Chapter 249: Chapter 249: A Gathering of Experts

The people around saw that the shop owner seemed unchanged and were somewhat baffled. They shook their heads and began to turn away.

Just then, the shop owner let out a muffled grunt and suddenly dropped to his knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood. A look of terror appeared on his face as wisps of Martial Soul power began to dissipate from his dantian, as if it were in a state of collapse.

The shop owner’s pale face was filled with terror. He frantically pulled out a large number of Pills, tossing them into his mouth as if they were worthless. At the same time, his hands formed a rapid series of seals, slapping them all over his body. Torrents of Soul Power formed an invisible protective shield to stop his Martial Soul from dissipating, but it was useless. Before the eyes of the crowd, the Martial Soul power within his body grew steadily weaker. Suddenly, the phantom of a beast-shaped Martial Soul materialized above his head. It let out a wretched scream before shattering completely and vanishing.

The shop owner’s Martial Soul, which had been perfectly fine moments ago, had now completely collapsed, with no possibility of recovery.

This sudden turn of events left everyone present stunned.

How could they not understand? The shop owner’s condition was entirely due to Ye Xuan’s earlier punch. They were all secretly shocked. ’That young man’s methods are so vicious! To act so ruthlessly and directly cripple the shop owner’s Martial Soul...’

The captain of the Law Enforcement Team, who had been on his way out, also stopped in his tracks. His expression wavered as he watched the scene unfold. He was secretly alarmed by Ye Xuan’s methods. The captain was well aware of the shop owner’s cultivation—not only that, but he was also a Grade One Soul Refiner. Yet Ye Xuan had just crippled the man’s Martial Soul with a single, imperceptible punch, and no one had even sensed that anything was amiss. ’To be so young with such a high cultivation... his background must be extraordinary.’

’At the very least, he must be a genius Soul Refiner from one of the kingdoms, most likely a contestant in the Floating Light Assembly. An ordinary Soul Refiner could never accomplish this.’

At this thought, the captain of the Law Enforcement Team was secretly relieved by his earlier decision.

Soul Refiners were among the most terrifying people in the world. A genius Soul Refiner talented enough to participate in the Floating Light Assembly was a national treasure who absolutely could not be harmed. One careless mistake could easily spark friction between two kingdoms.

As for the shop owner, while he had a high status and some connections within the kingdom, the captain of the Law Enforcement Team was no ordinary man himself. More importantly, he had handled the situation impartially, without exercising any special privileges. He wasn’t afraid of the shop owner seeking revenge. No matter what, the man would have no grounds to come after him.

The hook-nosed youth from before, however, hadn’t left immediately. Standing outside the shop, he watched the scene unfold with extreme shock. He never imagined Ye Xuan would be so ruthless as to actually destroy the shop owner’s Martial Soul. The young man’s methods were every bit as vicious as his own.

’But that kid got the Profound Nether Stone and made an enemy of me and my brothers. He’ll pay for it sooner or later.’

With a cold smirk, the hook-nosed youth vanished into the crowd.

Ye Xuan, however, didn’t give the matter a second thought. Having obtained the Profound Nether Stone, he was in high spirits and focused on consolidating his Soul Power cultivation. He had a vague premonition that this Floating Light Assembly would be fraught with danger.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. In the last few days before the start of the Floating Light Assembly, the participating teams from all the kingdoms gathered in an open area outside the Water Mist Mountain Range, preparing to set out for the mountains.

The Water Mist Mountain Range stretched for tens of thousands of miles, a vast and expansive territory teeming with Demon Beasts and fraught with peril.

Merely standing in the clearing before the Water Mist Mountain Range, one could feel a dense Profound Qi wafting out from within, a refreshing and invigorating sensation.

From a distance, a layer of hazy mist shrouded the Water Mist Mountain Range, obscuring the landscape. Things appeared and disappeared, flickering between reality and illusion, creating a dreamlike feeling, as if one were gazing upon a celestial wonderland.

The Floating Light Secret Realm was located in a valley within this very mountain range, and as such, it was where the Floating Light Assembly would be held.

The Water Mist Mountain Range was extremely dangerous, with Demon Beasts running rampant and Profound Beasts lurking about.

However, over the past century, the repeated Floating Light Assemblies had allowed the kingdoms to establish a relatively safe route. Combined with the escort of top experts from each kingdom, the journey was generally considered quite secure.

Ye Xuan gazed at the wonderland-like mountain range, amazed. The Water Mist Mountain Range felt otherworldly, not of the mortal realm. He never imagined that such a scenic, sacred place—a veritable paradise on earth—could exist in a remote region like the Thirteen Nations Alliance. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Haha, Chu Yunfei, my old friend! It’s been years, but you look as impressive as ever." Suddenly, a hearty laugh boomed, making the ears of Ye Xuan and the others ring.

The speaker was a man in a long, green robe who walked with a powerful, commanding gait. A giant axe was slung across his back, and he radiated a spirited energy.

"Long Zhan, my friend! You’ve come as well." Chu Yunfei’s face broke into a wide smile as he went to greet the man.

The two men clasped hands firmly, both breaking into hearty laughter.

