Chapter 205: Dragon Soul Fragment Abyss Sword Sect's Soul Refiner!
Inside the simple yet majestic black-golden hall, a long-haired man wearing understated yet noble black robes with golden patterns, and a half-mask of gilded black armor on his face, leaned against a seat made of unknown material. The seat was imprisoning a grayish-white flame, and the man's deep gray-golden eyes casually glanced at the circular jade pendant in his hand before putting it away and looking down at the silver-haired Hu Lei, who was kneeling respectfully on the ground.
This man was none other than the current leader of the Soul Clan's Soul Sect, a peak Nine-Phase Dou Zun, just one step away from becoming a Dou Sheng. He was also known as the Artifact Venerable of the Soul Clan, also called the "Soul Craftsman," or simply, Soul Craftsman.
"Hu Lei, is there something you need?" The Artifact Venerable, Soul Craftsman, lazily leaned against the seat imprisoning the grayish-white flame and casually looked down at Hu Lei, his expression indifferent.
Although Hu Lei looked like an elderly man on the verge of death, according to the age calculation of Dou Huang and Dou Zong, Hu Lei should still be in his prime. However, he had long lost the people he cared for, and after spending much time with other old men, his attire and demeanor had grown more solemn and imposing. In reality, his face had no wrinkles at all.
"Master, I have recently taken in a disciple with extraordinary talent. He is about fifteen or sixteen years old and can already grasp Spirit Refining, becoming a fourth-grade Xuanyi Master. I have thus passed on the Qing Xuan Qiankun Ding to him, and I have come to seek your opinion." Hu Lei kneeled on the floor, head lowered, and cautiously addressed the Artifact Venerable above. He could feel the occasional invisible pressure emanating from the top, a pressure that felt suffocating, as if a mortal was facing a hundred-meter-tall tsunami.
However, Hu Lei understood that the source of this pressure wasn't his master, but the grayish-white flame seated beside the Artifact Venerable.
That was an imprisoned foreign fire.
The Soul Craftsman had imprisoned this foreign fire in the hall, allowing everyone who visited to see it. Hu Lei had seen it more than once and even saw similar things with other members of the Soul Clan. However, he kept his mouth shut and never dared to ask.
"Since it's a disciple you value, there is no need to consult me. Once he reaches the sixth-grade, he may come to this residence to meet my only current apprentice." The Artifact Venerable, Soul Craftsman, spoke indifferently but surprisingly affably. This was the reason why Hu Lei dared to visit Soul Craftsman. Unlike many members of the Soul Clan who would refine souls at the slightest provocation, Soul Craftsman was more normal and acted like an outsider within his own clan.
The long-haired man dressed simply yet imposingly looked at Hu Lei below. He wasn't particularly interested in Hu Lei's direct disciple, but he became a bit intrigued when it came to the apprentice who had received the Qing Xuan Ding.
After all, the Qing Xuan Ding held special symbolic meaning in the long-haired man's heart.
"However, if he fails the test, you will take back the Qing Xuan Ding." Soul Craftsman said lightly. The Qing Xuan Ding represented a legacy. The purpose of giving it to Hu Lei was simple—he didn't want to pass it on to a Soul Clan member, nothing more.
"Understood, Master." Hu Lei nodded quickly, indicating that he understood.
Although he had recognized Jiang Lin as his disciple, if Jiang Lin didn't receive Soul Craftsman's approval, the latter might not object to Hu Lei taking a disciple, but he wouldn't acknowledge Jiang Lin as his apprentice. Thus, Hu Lei would have to take back the Qing Xuan Ding.
The Qing Xuan Ding held symbolic meaning for sixth-grade and even higher-level Xuanyi Masters. Its practical use could be seen from Hu Lei himself—once he forged the sixth-grade Chi Long Ding that suited him, he no longer used the Qing Xuan Ding.
"By the way, you should visit the Central State less in the future. This place is not safe for you." Soul Craftsman suddenly mentioned, as if remembering something.
Upon hearing this, Hu Lei's heart tightened. He understood that his master's soul realm was so terrifying that he was almost incapable of hiding his thoughts in front of the latter.
"Master, may I learn more about this?" Hu Lei asked boldly. He was genuinely curious as to why the Artifact Venerable had taken him as an apprentice. While Hu Lei's talent was notable, in front of Soul Craftsman, he was nothing more than a flicker compared to the full moon.
Because the name "Soul Craftsman" was just a code!
Soul Craftsman, the maker of the supreme-tier soul artifacts, was currently the core figure of the Soul Clan's refining faction!
In the Soul Tool Rankings, the Soul Clan's corresponding artifact was the fifth-ranked Dragon Soul Fragment Abyss Sword! And Soul Craftsman's soul tool was the soul tool born under the influence of the Dragon Soul Fragment Abyss Sword, a fighting tool within the soul domain.
"The Central State is unstable. The edges of the continent are safer," Soul Craftsman said calmly, watching Hu Lei, thinking for a moment, then explaining, "I don't want you to die in vain. Without power above that of a Venerable, in the Central State, you'll only die in obscurity."
"Master, do you want me to leave the Soul Tool Mo Sect's legacy in the borderlands?" Hu Lei asked, a slight tremor in his heart.
The faction Hu Lei belonged to within the special alliance organization known as the Tian Gong Pavilion was called the "Mo Sect." Their motto was "The world is all white, only I am ink," and Soul Craftsman never beautified his method of soul refining. It was what it was, and he was simply stronger in the law of the jungle, without any fault.
"You can interpret it that way." While Soul Craftsman didn't fully trust Hu Lei's talent, he had no other choice. There were many alchemists within the eight clans, and Soul Craftsman had many soul clan alchemists under his command. However, a civilian sixth-grade alchemist was almost a once-in-a-hundred-year occurrence. If Soul Craftsman wanted to leave a legacy for his faction, he had to leave behind a civilian sixth-grade alchemist disciple.
This was why Soul Craftsman, a peak Nine-Phase Dou Zun, was willing to give Hu Lei this opportunity. Of course, Hu Lei's talent wasn't bad, and he had creativity. If it were ancient times, he might have had the potential to found his own school.
"... Is it really that dire?" Hu Lei asked, his face filled with disbelief. He found it hard to believe some of the conclusions he had made in his heart.
Hu Lei suddenly realized something—that Soul Craftsman had taught him the Soul Refining Art and sent him to the remote edges of the continent because, from the information Soul Craftsman had access to, all the soul clan members under his command could be considered "non-existent!"
How could they be "non-existent"?
Death!
When this terrifying thought crossed his mind, cold sweat appeared on Hu Lei's forehead. The idea was too horrifying!
At that moment, Hu Lei trembled and glanced at the grayish-white flame imprisoned beneath Soul Craftsman's seat. He finally understood his master's position within the Soul Clan.
Because that foreign fire had an extremely shocking name:
Void Devouring Flame Son!
And it was an elite flame son with Dou Zun-level power!
(END CHAPTER)
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