Ye Xuan had never met his mother. It was said she was a woman his father had met during his adventures. She gave birth to Ye Xuan but perished in the same disaster that claimed his father's life. Her body was never recovered.
In a clan like the Ye family, talent was the sole factor determining the status of the younger generation. Every disciple of the Ye family would undergo their first baptism by a Soul Refiner at the age of ten, attempting to awaken their Martial Soul. They would then receive different treatment based on their innate aptitude.
In the Liuyun Kingdom, anyone who could awaken their Martial Soul at the age of ten was considered a genius. They would receive the favor of major powers, and were dragons among men with limitless potential, destined to soar through the nine heavens.
Such individuals were often one in ten thousand.
But Ye Xuan was different from the others. He didn't wait for the Soul Refiner's baptism; he awakened his Martial Soul on his own at the age of eight. Such talent was a once-in-a-century sight in the entire Liuyun Kingdom.
Back then, the people of Cyan Mountain Town hailed Ye Xuan as a heaven-sent talent whose future achievements would be immeasurable. He was expected to surpass his father, and even his grandfather, to become a chosen one of heaven.
Thus, the Ye family placed great hope in Ye Xuan, believing he would bring honor to his ancestors and revitalize the clan. They even hired the best Martial Artists in the clan to instruct him. Many secretly praised him, saying he was truly worthy of being Ye Zhanyun's son.
However, to everyone's astonishment, after Ye Xuan awakened his Martial Soul, he quickly opened his first Profound Vein. But no matter how he cultivated after that, he could never open the second. He watched as the youths who had awakened their Martial Souls at ten after the baptism opened their third and fourth Profound Veins, condensed their Profound Qi, and tempered their bodies, while he remained unable to make any progress. The Ye family grew anxious.
Even if Ye Xuan had no Martial Soul, the Ye family could have found a way to have a Soul Refiner implant a Profound Beast's Martial Soul into him after he broke through to Tier One Warrior. But if he couldn't cultivate Profound Qi, even with a heaven-defying Martial Soul, he could never become a powerful expert, because he couldn't even become a Tier One Warrior.
So, the Ye family spent a fortune in resources, inviting many Master Soul Refiners from the city, but to no avail. In the end, a Master Soul Refiner even came to a conclusion: Ye Xuan was born with crippled veins and would be unable to cultivate for his entire life. And the Martial Soul he had awakened at eight was a dead Martial Soul.
Ye Xuan went from being the Ye family's rising star to their disaster in an instant. Although the Ye family tried its best to hide the truth, overnight, the news that Ye Xuan was born with crippled veins and possessed a dead Martial Soul spread not only through Cyan Mountain Town, but to everyone in Blue Moon City. The great Ye family of Cyan Mountain Town had produced a piece of trash. The Ye family had lost immense face and become a laughingstock in Blue Moon City.
Although the Ye family used its power and influence to get Ye Xuan into Xingxuan Academy, he was forever branded with the title of "trash."
"This can't be real..." As his memories reached this point, Ye Xuan cried out in alarm, breaking out in a cold sweat.
In his past life, his talent had been abysmal. He failed to awaken a Martial Soul several times, only managing to awaken a trash Martial Soul at the age of sixteen. That was why he was only a Tier Eight Martial Emperor before his fall.
'I can't believe I'm even worse off after reincarnating in this life. Not only did I awaken a dead Martial Soul, but I even have dead veins.'
Martial Souls possess spirit. A so-called "dead Martial Soul" was one that was completely incapable of growth. Dead veins were even more serious; someone with dead veins could not cultivate Profound Qi at all. They could never become even the lowest-level Samurai in their entire life.
To Ye Xuan, being unable to cultivate was a fate worse than death.
Calming himself, Ye Xuan nervously focused his perception on the one Profound Vein that was open inside his body. A moment later, he let out a long sigh of relief, wishing he could rush into the city and hack the Soul Refiner who made that diagnosis into a thousand pieces.
'Although there's not the slightest sense of qi in my Profound Vein, the channel is clear, the walls are smooth, and it's very thick. It doesn't look like a crippled vein at all. It's just that the blockage at the end of the Profound Vein is extremely severe, making it very difficult to open.'
'Master Soul Refiner, my ass! How could no one in all of Blue Moon City see something so simple? Did they become Master Soul Refiners by eating shit? They scared me so much my heart was pounding out of my chest, I almost couldn't breathe.'
After a detailed examination, Ye Xuan finally had a complete understanding of his body, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
'No wonder people call me trash. This body is just too weak. Only one Profound Vein is open, and there's not a shred of Profound Qi. On top of that, the muscles are feeble, the bones are brittle, and the five viscera are worn out. It seems the top priority is to first condition this body before thinking about opening other Profound Veins. Otherwise, if I rush to cultivate, this body will definitely collapse right away.'
When a Martial Artist practices martial arts, they temper their body and condense their Profound Qi; neither can be neglected. Blindly opening Profound Veins will only lead to an unstable foundation, ultimately preventing one from reaching higher realms. This is a common mistake many Martial Artists make.
'Unfortunately, without Profound Qi, I don't even have a chance to probe my Martial Soul. But this Martial Soul is too strange—it's just a black dot. And there's no movement at all. No wonder others called it a trash Martial Soul.'
Ye Xuan also perceived his Martial Soul. It was indeed a black dot, and under his perception, it showed no signs of life, completely still, as if it were asleep. In his past life, Ye Xuan had seen countless Martial Souls, but this was the first time he had ever seen one so bizarre.