"Master Dongfang Yanyu, it’s been a long time," the large man said, turning to greet Dongfang Yanyu and the others in turn.

Kuchen leaned in and quietly explained, "That is Long Zhan of the Shizhen Kingdom. He is their number one expert and is on good terms with our Liuyun Kingdom’s King Chu."

His words were, of course, meant for the younger generation, including Ye Xuan.

The relationships within the Thirteen Nations Alliance were intricate. Ye Xuan and his peers would one day become the pillars of the Liuyun Kingdom, so it was good for them to learn these things sooner rather than later.

Ye Xuan nodded slightly. Long Zhan’s Profound Qi was dense and powerful, even stronger than Chu Yunfei’s. His muscles were solid, and his strength was at the Third Layer of the Martial Sect Realm. He was clearly an exceptionally fierce combatant.

These top experts from the various kingdoms enjoyed all their nation’s resources, and their Cultivation Techniques and cultivation levels were formidable. While Ye Xuan paid no mind to ordinary Martial Sects, he made sure to carefully assess a top expert like Long Zhan, just to be prepared for any future trouble.

If nothing else, Ye Xuan could sense that even if people like Chu Yunfei and Long Zhan were placed in the major sects and great empires of the outside world, they would still be considered a fairly outstanding group, even if they couldn’t be counted among the absolute top-tier Martial Sects.

"It seems the Liuyun Kingdom’s genius Soul Refiners are quite outstanding this year, eh? Not bad, not bad. They’re all full of vigor. I hope our two kingdoms can achieve a good ranking in this Floating Light Assembly and secure more resources in the Floating Light Secret Realm."

Long Zhan added with an encouraging smile, glancing at Ye Xuan and the other genius Soul Refiners from the Liuyun Kingdom.

"Haha! You call this sorry lot outstanding? Looks to me like the Liuyun Kingdom is fresh out of talent. I’d bet they’ll be kicked out of the five great kingdoms within two years, haha!"

Just then, a derisive voice drifted over from a distance. Its thick sarcasm was so blatant that even an idiot could understand the intent.

They turned to see a group of Soul Refiners slowly approaching. The leader, dressed in a black robe, had a wrinkled face twisted into an ugly, disdainful sneer that revealed yellowed teeth. He exuded a sharp, aggressive aura, as if covered in barbs that dared anyone to look at him directly.

"I was wondering who had such a foul mouth. Turns out it’s Big-Yellow-Tooth Jiang from the Fire Crow Kingdom. Tsk, tsk. Your words are worse than farts." Upon seeing the man, Chu Yunfei’s expression darkened, and he sneered.

This man was none other than Jiang Zheng, the number one expert of the Fire Crow Kingdom. The Fire Crow and Liuyun Kingdoms had always been rivals. Countless soldiers from both sides fell in border clashes every year, and the animosity between them ran so deep it would take ten days and nights to recount.

Thus, at any major gathering attended by both kingdoms, a confrontation was inevitable.

"Was I wrong?" Jiang Zheng sneered. "Look at your Liuyun Kingdom team. The ones standing near you are your contestants, aren’t they? Tsk, tsk. You’ve got women, and even a kid who looks like a teenager. If that’s not a sign you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel, what is? I say you should just forfeit now and save yourselves some dignity. Otherwise, when the results come out, I’m afraid the Liuyun Kingdom won’t have any face left to lose."

His words drew the attention of the contestants from the other kingdoms.

Just as Jiang Zheng had pointed out, the five contestants from Liuyun Kingdom, including Ye Xuan, were standing close to Dongfang Yanyu and the elders. The other Soul Refiners who had come merely to observe stood to one side. As a result, when the crowd saw Yun Aoxue and Ye Xuan standing beside Kuchen, contestants from many other kingdoms began to whisper among themselves.

"Huh, is there really a teenager among the Liuyun Kingdom’s contestants? He doesn’t even look twenty, does he?"

"Is that boy really a contestant for the Liuyun Kingdom? It doesn’t seem likely. The genius division of the Floating Light Assembly requires participants to be under twenty-five, and there’s no minimum age, but contestants are usually at least twenty years old. We’ve never seen one this young before."

"Perhaps we’re mistaken. Maybe the boy is just a junior relative of one of the elders from the Liuyun Kingdom’s Soul Master Tower, which is why he’s standing at the front."

For a moment, contestants from many of the kingdoms were buzzing with discussion.

Yun Aoxue’s presence was less surprising. Although female contestants were uncommon at the Floating Light Assembly, they weren’t unheard of; not all powerful Soul Refiners were men. Ye Xuan’s age, however, shocked everyone. They had never seen a contestant who was still in his teens and found it hard to believe.

"I think you should worry about your own team," President Dongfang Yanyu retorted with a cold smile. "I seem to recall a certain kingdom’s team that placed well in the last Floating Light Assembly, only to suffer heavy casualties after entering the Floating Light Secret Realm. Not only did only two of their geniuses make it out alive, but they even lost an elder. Tsk, tsk. Now *that* was a tragedy."

"Fine. Very fine. We’ll see about that." Jiang Zheng’s face darkened, and a faint green light glinted in his eyes. With a cold snort, he led his contingent of Soul Refiners to the other side of the clearing.