C15 Obtained Soul Stone

The deadly poison had no effect on Hao Meier, yet she had experienced the exquisite joy shared between a man and a woman.

"Meier, as much as I long to stay by your side, I must return to the Divine Plant Pill Sect now," Lei Yan said, gazing into Hao Meier's eyes with a heavy heart.

"Lei Yan, go ahead. I'll be here waiting for your return," Hao Meier replied, her voice tinged with reluctance, but she understood the necessity of his departure to the Divine Plant Pill Sect.

"Meier, here are a thousand Great Qian Spirit Coins I've earned at the Sect. Please, take them," Lei Yan insisted, pulling out a beast skin pouch filled with coins and speaking in a hushed tone.

"Lei Yan, we're not wealthy, but we manage to live comfortably. You should keep the Great Qian Spirit Coins for yourself," Hao Meier protested, shaking her head emphatically.

"Meier, as a Soul Cultivator, these coins mean little to me. But they could be of great help to your village," Lei Yan said firmly, placing the pouch into her hands.

"Well... then I'll hold onto them for you," Hao Meier finally agreed after a moment's hesitation.

"Meier, I must go now. Please, take good care of yourself," Lei Yan said, seeing that she had accepted the pouch, and he prepared to take his leave.

"Lei Yan, wait. I have something here. My father told me it was given to him by a Great Soul Master thirty years ago. That Great Soul Master, gravely injured at the time, took refuge in our village to heal for nearly three months. In gratitude, he left this item with my father when he departed," Hao Meier said urgently, grasping Lei Yan's arm.

"What is it?" Lei Yan asked, his curiosity piqued as he halted in his tracks.

"It's concealed in a hiding place in my room. Let me show you," whispered Hao Meier, leading the way.

Minutes later, Lei Yan and Hao Meier stood in her bedroom. It took nearly ten minutes for her to extract a bundle of beast skin from a well-concealed hole.

Lei Yan immediately felt the intense pulsations of Soul Power emanating from the bundle.

"Could this be a Soul Stone?" Lei Yan, drawing upon his Devil Sovereign memories, instantly surmised the item's origin.

A Soul Stone was, in fact, a unique type of Spirit Stone imbued with potent Soul Power, hence its name.

Typically, a palm-sized Soul Stone could fetch three million Great Qian Spirit Coins—a fortune beyond the wildest dreams of the average person.

Within the Great Qian Dynasty, an ordinary family's annual expenses wouldn't even amount to one Great Qian Spirit Coin. Meanwhile, the protection fee the Divine Plant Pill Sect charged Hao Village was a mere three hundred Great Qian Spirit Coins each year.

As Hao Meier unfolded the beast skin with great care, a stone the size of her palm was revealed. It appeared quite ordinary, indistinguishable from any other stone.

Yet, to a Soul Cultivator, the pulsations of Soul Power emanating from the stone would be immediately noticeable.

"Meier, this item might be worthless to the average person, but it's incredibly valuable to me. Rest assured, I'll make sure to earn even more Great Qian Spirit Coins for you in the future. I still have..." Lei Yan, urgently needing the Soul Stone, swiftly took it, his words laced with promises.

"Lei Yan, if this thing holds no value for my father and me but you find it special, then please, take it," offered Hao Meier, her generosity evident without a hint of ulterior motive, as she readily agreed.

With a soft hum, Lei Yan covertly channeled his Soul Power to transport the Soul Stone into his interspatial ring.

This ring was ingeniously concealed deep within his mind, so minuscule that even a Great Soul Master would struggle to detect it.

On the Soul Weeping Continent, practitioners at the Human Soul Stage were known as Soul Cultivators, those at the Beast Soul Stage as Soul Masters, the Artifact Soul Stage as Great Soul Masters, the Plant Soul Stage as Saint Soul Masters, the Origin Soul Stage as Origin Soul Masters, the Earth Soul Stage as Earth Soul Masters, and the Heavenly Soul Stage as Soul Kings.

Legends spoke of the distant Divine World, where the mythical Devil Soul Stage and Divine Soul Stage resided, home to beings of unparalleled might known as Soul Emperors and Soul Gods.

After Lei Yan obtained the Soul Stone, he vanished swiftly. Hao Meier gazed in the direction of his departure, remaining still for a full thirty minutes.

"I, Lei Yan, am indeed fortunate. Not only did I spend the night with a beauty, but I also acquired a Soul Stone, an item of immense rarity even in the Great Qian Dynasty," Lei Yan mused with a sense of pride after sprinting away from Hao Village and casting a backward glance.

With the Soul Stone in his possession, he could forgo the use of Soul Pills during his cultivation.

Upon his return to the Divine Plant Pill Sect, Lei Yan immediately commenced his cultivation. In under a fortnight, his strength surged, breaking through to Level 12 of the Human Soul, reaching the Peak of the Human Soul.

"Lei Yan, the assessment for Inner Disciples of the Divine Plant Pill Sect starts tomorrow. Let's depart this evening," Han Yun suggested.

This year's Inner Disciple Assessment was to be held at Motian Ridge, a considerable distance away, which is why Han Yun had approached him.

"Alright, let's set off," Lei Yan agreed without hesitation.

He could have opted out, knowing that with his strength and cultivation talent, passing the Inner Disciple Assessment was beyond his reach. He was well aware of his own limitations and had never attempted any Inner Disciple Assessment before.

Yet, Han Yun always attended to observe the trials, feeling elated for those who succeeded as if he had passed the assessment himself.

Within minutes, Lei Yan had swiftly packed his belongings and set out towards Motian Ridge alongside Han Yun.

Motian Ridge was the hub of activity in the Divine Plant Mountain on this day. Over a thousand Outer Disciples were vying for the chance to pass the Inner Disciple Assessment, which would mark their true initiation as disciples of the Divine Plant Mountain.

For Lei Yan, who had joined the Divine Plant Pill Sect not long ago, this was his first experience traveling such a distance through the mountains.

Since the day marked a significant celebration for Outer Disciples, nearly all had embarked on their journey the night before, arriving at the destination by early morning.

The Inner Disciple Assessment, however, was not set to officially commence until nine o'clock that morning.

Many of the mountain paths within the Divine Plant Mountain were treacherous. Halfway through their trek, Han Yun found himself utterly exhausted. At that point, Lei Yan hoisted him onto his back and swiftly scaled the rugged terrain.

"Lei Yan, I must say, I'm impressed by your physical strength. You stand a good chance of passing the Inner Disciple Assessment this time," Han Yun remarked as they journeyed on. Despite the burden of carrying Han Yun, Lei Yan moved with remarkable speed and agility on the steep mountain paths, which left Han Yun feeling both amazed and appreciative.

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