Chapter 303 : The Divine Sense of the Sovereign Emperor

Chapter 303: The Divine Sense of the Sovereign Emperor

“Because of the power of the origin?”

Upon hearing the words of the Ancestral Emperor, Lin Qingci did not feel surprised.

A cultivator who had refined fragments of the Profound Yellow Origin was, in truth, fundamentally different from ordinary cultivators—it was a qualitative transformation.

At present, Chu Huaixu was merely unable to utilize this power due to his low cultivation.

However, his body had already been nourished by this force.

Many so-called bottlenecks, limits, and barriers… simply did not exist for him.

Lin Qingci thought to herself: “It seems he can fully absorb all nine of the previous Emperor Pools.”

“No, he can even absorb them at double the rate through his body-refining divine ability.”

“He probably won’t need long before breaking through within the pool.” The female State Preceptor speculated inwardly.

The earlier Emperor Pools might have seemed average, but the later ones were considerably more potent.

Chu Huaixu entered the pools one after another, and before long, he arrived at the seventh Emperor Pool.

“Thanks to the bonus from [Flesh Becoming Sacred], I gained 640,000 experience points in one go!” A pleased expression appeared on his face.

“That means the next Emperor Pool will give 1.28 million.”

“And the one after that, 2.56 million!”

After a quick mental calculation, summing up the experience obtainable from all nine pools, he realized he could gain a total of 5.11 million experience points in one go!

This was truly an enormous fortune.

“It’s just a pity that I still have to participate in the East-West Grand Competition.”

“And even if I win first place in the Profound Yellow Ranking again, I’ll still have to suppress my cultivation to break through the second layer of the Origin Spirit Realm.”

“These technique experience points can’t all be used for leveling up for now.”

After finishing his immersion in the seventh Emperor Pool, Chu Huaixu opened his eyes and looked ahead.

He was staring at the mist at the far end.

“Why is there mist only in that area?” he wondered.

Come to think of it, the Emperor Pools were indeed quite strange.

According to the sequence, each pool was hotter than the last.

Yet strangely, no steam rose from them.

This made the mist at the far end appear somewhat abrupt.

Lin Qingci sat on her meditation cushion. Though she knew he could not see her, she still felt as if they were looking at each other across space.

She could see the joy in the young man’s eyes.

“It’s a pity that everything you gain from the first nine Emperor Pools will be completely taken by the Ancestral Emperor once you enter the tenth.”

Imperial Capital, Daoist Academy.

The drawing of lots for the preliminary round had already concluded.

Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing were fortunate—they had drawn opponents from small sects of the Moon Kingdom.

Thus, Xu did not need to use the Bronze Sword, nor did Nangong Yue need to fly to the Emperor Pool to retrieve it from Jiang Zhi.

At this moment, the surrounding crowd began to disperse on their own. Qin Xuanxiao, accompanied by Lin Zixuan, walked toward Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing.

“Miss Han, Brother Xu, it’s been quite some time,” the Heir of Prince Rui greeted them with a warm smile.

The four of them were fairly familiar with each other, though their relationship did not go beyond that.

Because of Chu Huaixu’s presence, these four so-called protagonists had not formed any deep bonds.

Qin Xuanxiao was originally meant to be the leader and decision-maker of their group.

But now, things were entirely different.

Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing looked at the noble Heir of Prince Rui before them, both feeling that he was familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar.

It was odd—he seemed to have changed, yet upon closer inspection, nothing seemed different.

“It feels like the way he looks at people, his demeanor, even the aura he exudes… has changed,” Han Shuangjiang thought.

The previous Qin Xuanxiao carried the spirited vigor of a noble prince.

But now, there was an added trace of maturity beyond his years.

Even a faint, unspoken authority?

Han Shuangjiang could not quite describe it, only feeling that the Heir of Prince Rui had changed significantly.

In truth, as a [Container], many influences had already taken place subtly.

At this moment, Qin Xuanxiao looked at them and said, “I heard that Chu Huaixu has gone to the Emperor Pools?”

Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing exchanged glances and nodded.

“I hope Brother Chu gains something from it,” Qin Xuanxiao said with a gentle smile, his tone sincere.

He had previously been worried that Chu Huaixu might absorb the Divine Sense of the Sovereign Emperor.

But during his last visit to the Emperor Pools, the Ancestral Emperor had told him that once he refined the Profound Yellow Origin fragment and possessed the power of the origin, the remaining four strands of the Sovereign Emperor’s Divine Sense would merge into his body.

“Even the strand within the State Preceptor will eventually be stripped away and fused into me.”

Since it could not be taken by Chu Huaixu, he no longer cared.

At this moment, Qin Xuanxiao smiled and said to the two, “By my estimation, Brother Chu should return in about an hour.”

“How about I host a small gathering tonight?”

Han Shuangjiang looked at him and replied, “When Chu Huaixu returns, I’ll pass along your message.”

“Alright.”

