Primordial Divine Emperor-Chapter 29: When a Tree Stands Out in the Forest, the Wind Will Destroy It
No matter whether someone gossips or the Divine Sword Sect has regrets, since they’ve requested a Martial Soul test, it’s naturally impossible to refuse.
Hearing the other’s words, Ye Xiaofan’s heartbeat gradually accelerated. He knew well that his Martial Soul was extraordinary, capable of sensing thirty-six types of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
If he went for the test, given the methods of the Divine Sword Sect, wouldn’t the secret of his Martial Soul be at risk of exposure?
For a moment, unease welled up in Ye Xiaofan’s heart, and Ye Xiaoyue felt the same sense of unrest.
It seemed the Divine Sword Sect disciple saw the siblings’ concern and immediately said proactively, "Junior Brother Xiaofan, don’t misunderstand, this is merely a new directive from the Divine Sword Sect. All prospective disciples will have a test done by sect elders before entering, and it’s not specifically targeted at Junior Brother Ye."
Hearing the other’s explanation, Ye Xiaofan nodded slightly, but his instincts told him things weren’t that simple.
Speaking of Martial Souls, Ye Xiaofan then remembered that he had been busy with cultivation and participating in the grand competition lately, and hadn’t observed his Martial Soul for a long time.
With these thoughts, Ye Xiaofan subconsciously observed his Martial Soul inwardly.
However, at the moment he did so, he was instantly frozen in place.
Ye Xiaofan stared blankly at his Martial Soul, waves surged within him.
In just a month of arduous cultivation, he was shocked to discover that his Martial Soul had grown, from a small sprout initially, it had soared to five inches tall.
Not only that, but atop the sprout, a small green leaf had grown, entirely verdant, vivid and dripping, the small leaf covered in mysterious, ancient markings, incredibly profound and obscure.
This caused Ye Xiaofan’s inner world to be alarmingly surprised, prompting him to exclaim inwardly: ’A growth-type Martial Soul? How is that possible?’
Ye Xiaofan was astounded to the extreme by his Martial Soul. Despite growing up in the Star Moon City region and being very familiar with the cultivation system, he had never heard of anyone awakening a growth-type Martial Soul, so even he did not know if such a Martial Soul existed in this world.
Perhaps Dugu Nan knows, but at the moment his master is not around, and even if he were, Ye Xiaofan wouldn’t dare to inquire casually.
Furthermore, the mysterious markings on the Martial Soul leaf, although they had only recently formed, gave an incredibly ancient impression, emitting waves of terrifying aura.
’Perhaps after entering the Divine Sword Sect, I might discover something.’ Ye Xiaofan pondered privately. As one of the top ten sects in the Hundred Broken Mountain Range region, the Divine Sword Sect must have collected countless ancient records, and there he might find information regarding growth-type Martial Souls.
Ye Xiaofan’s inner world was tumultuous, yet outwardly, he remained calm as water.
"Thank you, Senior Brother, for leading the way." Ye Xiaofan replied without revealing his emotions, trying his best to appear natural.
"Mm." The Divine Sword Sect disciple nodded slightly, leading the way out of the courtyard. Ye Xiaofan and Ye Xiaoyue exchanged a glance and slowly followed.
On the way to the Divine Sword Sect.
The Divine Sword Sect disciple walked at the front, while Ye Xiaofan and Ye Xiaoyue were at the back.
As they approached the Martial Arts Arena, Ye Xiaoyue became increasingly uneasy, feeling something was bound to happen during her brother’s second Martial Soul test. A woman’s intuition is often precise.
In contrast, Ye Xiaofan appeared calm as water, but internally he was incredibly anxious and surprised.
Firstly, his growth-type Martial Soul was one thing to consider, but merely this second Martial Soul test differed from the simple one at Star Moon City; with the Divine Sword Sect elders personally involved, it’s hard to say if they could truly detect the extraordinary nature of his Martial Soul, which could absorb thirty-six types of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, something Ye Xiaofan had never heard of. If this truly exposed before everyone’s eyes, he didn’t know if it would be a blessing or a curse.
A tree standing tall in the forest will be blown down, and those who surpass others will be criticized; everyone understands this principle.
If Ye Xiaofan’s Martial Soul were to be exposed, it would certainly shock the entire Nanming Country and even the Martial Soul Continent. By then, he would surely become the target of many, with countless forces not wishing for him to grow—like the mortal enemies of Dugu Nan, and even the hostile forces of the Divine Sword Sect.
These people will inevitably find every means to quash him in the cradle; at that time, Ye Xiaofan would undoubtedly be placed on a mountain of knives and fire, potentially dying at any moment, even if Dugu Nan were formidable, a tiger sometimes naps, unable to protect him always.
Not to mention, this world is filled with masters, and who knows when a more terrifying creature or a reckless lunatic might appear.
