C44 The Second Layer Seal of the Qian Yuan Sword

Ye Xiao carefully extracted the pills one by one. There were twelve in total, each as large as a longan fruit. When the mist cleared, he noticed faint patterns etched onto the pills. Sparse, yet they spiraled around each pill.

Puzzled, Ye Xiao inquired, "Bro, what are these patterns?"

"Hmm, those are Pill Marks, indicating that the pills you've concocted are decent. Ordinary pills lack these marks. Yours have few and they're not prominent—just the most common variety. Superior pills will display pill clouds, and the most exceptional ones might even summon divine lightning tribulations," the Qian Yuan Sword replied with a hint of nonchalance.

Ye Xiao nodded, understanding. He hadn't expected his first attempt at pill concoction to yield top-tier results, so he was quite content with the quality he had achieved.

Yet, if any seasoned apothecaries were to hear their conversation, they would be appalled. Decent? Faint patterns? Just common? Didn't they realize that even a master apothecary, with a rank of fourth stage or higher, might never in their lifetime succeed in crafting a Yuan Dan with Pill Marks?

And as for pills that could attract divine tribulations, they were the stuff of legends on the continent, unseen for centuries.

If anyone knew that Ye Xiao aspired to craft a Yuan Dan of such legendary caliber, they would surely sneer in disbelief.

"What's the purpose of these Yuan Dan?" Ye Xiao asked, holding up one of the pills with a spark of curiosity.

"This is the most basic Yuan Dan, the Yang Yuan Dan. It's used to swiftly restore vitality after it's been depleted," came the explanation.

Ye Xiao's eyes brightened at the revelation. Pills were indeed miraculous. In a battle between evenly matched opponents, a single Yang Yuan Dan could tip the scales to victory.

After some thought, Ye Xiao stashed a dozen Yuan Dan into his spatial ring. He planned to allocate some to his family and have his clan sell the remainder. Even though they were the most basic Yuan Dan, he wasn't concerned about finding buyers.

Ye Xiao had no idea that his concerns about finding buyers were unfounded. In the confines of Night City, even the most basic Yuan Dan pills were hot commodities that fetched high prices. And a Yuan Dan with a unique Pill Mark? That was in a league of its own.

"Alright, get some rest. Once you're back on your feet, help me break the second seal!" urged the Qian Yuan Sword.

"Oh? You're ready to have the second seal undone?" Ye Xiao was pleasantly surprised. The more progress the Qian Yuan Sword made in its recovery, the better for him.

"Yes, now that you've ascended to the rank of Yuan Master, you should be able to help me lift a seal," the Qian Yuan Sword said with a hint of expectation.

"By the way, now that you've developed your divine consciousness, you should look for a soul cultivation technique. The stronger your soul, the more powerful your consciousness will be. I remember that at a certain level of cultivation, your consciousness can even leave your body, exist independently, and kill from thousands of miles away in an instant! Unfortunately, the Qianyuan Spell doesn't include a method for cultivating the soul and consciousness," the Qian Yuan Sword added.

"Soul cultivation technique?" Ye Xiao made a mental note of that.

He then stored the pill furnace and the remaining herbs, sat cross-legged, and focused on restoring his energy and vitality.

The next morning, after a night of cultivation, Ye Xiao awoke feeling clear-headed and invigorated.

"Brother Sword, am I able to help you with the seal now?" Ye Xiao asked eagerly.

"Ugh! You've recovered quite well, that will do. Continue sitting and project your consciousness into your dantian space," came the response.

After some effort, Ye Xiao's consciousness returned to the murky expanse of his dantian space, where the figure in black, the Qian Yuan Sword, awaited impatiently.

"Alright, now focus your consciousness on the Qian Yuan Sword. Extract nine strands from the blood-threaded seals and release the second layer of my seal," the Qian Yuan Sword instructed with a grave tone.

"These blood threads are your seals? In that case, why only remove nine? Can't they all be extracted? Wouldn't that fully release your seals?" Ye Xiao realized that the eerie blood-red patterns on the Qian Yuan Sword were actually seals.

The Qian Yuan Sword was somewhat exasperated, "With your current level of consciousness, managing to unravel nine is already a feat. And you're thinking of undoing them all?"

Ye Xiao was clueless about how to break the seal and had no choice but to follow the Qian Yuan Sword's instructions. As the sword's figure vanished, its blade automatically flew over and positioned itself upright before Ye Xiao. "Attach your consciousness to it," the sword instructed.

Obediently, Ye Xiao projected his divine sense onto the Qian Yuan Sword. "Idiot, don't cover the whole blade. Start at the tip—the seal is weakest there. Focus your divine sense on a single blood-red line and tug it away from the blade."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiao approached the sword's tip, enveloping a crimson line with his mind and gave it a pull. As he did, the surrounding lines quivered slightly, seemingly tugging back at the one Ye Xiao was focusing on. The Qian Yuan Sword's blade emitted a faint red glow, accompanied by a soft hum.

Ye Xiao felt the resistance weaken and pulled at the line with urgency. The blood-red mark was surprisingly heavy, and it was only with his full concentration that he managed to pry it slightly away from the blade.

The sword's cries grew louder, but Ye Xiao remained determined, pulling with all his might. Accompanied by a mournful cry from the Qian Yuan Sword, the blood-colored pattern finally came loose.

Startled by the sword's wail, Ye Xiao asked with concern, "What's wrong?" The Qian Yuan Sword was his greatest support; he couldn't help but worry.

"It's nothing, just this cursed seal," the sword replied, sounding weary. "Keep going!"

Ye Xiao wrapped his divine sense around another line and, with the Qian Yuan Sword's assistance, managed to tear it off as well. This process repeated until, after removing five lines, Ye Xiao's consciousness slumped from exhaustion. The sword reappeared, lying casually beside him.

"Should we keep going? There are four left," Ye Xiao asked between breaths.

"No, we need to rest! You're lucky your divine sense is much stronger than most, thanks to the fusion of your two lives. Otherwise, we'd never break this accursed seal," the Qian Yuan Sword responded, breathing heavily.

The pair took a much-needed break before once again facing the challenge of the blood-colored lines. After what felt like an eternity, and following another anguished howl from the Qian Yuan Sword, the ninth line was finally torn free.

The crisp ring of the Qian Yuan sword echoed as it materialized and plopped down next to Ye Chen.

"Ah, this is the life!" the Qian Yuan sword exclaimed, letting loose a curse.

"Hey, Ye Xiao, I've unlocked the second layer of the seal. There are some new memories—some good news and some bad. Which do you want to hear first?" The Qian Yuan sword seemed in high spirits, even cracking a joke with Ye Xiao.

Unnoticed by the pair, several strands of blood that had been stripped away coalesced into a blood bead. The bead whirled momentarily before it followed Ye Chen's bloodstream, spreading throughout his body and vanishing from sight.