye Xuan’s remained.

BOOM!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ye Xuan continued to slowly work at breaking the Array, causing many of the onlookers to burn with impatience.

“This Xuan Ye’s cultivation is so low, yet he’s occupying a Restriction Array. It’s infuriating.”

“Damn it, this kid is taking forever to break that Restriction Array. If it were me, I’d have shattered it long ago.”

The Martial Emperors who hadn’t managed to claim a Restriction Array were all extremely displeased, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Finally, just as the crowd was about to step in and handle it themselves, Ye Xuan broke through the Restriction Array before him.

KRAK!

The moment the Restriction Array shattered, a dense, black aura wafted out.

Before Ye Xuan appeared a jet-black Crystal Stone. The aura it emitted was surprisingly similar to that of this mysterious place.

‘What kind of Crystal Stone is this?’

Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed. ‘Could it be a Crystal Stone unique to this place?’

He took the Crystal Stone in his hand, and a cold, sinister aura seeped through his meridians, mingling with his Profound.

‘Huh? I can actually absorb the energy from this Crystal Stone?’

Ye Xuan was secretly amazed. After the energy from the Crystal Stone entered his Profound Veins, it actually began to circulate within them. It could apparently coexist with the Profound he cultivated using the Nine Profound Prideful World Art.

However, this power was extremely cold and sinister. While Ye Xuan’s Profound Veins didn’t reject it, the energy was utterly incompatible with his own Profound. As a result, not only would it fail to increase his strength, it would actively interfere with his cultivation.

‘Looks like this thing is useless to me.’

Ye Xuan sighed inwardly.

He already understood. This black Crystal Stone was a type of ore similar to a Profound Stone, Demon Core, or Soul Crystal. Like a Demon Core, which human Martial Artists couldn’t absorb directly, it had to be refined into a Pill first. Demon Beasts, however, could swallow them whole. This black ore was probably the same—a vessel for some kind of special energy.

‘Any of the items that Diao Minghuang and the others had gotten would have been of great use to me. But this black Crystal Stone… it’s completely useless.’

“Haha.”

Seeing the black Crystal Stone in Ye Xuan’s hand and the bitter smile on his face, the others couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

‘This kid’s luck is terrible! The last Restriction Array held nothing but a grimy-looking black stone. How unlucky can you get?’

Everyone present was astute. How could they fail to see that this black Crystal Stone was a special kind of ore, similar in nature to a top-grade Profound Stone?

It was just that the energy it contained seemed utterly useless. The aura it radiated was enough to make everyone uncomfortable, to say nothing of actually absorbing it.

The thought of how Ye Xuan had gone to the trouble of occupying a Restriction Array only to end up with a useless rock brought Diao Minghuang and the others immense satisfaction.

But what no one noticed was that while they were all mocking Ye Xuan, the eyes of Zhan Shang, who stood off to the side, suddenly lit up.

‘A Demon Stone! That kid actually got a Demon Stone from the Spirit Demon Race!’

Zhan Shang’s heart began to pound with excitement.

‘Demon Stones are crystals the Spirit Demon Race uses to enhance their power. Much like Profound Stones for humans, they contain Demonic Qi.’

‘Human Martial Artists are completely incapable of absorbing this kind of Demonic Qi. If they try, the violent power within will tear them to shreds. For the Spirit Demon Race, however, it’s a powerful supplement.’

‘And not just for the Spirit Demon Race. For me, a member of the Soul-devouring Race, a Demon Stone is also incredibly significant. It can greatly increase my cultivation speed.’

At this thought, Zhan Shang could no longer restrain himself. He hastily stepped forward and said coolly, “Kid, you look pretty down. Seems that black Crystal Stone you got is useless to you. Since we’re all acquainted here, how about I make a trade with you?”

Zhan Shang’s eyes darted as he tried his best to keep his tone calm and nonchalant.

His words immediately drew everyone’s attention.

‘Has Zhan Shang lost his mind? Why would he trade for such a useless crystal?’ many wondered. But then, sensing the cold, sinister aura emanating from him, they had a flash of understanding.

‘Who knows what kind of Cultivation Technique that guy practices, but his aura and Profound are so cold and sinister. Maybe the black stone Xuan Ye got is actually useful to him. That must be why he wants to trade.’

If even the others could figure this out, how could Ye Xuan fail to? He was, after all, the only person present who knew Zhan Shang’s true origin.

Ye Xuan glanced at the Purple Wound Flame in front of Zhan Shang, which he still hadn’t absorbed. He immediately understood the man’s intentions. Instead of exposing him, he simply asked, “And what kind of trade did you have in mind?”

“Ahem.” Zhan Shang cleared his throat, feigning composure. “This Crystal Stone of yours is a special kind of ore, likely unique to this mysterious place. It’s obviously useless for cultivation. However, the Cultivation Technique I practice seems to have some affinity with it. I’m not sure if it will actually work, but I’m willing to give it a try.”

“So, how about this? I’ll do you a favor. I’ll trade this Earth Fire here for that Crystal Stone in your hand. On top of that, you just need to give me an additional two million mid-grade Profound Stones.”

Zhan Shang said, feigning immense generosity.