If he had Profound Qi, Ye Xuan could naturally try to activate his Martial Soul, but right now, he was helpless. However, Ye Xuan instinctively felt that his Martial Soul was somewhat different from others.
But for Ye Xuan, a former Eighth Grade Soul Emperor, it didn't matter even if he had truly awakened a dead Martial Soul. Once he recovered some of his strength, would he need to worry about not having a Martial Soul? In this world, not everyone could awaken a Martial Soul. The Martial Souls of many Martial Artists were formed by Master Soul Refiners hunting Profound Beasts and implanting them into their bodies. On this point, no one in the entire Liuyun Kingdom was more knowledgeable than Ye Xuan, the former Eighth Grade Soul Emperor.
At this thought, Ye Xuan finally felt a sense of relief.
Before long, Ye Xuan was fast asleep in the bumpy carriage.
At noon the next day, the group from Xingxuan Academy finally returned to Blue Moon City. After such an incident, the supervising teacher immediately went to the academy to report, while Ye Xuan and the other students were given a day off.
While the other students were cheering, Ye Xuan walked alone through the streets of Blue Moon City.
Before long, a magnificent building appeared before him. On the building were two large, gilded words: Trading Market.
'I wonder what kind of things they have in this Blue Moon City Trading Market. But I have no choice. Right now, I can only focus on conditioning my body. I can only start cultivating once my physical strength is up to par. As for my Martial Soul, that will have to wait.'
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, his expression filled with confidence. An ordinary Martial Artist would need three to five months of conditioning to nourish such a severely depleted body, but that wasn't necessarily the case for him, a former Eighth Grade Soul Emperor. As long as he had enough materials, he could make himself recover in the shortest possible time.
Entering the Trading Market, a cacophony of noise filled his ears. It was like a large wet market, bustling with people coming and going.
Blue Moon City was a border city of the Liuyun Kingdom. It bordered the Black Wind Ridge, which contained thousands of square miles of primeval forest. The forest was home to numerous Demon Beasts, and it was said that Profound Beasts even lurked in its depths. This attracted a large number of adventurers, so the Trading Market in Blue Moon City was a melting pot where one could find anything and everything.
"Come one, come all! Take a look! A top-quality Star Iron Bow! The body is forged from First-level Star Iron, and the string is made from the tanned main tendon of a Tier One Demon Beast, the Iron Bull Beast! It has a range of a thousand meters and immense power, the best weapon for hunting Demon Beasts! Don't miss out! Selling for two hundred Profound Coins, first come, first served!" a Samurai shouted, and many Martial Artists gathered around his stall.
A weapon was a very important item for a Martial Artist. A good weapon could better bring out a Martial Artist's strength. For this reason, many Martial Artists would rather go hungry than miss the chance to buy a good weapon.
Ye Xuan glanced at it from a distance and scoffed. 'That Star Iron Bow's body is incredibly ornate, with a large curve and even some filigree designs. Normal Star Iron has extremely poor malleability; it's impossible to forge it into this shape. I don't even need to touch it to know that this is definitely not made of genuine Star Iron. The Star Iron content is thirty percent at most.'
'As for the bowstring, it's grayish-brown with a spiral-shaped internal grain. If I'm not mistaken, it should be made from the tanned main tendon of a Tier One Demon Beast, the Wood Bull Beast. The Wood Bull Beast and the Iron Bull Beast are both Tier One Demon Beasts, and are even close relatives, but their main tendons are actually very different.'
'A bowstring made from the Iron Bull Beast's main tendon can withstand being drawn with the full strength of a Tier One Warrior ten thousand times without breaking. But the main tendon of a Wood Bull Beast can only endure three thousand draws at most before it snaps.'
'I fell for this kind of scam myself back when I was weak in my past life.'
"Come on, come on! Only ten Profound Coins! Everything for just ten Profound Coins! You heard right, you saw right! Ten coins, pick anything in the shop! For ten coins, you can't go wrong! For ten coins, you can't get ripped off!"
"Top-quality Nourishing Body Pills! Take one after a meal, cures all ailments! After taking it, your back won't hurt, your legs won't be sore, and you'll have more vigor when you pick up a weapon! Run ten thousand meters in one go without panting or getting red in the face! And you'll be more... potent... at night!"
Moving from one stall to another, his ears were filled with loud sales pitches.
Ye Xuan didn't stop at any of the stalls selling weapons, instead buying some herbs from a few that were selling medicinal plants.
Three stalks of Demon Flame Flower, two liang of Thousand Leaves, two Muscle Fruits, plus one Blood Abyss Essence. After spending seventy-eight Profound Coins, the only thing Ye Xuan still needed was a Blood Orchid Gall.
The Blood Orchid Gall is the gallbladder of a Tier One Demon Beast, the Blood-Eyed Snake. It is extremely valuable and quite rare.
After walking a lap around the market, Ye Xuan found a total of three stalls selling Blood Orchid Galls. The cheapest was priced at one hundred Profound Coins, and the most expensive at one hundred thirty. The one priced at one hundred Profound Coins was being sold by a Tier One Warrior who looked to be in his thirties, with a tall and sturdy build.
This Tier One Warrior carried a greatsword on his back and wore iron armor. He was probably an adventurer. His face was clean-shaven, lacking the scruffy appearance of a typical adventurer.