Chapter 692: The Secret of the Sword Element and the Origin

This time, Xu Jin finally understood the origin of the Sword Element.

The core of the Sword Element seemed to be the core of the Divine Soul Origin.

During the refining of the Yin-Yang Star Core, the Divine Soul Origin slowly strengthened, and a brand-new Sword Element coalesced from the Dao Embryo, rapidly growing in power.

In just two hours, the Sword Element behind Xu Jin's Dao Embryo increased from twelve to thirteen.

Thirteen Sword Elements shimmered with starlight, appearing mighty and imposing.

Yet the slow strengthening of Xu Jin's Divine Soul Origin did not cease.

It continued.

Throughout the two continuous hours of refining, Xu Jin's previously damaged Divine Soul Origin not only fully recovered but kept growing.

Just before the final moment when Xu Jin completely refined the Yin-Yang Star Core, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.

He felt his Dao Embryo stir again, exactly as it had when the thirteenth Sword Element had formed.

It felt as if the fourteenth Sword Element was about to coalesce.

But it was just short.

Xu Jin felt that if only this Yin-Yang Star Core had been a little larger—if he could have refined it for another one or two minutes—his fourteenth Sword Element would have formed.

In that instant, Xu Jin suddenly understood the relationship between the Divine Soul Origin and the Dao Embryo.

Or rather, where exactly the Divine Soul Origin manifested!

So far, the Divine Soul Origin appeared intimately tied to the Sword Element or Dao Element.

The stronger the Divine Soul Origin, the more Sword Elements there were.

Previously, his Master, Master Fenghua Emperor Jun, had told Xu Jin that the number of Sword Elements had a profound impact on his future Dao path.

At the time, Xu Jin had not fully understood.

Sword Elements primarily affected the number of spiritual techniques one could later acquire.

Even if one's strength was weaker, how could that relate to achieving Dao?

Now it seemed the most fundamental link was likely the Divine Soul Origin.

The Divine Soul Origin could not be quantified, but through Sword Elements, it could be measured.

Thus, Xu Jin's current Divine Soul Origin was at least twice that of an ordinary genius, possibly even more.

Ordinary geniuses typically coalesce only five or six Sword Elements when forming their Dao Embryo.

Only supreme geniuses could coalesce seven, eight, or even nine.

Compared to supreme geniuses, Xu Jin's advantage was still not overwhelming.

But it was at least a direction for the future.

If he discovered any treasure capable of strengthening the Divine Soul Origin, he should try his best to obtain it.

Treasures that strengthen the Divine Soul were exceedingly rare.

The Spirit Embryo Fruit had been one such treasure, but each person gained benefit only from the first one consumed.

It was unknown whether consuming a second Yin-Yang Star Core would have any effect.

But given its rarity—even several True Persons were competing for it—the difficulty of obtaining a second one was unimaginable.

Afterwards, Xu Jin began to tally his gains.

With a thought, his spiritual sense sank into the Grand Void Inquiring Sword Element.

The seven Grand Void Seven Emotions Mirrors, each radiating a different color and aura, emitted faint light.

A single glance made Xu Jin smile.

Three of the Grand Void Seven Emotions Mirrors were already full, each containing over seven thousand threads of Seven Emotions energy.

Of the remaining four mirrors, two held over five thousand threads, and two held over four thousand.

Though not full, they had far surpassed the requirement Master Master Fenghua Emperor Jun had set for cultivating the Grand Void Inquiring Platform technique.

And far exceeded it.

Master Fenghua Emperor Jun's requirement had been one thousand threads of Seven Emotions energy per emotion.

Now, the average was over four times that.

Once the Grand Void Inquiring Platform technique was fully cultivated, its power would surely be immense.

And it might even grow further.

After the Dao Son ranking contest concluded and things stabilized, Xu Jin would find a quiet place to receive the materials and treasures Master Master Fenghua Emperor Jun had prepared for him, and cultivate this technique as soon as possible.

To gain more means of self-protection.

A few breaths later, Xu Jin began his deep cultivation with strict discipline.

But shortly after starting, he opened his eyes.

After the strengthening of his Divine Soul Origin, he felt something different.