Qin Xuanxiao turned his head and glanced leisurely in the direction of the Emperor Pools.

At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

“Xuanxiao, have you handled the matter I instructed earlier?”

He was unable to communicate with the Sovereign Emperor’s Divine Sense through thoughts alone.

He could only respond verbally.

But clearly, this was not convenient at the moment.

Yet those in power never concerned themselves with such trivialities.

Whether it was inconvenient or not—that was his problem.

Qin Xuanxiao did not dare delay. He softly uttered an “Mm,” then immediately bid farewell to Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing.

Outside the Emperor Pools.

Jiang Zhi had been waiting outside the entire time, guarding Chu Huaixu.

He felt somewhat puzzled.

“Why has he been inside for so long?”

“By all logic, he should have come out by now.”

The Emperor Pools and the Emperor Mausoleum of the Moon Kingdom only had remarkable effects on its own people.

In his view, Chu Huaixu was from the Mirror Kingdom of the Eastern Continent.

At most, soaking in five pools should have been his limit.

But soon, a faint smile appeared on Jiang Zhi’s ordinary-looking face.

“He’s probably using his body-refining divine ability,” he speculated.

In that case, he should gain at least some benefit.

Under normal circumstances, perhaps enough to break through one minor realm?

However, Chu Huaixu was someone who often created unimaginable miracles.

“Perhaps he might gain even more?” Jiang Zhi thought.

He was not in a hurry.

After all, this junior grand-uncle of the Daoist Sect was not without things to do.

Earlier, Chu Huaixu had told him that the core of the Imperial Capital’s grand formation seemed to be a sword.

Today, with nothing better to do, Jiang Zhi spread his divine sense to investigate the capital.

“He said earlier that the sword’s location doesn’t seem far from the Emperor Pools.”

Yet after searching with his divine sense, he found nothing.

Although Jiang Zhi’s cultivation had fallen, the strength of his divine sense remained at the Ninth Realm—it had not diminished.

“Even I cannot locate it, yet Chu Huaixu can sense it through his sword heart?”

He increasingly felt that this boy’s sword heart was somewhat different from everyone else’s.

Unbeknownst to Chu Huaixu, this peerless killing fiend of a grandmaster, upon learning that the core of the Imperial Capital’s formation was a sword, had his thoughts stirred.

Killing Ming Xuanji suddenly seemed a bit more feasible.

“This sword is likely the Nation-Suppressing Sword.”

“If I can find it and tamper with it, the Imperial Capital’s formation will malfunction.”

“That is Ming Xuanji’s greatest reliance within the city.”

“At that time, perhaps he can be killed.”

He still had not entirely given up.

Time passed—another two hours went by.

Yet Chu Huaixu still had not emerged.

“Could it be that he really soaked all the way to the final Emperor Pool?” Jiang Zhi wondered.

Inside the coffin-like stone structure, Chu Huaixu was still soaking in the ninth Emperor Pool.

The water here had completely turned blood-red.

“The temperature is practically the same as boiling water,” he thought.

But to him, this was hardly a form of torment.

This level was nothing.

Watching his character panel, each increase in experience filled him with delight.

After reaching saturation, he exited the Sacred Body state.

Upon leaving the ninth Emperor Pool, Chu Huaixu felt quite accomplished.

“All of them reached the full ten-orb capacity.”

He was also somewhat puzzled as to why he could absorb even more than the so-called protagonists.

But there was no time to dwell on it now.

As he walked, shaking off water, he soon arrived before the tenth Emperor Pool.

Within the mist, Lin Qingci did not avert her gaze this time.

However, her eyes were deliberately focused on Chu Huaixu’s upper body—or rather, his face.

Though there was some distance between them, the female State Preceptor suddenly felt the place growing warm.

Her gaze fell upon the jade bottle placed nearby.

Inside was the aphrodisiac she had prepared in advance.

This was no ordinary item.

It was a high-grade product from a dual cultivation sect.

As long as she did not deliberately suppress its effects with spiritual power, it would certainly take effect.

Moreover, the bottle contained enough for three people…

“Seizing and merging will take twelve hours.”

“There’s no rush.”

“I will take it during the final incense stick of time.”

Originally, she had regarded this as liberation and had long been awaiting this day.

She had already accepted her fate.

Even when speaking with the Ancestral Emperor earlier, her heart had been calm, her tone steady.

But now, seeing him in person, she could not help but feel a trace of nervousness.

Though she was of mature age, fully ripened, she remained untouched and inexperienced.

At this moment, Lin Qingci looked at Chu Huaixu standing at the other end of the Emperor Pool.

He did not immediately step in, but instead lowered his head to look at the blood-red pool.

This Emperor Pool gave him an indescribable feeling.

He felt vaguely uncomfortable.

“Maybe it’s because the color is too intense?”

Within the pool, four streams of energy moved like swimming dragons.

“So, this is the Divine Sense of the Sovereign Emperor?” he thought.