Activating a Soul Crystal is actually quite simple. In the world of Soul Refiners, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to do it. While the methods vary, they all lead to the same result. The most crucial step is to find the frequency of the Soul Power within the Soul Crystal.

The frequency within each Soul Crystal is one-of-a-kind. This holds true not just for Soul Crystals from Profound Beasts of different grades and attributes, but even for those formed from two nearly identical Profound Beasts of the same grade and attribute. The Soul Crystals they leave behind after death are subtly different. Although their Soul Power frequencies are extremely close, there are still minute variations.

Finding this frequency is the most difficult step in activating a Soul Crystal.

An average Soul Refiner will typically identify the general range of a Soul Crystal’s frequency, then use their own Soul Power to make repeated attempts at activation.

They activate one, then move on to analyze and activate the next.

This process is naturally much slower.

The entire process is disjointed.

But Ye Xuan was different. He began by roughly arranging the forty-nine Soul Crystals according to their individual attributes and frequency ranges. Then, using his Divine Spirit Gaze, he pinpointed the interval of each frequency with absolute precision.

Then, moving from the lowest frequency to the highest, he used various Hand Skills combined with his own Soul Power to resonate with the Soul Crystals and activate them.

Furthermore, few people know that Soul Crystals can resonate with each other. When one is activated, it can stimulate changes in nearby crystals with similar frequencies, making them easier to activate in turn.

It was like a line of dominoes falling, a single, seamless sequence from start to finish.

Three things were crucial to achieving this.

First, one must be able to clearly distinguish the frequency of every single Soul Crystal. Their placement must be flawless; a single mistake would interrupt the resonance between the crystals, destroying the seamless flow.

Second, one’s control over Soul Power must be exceptionally refined, capable of cycling through every frequency from low to high without a single misstep, each one perfectly anticipated.

And third, the most important point of all, is focus. Throughout the process, the Soul Refiner must remain in a state of extreme mental concentration. There can be no lapses whatsoever. The slightest error would cause the entire activation process to end in failure.

It was safe to say that no other Soul Refiner present—not even Master Zhu Tianlan from the Celestial Gold Kingdom—could accomplish all three.

But Ye Xuan had.

SWISH SWISH SWISH...

Like fireworks bursting in succession, the Soul Crystals were activated one after another. From the first to the forty-ninth, the entire process took less than a minute. The table before Ye Xuan was completely awash in the brilliant light of the Soul Crystals.

His transcendent technique, a performance of almost divine skill, left the many master Soul Refiners on the judges’ panel utterly stunned and bewildered.

Ye Xuan’s technique appeared simple, but it was built upon an incredibly profound principle. Even they only partially grasped it. They felt as if they understood the theory, but knew it would be impossible for them to replicate it.

As for the ordinary Soul Refiners, they were simply dazzled. By the time it was over, they hadn’t even processed what had happened.

"I get it! Ye Xuan must have continuously raised his frequency to activate all the Soul Crystals in an instant."

"Duh, I know that much. But how did the kid actually do it? Forty-nine Soul Crystals, forty-nine different frequencies... Forget identifying them, just changing your own frequency forty-nine times in ten seconds is something you probably couldn’t do."

"’That... I guess I really couldn’t...’" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"What do you mean, ’you guess’? I can’t do it, so how could you?"

"’This kid... he didn’t cheat, did he?’"

Unable to understand the principle behind it, some Soul Refiners could only conclude that he had cheated.

After activating all the Soul Crystals, Ye Xuan dusted off his hands and stepped aside.

At that moment, there was still a full minute before the incense stick burned out. Meanwhile, Luan Hong, who had been leading by a wide margin, had only just activated his forty-second Soul Crystal.

Moreover, toward the end, Luan Hong’s pace was slowing, each activation more strenuous than the last. It was clear his Soul Power had been pushed to its absolute limit.

In stark contrast, Ye Xuan’s dashing attitude and composed posture made countless female Soul Refiners swoon.

The difference in their levels was clear at a glance.

"He’s so handsome. Just... so handsome."

"That’s the kind of Soul Refiner I want for a husband."

"Ma’am, you’re in your thirties. He’s just a teenager."

"What’s wrong with that? Can’t an old gal like me go for a younger man?"

Some of the female Soul Refiners cupped their blushing faces in their hands, completely mesmerized by Ye Xuan. They looked as if they wanted to rush the stage, tie him up, and carry him away.

However, the entire judges’ platform was now utterly silent.

"’Divine skill.’"

Amateurs watch for the spectacle, but experts see the technique. And how could the men seated as chairmen of the various kingdoms’ Soul Master Towers possibly be amateurs?

The other talented Soul Refiners, while quick, lacked continuity. They would activate one Soul Crystal, then move to the next. But Ye Xuan was different. His movements were a single, seamless flow. He didn’t need to painstakingly lock onto each crystal’s frequency; instead, he continuously raised his own from low to high, creating a chain reaction like falling dominoes.

With a graceful sweep of his hand, the Soul Crystals lit up one by one, flashing with iridescent light. Not only was his method far more efficient than conventional techniques, but his movements were also rhythmic and elegant. He made a difficult task look effortless, as smooth as flowing water.