Especially his perception of everything seemed altered, yet he could not pinpoint why.

"Perhaps, I need my Divine Soul Origin to reach a critical threshold before I can clearly sense this change."

His spiritual sense swept over the jade tablet sent by Prince Yutang Zhu Zhu Shizhen; the data within was already clear to him.

Xu Jin began considering his strategy for tomorrow's Dao Son battle.

Although Xu Jin ranked first in both the first and second rounds of the Dao Son selection, the Dao Son ranking battle was another matter entirely.

The main issue was the vast gap in cultivation base.

For instance, the one most likely to claim first place was clearly Yuan Yuan Chengfa of the Yuanling True Person's mansion.

Not only was he a supreme genius, but his cultivation base had reached the late stage of the Ninth Stage.

According to intelligence, even when he was in the mid-stage of the Ninth Stage, he had defeated a Guan Xiaoxing Jun.

He was a supreme genius capable of challenging across a major realm.

Similarly, anyone listed by Prince Yutang Zhu Zhu Shizhen was a supreme genius capable of challenging across a major realm.

There were over thirty such candidates.

The lowest among them was at the early stage of the Ninth Stage, and five were at the late stage.

These were Xu Jin's fiercest rivals.

After all, his early-stage Eighth Stage cultivation base was his greatest weakness.

He could kill opponents one realm above him—only Ninth Stage early.

Although Xu Jin had effortlessly slain Ninth Stage late cultivators in Kunling Domain, those were merely ordinary cultivators.

Tomorrow's opponents in the ranking battle would be supreme geniuses selected through multiple layers of screening from across the entire Eastern Chu Xuan Star Realm.

Remember, the Eastern Chu Xuan Star Realm included not only its native great world, but also five middle worlds and over a thousand small worlds; even if only one supreme genius emerged per hundred small worlds, the number would be staggering. Theoretically, someone like Yuan Yuan Chengfa, a Ninth Stage late supreme genius, likely possessed the combat power of a Great Star Jun.

Xu Jin's chances of victory were extremely slim.

To win, he would need to strike unexpectedly with explosive means.

"I'll decide based on circumstances tomorrow—exposing all my trump cards isn't wise."

With a thought, Xu Jin activated a Divine Dao True Meaning, beginning to analyze and comprehend the Wood Source Star Pattern, preparing for body refinement.

After the Dao Son ranking battle concluded, Xu Jin would seek a stable environment to cultivate in seclusion for a period.

Strength was the most reliable foundation.

February 4, Chen Hour, one quarter.

Xu Jin, immersed in cultivation, was awakened by the bell of the Eastern Chu Xuan Dao Palace, accompanied by the deep voice of Commander Tian Zhang True Person.

【All newly selected Dao Sons must arrive at the Dao Palace training ground within fifteen minutes for the ranking battle. Those who fail to arrive will be deemed to have forfeited and ranked last.】

With fifteen minutes to spare, Xu Jin was not in a hurry; he washed up, then brought the food box left at his courtyard gate inside, preparing to eat a few bites.

During the past six or seven days of residence in the Dao Palace, servants delivered three meals daily, placing them at the gate—eat or not, it was up to the cultivator.

Xu Jin was still a cultivator, not an immortal; he still needed to eat.

One meal a day was not too little.

One meal every two or three days was not too much.

The Dao Palace's breakfast was simple: clear porridge and small dishes, yet refined and tasty.

As he reached for the food box, his gaze suddenly shifted—he noticed two food boxes at the gate.

One was the standard Dao Palace box; the other was larger, more exquisite, with tiny inscriptions along its edge.

Yutang Prince's Mansion.

Xu Jin's heart stirred.

Was this from Prince Yutang Zhu Zhu Shizhen?

Unlikely!

That man had decent character, but if he were this thoughtful, he would have done this long ago.

Only one person could have done it: Zhu Zhu Linxiao!

"That's considerate."

A lavish breakfast was deeply pleasing.

Over a dozen dishes, both meat and vegetables, sweet and savory—all of which Xu Jin enjoyed thoroughly.

