Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates
Chapter 316 - 314: Xiao Ye’s Hard Cultivation

Chapter 316: Chapter 314: Xiao Ye’s Hard Cultivation

"Power and respect are supreme everywhere," reflected Xiao Ye as he headed to the Exchange Hall, the flames of rage burning inside him from the earlier conflict.

"Xiang Nan, Mo Ye, I will remember your surprise attack. When my fourth Dead Xuan Pill revives, we’ll see if you can still laugh with such arrogance," Xiao Ye’s gaze became icy cold.

Soon, the Exchange Hall loomed in the distance. Xiao Ye hurried inside and exchanged for four drops of Essence of Primordial Stone, consuming eight hundred and forty thousand Contribution Points.

"Contribution Points really do burn a hole in one’s pocket," Xiao Ye muttered with a helpless expression as he held his Identity Token.

Now, there were only two hundred and sixty thousand Contribution Points left on his Identity Token. In the Exchange Hall, this amount was insufficient to exchange for other precious treasures, which is why members of the Genius Camp were so desperate for them.

"I should focus on preparing for the semi-annual Genius Camp assessment coming up and try to comprehend the fourth Martial Arts True Intent before then," Xiao Ye thought to himself.

After all, during his first mission, he had outmaneuvered Xiang Nan’s Team and Mo Ye Team by merging his Martial Arts True Intent, gaining a great deal from it. If there was another chance, the others would surely be prepared, making it hard to repeat his success.

"Once I revive my fourth Xuandan and greatly increase my strength, it will be easy to complete missions and earn Contribution Points," Xiao Ye decided. After giving Jiu Zhu a quick acknowledgment, he swiftly returned to his palace.

"Essence of Primordial Stone." Xiao Ye took out a porcelain bottle, poured out a drop of green liquid, and its green glow illuminated the whole palace.

The Essence of Primordial Stone, extracted from Mid-grade Primordial Stones, was potent enough that a small drop was equivalent to five hundred Mid-grade Primordial Stones. It could be directly absorbed by Martial Artists, saving countless hours of hard training.

Following Jiu Zhu’s instructions, Xiao Ye began to absorb the Essence of Primordial Stone, circulating the Four Profound Treasure Technique.

Boom!

A small drop of Essence of Primordial Stone roared like the vast Yangtze River, its immense energy causing palpitations.

As Xiao Ye absorbed it, his four Xuandans grew at a terrifying speed, ten times faster than cultivating with Mid-grade Primordial Stones.

"Deserving of the Essence of Primordial Stone," Xiao Ye exclaimed with excitement.

At this pace, his three Xuandans were not far from breakthroughs.

While enduring his rigorous training, Xiao Ye did not forget to comprehend the Water Martial Arts True Intent and practice the Ten Thousand Refining Golden Body, as both were his trump cards for domineering the Xuanwu Realm.

...

Within the Genius Camp, a ten-story pagoda towered above all other buildings, standing tall like a king surveying all below.

Strangely enough, though this pagoda was conspicuous, it seemed to rest in a special space, invisible to the members of the Genius Camp.

"Why didn’t you go yourself when you knew Xiao Ye was in danger? Why make me do it?" Qing Wu complained to a young figure at the top of the pagoda.

Upon closer inspection, one would realize that this young figure blended with the void, seemingly close but also elusive.

"I notice you can’t go three sentences without mentioning that Xiao Ye. He must be your crush, which is why I reminded you. Otherwise, do you think I’d waste my time?" The figure, sitting atop the pagoda with his back to Qing Wu, spoke slowly after a brief silence.

"If you keep spouting nonsense, believe it or not, I’ll bite you!" Qing Wu, both embarrassed and angry at the remark, ground her tiny tiger teeth, her cheeks flushing red.

"Hehe..." The young figure chuckled lightly, "Though I rarely move about the Genius Camp, I’m not blind. Your protection of Xiao Ye speaks volumes. Are you saying you have no feelings for him?"

"That’s because he’s a member of my team," Qing Wu rushed to clarify, but her voice lacked conviction.

The young figure shook his head and decided not to dwell on this topic. He spoke slowly, "I will also participate in the upcoming Genius Camp assessment."

"You’re taking part in the assessment!" Qing Wu’s beautiful eyes widened with disbelief. If this news spread, it would surely stir up the entire Genius Camp.

Then she cheered joyously.

"Remember to give Xiang Nan and Mo Ye a thorough thrashing for me. Those two have become increasingly brazen in the Genius Camp, thinking no one can control them."

The young figure smiled slightly, gazing up at the heaven and murmuring, "I’m just curious about that lad Xiao Ye. I want to see what he’s capable of."

...

Time flowed like water, slipping by unnoticeably, and as the day of the assessment drew near, an unusual atmosphere enveloped the Genius Camp.

Ever since the last bandit mission, King Xingyun had not issued any new tasks. Even Jiu Zhu frequented Sky City, hinting at an undercurrent brewing.

All of this, however, did not affect Xiao Ye. Other than occasionally meeting up with the members of the Dragon Hunting Team at the Genius Camp tavern, he was immersed in constant cultivation, without a moment’s relaxation.

Two and a half months later.

Xiao Ye sat cross-legged on the ground, with brilliant golden radiance shining tens of thousands of feet around him, even his hair was glowing. A golden protective shield enveloped him, illuminating the entire palace like the sun.