These master Soul Refiners had never seen—or even heard of—such a method for activating Soul Crystals.

Forget the young geniuses on the stage; even they, the chairmen of the great kingdoms’ Soul Master Towers, probably couldn’t replicate what Ye Xuan had just done.

Xuu Xin Hua’s face was dark as he said in a menacing tone, "Chairman Dongfang Yanyu, since when has your Liuyun Kingdom been able to produce a genius like this? We’ve never heard of his technique before. Is it some exclusive Secret Technique of the Liuyun Kingdom?"

Chairman Dongfang Yanyu chuckled serenely. "What’s the matter, are you dissatisfied? It’s no use being salty about it. If you’ve got what it takes, then have your Fire Crow Kingdom produce a genius like him."

"Chairman Dongfang Yanyu, that’s not the right way to put it." Chairman Zuo Yi Alliance of the Dongsheng Kingdom spoke up, his eyes darting as he stroked his beard. "The boy’s technique is simply too outlandish. We only wish to ensure the fairness of the tournament. I’m sure Chairman Xuu Xin Hua is merely worried that someone with ulterior motives might be posing as a genius to infiltrate our Thirteen Nations Alliance for their own gain."

"You needn’t trouble yourself, Chairman Zuo Yi Alliance. This Ye Xuan is, indeed, a homegrown genius of my Liuyun Kingdom. We have his parents, his family, even his family records. There is no question of him being an imposter. On the other hand, the technique used by your Dongsheng Kingdom’s Ye Fanxing also looks quite unfamiliar to me. Could there be some problem there?"

"You..." Zuo Yi Alliance was at a loss for words.

"Hmph! Dongfang Yanyu, what kind of talk is that? Chairman Zuo Yi Alliance is only looking out for the interests of our Thirteen Nations Alliance!"

"Is that so? I’m not so sure. If we’re talking about ’outlandish,’ aren’t the techniques of Luan Hong and a few others just as preposterous? Why don’t you question them, instead choosing to single out a disciple from my Liuyun Kingdom? Do you think I, Dongfang Yanyu, am an easy target, or are you harboring your own selfish motives?"

As the chairmen bickered, the time for the second round of the competition finally ran out.

"’It looks like the winner of the second round is Ye Xuan again.’"

The crowd gasped in amazement. As the competition ended, every one of the forty-nine Soul Crystals before Ye Xuan was lit. The next fastest, Luan Hong, had one remaining, having completed only forty-eight.

Toward the end, his Soul Power had been severely depleted, causing his pace to slow. Ultimately, he wasn’t able to finish in time.

Luan Hong was clearly vexed by this result.

Ye Fanxing of the Dongsheng Kingdom and Xia Qixi of the Celestial Gold Kingdom both completed forty-two crystals. Because Ye Fanxing finished faster, he placed third, while Xia Qixi placed tenth.

Next were Bai Qi and Zhou Liang, who both completed forty-one.

The next group of contestants—Xuu Zhengqing from the Shizhen Kingdom, Chen Jueming from the Fire Crow Kingdom, He Xuting from the Liuyun Kingdom, Xu Bomming from the Celestial Gold Kingdom, and Ding Lan from the Dongsheng Kingdom—all of whom were talented Soul Refiners at the Peak of Second Grade, finished with thirty-nine crystals.

To the surprise of Dongfang Yanyu and the others, Yun Aoxue, who was only at Mid-Second Grade, also performed exceptionally well. She completed thirty-nine crystals, tying with the geniuses at the Peak of Second Grade. In fact, her completion time was even faster than Chen Jueming’s and Ding Lan’s, landing her a spot at tenth place.

With the conclusion of the second round, Ye Xuan was now firmly in first place with a high score of 450 points.

In the top ten, the Liuyun Kingdom alone had managed to secure three spots, a truly astonishing result.

"’For the Liuyun Kingdom to find a genius like that... what damn lucky bastards.’"

Chen Jueming of the Fire Crow Kingdom had been pushed down to eleventh place by Yun Aoxue’s surprising performance, and he was naturally displeased. He glared at Ye Xuan, who had taken first place yet again, his eyes cold and brimming with murderous intent.

Ye Xuan couldn’t even be bothered to glance at Chen Jueming’s provocation, because a far more terrifying animosity was radiating from not far away.

That animosity came from Luan Hong of the Wushang Kingdom.

The fact that Luan Hong of the Wushang Kingdom was only one Soul Crystal short of activating all forty-nine was a genuine surprise to Ye Xuan.

He was almost certain that Luan Hong’s achievements in Soul Refining had already surpassed the scope of a normal Soul Refiner. Combined with his performance in the first round, Ye Xuan was convinced this man was a Fourth Grade Soul Refiner, and not a weak one at that.

This discovery made Ye Xuan even more certain of his suspicion: Luan Hong was definitely not from the Thirteen Nations Alliance. His skill had already surpassed the level of the Alliance; even in the outside world, he would be considered a genius.

This was evident when comparing him to Xia Qixi and the others. They were considered the top geniuses of the Thirteen Nations Alliance, yet she had only completed forty-two crystals—a far cry from Luan Hong’s forty-eight.