This was a tremendous gift—one he simply couldn’t accept.

Even someone as composed as Kuchen couldn’t remain calm in the face of such an offering.

"Alright, President Kuchen. Enough said. My mind is made up."

Ye Xuan waved his hand. Kuchen was a friend worth knowing, but sometimes he could be a bit of a mother hen. Hua Luoxuan, by comparison, was much more straightforward.

In the entire Liuyun Kingdom, Ye Xuan was only really close with those two.

Kuchen gave a wry smile. "Ye Xuan, it’s not that I don’t want to accept it, but it’s simply too precious. Besides, even if you tell me, it will ultimately serve the entire Liuyun Kingdom. We would be the beneficiaries; there’s no reason you should have to give it away for nothing."

Dongfang Yanyu nodded in agreement. "Ye Xuan, Kuchen is right. Your contributions to the kingdom are plain for all to see. Just from this Floating Light Assembly, you’ve secured so many extra slots for us. If we were to simply take your refinement technique, we wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves."

"How about this: tell us what you require. As long as it’s within our power, we will not refuse. I’m sure that as a Soul Refiner yourself, you understand the value of this formula."

Seeing their insistence, Ye Xuan stopped declining and said with a faint smile, "Very well, if you insist. I want twenty percent of the profits generated from the Blue Star Grass martial soul. Also, it would be even better if I could have first pick of any treasures everyone obtains in the Floating Light Secret Realm."

"Twenty percent is far too little! It should be at least thirty," Kuchen blurted out.

Dongfang Yanyu nodded. "Kuchen is right. Twenty percent is too little; it must be thirty. And that’s thirty percent of the net profit. As for the treasures from the Floating Light Secret Realm, that goes without saying. I can make the call on this matter. Aside from the treasures you obtain yourself, which you don’t need to turn in, you can pick any twenty percent from the treasures the rest of us find. How does that sound?"

In truth, of all the treasures Soul Refiners find in the Floating Light Secret Realm, thirty percent must be turned over to the kingdom, and another thirty percent to the Soul Master Tower. They are only able to keep forty percent for themselves.

As for the items turned in, President Dongfang Yanyu of the Soul Master Tower had the final say.

Dongfang Yanyu’s offer to let Ye Xuan pick twenty percent clearly meant he was giving up portions of both the kingdom’s thirty-percent share and the Soul Master Tower’s thirty-percent share.

Even so, Dongfang Yanyu felt he was getting the better end of the deal by a long shot.

Treasures from the Floating Light Secret Realm, while rare, could only benefit a small number of people and wouldn’t change the kingdom’s overall strength. The Blue Star Grass martial soul, however, was different. It was enough to allow a kingdom to rapidly ascend into a major power—a contribution that would echo through the ages.

Even an idiot could see which was more valuable.

"Ye Xuan, given your generosity, it would be unbecoming of me to continue holding back. The last time the Floating Light Secret Realm opened, I unintentionally detected the aura of an incredibly powerful flame. It’s very likely some kind of potent Earth Fire. For certain reasons, I was unable to investigate it thoroughly, but I did sketch a map of the surrounding terrain. I hear you’re also an Alchemist. If you happen to be in the area this time, you might want to check it out."

As if suddenly remembering something, Dongfang Yanyu took a map from his person and handed it to Ye Xuan.

The map was quite crude, clearly sketched in a hurry, but the general topography was still discernible.

"Earth Fire?"

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow.

When an Alchemist refines Pills, aside from the immense demand on their Profound Sense, the greatest requirement is flame control.

The stronger the flame an Alchemist possesses, the more formidable their Alchemy abilities.

Generally speaking, the Profound Fire that Alchemists generate themselves is the weakest type of flame. Thus, the vast majority of them aim to acquire some form of external flame.

Among external flames, Demon Fire from certain Demon Beasts is the most common. Next are Earth Fires, which are born of heaven and earth. And above those are Celestial Fires, which possess their own consciousness from birth.

Obtaining a Demon Fire is enough to place an Alchemist above the vast majority of their peers. Acquiring an Earth Fire, however, is something every Alchemist dreams of.

That was why Ye Xuan’s expression shifted upon hearing news of an Earth Fire.

Dongfang Yanyu nodded. "That’s right. At the time, I faintly sensed a dense, fiery aura sinking into the ground. The aura was extremely faint, but that single trace was enough to send a shiver down my spine. That’s why I’m certain it was the aura of an Earth Fire. However, the Floating Light Secret Realm is vast, and entry teleports everyone to random locations. Whether you’ll be able to find the place I visited last time is anyone’s guess."

A map leading to a potential Earth Fire couldn’t compare to the value of the Blue Star Grass martial soul, but it was a token of his sincerity.

Seeing Dongfang Yanyu make a gesture, Kuchen was naturally unwilling to benefit for free. He once again took out the fifty mid-grade Profound Stones he had won from the Zuo Yi Alliance. "Er, Ye Xuan, I don’t have any great treasures on me. Just take these fifty mid-grade Profound Stones and don’t refuse. Otherwise, I’d rather not accept the refinement method for the Blue Star Grass martial soul at all."

That Kuchen... he really was a stubborn one.

Ye Xuan felt helpless but had no choice but to accept them.