Boom!

At a certain moment, the golden light on Xiao Ye’s body surged explosively, golden beams shot up into the sky, turning the palace into a world of gold. Terrifying fluctuations swept out, causing the walls of the palace to shake.

Whoosh!

Xiao Ye suddenly opened his eyes, his pitch-black pupils completely replaced by a sharp golden gleam, like a golden divine sword piercing through heaven.

"The First Level of Ten Thousand Refining Golden Body is finally perfect!" Xiao Ye felt the transformation within himself and burst into laughter, overwhelmed with excitement.

After such a long period of arduous cultivation, the First Level of Ten Thousand Refining Golden Body had reached perfection today. All the Golden Divine Liquid had been absorbed, and his physical body was like cast gold, unbreakable, easily on par with a Xuan Artifact.

"Let’s test the defensive power of my physical body." Xiao Ye’s eyes were filled with anticipation as he bent his finger into a blade, executed Blood Battle Eight Directions, and fiercely slashed his own arm.

With the First Level of Ten Thousand Refining Golden Body reached perfection, Xiao Ye’s physical body could compare with a Xuan Artifact, so this slash was as powerful as if he had used the Flame Saber.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The resplendent Sword Light slashed against him, the sharp Sword Energy scattering in all directions, striking the golden protective shield and producing a sound like golden spears clashing.

When the Sword Light dissipated, Xiao Ye’s golden protective shield was still intact, without the slightest damage.

"Truly formidable! Worthy of the perfect Ten Thousand Refining Golden Body!" Xiao Ye’s eyes widened with excitement.

After absorbing the essence of four Primordial Stones and the prolonged intensive cultivation, the three Xuan pills within him had undergone a tremendous enhancement. The Fire Xuan Pill and the Earth Xuan Pill had soared to the early stage of Eighth Transition Xuanwu Realm, and the Wind Xuan Pill had reached the late stage of Seventh Transition Xuanwu.

This was a staggering progress; Xiao Ye’s overall strength had increased more than tenfold compared to two and a half months ago, robust in power.

"With my current strength, I’ve definitely stepped into the level of the three team captains. With my physical body’s defensive power, I can even firmly suppress them!" Xiao Ye moved with a strong confidence radiating from him.

Three months ago, he was beaten by Xiang Nan’s Team Captain Guo Tao without the power to fight back; now, he could suppress his opponent.

It should be noted, Xiao Ye had only been in the Genius Camp for half a year to achieve such a leap in progress. If this were to spread, it would definitely shock many.

"My True Water Intent has also reached ninety-five percent. I wonder if I can comprehend it to perfection in the last half a month and revive the fourth Dead Xuan Pill." Xiao Ye frowned slightly; he was still not satisfied with his current strength.

His goal was to stand shoulder to shoulder with the two geniuses from Genius Camp, or even surpass them, but this goal could only be achieved with the revival of the fourth Xuan Pill.

Xiao Ye stepped out of the palace, looked at the sky, and swiftly headed towards the tavern of Genius Camp.

The Dragon Hunting Team would regularly gather for meetings when they had no missions, and today happened to be the day for such a meeting. Xiao Ye didn’t reject this; after all, constant arduous cultivation might not always yield great results. When it was time to relax, one should relax.

"Xiao Ye, you finally came. Come drink with me!" Kuang Dao’s voice boomed.

Xiao Ye smiled slightly and entered the tavern. He looked around and saw that all the members of the Dragon Hunting Team were present, except Qing Wu.

After all, their men’s gatherings often involved drinking, and Qing Wu wasn’t interested and often absent, which Xiao Ye had gotten used to.

Xiao Ye sat down and started chatting over drinks with the members of the Dragon Hunting Team. The atmosphere was very harmonious, and everyone enjoyed the drinks thoroughly.

From the last bandit eradication mission, the Dragon Hunting Team had earned a substantial amount of Contribution Points. They exchanged for many treasures, and their cultivation levels surged, so they naturally didn’t need to worry about the assessment half a month later.

"Xiao Ye, you need to be careful with Guo Tao and Ding Yi in the upcoming assessment."

"I heard that the two monsters, Xiang Nan and Mo Ye, want these two to teach you a lesson during the assessment." Suddenly, Kuang Dao said with a concerned face.

Over time, the members of the Dragon Hunting Team had learned about the two monsters’ previous actions against Xiao Ye. Moreover, Qing Wu had reported the incident to Jiu Zhu, but they hadn’t made a move thus far, let alone carried out any punishment.

Xiao Ye smiled slightly and then nodded.

He understood that the Genius Camp assessment not only eliminated the least progressive members but also included a sparring challenge where members could test their Martial Arts. This challenge was rarely rejected by anyone, and the winner would receive Contribution Points as a reward.

Without saying more, if Ding Yi and Guo Tao were to confront him, they would definitely make their move during the challenge.

"Indeed, I will confront you in the assessment. Are you ready, Xiao Ye?" At that moment, a cold voice rang out, silencing the tavern instantly.

Xiao Ye narrowed his eyes and looked over to see Guo Tao in a yellow robe walking in slowly, his eyes filled with resentment, staring at him.

Following behind Guo Tao were the members of Xiang Nan’s Team.

(Sorry, I’ve been very busy these past two days, and could not get away, hence the late update. But I will make up for the owed updates, and they will be released in the evening.)