Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 501: Chapter 501: Young Master, You Big Dummy!

Some in the crowd with sharp eyes recognized the flames Ye Qingchen was using and couldn’t help but exclaim, ”The Fen Tian Earth Fire! That kid actually fused with the Fen Tian Earth Fire!”

This exclamation naturally drew everyone’s attention. They all stared intently and saw that it was, indeed, identical to the legendary Fen Tian Earth Fire. Although the Fen Tian Earth Fire was exceedingly rare—one of the Exotic Flames of the world—that alone wasn’t enough to shock the crowd to this degree. The truly shocking part was that Ye Qingchen had a Wood Attribute! For a cultivator with a Wood Attribute Martial Soul to fuse with the Fen Tian Earth Fire—a flame that was the absolute epitome of yang and ferocity—the difficulty was over a hundred times greater than for a normal person. Yet, this Ye Qingchen fellow was so incredibly lucky that he had actually managed to succeed.

The Saint Heir from the Wuji Immortal Palace, however, sensed another unusual presence within Ye Qingchen’s flames and sighed to himself. There’s another flame in there. While it doesn’t quite qualify as an Exotic Flame, its intensity isn’t far off. This brat’s luck is truly something else!

He was right. After unleashing the Fen Tian Earth Fire, Ye Qingchen had also brought out his Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire. After all, what Ye Qingchen was facing now was the legendary Vermilion Bird True Fire.

The Vermilion Bird True Fire could be considered the sovereign of all flames. If a true Vermilion Bird were to appear, even the Fen Tian Earth Fire would likely be completely suppressed. However, Xiao Xiao was clearly unable to unleash that kind of power yet. This allowed Ye Qingchen to contend with her Vermilion Bird True Fire by relying on both his Fen Tian Earth Fire and the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire.

Previously, under the suppression of Xiao Xiao’s Vermilion Bird True Fire, Ye Qingchen had relied on a special substance emitted by his Dual Pupil Martial Soul and the characterless jade bi to break free from some of the restraints. Even so, he could only exert seventy to eighty percent of his true strength. Now, with the addition of the Fen Tian Earth Fire and the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire, Ye Qingchen had completely shaken off the suppression. The Spiritual Energy in his body flowed with unprecedented smoothness.

Furthermore, after manifesting the Fen Tian Earth Fire, Ye Qingchen discovered that using it simultaneously with Willow Soul’s Brilliance could greatly enhance the power of his Double Pupil Sword. In the past, Willow Soul’s Brilliance could at most amplify the power tenfold, but now it could amplify it twentyfold! This effect was not a simple, superficial amplification of Spiritual Energy. For instance, in his current state, if Chi Jianbai were to fight Ye Qingchen again, he probably wouldn’t last even five rounds.

Chi Jianbai, watching from below the stage, understood this clearly. Seeing Ye Qingchen use the Fen Tian Earth Fire, he knew his loss had been no fluke. It was now obvious that Ye Qingchen hadn’t used his full strength during their match at all.

”Big Brother is truly full of surprises, hiding a treasure like the Fen Tian Earth Fire from everyone. I can’t tell if he’s just incredibly composed or if he enjoys playing weak only to prey on the strong,” Xue Zhao said with a hint of resentment, propping her chin on her hand.

Beside her, Zi Xing was also greatly shocked. He had never imagined that Ye Qingchen had been holding back a trump card like the Fen Tian Earth Fire this entire time! Previously, Zi Xing hadn’t truly believed Ye Qingchen was holding back his strength. It was only after everyone else’s insistence that he had vaguely started to consider it. Even then, Zi Xing figured that if Ye Qingchen was holding back, it could only be by a small margin. To be ten percent stronger when going all out would already be the mark of a genius. He never expected that what Ye Qingchen had reserved was a supreme treasure like the Fen Tian Earth Fire!

Others might not have known, but Zi Xing understood that the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow technique his family practiced was intrinsically linked to a cultivator’s own Fire Attribute. The stronger the cultivator’s Fire Attribute, the greater the speed bonus from the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow, and vice versa. Zi Xing recalled that Ye Qingchen’s understanding of the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow already surpassed his own. Now that he had revealed an ultimate fire element like the Fen Tian Earth Fire, just how uncanny would his Fire Spirit Charm Shadow become?

Leaving aside the shock and resentment of Xue Zhao and Zi Xing, it was Xiao Xiao, Ye Qingchen’s opponent, who could most directly feel how terrifying his current state was.

Xiao Xiao had been present when Ye Qingchen first fused with the Fen Tian Earth Fire. Back then, the flame’s power was terrifying even when it erupted on its own. Now, after being continuously developed and refined by Ye Qingchen, its explosive power was on a completely different level. Xiao Xiao could naturally feel that her Vermilion Bird True Fire now had almost zero suppressive effect on Ye Qingchen. This meant the advantage granted by her Ten-Star Vermilion Bird Holy Soul had been diminished to almost nothing.

Xiao Xiao glanced at the Double Pupil Sword in Ye Qingchen’s hand before taking her own weapon out from her storage ring. Her weapon was a ribbon of Fire Spirit Silk, also a low-grade treasured artifact, which she had named the Vajra Silk. Over the past year of training, Xiao Xiao had always kept the Vajra Silk with her, achieving a perfect state of harmony with it. With her weapon drawn, her combat prowess rose another level.

At this moment, the spectator stands had quieted down. Everyone could see that Ye Qingchen truly possessed the strength to fight Xiao Xiao. Those who had been jeering earlier couldn’t help but feel their faces flush with shame. If someone as formidable as Ye Qingchen was considered trash who got by on his pretty face, then what did that make them?

Some sighed inwardly. No wonder Ye Qingchen had won the favor of the three beauties. Not only was he young and handsome, but his strength was also this formidable. Keep in mind, Ye Qingchen was only at the third layer of the Martial King Realm, yet he could contend with Xiao Xiao, who was at the Ninth Layer. Once Ye Qingchen fully matured, would anyone be able to stop him?

Xiao Xiao, for her part, was incredibly excited. Seeing her Young Master finally prepare to fight her with his full strength was the fulfillment of her greatest wish.

Amid the tense atmosphere, Xiao Xiao unexpectedly smiled at Ye Qingchen. ”Young Master, I won’t be holding back anymore either. Let’s have a proper fight so I can see just how wide the gap between us truly is.”

All along, Xiao Xiao had never believed she could defeat Ye Qingchen. She simply wanted to show her best self to the Young Master she cared about most.

Despite her obvious intentions, Ye Qingchen, being hopelessly oblivious, didn’t notice a thing. He simply offered encouragement with a smile, ”Xiao Xiao, if you can develop your Ten-Star Vermilion Bird Holy Soul to its absolute limit, your strength will surely double again.”

Hearing Ye Qingchen point out her shortcomings instead of praising her, Xiao Xiao stamped her foot in frustration. ”Young Master, you’re such a blockhead!”