Afterward, Ye Xuan carefully explained the process and key points for refining the Blue Star Grass martial soul.

After listening, Dongfang Yanyu and Kuchen were left breathless with admiration.

When they had watched Ye Xuan perform the refinement, they hadn’t thought much of it. They never expected the explanation to reveal so many crucial details. Every ingredient added had a specific purpose, and there was no room for even the slightest error in timing or technique.

What amazed them most was that the materials required to refine the Blue Star Grass martial soul weren’t particularly demanding. With the Liuyun Kingdom’s resources, it was definitely affordable.

Suddenly, Dongfang Yanyu seemed to recall something. He asked doubtfully, "Ye Xuan, I watched you during the refinement. The ingredients you added weren’t the same as these, and there were more of them. How...?"

He didn’t even finish his sentence before he froze, a complex look in his eyes as he stared at Ye Xuan. Then he burst out laughing. "You sly dog, Ye Xuan! So you were already prepared during the competition. The demonstration was a fake! HAHA! And here I was, worried that because you demonstrated it once, the list of materials for the Blue Star Grass martial soul would be leaked and copied. It seems my fears were unfounded."

Ye Xuan’s foresight left both Dongfang Yanyu and Kuchen thoroughly impressed.

"By the way, Ye Xuan, there’s something I must warn you about." Dongfang Yanyu’s expression suddenly turned grave. "Many dark horses have appeared in the Thirteen Nations Alliance this time. But from my observations, the origins of Luan Hong and the others from the Wushang Kingdom are highly suspect. You’ve drawn a lot of attention during the assembly, so you must be extra careful."

Kuchen added a warning of his own. "The President is right. You need to watch out for more than just Luan Hong. If you run into Soul Refiners from the Fire Crow Kingdom or Dongsheng Kingdom in the Floating Light Secret Realm, you need to be careful. I’m afraid the Zuo Yi Alliance will try to make a move on you."

Ye Xuan nodded, his expression serene.

Their discussion concluded, the three of them left the private chamber together.

They hadn’t gone far before a crowd of elders and master Soul Refiners from the Liuyun Kingdom’s Soul Master Tower swarmed around them.

"President Dongfang Yanyu! The Liuyun Kingdom has forty slots this time, almost twenty more than usual! How are they going to be assigned?"

"Yes, the Floating Light Secret Realm opens in just three days! The slots should be decided soon, shouldn’t they?"

Numerous master Soul Refiners, their faces flush with excitement, all began clamoring with questions.

Most of them were Early-Third Grade Soul Refiners, whose strength ranked them somewhere in the dozens within the kingdom.

In previous Floating Light Assemblies, with only around twenty slots available, they had never held any hope of entering the Floating Light Secret Realm.

But this year, the sudden success of Ye Xuan and his team had led to a massive increase in the Liuyun Kingdom’s slots, immediately causing their hearts to stir with ambition.

"Everyone, I understand your excitement. However, the sole reason the Liuyun Kingdom received so many additional slots in this Floating Light Assembly is thanks to Ye Xuan. Therefore, I intend to grant him full authority over the seventeen slots he earned. In other words, I will approve anyone Ye Xuan recommends, no questions asked."

The moment Dongfang Yanyu finished speaking, the Soul Refiners in the Liuyun Kingdom’s lodging exploded into a frenzy.

"Master Ye Xuan! I’m Mayer, from the Riluo Province Soul Master Tower! I’m an Early-Third Grade Soul Refiner. Do you think I might be qualified to enter the Floating Light Secret Realm?"

"Master Ye Xuan! I’m a disciple of the Xue family! Could we have a private word?"

"Master Ye Xuan..."

"Hey, stop pushing!"

"Who the hell is poking my ass with a stick?! Do it again and see if I don’t break it off!"

"Damn pervert!"

The entire hall descended into chaos. Every Soul Refiner surged toward Ye Xuan, shoulder to shoulder, packed like sardines. It was a spectacular sight.

Dongfang Yanyu’s voice suddenly sounded in Ye Xuan’s ear. "Ye Xuan, the matter of the slots is in your hands. These Soul Refiners from all over the kingdom are loaded with treasures. Don’t be polite." With a hearty laugh, he then departed the hall. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Staring at the dense mob of Soul Refiners pressing in on him, Ye Xuan felt his head was about to explode. "Everyone, be quiet!" he boomed.

The entire hall fell instantly silent. You could hear a pin drop.

"Alright. Anyone who wants a slot, prepare a list for me. I will allocate the slots based on those lists."

Ye Xuan’s respectful attitude was reserved for people like Kuchen, friends he considered worth cultivating. He wasn’t nearly so courteous with the other Soul Refiners and elders of the Soul Master Tower. If they wanted a slot, that was fine—they could trade materials for it.

Hearing this, many Soul Refiners scrambled for pen and paper. They listed every valuable material they owned, some looking as though they’d list the shirt off their back—or even their own underwear—if they thought it would help, terrified that Ye Xuan might not choose them.

Experience from past assemblies showed that Soul Refiners who entered the Floating Light Secret Realm not only obtained vast quantities of rare materials, but the very aura within the realm was said to be exceptionally suited for Soul Refining cultivation. Many who entered were able to achieve breakthroughs in a relatively short period. For every Soul Refiner present, this was an irresistible temptation.