After nearly half a quarter-hour, feeling time was nearly up, Xu Jin flared his Thunder Wings, instantly transforming into starlight and shooting out of his courtyard, circling once before arriving at the training ground.

Nearly four thousand newly selected Dao Sons had gathered there; Prince Yutang Zhu Zhu Shizhen waved from afar—this time, Xu Jin was not so lucky; he too had to compete.

The Dao Son ranking battle now was entirely different from the previous two selection rounds.

The two selection rounds had been public.

This ranking battle, however, was an internal contest.

Thus, those gathered here were only the newly selected Dao Zis, the Dao Palace guards, and the Star Juniors stationed at the Dao Palace.

Xu Jin discovered that there were an enormous number of Ninth-Rank Star Juniors here.

More than forty of them.

This surprised Xu Jin.

The number was far greater than he had imagined.

But strangely, only eight Star Juniors hovered high in the sky; the other nearly forty Star Juniors remained with a group of Ninth-Rank Peak experts.

One man, majestic and imposing, stood suspended above them all, gazing down remotely upon this group of newly selected Dao Zis.

The instant Xu Jin landed, the man's gaze shot toward him like an arrow, scanning him up and down, making Xu Jin deeply uncomfortable.

"Who is that?"

"Oh, those are the Dao Zis from the previous generation!"

According to the rules of our Eastern Chu Xuan Dao Palace, each Dao Zi may enjoy palace cultivation resources for only ten years—but those ranked within the top one hundred of the Dao Zi sequence may enjoy them for twenty years!

Those people likely regard the geniuses among your generation as rivals," said Zhu Zhu Shizhen, the Prince of Yutang.

Then Zhu Zhu Shizhen added, "As for that unpleasant fellow you mentioned, he is Song Ju, the top contender of the previous selection, who broke through to Minor Star Junior years ago and is now said to be just one step away from becoming a Major Star Junior!

He is also a strong contender for the Imperial Palace's True Disciple status," said Zhu Zhu Shizhen.

Xu Jin nodded slightly. "Do you know the rules?"

"They should be much the same as in past years. Each Dao Zi's allotted cultivation years within the palace are divided into eight tiers, determined by rank—it should be announced soon," said Zhu Zhu Shizhen.

Almost simultaneously, the voice of Tianyang Zhenjun Commander Tian Zhang rang out: "To motivate your cultivation, the Dao Palace allocates differing cultivation resources according to your Dao Zi sequence rank.

Our Eastern Chu Xuan Dao Palace's cultivation resources are divided into eight tiers. First, examine the rules!"

With a wave of his hand, a luminous screen appeared in the sky.

Xu Jin's gaze flickered slightly as he scanned it.

The Eastern Chu Xuan Dao Palace's ranking system truly seemed designed to drive competition.

Ranks one thousand and below: Eighth-tier cultivation resources.

Ranks one thousand to one hundred: Seventh-tier.

Ranks one hundred to fifty: Sixth-tier.

Ranks fifty to eleven: Fifth-tier.

Ranks ten to four: Fourth-tier.

Third place: Third-tier.

Second place: Second-tier.

First place: First-tier.

Then Xu Jin spotted an intriguing additional clause—it felt almost tailored for him!

In the first round of the Dao Zi Selection, those who claim first place on any Law Path receive one tier higher cultivation resources—but not stackable.

Xu Jin felt those last four words were added only after the Eastern Chu Xuan Dao Palace had been burned before.

In the second round of the Dao Zi Selection, those who rank among the top ten receive one additional tier of cultivation resources.

Xu Jin understood this was a bonus.

But what struck him as even more interesting was what followed.

The tier bonuses from both rounds of the Dao Zi Selection are stackable.

If you achieve first place in two different Law Paths, you gain an extra additional tier of cultivation resources!

In other words, these rules were clearly designed to favor Dao Zis like Xu Jin—those with extraordinary talent but low cultivation base.

The rules were quite well thought out.

At least, after reading them, Xu Jin found no loopholes to exploit.

But the moment Xu Jin finished reading the differences between the eight tiers of privileges listed by Tianyang Zhenjun Commander Tian Zhang, he let out a sharp hiss.

The gap between these eight tiers was truly—astronomical!

(End of Chapter)