Moreover, from what Ye Xiaofan knew, certain demonic cultivation techniques could extract others’ Martial Souls from their body and merge it with their own, though such techniques have been resisted by the entire Martial Soul Continent and nearly lost to history, they do indeed exist.
Therefore, without having enough strength and ability to protect himself, Ye Xiaofan did not wish to reveal any of this publicly, not even to his closest sister, as this could keep Ye Xiaoyue away from danger.
But at this moment, with the Divine Sword Sect’s second Martial Soul test, Ye Xiaofan was very worried that he could no longer hide the fact that his Martial Soul can absorb thirty-six types of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, along with its ability to grow, which is even more astonishing.
Yet, if he resisted the second Martial Soul test at this moment, it might arouse even more suspicion.
"Here we are, Junior Brother Xiaofan. Ahead is the temporary site for the Divine Sword Sect’s second Martial Soul test. You may proceed on your own. I’ll take my leave," said the Divine Sword Sect disciple, leading Ye Xiaofan to a platform on the Martial Arts Arena, then bowed and left.
At this moment, the Martial Arts Arena was already crowded, with numerous sects conducting second tests for their newly recruited disciples; it wasn’t only the Divine Sword Sect doing this.
Ye Xiaofan glanced around, and even though the cultivators present today were far fewer than those during the grand competition, they were mostly local cultivators from the Star Moon City region, along with various talent family members, sect elders, and disciples, amounting to about four or five thousand people.
Ye Xiaofan’s arrival immediately drew attention from the entire arena; merely being the Sword Saint’s sole successor, those six words alone were enough to garner warranted focus.
"Junior Brother Xiaofan."
"Junior Brother Xiaofan."
"...."
The newly-inducted disciples of the Divine Sword Sect greeted Ye Xiaofan one after another, eager to establish a good relationship with this peerless talent.
Only Ye Xiaotian stood silently among the crowd, slightly clenching his fists, without making eye contact with Ye Xiaofan.
Standing in the lineup were also Nangong Jianchen and Shangguan Wan’Er.
"Brother Xiaofan, over here." Shangguan Wan’Er waved at Ye Xiaofan from a distance upon seeing him.
Seeing this, Ye Xiaofan exchanged a glance with Ye Xiaoyue and slowly walked towards the two peerless talents. After they greeted each other, they stood shoulder to shoulder in the front row, while Ye Xiaoyue naturally stood outside the lineup.
On the platform temporarily set up by the Divine Sword Sect, an awakener was already undergoing the second test. The testing order followed the sequence of the grand competition, so Ye Xiaofan’s turn hadn’t arrived yet.
The so-called second test, aside from being similar to the first, each tester also had to cultivate briefly within a Star Array Pattern, making it far stricter than the testing during the awakening at Star Moon City.
"After every Star Moon City grand competition, the various sects conduct a second Martial Soul test. The purpose is, first, to prevent any falsification, and second, to avoid misreadings from the Star Moon City test. The latter is tolerable, but if the former is discovered, his entry into the sect can be canceled, and he might even face punishment."
Nangong Jianchen explained in a low voice, and as soon as his voice fell, someone was discovered falsifying nearby, expelled from the sect on the spot, and prohibited from his family participating in the Star Moon City grand competition for the next ten years.
Time passed slowly.
Though no one from the Divine Sword Sect was found falsifying their Martial Soul, there were indeed a few whose Soul Levels differed somewhat from the Star Moon City test. But such variances were not significant; a discrepancy of a Level was already the upper limit. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
As one Martial Soul Awakener after another ascended the platform, Ye Xiaofan’s heart also raced.
Ye Xiaotian also went up for the second test; it remained a Level Nine Martial Soul with the Nine-headed Flood Dragon.
After a dozen more people, Ye Xiaofan was finally called up.
"Brother Ye, it’s your turn." Nangong Jianchen nudged the somewhat absent-minded Ye Xiaofan.
Ye Xiaofan returned to his senses upon hearing, his heart quickly jumping to his throat. Fortunately, he took a deep breath, slowly walking toward the platform; each step felt incredibly heavy.
When Ye Xiaofan was called, instantly, tens of thousands of eyes in the Martial Arts Arena turned towards him; even sect elders from other sects, conducting tests, paused in their tracks.
Everyone wanted to see what rank the Martial Soul of this peerless talent, who made a stunning debut in the grand competition, would be.
In their view, such a peerless talent could not possibly have a mere plant Martial Soul, nor could it be below Level One.
In an instant, everyone was filled with anticipation, seemingly more eager to know the result of his Martial Soul than the person himself.
Nangong Jianchen also held his breath, watching the platform closely.
He was more curious than anyone here about the actual condition of Ye Xiaofan’s Martial Soul.
Only he had truly witnessed the terrifying speed of Ye Xiaofan’s cultivation.
If such a Martial Soul were a worthless soul, then all those standing here today would have garbage souls.
